Traveling Simile: "We are blessed with majestic mountains which surround us on all four sides..." ~ Ullapool.co.uk

The village of Ullapool is located on the shores of Loch Broom, one hour north of Loch Ness...

which is becoming quite well known for its music festivals...

such as the Loopallu Festival...

and, conveniently, while the kids will be visiting, the Tall Ships Festival.

We were looking for a reason to go back.

You can catch the ferry to Lewis Island, a three hour tour...

not to be confused with Gilligan's island...

which is the largest of the Western Isles...

also known as the Outer Hebrides.

(You know...

you can click on this map to make it easier to read those teeny tiny towns...

so you can find Ullapool)

While walking around...

I decided that Ren Man and I were going to become hill walkers...

I have been making decisions collectively for us for many years ...

and I think the hill across the way would be a good first hill to conquer.

He just nods quietly and smiles,

which he has done for years when I make a decision for him.

Hill walking should, in no way, be confused with mountain climbing.

That does not interest me in the least.

Hill walking sounds marvelous...

besides, is requires me to buy a new pair of shoes so I am very excited about finding the perfect hiking boots and becoming a hill walker.

This clock is used as a point of reference quite often in town so when I was told to take a right at the clock I was looking for something that rose above the other buildings. I wasn't expecting anything like Big Ben but some eye catching, hey look at me I am bigger than you, attraction. Don't get me wrong, it is quite elaborate. Impressive, but vertically challenged.

Of course, when it was first erected in 1899, it stood in the middle of the road in memory of Sir John Fowler of Braemore's sons and grandsons who were killed in action. In 1922 it was presented to the village and was moved to its current location after the council received numerous complaints about traffic congestion around the clock.

Up until 1995 a local butcher wound the clock by hand...

maybe this guy, but was relieved of his duties when the council funraised for funds to modernize the clock to be run on electricity.

Ullapool was founded as a herring port fishing station in 1788 by the "British Society for Extending the Fisheries and Improving the Sea Coasts of This Kingdom of Great Britain".