Ullapool, Scotland
Early morning, we anchored just offshore in Ullapool (pronounced exactly like it looks: ull-a-pool). The “Ull” rhymes with “Dull”. And yeah, that tracks.
It was a short 5-minute tender to the pier.
The tour was 100% on foot, as there is not much to see and even less to do here. If you like to hike or kayak or cycle down rural roads or if you just want to get away from everything, then this is a good spot. Apparently, there are music and arts festivals aplenty in the summer. In April, however, not so much.
“The most photographed clock in Ullapool” said our guide. This is the kind of thing that is newsworthy here.
Honestly, I don’t have a lot to type, as there isn’t much to write about. We saw roadworks near the harbour. We saw some nice little houses. There was a primary school. OH, there is a museum here as well, but it doesn’t open until 11am and our ship heads out at 12:30. Not that there could be much in there, anyway. Perhaps they have nice photos of the clock. Dunno.
It’s a quaint little town, but not much to do. They even charge to use the public toilet, maybe so it will feel like a tourist attraction or something.
I’m ragging on the town a bit not because it isn’t pretty (it is), but because it felt like a strange place for a cruise ship to stop. We tendered over, saw the whole town on foot in less than an hour, then tendered back. We were on board the ship again a few minutes before 10am.
The view from the ship, though, was spectacular. The little town is absolutely gorgeous when viewed from the harbour. Considering how the top deck of the ship filled up with passengers who spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon just lounging up there admiring the view, I’d say that most of our shipmates agreed. The best way to see the town is by staying offshore.