Ardnamurchan - Kilchoan and Mingary Castle

Kilchoan, the most Westerly village on mainland Great Britain, is the largest settlement on the Ardnamurchan peninsula and pretty much the closest thing to the city lights that you'll find for miles; I mean, it has a shop, a garage, a hotel and even a tourist information office. It also has a car-ferry terminal from where you can catch the boat over to Tobermory on Mull and, with seven crossings a day during the Summer months, it's obviously a popular route. The shop, a life-line to anyone staying in the area, is pretty well stocked and not over-priced and has a very decent range of beers and wines to pass away the solitude of cottage life.

Mingary Castle

We drove on down to the tourist information office, which lies on the road down to the ferry terminal, and had a bit of lunch in the small café in there. It wasn't bad either - home-made soup, rolls, buns, etc.; what else do you need for a quick snack to keep you going in the middle of the day? From there it's a short drive down to the pier where there are some good views out over the Sound of Mull and back over to the ruins of Mingary Castle, which lies about a mile round the bay from Kilchoan.

Built in the 13th century for the MacIains of Ardnamurchan, the castle sits atop a rocky outcrop in Kilchoan Bay overlooking the entrance to Loch Sunart and the Sound of Mull. Like most Scottish castles of that era, it's had a pretty eventful history from being used by James IV in the late 15th century to help him suppress the MacDonalds, the Lords of the Isles and in the early 16th century it was besieged and taken by the MacDonalds of Lochalsh.

Mingary Castle

In 1588 the Macleans of Duart on Mull captured the castle with some involvement from a ship of the Spanish Armada en-route back home after their failed invasion of England. In the 17th century the castle was captured during the Wars of the Covenant and during the 1745 Jacobite rebellion it served as a government garrison. Today, it's in pretty poor repair and access to the interior of the castle is restricted for fear of causing someone an injury.

Getting to the castle involves either a trek round the shore from the pier or you can drive out just East of the village where you'll find a small track leading down a place where you can park and then walk down to the castle. Needless to say, we chose the easy route as the weather wasn't that great and we fancied wandering further along towards Ben Hiant, which is the highest peak in the area.

Ben Hiant

After a bit of clamber down to the beach from the castle and pottering about a bit on the rocks, we did indeed wander further along the track towards Ben Hiant and the weather had brightened up a bit so we got some good views of the hill and across to the Island of Mull. It's a pity it wasn't as nice earlier or we'd have probably gone to the top of the hill as the views out over the Sound of Mull are supposed to be excellent.

Ardnamurchan - The Lighthouse And Bay MacNeill

Ardnamurchan Lighthouse

If you're in or around Ardnamurchan, then a visit out to the 36 metre high, pink granite lighthouse on Ardnamurchan Point is a must-do. The lighthouse was built in 1849 by engineer Alan Stevenson, the uncle of writer Robert Louis Stevenson, and it's the only lighthouse in the UK built in the Egyptian style. It's also commonly described as the most Westerly point on the British mainland but it's not quite. A wee hillock about a kilometre to the South called Corrachadh Mòr is the real most westerly point.

You can reach the lighthouse by means of the single-track road just beyond Achosnich and at one stage it's controlled by traffic lights due to a blind corner going round a cliff edge just before you reach the car park. For the more adventurous, there's a path leading over from Portuairk, past the sandy beach at Bay MacNeill and which joins the road near the lighthouse.

The Small Isles

It's all automated now but it houses an exhibition called the Kingdom of Light and, for a fee, you can climb the spiral stairs to the top of the tower to get a view of the surrounding sea and landscape. Close-by, there's also a small tea room and shop which does a decent range of scones and cakes. The electricity supply was fluctuating badly on one of our visits and I think we were lucky to get a hot cup of tea at all; the place was on battery power and the traffic lights were out of action, which led to a few head-head confrontations on the narrow road.

There are good views out over the Small Isles of Muck, Eigg and Rùm and we drove round there a few times. We even ended up down on the very small beach and scrabbling around looking for cowries; found a few too!

Dozing On The Beach At Bay MacNeill

On a better day, we took the path from Portuairk up over the hill and got some really good views out over Ardnamurchan Point and out to the islands. We dropped down from there into the valley beside Sgurr nam Meann and followed the stream down to Bay MacNeill, a largish beach of white sand and rock. However, the weather was so nice, we ended up just staying on the beach with me running around with the camera and Lorna having a doze in the sun.

