British Isles Explorer Ocean Cruise

Day 13: Sunday, April 19, 2026 - Ullapool, Scotland

The day's statistics:
⛅ Weather: rainy to partly cloudy, upper 40s
👟 Steps: Linda 8,966; Steve 13,142

While we were visiting Ullapool, this is also considered "The Highlands". It is also the first of five different ports in a row in Scotland.
Today's excursion began at 2:45 - after lunch.
We were considering doing laundry if we had to. But we didn't, so we didn't.
After a casual rise, start, and breakfast, we made our way to the Explorer's Lounge for some cards, relaxation, and cell phone games.
From waking up until whenever, between our cabin veranda, the World Café, and the Explorer's Lounge, we got a few different shots while the ship was underway and, eventually, arriving at port (though we eventually anchored off-shore rather than moor).











Before lunch, we bode a little of our time by starting to watch the movie Novocaine.

The tender activity had started by the time we headed to the World Café for lunch.

A dining event this afternoon was a Pie Station. These weren't sweet dessert pies, but rather savory dinner pies. They included beef, chicken, seafood, and vegetable. The pies were being served in either a bread bowl or a regular bowl. I tried the seafood pie - which was different seafoods in a gravy / sauce with a dough topping.

Our group - 24 - gathered in the Star Theater at 2:15 for our excursion.
The group was called, we headed to the tender, and enjoyed the fifteen or so minute ride to the pier.
As we disembarked, we were greeted by a bag-pipe player.

He was pretty good, in spite of the wind.

Some sights near the landing site.



We had no driver today as we were having an on-foot only tour. Our guide was Alison.
Our foot tour began along the waterfront. Then we turned left and then left again - going up hill - and made our way along the next street over.
This region of Scotland is known as The Highlands, due to its higher percentage of mountains.
There are about 1,500 residents in the town, and 5 churches.
Rhidorroch Distillery is one of at least two in the town. They make whiskey, and whiskey can't be called whiskey until it is aged in the barrel for at least three years and one day.

The Guest Houses are highly regulated.

The cemetery of the town.

Street signs are in English and Scottish Gaelic.

One of the only remaining banks in the town.

Other sights along the way.







At the end of the street was an overlook of a small campground - that is very popular too.
The sign that reads "No Camping", is for the upper level where we were, not for the lower level...

We circled back around and the tour ended where we began our walk along the waterfront. It was actually only about a half-hour, but the town was cute, and the guide was informative. But in addition to the guided tour, we were given tickets to visit the wee museum, which was up the hill a little and to the left a half-block.
The museum is housed in an old church that we passed earlier (but is included here for continuity reasons), and is comprised mostly of information about Ullapool. Most of the information was based on the main floor in the nave, while I briefly visited the loft upstairs that was a work area, a video display, and a costume area.










Our visit to the museum was short, and we headed toward the terminal building, passing an award-winning fish & chips shop, with the [likely] owner and our greeting bagpipe player out front.

Before boarding the tender to return to the shup, we took a selfie - the sign DOES say "Welcome To Ullapool" (or some very similar sentiment).

We got on line and waited for the group getting off the tender to climb the gangway before we boarded. As we prepped, we got out our cabin cards. Well, one of us did. The other - OK, it was me this time - couldn't locate it. It was supposed to be in my wallet where I usually always have it. I couldn't find it in any of my pockets. As we waited, one of the security people said that the other security person can check our name against a list so we can get back to the ship, and then get another card. But then I found my card in an unexpected pocket. And we were good to go.

After taking the tender back to the ship, we hit up the Living Room bar for a cup of coffee.
Then we headed to the cabin to drop our excursion items.
We completed the movie Novocaine before it was time to go to dinner.

I don't take too many buffet dinner pictures because it is either redundant, or too typical.
That means this must be atypical - which it is.
The buffet - for lunch or dinner - usually has some sort of carving station with a meat of some kind. This isn't an exception. What made this picture worthy was that this huge slab of cooked beef is actually called "Gooseneck". But not because it has anything to do with goose, but rather that - when whole, before carving - it looks like a goose with a long neck.

And tonight's desserts for no particular reason (that I can remember now), including Scottish Heather Honey Mousse.

As we ate, the ship lifted anchor, and got underway to the next port.





We once again took our glasses of wine to the atrium for a couple songs.

Another night, another trivia contest.
We sat with Sally and Marty, and scored 11 of 15.
Before heading to tonight's show, the sun was setting.
some very similar sentiment).

The show tonight in the Star Theater was The Sounds of Motown.

After the show, we returned to our cabin, relaxed a little, washed up, and went to bed.

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