Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.

The Kelpies and Falkirk Wheel

We were both really glad that we had broken our journey back to the Lakes with an overnight stay in Sterling as the journey down from Badachro had been a torturous one. The A9 from Inverness to Sterling doesn't have much going for it, it is just mile after mile of endless traffic. Pitlochry is quite a scenic area but I find The Cairgorms so dull. The only saving grace of the trip down was calling in at a lovely village called Carrbridge where we found a local cafe and had a coffee and and a bite to eat. The sign for Sterling was a very welcoming one and thankfully our hotel was just off the M90 junction. We popped in to Sterling in the evening but it was raining and a Saturday night so I think it's safe to say that we didn't see it at its best.

As we were in the area, it would have been criminal of us not to go and visit The Kelpies and The Falkirk Wheel as they were only a few miles off our intended route back to Cumbria. The Kelpies are 30-metre-high horse-head sculptures depicting kelpies (shape-shifting water spirits), located in Grangemouth, near Falkirk. They stand next to a new extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal, and near to the River Carron, in The Helix which is a new parkland project built to connect 16 communities in the Falkirk Council Area.

They were designed by sculptor Andy Scott and were completed in October 2013.The sculptures form a gateway at the eastern entrance to the Forth and Clyde canal, and the new canal extension built as part of The Helix land transformation project. They are a monument to horse-powered heritage across Scotland. Built of structural steel with a stainless steel cladding, they are 30 metres high and weigh 300 tonnes each and were opened to the public in April 2014 in a ceremony which attracted 20,000 people.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't too kind to us and the main Visitor Centre and cafe were closed but there was a kiosk where we both had a coffee to warm us up. They are by far the most impressive sculptures I've come across and you really need to get close up to them to appreciate both their size and construction.They are also illuminated at night so a nighttime visit has been put on my bucket list.

A few miles away and many roundabouts later lies The Falkirk Wheel which is a rotating boat lift, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The wheel raises boats by 24 metres (79 ft), but the Union Canal is still 11 metres (36 ft) higher than the aqueduct which meets the wheel so boats must also pass through a pair of locks between the top of the wheel and the Union Canal.

In March 1999 Donald Dewar, the Secretary of State for Scotland, cut the first sod of turf to begin work at lock 31 on the Forth and Clyde Canal and the wheel was opened on the 24th May 2002 by Queen Elizabeth II. Over 1000 people were involved in its construction.

One interesting fact is that the wheel was fully constructed and assembled at the Butterley Engineering plant in Ripley, Derbyshire. The structure was then dismantled in the summer of 2001, and transported on 35 lorry loads to Falkirk, before being reassembled into five sections on the ground and lifted into place. The wheel replaced a flight of 11 locks.

We were fortunate in arriving just as they were getting ready to raise the first boat of the day and it really is an amazing sight to behold. The final photos of the blog show you how it raises and lowers the long boats better than any description I could give.

The day had been an interesting and educational way to end our holiday and a complete contrast to the previous 10. I always find it hard to readjust when I've been away, especially when I've been up to The Highlands and I think Sal was the same. We were glad we stopped off in Falkirk but we were damned glad to get out of the place again and have a couple more quiet days in The Lakes.

The Kelpies

The Falkirk Wheel

Rubha Rèidh Lighthouse

A lighthouse on Rubha Rèidh Point was first proposed by David Stevenson in 1853. Building was started by his son, David Alan Stevenson in 1908 and the light was first lit on 15 January 1912. The light came from a paraffin lamp, subsequently converted to electricity and automated in 1986. The original lens, red fog siren trumpet, along with its clockwork timing mechanism were removed and were donated to the Gairloch heritage centre.

It's great to see that the lighthouse at Rubha Rèidh is once again accessible to the general public without them having to run a gauntlet of abuse from the previous owners. The lighthouse was bought by a couple and turned in to holiday accommodation in the early 2000s. They immediately started to stop people from using the road out of Melvaig by putting a sign up saying that it was private property and only to be used by guests of the lighthouse and I believe they also put a couple of gates across the road. This meant that anyone who wanted to visit the stunning coastal scenery of the area were faced with a four mile walk in before they even started and then a four mile walk back out.

Locals and visitors alike took up the cause to get access to the peninsula but it turned out to be a long fight with neither the police or council wanting to get involved although the Highland Council did eventually get involved and gave the owners the ultimatum of either giving access or facing court proceedings. The old owners finally left a year or so ago and the new ones seem to be a lot more amiable. There is now a small car park and even though you are not allowed on to the private land of the lighthouse, you are allowed to freely roam without fear of abuse.