Ardnamurchan Point

Crete - Malia

With our three-day stint with the hire car over, we thought we'd take the local bus service along to Malia for the day. The buses run every 30 minutes during the day but there's no way of knowing when they'll turn up as all the times posted seem to indicate the time they leave Heraklion. There's a nice wee disclaimer at the bottom of the timetable stating that "any delays in service are due to traffic!". So twenty minutes later than when we thought a bus would come, one did…

Malia Palace

Malia is a strange sort of resort town. Above the main road is the old town of Malia, where the locals live, and it's full of little windy streets and white houses; just what you'd expect from a little Greek village. However, below the main road is a different world; a hell on earth if you're our kind of tourist. The main strip down to the beach is a yob's paradise of English and Irish bars, all claiming to sell the cheapest and largest amounts of alcohol they can. Fancy a goldfish bowl full of synthetic alcohol? Yes, well you can buy as many as you can drink here in Malia.

We've stayed in Malia on two previous visits to the island but always in the off season, when it's quieter and the invasion of bar-crawling rabble is either over or hasn't begun. It's actually not a bad place to visit during those quieter periods. Anyway, the bus dropped us off in the centre of town and we headed East, walking about three kilometres out to visit the archaeological site of the Minoan Palace of Malia where, according to legend, Sarpedon, the third son of Zeus and Europa and brother of King Minos, ruled here. The first Palace was built around 1900 B.C. but destroyed in 1700 B.C. and a new Palace built but like all of the other Minoan palaces on Crete, that was destroyed in 1450 B.C. We'd been here before but it seemed a reasonable target for a short walk in the sun.

Tropical Beach

After an hour or so wandering around the ruins, taking the odd snap and chasing butterflies, we started wandering back towards Malia with the intention of getting a bit of lunch and then lazing about a bit on the beach. We found quite a nice little taverna along the coastal road and had a decent lunch before wandering over to the nearby beach for a bit of a lie about and maybe even a nap. It was a bit quieter there due to being a wee bit out of the town so we pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon there on the sand.

After a while we started back towards town, taking a detour to go via Malia Port. the little harbour along the way. We thought we'd maybe see a few old Greek fishing boats there but it's all gone modern now. Well, except for a few derelict looking bits of harbour machinery. Wandering back towards twon we spotted an old, ruined windmill and what looked like a very run down and abandoned water park.

Back in town we had a bit of a wander around to remind ourselves of the place and ended up down at sea again, looking out at the little island offshore with its obligatory wee white church. After that we found the bus stop, waiting over a hour for one to show up, and headed back to Hersonissos. You can see all of the pictures taken on this visit to Malia here.

An Island In The Sun

Crete - Gortys

Since we had the car we thought we'd take a run over to Matala again but this time we'd stop off at the ruined city of Gortys, which is on the way there. Last time we were on Crete, we passed it by in our rush to get to the seaside and it was dark on the way back so we missed it.

Aghios Titos, The Church of St. Titus

Gortys, also known as Gortyn or Gortyna, was one of the most important cities on Crete. After the Roman conquest of Crete in 67 B.C., Gortys was declared the capital of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica, replacing Knossos, a position it held until the Arab conquest of Crete in 828 A.D. It's probably most famous now for the discovery of the 12 inscriptions of law, which form the oldest Greek law code and are considered as the greatest contribution of Classical Crete to world culture.

The place lies in ruins now, mostly due to an earthquake in 796 A.D., but the site of this once huge city is massive. The main archaeological site, where you'll have to pay the usual entry fee, only covers a very small portion of the city - the Odeon, the Church of St. Titus and a Plane tree linked to the myth of Zeus and Europe. Frankly, there's not a lot on show here - the great inscription of the Law Code of Gortys and almost all of the recovered statues are all locked behind bars so you only get a glimpse of them. If you really want to experience the size of the place, then just wander around the outskirts or go across the road and dive in among the olive trees.

The Law Code of Gortys

We wandered out and went along the road to the right. Once across the stream, there's a path leading back along the side of the main site but which also leads you along the side of the hill above. There are several ruins on the hillside and, if you're adventurous enough, access is open so you can wander in and up. The ground here is covered with flowers so I spent a few moments or three chasing butterflys among them as well.

We also crossed the road and wandered down the road opposite to Mitropolis for a bit and then plunged off left into the olive trees. The whole area in there is full of the ruins of the city. Some are obviously important as they've been fenced off but there's still lots to see and we spent a fair bit of time just wandering among the trees and flowers, enjoying the sun, before heading on to Matala.

The Ruins Of Gortys

A Stroll Down To Loch Drunkie

Since it looked like being a half-reasonable day and it was a Sunday, we headed up to The Trossachs for a bit of a stroll around the countryside. Taking the road through Aberfoyle and heading North leading to Brig O'Turk via the Duke's Pass, it leads into the Achray Forest, part of the larger Queen Elizabeth Forest Park.

