Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.

The Road To The Isles

The Road to the Isles runs Fort William to Mallaig and, even though only about 45 miles in length, usually takes me a whole day to complete both ways. The first section to Corpach is quite industrial and the views don't really start until you near Glenfinnan with its Jacobite Monument. Glenfinnan is the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie raise the Scottish Standard in 1745 and called all the clans to arms to regain the throne from his father James Stewart.

Its other claim to fame is the Glenfinnan Viaduct which has 21 semicircular spans of 50 feet^. It is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland at 416 yards, and crosses the River Finnan at a height of 100 feet. The West Highland Line it carries is single track and the viaduct is 18 feet wide between the parapets and built on a curve of 792 feet.

After leaving Glenfinnan, the road passing through a series of narrow gorges until it reaches Loch Eilt. It then follows the River Ailort through another gorge which is towered over by Rois-bheinn and An Stac , two hills which are not far off being Munros. The shore of Loch Ailort is then skirted before the road rises past Our Lady of the Braes Roman Catholic Church at Polnish; this was made famous by the film Local Hero starring Burt Lancaster which is about an American oil company who sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery.

The road then drops down to a sea loch called Loch nan Uamh which is where Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) landed on 5th August 1745. In 1746, after the battle of Culloden, he returned there as a fugitive with a price of £30,000 on his head and set sail to France. Loch nan Uamh means "The Loch of the Cave".

It is then a short drive along the newly upgraded A830T to Arisaig which is set in it's own little amphitheatre and has stunning views across to Rhum, Eigg and Muck. It's beautiful sands and coves have such romantic place names as Keppoch, Portnaluchaig, Camas an Daraich (known as Camusdarach) and Morar and are a photographer and walkers paradise. I can spend all day exploring these few miles of coastline and, if you go at the right time of year, you won't see another person.

The weather was never really good but deteriorated rapidly when I reached Mallaig. I had wanted to spend some time there but only managed a quick walk round the town before the rain arrived. It threw it down all the way back to Fort William so no further stops were made.

Enjoyed my few beers in town that night. A new pub has opened which is owned by The Orkney Brewery, the beer is good, the food is good and the atmosphere is good. It could become a regular haunt on future visits.

Loch Eilt

River Ailort

Lochan Dubh

Polnish

Polnish Hidden Glen

Loch Ailort

Loch nan Uamh

Arisaig Coast at Portnaluchaig

Camusdarach

Cottage with a view, Camusdarach

Silver Sands of Morar

The Trossachs and Glen Coe

I managed to get a few days up in Fort William the other week. The trip got off to a good start with some fantastic early morning weather which resulted in some great reflections and autumn colours in the Tossachs. By the time I was on Rannoch Moor, the sun has disappeared but the calmness was still there so the obligitory stop was made at Lochan na h-achcise for a quick photo. or two.

My final port of call was Glencoe Lochan. It was my first time there and, typical of my luck, it was being emptied to do some safety work and looked pretty grim. There were still some nice colours in the trees though and enough to wet my appetite far a later visit.

Once bedded in my hotel, I popped into Fort William for a couple of beers and worked out my itinerary for the next few days. I opted for a drive along The Road to The Isles on my first day as the forecast wasn't too promising and my second day would be an explore of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula.

Lake Mentieth

Autumn Leaves

Loch Ard Boathouse

Loch Ard

Ben Lomond from Loch Ard

Loch Ard

Loch Chon

Trossachs Trees

The Black Mount

Glencoe Lochan

Autumn time, Middleton Woods

I usually miss the autumn colours in Middleton Woods but this year I appear to have been a bit luckier. Maybe they would have been better a couple of weeks ago, its hard to tell. Its difficult getting any really good photos in these woods because they are so congested, I don't think there has ever been any wood management so the place gets too overgrown. Plus, muddy ground underfoot and inadequate footwear also limited me to where I could go so I just stuck to the main paths.

I more or less had the woods to myself though, maybe the people of Ilkley were still in shock after England's World Cup Final defeat because as I drove back in to Ilkley, I saw lots of sad faces coming out of the local Rugby Club and the town's pubs.

My next visit to the woods will be in bluebell time next spring when, once again, I will bore the pants of of everyone with bluebell photos! See you then Middleton Woods.

Autumn Colours, Midddleton Woods

Highlands Holiday - Homeward Bound

Today was the start of our journey back to Cumbria and we decided to break our journey with a night in that holiday hotspot...Fort William! We were both up early and were treated to a rather nice sunrise so before starting to pack the car I took a couple of photos of the view I had lived with for the past week. I lost count of the number of times I photographed Badachro harbour but each one meant something special to me and always will.

We made a couple of stops on the way down, one being a visit to a great little cafe at Lochcarron for some lunch. It was pretty basic and run by a couple of local women but the food was excellent and no-nonsense food, something which is getting rarer to find these days. Even though the drive was only just over a hundred miles, it seemed to take an eternity. We finally arrived at the Alexandra Hotel in Fort William late afternoon and hastily made a beeline for The Grog and Gruel and then The Nevis Inn for a couple of pints before going back to the hotel for some food and a chill. We did venture out later but just for a stroll to gett some air as the hotel was so warm.

Fort William never changes much, its not the prettiest of places and can get a bit rowdy but it is convenient as a stop-over. I did notice that there were a few more shops and eating places than the last time I visited which can only be a good thing.

Our final leg was just a straight drive back down to Cumbria. We stopped at a nice cafe called The Golden Larches at Balquhidder which we will ceratinly return to before hitting the M9/M80. I was sad to get back but happy if you know what I mean. I was certainly looking forward to a few quiet and relaxing days at the caravan.

We'd had a great week up in Wester Ross and, as we did with the Somerset holiday. We did everything we intended doing and a bit more besides. Sometimes the weather played ball, sometimes it didn't but what would you expect for October? Our holiday let was perfectly positioned right on the edge of Loch Gairloch and we had an ace pub in the village, plus daily visits from herons and the occasioanal visit from a flock of sheep. On one occasion we even had a colony of seals come to say hello!

Highlights of the holiday? Getting drenched twice at Mellon Charles whilst taking photos, sitting outside the Old Inn in October getting eaten alive by midges, sitting inside the Badachro Inn after our days out, our walk to Loch Clair in Glen Torridon, going over "The Pass of the winds" to visit Lower Diabaig, visiting the World War II Arctic Convoy site on Loch Ewe, the many sandy beaches we explored, the many rainbows we saw, the many cups of coffee and pieces of carrot cake we consumed, our daily heron visits, our encounter with the seals in Shieldaid Bay, the many laughs we had together and last but not least, Blacksmith's Cottage and the delightful village of Badachhro.