scampa
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On my recent happy wanderings around the Highlands I decided to spend a few days exploring around the shores of Loch Ness. Not wanting to miss anything of interest, I bought the local Ordnance Survey maps and a very useful guide book to the area, referring to them as I travelled around.
On the south side I travelled along the single-track shore road from Foyers to Dores several times. Between these two villages is the lovely, unspoilt village of Inverfarigaig, which has some good views of the loch (especially if you walk through the overgrown undergrowth to the old derelict pier), plenty of forest walks and a picnic site etc.
Of this "main" road (the B852) passing through Inverfarigaig, the guide book says "..to follow this road without detouring would be to miss some of Scotlands most spectactular scenery....". It later describes one of these alternative minor roads, known as "The Corkscrew", as "Definitely not for the faint-hearted, a narrow, twisty, unclassified road climbs steeply from opposite the houses near the shore....".
I've negotiated the more famous mountain passes such as Hardknott and Wrynose etc many times in the past (though not in this van) and earlier on this trip had travelled the drovers mountain-pass route to Applecross, along with some quite hairy cliff-top "roads" on all of Scotlands coasts, so I wasn't too worried about trying this for a change.... There was the sign saying "Not suitable for caravans or HGV's", but that's pretty standard on smaller roads, so I drove on.
When I reached the first bend, I got the idea that it was going to be too tight and too steep for my long-wheel-base, rear-wheel-drive van, and I needed a couple of attempts to get around and up it. I did think of reversing back down to the main road, but then I decided that it would be safer to carry on forwards and hope that it wouldn't get any worse.
The next steep hairpin bend wasn't any easier, and my fully-laden van was slipping and struggling to get traction. The sprinkling of wet leaves on the road didn't help. I inched forwards and backwards, trying to get around, but eventually lost all traction completely, so got out to have a look at my predicament. The reason that I couldn't move was that one rear wheel was hanging off the edge of the road, and one small tree that it had wedged against was the only thing that stopped the van from plummetting down the steep sides of the ravine!
It was at this stage that I remembered the monument that I'd just visited half a mile away, that marked the spot where a geologist had fallen down the ravine to his death (also in the handy guide-book!).
I had some self-rescue gear in the back, including hi-lift jack, traction-tracks, towing gear and tools etc., but couldn't get to them for fear of over-balancing the van and sending it over the edge! (The ending of "The Italian Job" with Michael Caine came to mind, where they are trapped in the coach overhanging the cliff!).
Deciding not to panic, I thought that I'd better inform the police so that they could close the road to prevent any other vehicles from trying to get through. The road is in woodland, so I wouldn't be seen by anyone until they got to my location. ... But of course, I couldn't get a signal on my phone, and before too long it would be pitch-dark!!
Now I know that other people use that pass without problems, and no doubt many of you may have travelled it in the past (I'm sure that one of you will have had a grandmother who used to drive a double-decker bus up it several times a day!), but seriously, my best piece of advice to anyone who isn't familiar with it is... DON'T ATTEMPT IT..... especially in a long wheel base, rear wheel drive, fully laden vehicle!! :scared:
On the south side I travelled along the single-track shore road from Foyers to Dores several times. Between these two villages is the lovely, unspoilt village of Inverfarigaig, which has some good views of the loch (especially if you walk through the overgrown undergrowth to the old derelict pier), plenty of forest walks and a picnic site etc.
Of this "main" road (the B852) passing through Inverfarigaig, the guide book says "..to follow this road without detouring would be to miss some of Scotlands most spectactular scenery....". It later describes one of these alternative minor roads, known as "The Corkscrew", as "Definitely not for the faint-hearted, a narrow, twisty, unclassified road climbs steeply from opposite the houses near the shore....".
I've negotiated the more famous mountain passes such as Hardknott and Wrynose etc many times in the past (though not in this van) and earlier on this trip had travelled the drovers mountain-pass route to Applecross, along with some quite hairy cliff-top "roads" on all of Scotlands coasts, so I wasn't too worried about trying this for a change.... There was the sign saying "Not suitable for caravans or HGV's", but that's pretty standard on smaller roads, so I drove on.
When I reached the first bend, I got the idea that it was going to be too tight and too steep for my long-wheel-base, rear-wheel-drive van, and I needed a couple of attempts to get around and up it. I did think of reversing back down to the main road, but then I decided that it would be safer to carry on forwards and hope that it wouldn't get any worse.
The next steep hairpin bend wasn't any easier, and my fully-laden van was slipping and struggling to get traction. The sprinkling of wet leaves on the road didn't help. I inched forwards and backwards, trying to get around, but eventually lost all traction completely, so got out to have a look at my predicament. The reason that I couldn't move was that one rear wheel was hanging off the edge of the road, and one small tree that it had wedged against was the only thing that stopped the van from plummetting down the steep sides of the ravine!
It was at this stage that I remembered the monument that I'd just visited half a mile away, that marked the spot where a geologist had fallen down the ravine to his death (also in the handy guide-book!).
I had some self-rescue gear in the back, including hi-lift jack, traction-tracks, towing gear and tools etc., but couldn't get to them for fear of over-balancing the van and sending it over the edge! (The ending of "The Italian Job" with Michael Caine came to mind, where they are trapped in the coach overhanging the cliff!).
Deciding not to panic, I thought that I'd better inform the police so that they could close the road to prevent any other vehicles from trying to get through. The road is in woodland, so I wouldn't be seen by anyone until they got to my location. ... But of course, I couldn't get a signal on my phone, and before too long it would be pitch-dark!!
Now I know that other people use that pass without problems, and no doubt many of you may have travelled it in the past (I'm sure that one of you will have had a grandmother who used to drive a double-decker bus up it several times a day!), but seriously, my best piece of advice to anyone who isn't familiar with it is... DON'T ATTEMPT IT..... especially in a long wheel base, rear wheel drive, fully laden vehicle!! :scared:
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