Lochan Reoidhte

About three miles North of Aberfoyle, there's a forest drive trail on the right-hand side of the road that leads down to Loch Drunkie, wanders around a lot and eventually emerges near Loch Achray. We parked there and headed down to the road on foot (we needed the exercise after lazing around on Crete for two weeks). Luckily, the road was closed to cars on the day, which made the walking a bit safer and quieter.

The first feature you come across on the way is the pretty little Lochan Reoidhte. Don't ask me to pronounce the name but it translates from the Gaelic as "Cold Little Loch". From there, we headed on down the windy road until we came into view of the Western end of Loch Drunkie and then we had lunch looking out over the loch.

Loch Drunkie

Once the hunger pangs had gone we followed the road around the loch and had a wee detourr up to an old ruined cottage. From there we carried back along the lochside to where it juts out into the centre and you can get a good view of the dams on the far side of the loch from there. It's a spot that I remember fishing from when I was much younger. Didn't catch anything that time but the loch is supposedly very good for brown trout fishing these days. We sat among the Bluebells and watched an angler for a while and he did catch a trout; not huge but not bad at all.

Loch Drunkie

We headed along the road again along another spur of the loch and once we reached the end of that, the road headed inland slightly towards an outdoor centre. Not much to see there and it was closed but there were a few butterflies fluttering around and plenty of birdlife so it was a nice place for a wee rest. Wit the time getting on, we decided to climb the rise beside the road to get a better view of the lcoh and then head back. We did that and then cut insand from the end of the loch along a little valley that eventually led us up to a higher pint on the road back up.

Loch Drunkie

The rest of these photos and a few others from around the Aberfoyle area can be seen here.

Crete - The Lasithi Plateau

The last time we were on Crete we hired a car and drove up to the Lasithi Plateau, a large, scenic plain located in the Eastern part of the island. You'll also see it spelled as Lassithi is some texts and it's about 70km from Heraklion, lying at an altitude of roughly 840m. What makes it unusual is the fact that it's one of the few permanently inhabited areas at such an altitude around the Mediterranean and the Winters can be very harsh with snow often persisting until mid Spring. Anyway, we didn't have a camera last time so we went back again…

Panoramic View Of The Lasithi Plateau

The surrounding mountains make the place a natural bowl and alluvial run-off from melting snow has made it an extremely fertile place, continuously inhabited from 6,000 B.C. aside from a couple of hundred years when the Venetian rulers prohibited cultivation and kicked the natives out. Those same Venetians, once they'd relented and let the farmers back in, ordered the construction of a large system of drainage ditches, still in use today, that transfer the water to a sinkhole on the Western edge of the plateau. The Lasithi plateau is most famous for the thousands of white-sailed windmills that were used to irrigate the land for centuries. However, most of them have been abandoned and fallen into disrepair having been superceded by modern diesel and electrical pumps. That doesn't stop the tour offices promoting visits to see the windmills of Lasithi though but be aware that you won't see very many of these now at all now. Still there is some interest in renovating and restoring some of them so maybe in time, the plateau will again be home to a horde of white sails.

Once you get up onto the plateau, the road winds round the edge of it as that's where almost all of the little villages are and even these are perched on the edge of the rocky slopes so as to give every last bit of good land to farming. There's the odd little farmhouse dotted around here and there but it's mostly all fields and fields of vegetables. However, it's also famous for one other thing and that's being the birthplace of Zeus, mythical king of the gods.

If you follow the road around to the South-Western end of the plateau, then you'll reach the little village of Psychro and it's from there that you can trek up the path to the Diktaean Cave, which is where the legends say that Zeus was born. It's a fairly steep path but you can hire a very expensive donkey ride up if you're feeling unable to manage it, although I thought it was just too pricey.

Well, we're still fit enough for a plod up a mountain path so off we went and it was worth the trek up as the views out over the plateau are amazing. Add to that an abundance of wildflowers beside the path and enough butterflies to keep me chasing around with the camera to little avail made it an excellent walk. After about twenty or thirty minutes climbing, we eventually reached the cave entrance with its obligatory archaeological representatives. One to sell you a ticket to the cave and one to take it from you again as you enter or should I say descend…

What you get is a fairly big hole in the ground with steps going down and down and down into the darkness. These days the cave is lit up a bit so there's no need to take a torch and a guide as was once advised. The drawback of all that modernization is that it's now a major attraction and you almost have to queue behind the trail of like-minded tourists as you wander down those steps.

