The Road To The Isles

I always travel The Road To The Isles when I stay in Fort Willian as it has everything that The Highlands has to offer in a manageable day's drive. Once you get past the industrial outskirts of Corpach, every inch is a joy to travel. Beautiful Lochs, majestic hills, picturesque rivers and secluded bays and beaches accompany it's 40 mile route to the port of Mallaig.

The only settlements you come across are the sleepy coastal village of Arisaig (meaning The Safe Bay) and a few miles westwards Morar which gives its name to The Silver Sands. Morar is also home to Scotland's shortest salmon river, namely the River Morar which is only 400yds in length.

The Arisaig area is also the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie embarked for France on the 20 September 1746 and The Prince's Cairn lies on the shores of Loch Nan Uamh, a few miles east of the village.

The other village Morar was originally a crofting area so the present settlement is quite modern; having been built around the West Highland Railway's station which I presume was built there to serve the whole of the coastal peninsula.

My journey started off in snow but the farther west I travelled, the less it got and by the time I reached the coast there was no sign of any at all and the weather was bracing but fair. I always spend a lot of time in the Camusdarach area, it's a place I just never want to leave. The beaches are stunning and littered with small coves and islands which attract many varieties of birds.

I had my lunch sat on a rock listening to some lapwings and looking across the Sound of Arisaig towards the Small Isles and Skye. The weather on Skye looked absolutely foul, a phrase I think I've used a lot over the years and a rainbow did start to appear over that way but my excitement was only short lived.

I returned to the car just as a few spots of rain appeared and then completed the remaining few miles to Mallaig. By the time I arrived it was raining quite hard so I just parked up by the harbour and had a look to see if there were any seals about as they always follow the fishing vessels homeward. No luck that day I'm afraid.

With the weather turning, I just retraced my outward journey back to Fort William. These days I instinctively know when to admit defeat and beat an hasty retreat and this was one of them! That night I had one of the best pizzas ever in The Black Isle Bar where they have their own wood fired oven and washed it down nicely with a couple of pints of Yellowhammer IPA. A good way to end an excellent day.