Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: glen coe

Showing posts with label glen coe. Show all posts

Glen Etive

I had a free window before the start of my radiotherapy so headed off to the Highlands for a few days. I managed to get a room at The Moorings Hotel at Banavie which is situated right next to Neptune's Staircase on The Caledonian Canal. It's not cheap but I can afford it so why not?

The Staircase raises the canal by 19m (62ft) over a quarter of a mile of continuous masonry and takes around 90 minutes for a boat to travel up or down the locks. It was built by Thomas Telford between 1803 and 1822 and is the longest staircase lock in Scotland. It is a great location to enjoy ‘gongoozling’ the boats as they travel up and down the lock flight! Fortunately my room overlooked the locks so I got a grandstand seat.

I made good progress travelling up so I decided to have a drive down Glen Etive as I hadn't been down there for years. It is a long road, which goes on for some 14 miles, so I limited myself to going just as far as the first, unsightly hydro-electric works. They are under construction at the moment and planning permission has been given for seven in total. I stopped at the first one which was being built across the Allt a Chaorainn and the land surrounding it has been totally decimated. The constructors had made an utter mess of this once beautiful glen.

I took quite a lot of photos of the many cascades and waterfalls in the glen and also of the surrounding hills and woodlands. Due to recent dry weather, I even managed to get to the falls on the River Coupall and take a shot of the classic, much photographer Buachaille Etive Mor which normally would have been a mud bath. The usually glutinous peat was pretty dry albeit a bit spongy.

My drive through Glen Coe was very busy so I didn't stop. The sunny weather had brought all the visitors out and all the car parks looked to be full. I arrived at the hotel about four o'clock unpacked and had a nice cool lager sat outside, just watching the world go by.

River Coupall

Buachaille Etive Mor

River Coupall

River Coupall Falls

River Etive

Glen Etive

River Etive

Glen Etive

River Etive

Glen Etive

River Etive

Glen Etive

River Etive

Glen Etive

Loch Arkaig and Glen Nevis

A local day as I'd covered a fair few miles during my short stay plus I had a long drive home the next day.

I took the back road out of Banavie which eventually brings you out at The Commando Monument at Spean Bridge but turned off it part way along to take me to Clunes on the banks of Loch Lochy.

I then headed along The Mile Dorcha (The Dark Mile) to Eas Chia-aig waterfall at Loch Arkaig. The dark mile go its name from the fact it is a narrow wooded valley which gets very little sunshine, thus the walls are all thickly covered in mosses. Legend has it that when Bonnie Prince Charlie fled Scotland, he burried a stash of gold which the French had sent him to finance the 1745 rebellion and, to this day, it has never been found.

My afternoon was spent down Glen Nevis, walking down by The Waters Of Nevis and then going up to The Lower Falls. The photos give a better insight than my words would but, sufice to say, there is no more beautifull valley than Glan Nevis when the sun is shining and there are no bloody midges biting you!

I returned to my hotel and had a few drinks sat by the side of The Caledonian canal. The perfect end to a very enjoyable day and visit.

Through The Trees

Caledonian Pines, Loch Lochy

Eas Chia-aig, Loch Arkaig

Mamores from Glen Nevis

Glen Nevis

Waters of Nevis

Top of The Ben

Glen Nevis

Distand Ben Nevis at Sunset

Àird nam Murchan

I've been to, and blogged about Ardnamurchan many times so I wont go into the detail again. Basically my route took me across Loch Linnhe via The Coran Ferry and a nice wide road took me past Seal Isle (my name for it) as far as Strontion where I had a coffee sitting outside the local cafe/stores. I usually stop at the Natural History Centre at Glenmore but its season hadn't started which was a shame as it's a great place to stop after the horrors of the 18 mile mainly single track road from Strontian.

The road then rose to Camus nan Geall and around the base of Ben Hiant, an extinct volcano to Kilchoan. A single track side road then led across the Ardnamurchan peninsula to Sanna Bay and heaven. Not only was it heaven because of its scenery but also because I had the entire place to myself. A few dog walkers did eventually appear but I can live with that. Go in summer and its a completely different place, milling with holiday makers and more akin to the beach at Blackpool!

I spent a few hours there and then headed to the Lighthouse at Ardnamurchan Point. The last time I came, the final half mile of this route was controlled by a traffic light system as it is literally single track with NO passing places and very twisty but, horror of horrors, there was none to be seen. In the end I took my life in my hands and just set off and thankfully met no-one coming the opposite way.

The cafe wasn't open so I had the food I'd brought with me whilst looking across the sound towards The Small Isles and The Isle of Skye. A rocky wilderness on the one side of me and blue seas on the other. After leaving the lighthouse I drove a mile or so to a small coastal settlement called Portuairk which is the most westerly settlement on mainland Britain and was another hidden gem but as it was getting late in the afternoon and I had a long journey back, I didn't stay too long but I will certainly return for a longer visit.

I reluctantly left the peninsula and headed back and broke my journey to Banavie with a customary pint at The Glenuig Inn which is situated in a secluded bay overlooking The Sound of Arisaig. I came here many years ago and nearly died when I was charged a fiver for a pint. However on today's visit, it was the cheapest pint I'd had during my entire break, I think it was about £3.60 for a pint of delicious local ale.

It was then a fast road all the way back to my hotel for a well earned rest and another pint.