According to the legend, Zeus' father Kronos had sworn to devour all of his children at birth to avoid falling foul of a prophecy that one of them would overthrow him as leader of the Titans. However, Zeus' mother Rhea tricked Kronos at the birth by giving him a stone wrapped in swaddling to swallow instead and left the baby Zeus in the Dikteon Cave. Here the goat nymph Amalthia nurtured him and the Kuretes protected him by dancing and clashing their spears against their shields to drown out the baby's crying.

NB: The cave is called by many names, probably due to translation differences from the Greek so you'll see it called any of Dikteon Cave, Diktaean Cave, Diktean Cave, Dikteon Andron, Diktaion Antron or any variation of these.

As I've already said, the cave is reasonably well lit these days so there's really no need to worry that you'll fall over your own feet. What's more likely is that you'll slip on the steps as they can be a bit wet in places so some care is still needed while wandering around down there. That's really about it and after wandering down to the bottom of the cave with its little pond, it's time to wander all the way back up again. Of course, the cave itself is full of the stalactites and stalagmites normally associated with such places and some of them have been been very nicely illuminated with coloured lights to add to the mystical atmosphere of the place.

Dikteon Cave

Once you get out of the cave, it's an easy stroll back down the path to Psychro, or Psichro as it's often referred to, enjoying again the views out over the plateau. There are several cafés at the bottom of the path and we had a reasonably tasty lunch in one of these. We fancied eating out on the balcony as the views were lovely but it was bit on the windy and chill side so we ended up inside close to an open and roaring fire of all things.

We then had a slow drive, following the road round the plateau, until we eventually found the way off down to Agios Nikolaos with a thought of visiting there for a while but it was getting late by then so we headed back to Hersonissos for the night.

Crete - Koutouloufari

Having been based in Hersonissos for a few weeks, we got to wandering around a bit and one day we took a stroll up to the little village of Koutouloufari, which lies on the hillside above the town. It's not that far, about one and a half kilometres, so it's a fairly easy stroll as long as it's not too hot. Beware of the Swallows though! They use the relatively straight roads for attack runs on the insect population so don't be surprised when they zip past you at shoulder height, they're only looking for lunch.

Rustic Bliss On The Road Up To Koutouloufari

Koutouloufari is a much quieter place and offers some excellent views out over the Bay of Malia and the town of Hersonissos so it's ideal to spend an afternoon just chillin' if you need a break from the more hectic lifestyle of Hersonissos.

It's a traditional Cretan village with lots of little white houses and narrow streets leading off the main road, which leads along the other little villages of Piskopiano and Hersonissos. Everywhere you look there are flowers, flowers beside doors and windows or climbing up walls and over roofs. You can walk between Koutouloufari and Piskopiano without hardly noticing the gap but you'd probably notice that Piskopiano is a little less tourist oriented but only a little as it did seem to have a fair number of restaurants as well.

A Geranium Spotted While Having Lunch In Koutouloufari

Koutouloufari on the other hand simply abounds with tavernas and restaurants so you'd be hard pressed not to find somewhere to just sit down, relax and have a drink and something to eat while you're there. We stopped and had lunch in a small café run by a Dutch couple and had planned on coming back one evening for dinner but we never made it.

For anyone interested in the culture and history of the villages, then there's an very old but nice looking Orthodox church on one of the roads up to the village and there's also a Byzantine church in Piskopiano worth checking out.

On returning to Hersonissos we found a road that led us directly down on a more gentle slope to where we were staying at Star Beach Village. It was a very pleasant walk down between flower-strewn borders and olive groves so the visit to Koutouloufari passed the afternoon very nicely.

Hersonissos Harbour From Koutouloufari

Castle Semple Country Park

It was the first decent day's weather we've had on a Sunday for ages so we fancied a stroll. Nothing too strenuous but some fresh air was definitely required. Castle Semple Country Park is one of those places we've passed so often, we thought we'd better go in and see what it had to offer.

Castle Semple Loch

It lies near Lochwinnoch in Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park so it's not that far from Glasgow by car. Well, it would have been if the main route into Lochwinnoch wasn't being dug up and blocked off. We had to divert back through Howwood and then cross the A737 and work our way round the back route to Lochwinnoch.

Anyway, the trials of travelling on Scottish roads on a Sunday over, we parked in the Castle Semple car park and then strolled West along the banks of the loch towards the end of the path at Black Ditch Bay. From there we turned up towards the old railway, now a cycle path, and across into Parkhill Wood. The wood is a mazy place of paths and trails and there an old 18th century grotto beside a pond in the centre. We followed the path up to the top of Park Hill for some good views out over Castle Semple Loch and Barr Loch with the sun shining very brightly on the water.