The scenery is stunning with lots of small rocky coves and even a one-time natural harbour called Port an Amaill. Most of the rock cliffs slant down to the sea hence its Gaelic name Rubha Rèidh which means The Flat Headland. We visited in sunshine and pretty calm weather but I would love to experience the place when it is in the grip of a full-on Atlantic storm!

As I said in the last blog, this was our last day in Wester Ross and I don't think we could have bettered it. The morning was spent on a beautiful white sandy beach with stunning views across to An Teallach and the Coigach and Assynt Hills whereas in contrast, the afternoon was spent on a rugged rocky headland with far-reaching views to Skye and The Outer Hebrides.

Pure magic.

Rubha Rèidh Headland

Road down to the lighthouse

Rubha Rèidh Lighthouse

Rubha Rèidh Headland

Rubha Rèidh Lighthouse

Rubha Rèidh Headland

Camas a' Charraig and The Chapel of Sand of Udrigil

Yet another fabulous day and our last in the area. I have split it in to two blogs mainly for the purpose of posting photographs.

In the morning we had a drive up to the beach at Mellon Udrigle; it's proper name being Camas a' Charraig (gaelic for bay of rocks). It is probably one of the finest beaches in this area and commands views eastwards across Gruinard Bay to An Teallach and The Fisherfield Hills and northwards to the hills of Coigach, Assynt and The Summer Isles. Again the weather was just right for photography with sunshine where we were but dark foreboding fast moving clouds to the east and north.

We both split up and did our own thing; me photographing the beach and I think Sal wandered off to do a bit of beach combing and exploring the rocks at the far end of the bay. I think it was the prospect of a squall that brought us back together. In these parts you soon learn to beat a hasty retreat at the slightest hint of a weather change. I found that out the hard way last year at Mellon Charles when I got myself and two waterproof coats soaked in the space of fifteen minutes!

Last year we also noticed an old ruined church in the nearby village of Laide but didn't have the time to investigate so today was the perfect opportunity. The Chapel of Sand of Udrigil is traditionally said to have been erected by St Columba or one of his followers in the 7th Century, although the character of the building suggests a late medieval date for the existing structure. A church building is said to have been erected about 1713 by George MacKenzie of Gruinard, but in reality it is likely that work was limited to repairs and re-thatching. The chapel seems to have remained in use for worship until at least the end of the 18th century.

An added bonus to our visit was the sight of a small colony of seals on some rocks just offshore which could be seen from the graveyard walls. You can just about make one out in one of the photos.

Mellon Udrigle

Laide

The chapel of Sand of Udrigil, Laide

NC500 route Poolewe

Red Point Beach and Slatterdale

After yesterdays long drive to Lower Diabaig, we decided to have another local day and go for a short walk to one of the beaches at Red Point. There is a car park at the end of the road so most people just park up and head straight to the most accessible of the two beaches but we decided to investigate the farther of the two at the head of Upper Loch Torridon and we were both glad that we did.

It was only a short walk, taking us through a farm and across some rough pastures but it was well worth the bit of effort we put in. The beach swept round in a large curve and gave some fabulous views across to Applecross and the hills of Torridon. Unfortunately I wasn't able to catch that view on camera because, even though we had sunshine and blue skies, that area seemed to be getting some pretty abysmal weather.

That is what makes the photography in the Highlands so special though. About five years ago I spent four nights in this area followed by three nights on Skye and I had blue skies the whole time. Whilst it was great waking up to that everyday and touring about, once I was home and I'd started to process my photos, I soon began to realise how boring they looked and soon lost interest editing them. On the other hand me and Sal came up here last year and had what can best be described as a mixed bag of weather and I took some of the best photos I think I've ever taken and the same was happening this year.

Sal walked up to the ruins of the old salmon fishing station for a nosy whilst I had a look at the sand dunes and also investigated a headland named Sgeir a Bhuic which translated from Gaelic means 'rocky island of the buck' which makes sense because when the tide is in it does become an island. We spent a good while on the beach before wandering back to the car and heading in to Gairloch to have a coffee in the harbour cafe. We also managed to get to the butty shop just before it closed and got a couple of sandwiched to take back to the cottage for a late lunch.

Later in the afternoon I got in the car and drove down to Loch Maree with my camera and called in at The Victoria Falls, named after Queen Victoria who used to be a regular visitor to The Loch Maree Hotel. There was a short circular path up to the falls where I took a couple of nice shots and then I continued on the path and took some more looking back towards Loch Maree.

The cloud then started to pour in which ruined my attempts to get some good photos of Slioch (3218 feet) which towers above the Loch. I did manage to get one of a rainbow starting to form but it soon fizzled out.

Knowing when to admit defeat, I returned to the cottage to put my feet up. We both agreed that the walk on Red Point beach was the most enjoyable thing we had done so far on the holiday.