Horrific journey (but pretty pics!)

On Thursday, my sister and I decided to go to Inverness (2 hours drive away) to get the rest of our Christmas shopping finished. It was a very cold day, but clear and no snow was predicted, so we thought everything would be fine. I got these photos on the journey...

At home, before we got in the car...

Sarah 339 by Niseag, on Flickr

Going south...

Sarah 346 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 348 by Niseag, on Flickr

Little did I know we would nearly die here on the way home! :shock:

Sarah 350 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 352 by Niseag, on Flickr

Threatened snow, but it didn't.

Sarah 353 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 355 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 356 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 357 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 358 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 361 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 362 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 363 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 367 by Niseag, on Flickr

Ullapool - half way

Sarah 368 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 369 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 373 by Niseag, on Flickr

Going further south

Sarah 378 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 326 by Niseag, on Flickr

more and my story to come!

Sarah 329 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 331 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 334 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 382 by Niseag, on Flickr

-6oC

Sarah 385 by Niseag, on Flickr


Sarah 384 by Niseag, on Flickr

And then in Inverness, it started snowing and I was so excited I took a photo of 'Betty' in the snow.

Sarah 387 by Niseag, on Flickr

So, all was well until that point, only it snowed all day in Inverness while we were shopping. Easy enough to deal with, and I was pretty sure there would be none of the way home as there hadn't been any on the way down, and none predicted.

Well, it snowed all the way to Ullapool. Several inches on the road, no ploughs or gritters were to be seen, and the snow gates were open too, so we assumed everything was fine. Got to Ullapool (after going VERY slowly and carefully), still snowing, but again, I was sure it would be clear up north as there was no gritters anywhere. We left Ullapool, and as you can see, the road north of Ullapool is up and down, and up and down, and round steep curves down steep hills etc. Basically, right through the mountains. The snow got deeper and deeper, until the car was skidding all over the road. We got half way up a hill, and found we just could not go any further. There was also a Volvo stuck on the road, and we figured if a Volvo couldn't do it, our little Citreon would never. So we stopped, spoke with the people in the car, who said they had a Landrover coming from home to pick them up. We had no one, so phoned the police back in Ullapool, who said they would come and 'assess' the situation. He came, drove forward and said if we could get up the hill we would be fine, and that he would escort us for 20 miles.

Well, what an amazing man he was. We had no option but to drive 10-20 miles an hour because the snow was so bad. We could barely see a thing. But he drove in front, and another local Landrover was behind. The policeman left after 20 miles, but the Landrover came a further 10 miles with us. It was so good of both of them.

Sadly it meant we had to do the last 30 on our own, which also turned out to be the worst part. I have never been so scared in my life, and cried most of the way hanging on for dear life! We skidded down hills and rolled down several backwards too, in the pitch black, middle of no where, with cliffs either side of us. One point we very nearly did go right off the road down a cliff, the road where the mountain in the photo has sheep below it. What was normally a 2 hour journey, took nearly 8 hours because we had to go so slow, and we used 260 miles worth of petrol in trying to get up all the hills!

I have never been so happy to get home, honestly, we both burst into tears when we got in. Then that turned to rage at the lack of salt on the roads and the snow gates being open. It really was rediculus. I realise it was not predicted, but it had been snowing on that road since 3pm without stopping, and not one gritter had been out, and those gates should have been shut to stop cars going further. We first got really stuck in the snow at 8pm, got home at 1am, and there was no salt put on those roads in those hours. In fact, from the snow starting at 1pm in Inverness, to getting home at 1am, we didn't see any out salting the roads. The scariest thing was the next day we found out another person who tried to go on that road ended up skidding off the road and into a loch we were so lucky.

No real point to this, but I couldn't share my pictures without my story!

Glad you made it safe and sound. That has happened to me and is is absolutely terrifying!!,!!!

Very scary! Like your photos.

Wow such beautiful photo's, and an amazing story, so glad you managed to get home safely in the end

Oh dear what a journey! Glad you got home safe.

What amazing scenery. I am so jealous. I would love to live in Scotland but OH has said 'far too cold'. He's probably right!

Ah I hate snowy weather in the moutains, I do love Inverness though.
Shall have to organise a holiday soon.
Glad you got home safe xx

Blimey:shock::shock:
I have done that trip many a time and the road scares me in Summer.
You both must have been petrified.
Cannot believe the grifters hand,t been:evil:

Wonderful photos. I'm so pleased you got home safely. The journey sounds horrendous:shock:

Lost my Scotland thread, and found this instead, looks scary but beautiful

My "friend" is going to have to get used to the cold in Scotland/