Castle Semple Collegiate Church

Following the paths in the wood took us out towards the West end of the loch and the gothic Castle Semple Collegiate Church, built in 1504 to house the Castle's clergy. The castle itself, or the ruins of it, are nearby but all we could see looked to have built around by farm buildings. Wandering back up through the wood, there's a very muddy Rhododendron maze to navigate through to a viewpoint over the loch, where we could see some boats sailing on the sunlit water and managed to spot the old octagonal folly on top of Kenmuir Hill. From there it was back down to the wood and down to the loch shore path again and back to the park centre. We could have wandered back along the cycle path but it's fairly featureless and, being a high sided railway cutting, the views are non-existent.

Mute Swan

The park centre has a tearoom and gift shop so we bought a couple of cups of tea and buns and, since it wasn't raining for a change, went out and sat down by the loch side to watch the windsurfers and wildlife. There were a large number of ducks and swans at the water's edge looking for some food off the tourists and they seemed to do pretty well at it. Then there were the Terns, a whole flock of them, squawking and buzzing around and trying to grab a snack any way they could. The ducks were mostly mallards but we spotted a lone Shelduck and a wee Goldeneye in the mix as well. We spent the rest of the afternoon just sitting by the water and enjoying the to-ing and fro-ing of the birds before heading back home.

Happy New Year From Fort William

We woke up on New Year's Day in Fort William to yet another fairly grey and damp outlook but, undeterred and after a decent breakfast, we drove round to the Nevis Range ski resort to take the gondola up Aonach Mor for a bit of a cobweb-breaking wander around the mountain and then lunch in the Snowgoose Restaurant.

Loch Linnhe On New Year's Day

The gondola cable car system transports visitors over 2.3km up to 2,150ft on the north face of Aonach Mor, the eighth highest mountain in Britain, in about 12 - 15 minutes. That's only just over half-way to the summit but you can get some pretty good views of the surrounding landscape on the way up.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great and the cloud was swirling around up there along with a little light drizzle. Not exactly brilliant weather for a stroll. There are a couple of shortish strolls from the gondola top station out to some viewpoints. You can go west to the little hummock of Meall Beag, where you can get some good views of Carn Dearg Meadhonach and Carn Mòr Dearg on the back side of Ben Nevis. These two peaks form the lead in to the Carn Mòr Dearg Arrete route to the top of our highest mountain.

Carn Dearg Meadhonach from Meall Beag

We climbed the Ben by the Carn Mòr Dearg Arrete route some years ago and it's well worth the effort as the views out over the Aonachs and Grey Corries are excellent and you don't need to trudge up that boring tourist path. On top of that is the perceived danger of walking along the arrete itself and then the stiff climb up a boulder field to the summit. The other walk on Aonach Mor takes you north out to the little top of Sgurr Finnisg-aig where there are some good views out over Corpach and the Great Glen, weather permitting.

Feeling a bit damp and cold after both walks, we headed back to the Snowgoose for a bowl of hot soup and a roll to warm us up. It's a bit like a motorway café half-way up a mountain but the food is definitely better. They do a good range of hot and cold meals, catering for tourists, walkers and skiers alike. A cup of steaming hot tea and a cake to follow and we were ready to head back down to civilization.

Eating Out

We'd spotted a little restaurant in Cameron Square, called simply -No4-, the night before and after a shuftie at the menu, we'd booked a table for our New Year's evening meal. Situated just off Fort William's High Street, -N^o4- is a quiet little place with a touch of old fashioned colonial style, from the prints of India around the walls and the fact that the waiting staff were all pretty obviously from around there too.

However, you won't find any curry dishes here as the food is most definitely focused on local Scottish produce such as salmon, venison and lamb. Lorna had a Caesar Salad and I had more soup to start and then we tucked into a Chicken Forestiere and a Braised Lamb Shank on crushed potato with a rich port sauce and a fairly decent serving of fresh vegetables on the side. I was pretty stuffed by the time we'd scoffed that lot but Lorna finished of her meal with what looked like a very tasty Sticky Toffee Pudding.

If you fancy a bit of civilized dining with good food and service, then you might well find it worth trying. Strangely, or maybe not after the night before, most of the bars were closed so we headed back for an early night.

The Silver Sands Of Morar

This was out last full day in Morar so we thought we'd better go and have a walk round the Silver Sands, which is what the area is most famous for. The Silver Sands run all the way from Morar down to Arisaig and have featured in quite a few movie and TV series location shoots. There are also some very good views of the islands of Eigg and Rùm and you can even see the hills on Skye.

The Islands of Eigg and Rùm from the Silver Sands of Morar

We drove round and parked in the car park on the South side of the River Morar estuary and wandered down onto the sands. From there it's a straightforward walk West along the edge of the river mouth, skirting the few rocky outcroppings between the beaches as you go. In theory, you could walk all the way round from Morar to Arisaig but you'd need the tide to be a bit lower than we had it as we got stuck on a highish outcrop, which Lorna didn't fancy descending down from to get to the next beach. It would have meant a bit of hand-over-hand scrambling and she just didn't fancy falling off as it was quite high.

So we backtracked and had lunch and a laze on a nice bit of white beach and then went back to the car and drove round to the Camusdarach car park on the West coast side. From there it's a nice walk through the dunes to the beach, which is one of the best in the area. Anyway, being out for a walk, we headed South along the coast and picked our way from beach to beach until we'd almost got down as far as the Traigh golf course, whic h is where we'd normally end up if coming from the South.

Camusdarach Beach

Another long laze on the sands and then it was time for the walk back up to Camusdarach and back to Morar in time for our tea.

Port nam Murrach

With the weather still looking changeable, we drove down to Arisaig and then out to the end of the Rhu road with the intention of walking out the mile and a half or so to the beaches at Port nan Murrach.

Port nam Murrach Beaches

There’s the remains of an old pier at the end of the road and enough space to park four for five cars. The rest of the way is pretty straightforward; just follow the track out to Rhue House and, just before the house, you’ll see a way-marked path heading off on the left, between an outbuilding and the fence. Follow this somewhat muddy path and you’ll eventually reach the beach at Port nan Murrach.

There are two beautiful little white sand beaches here. No dunes a such though, regardless of the name. The waterline at the Eastern beach is covered by thousands of little pink, cream and yellow periwinkles while the Western beach is covered in limpet shells. Of course, on both you’ll also find the rare little cowrie shells as well but they are very few and far between. I remember reading that only one in a thousand shells is a cowrie but I reckon they’re far rarer than that.

Eigg and Rùm from Port nam Murrach

Port nan Murrach is probably the nearest place on the mainland to the Island of Eigg so you can get some really good views of the island and its cliff-draped coastline. You can also see the Island of Rùm just behind Eigg and, if it's clear, all the way over to the Isle of Skye and the Black Cuilin.

PS The local cattle use the beaches as well so watch out for their fairly sizable presents if you’re going to have a sit on the sand.

Camas Rhuba a’ Mhurain Beach

After yesterday's trek from Bracorina to Stoul, we were feeling a bit weary so we fancied a day at the seaside for a change. There was also the chance of a long walk on the beach, if our legs were up to it, so we headed over to the beaches on the road to Arisaig, just North of Portnaluchaig. The area is more popularly known as Camusdarach but we were going a wee bit more south of Camas an Daraich so technically it was more like Camas Rhuba a’ Mhurain. The sandy beaches around Camusdarach have been a popular choice for movie locations over the years and is best known for scenes in Local Hero as well as Breaking the Waves and TV series Hamish Macbeth and Monarch of the Glen.

Camas Rhuba a’ Mhurain Beach

This whole stretch of coast, from the mouth of the River Morar down to Arisaig, is a beach-lovers paradise. The sands are white and soft and there are lots of little secluded coves and bays in which you can find an appropriate nook to nestle down into and snooze for a few hours in the sun. We camped at Back of Keppoch some years ago so we're pretty familiar with the area and have spent many a day lazing on these beaches.

You can also go for a long walk along the coast here or hunt for the rare little European Cowrie or "Groatie Buckie" shells that you can find if you’re lucky and don’t mind getting down on your hands and knees; It passes the time if you get bored lying around. You can also get some good views out to the islands of Eigg and Rùm and even a decent glimpse of the Cuillin hills on Skye.

The Island of Rùm

Bracorina To Stoul

It’s Monday and it looks like the rain is going to hold off, at least in the West, so we threw together a pack lunch and headed along the North side of Loch Morar to the end of the road at Bracorina. This the starting point of two popular walks and there’s room for six or seven cars to park here.

If you’re feeling energetic, there’s the long walk along the loch side to Tarbet on Loch Nevis but it’s a 15 mile round trip unless you organise the ferry to pick you up and take you back to Mallaig. We’ve wandered along about half of this walk before and we really didn’t feel up to a trek of that length this time.

Loch Morar and Eigg

The shorter walk is over the hill to the old deserted hamlet of Stoul on the shore of Loch Nevis. The path to Stoul heads off North just after crossing the bridge at the end of the car park. It’s well signed so you can’t miss it, just turn left after going over the bridge. This is quite a strenuous walk so make sure you’ve got decent boots on and clothing to cope with any weather.

The sign at Bracorina says 2.5 miles to Stoul but this very generous and it’s probably closer to three by the time you spend losing and re-finding the path at the Stoul end so that makes it about a six mile round trip. The guides for the walk say that the maximum height gained is 235 metres (765’) but you’ll do that a few times over the day so you’ll have climbed over 1,500’ by the time you’re done.

The path is well defined at the start and climbs up until you get to Lochan Innis Eanruig. All the way up there are some good views back over Loch Morar and out to the islands of Eigg and Rùm. The path then skirts round the edge of that little lochan and heads over the peat hags and down to Lochan Stole, where you have to cross the loch by means of a quaint stepping stone bridge. Once over the stones, the path runs up and along the east shore of the lochan until it climbs up to Bealach nan Sac, which is about as high as you get on the walk. It then drops very steeply down to Stoul on the shore of Loch Nevis.

Sgurr na Ciche, Garbh Chioch Mhor and Sgurr na h-Aide

The views from the top of the bealach are splendid. You can see over Loch Nevis to Inverie in Knoydart, one of the most inaccessible parts of Scotland. You can also look up Loch Nevis to where it narrows at Kylesmorar and Kylesknoydart and, if the clouds are being kind, all of that is presented against the amazing backdrop of the pinnacled summits of Sgurr na Ciche, Garbh Chioch Mhor and Sgurr na h-Aide.

We lost the path once we started down to Stoul as it degenerated into a lot of sheep tracks through heavy bracken. This is where that 235 metres height comes in as that’s about how far the drop is to Stoul so it is very steep and care must be taken if you are going to go down. You can see the ruined houses and shingle beach from the top and I suspect a lot of walkers don’t go much further than that, thinking about the hard climb back up, and that probably accounts for the lack of a decent path as well.

Undaunted, we worked our way down towards the largest ruined house, which had a large Scots Pine beside it. It was a good place to head for as there was a gate in the fence, allowing us through to the houses and beach. The hamlet is split into Easter and Wester Stoul, on either side of a small shingle beach, but all of the buildings have been abandoned. Those with roofs are now the territory of the local sheep so I doubt if anyone would be keen to spend a night in any of them.

Wester Stoul

We parked our bums under the big Pine tree and got a bit of shelter from the biting wind from that and a bit of old ruined wall. We had a rest and a bit of lunch before heading back across the beach to Easter Stoul to look for the path back up. Needless to say, what looked like the right path also disappeared into the bracken and we ended up just striking straight up to the top of the bealach the hard way. That’s over 760 feet (235 metres) from sea-level in a very short distance and our legs were aching by the time we got up there.

Once at the top we spotted the original path over the moor so it easy to cross over to that and trudge wearily back to Bracorina.

Loch a' Bhada Dharaich

We woke late to a rainy Sunday morning in Morar. To the West, the island of Rùm was obscured by clouds but the view East along the loch was looking a bit clearer so we had hopes that it might clear later on. Meanwhile, we had lunch and watched the British Moto GP, which also suffered from the rain.

After lunch, the rain stopped and the clouds lifted a little so we thought we’d risk a short stroll up to Loch a' Bhada Dharaich, the Loch of the Oak Thicket, which lies about a mile North of Bun an Lòin on Loch Morar.

Loch a' Bhada Dharaich, Lochan a' Mheadoin and Loch an Nostarie

We parked in a lay-by just before the jetty at Bun an Lòin and found the start of the walk just past that, where a path leads up to a house. The walk is signed so you shouldn’t miss it. Follow the path up to the house and, despite the fact that whoever lives there has attempted to turn the path onward into a midden, keep on going. Once past the house and it’s untidy residents, the path meanders North, roughly following the line of the Allt an Lòin, the burn of the pools, which runs down from Loch a' Bhada Dharaich.

The path is, in theory, waymarked with yellow striped posts but we found these either very hard to locate or almost misleading. As for the path, when you can see it, it is very boggy so a decent pair of boots is essential or you’re going to get very wet feet. The lower section of the path winds through a small wood beside the burn but once past that and onto the open moorland, it becomes very indistinct and easily lost but bear in mind that your goal is at the head of the burn so you can’t really get lost. We flushed a deer out of hiding while walking over the moorland here.

After a few “lost path” episodes and once following the arrow on one of those yellow posts into what was a pathless bog, we eventually caught sight of the loch. Ploughing on, we emerged at the South end of the loch, near a stand of Beech and Pine trees (no Oaks in sight). Lorna spotted a large bird flying low across the loch just as it came into view; could have been a heron or a large bird of prey but she didn't get a good look at it.

Small Heath Butterfly

There was a small hill here so we climbed that on the off chance of spotting that bird again. We pulled out a waterproof mat to sit on had a snack and drink while admiring the view over Loch a' Bhada Dharaich, Lochan a' Mheadoin and Loch an Nostarie, with its little tree covered island. No sign of that bird again though!

We thought about wandering down closer to the lochside but the wind was picking up and there were a few rain drops so we thought better of it; maybe another day. The return path was much the same as the way up; we got lost in a bog several times but we made it down eventually. We did spot a bird of prey above us on the way down and, from the size, I’d reckon it was a buzzard but it was against the sun and we didn’t get a clear view of it. We also spotted a couple of butterflies and a frog jumped over my foot as well.

Morar

It’s Saturday and the day we head North for our week in Morar on the west coast. We’ve rented a house in Morar, which is a wee village about three miles South of Mallaig, a bustling ferry port and the last stop on The Road To The Isles.

Sunset on Loch Morar

Morar has possibly three claims to fame. One being its Silver Sands and the others being Loch Morar and the River Morar…

• The Silver Sands of Morar is a beautiful stretch of pure white sandy beaches on the sides of the mouth of the River Morar. These unspoilt sandy beaches run South all the way around the coast to Arisaig and we’ve spent many a day over the years, sunning ourselves on them or scouring the sand looking for shells.
  
• Loch Morar is the deepest body of fresh water in the United Kingdom and reputedly the home of Morag, a cousin of Nessie, the Loch Ness monster. It’s almost 12 miles long and over 1,000 feet deep.
  
• The River Morar is the shortest river in the United Kingdom. From the loch out to the end of the estuary is only about 2½ miles and, if ou're measuring it from the loch to the start of the estuary, it's only about a ¼ of a mile long.
  

Regardless of what you're going to be doing in the area, have a good look through The Road To The Isles web site as it has a wealth of local information on everywhere from Fort William to Mallaig.

Accommodation

We left trying to get somewhere to stay too late. We really fancied somewhere around Arisaig but all of the accommodation there was unavailable and there was only the one place left, Tioram in Morar. The house is just on the outskirts of the village, on the start of the road down to Loch Morar. It sits on a slightly raised position with a good view along the loch with its little tree-covered islands. Looking West, we could see all the way out to the island of Rùm.

It’s an odd choice a name for a house as it means “dry” in Gaelic. Maybe it’s a reflection of the hospitality provided and is probably why it was the last place left available. They didn’t supply towels and we had to pay extra for the electricity via a coin meter. On top of that, the master bedroom with it’s en-suite bathroom was locked off so no tourists were getting to use that. We had to make do with the lumpiest and most uncomfortable bed I think I’ve ever slept in.

The description of the place mentioned a drop-off at the end of the garden, which could be dangerous for children but there was no garden, only a dense growth of bracken and you’d have needed a machete to hack through that to even find the drop off point.

The Island of Rùm from Morar

On the upside, there was a nut feeder hanging just outside the patio doors and there was a constant stream of greenfinches, tits and sparrows visiting it for a snack. We also got a few visits from deer, nosing their way almost up to the doors and, yes, we did keep the gates closed so they must have been getting in some other way.

The downsides of the accommodation apart, I think Morar was probably a better choice of location, as it’s more central to the area, but I wouldn’t recommend Tioram unless, like us, you’ve left it too late to get anywhere else.

Walking

There are lots of documented walks in the area of Mallaig, Morar and Arisaig with a few more out by Lochailort and Glenfinnan. The first thing you’ll need is Ordnance Survey Landranger Map 40, which covers the whole area and you’ll get lost without it. After that is some decent waterproof boots and clothing. If you’re going off-path or out in misty or rainy weather, then take a compass as well.

I downloaded and printed off a selection of walking guides before we came so these proved really useful. If you’re planning on visiting the area for some walking, then check out these links…

• Sub3000 - Covers walks on those hills that don't quite make into Munro status. There's even a section on Morar.
• Hillwalking Scotland - Has some good walk guides for Munros and low level walks.
• Walks Around Mallaig - An excellent PDF document covering walks around Malliag, Morar and Arisaig.
• Walks In The Arisaig Area - A useful guide to walks around Arisaig, Morar and Mallaig.
• Glenancross Farmhouse - A list of PDF walking guides for a range of walks around the area.
  

Islands in Loch Morar

Eating Out

We brought most of our food up with us but if you fancy eating out for a change, then there’s the Morar Hotel and a carry out Thai food place in Morar itself. A little further afield and you’ll find places to eat in Mallaig and Arisaig. You will need to book ahead though as they get pretty busy.

We did dine out once at the Old Library restaurant in Arisaig and really enjoyed it. It's a wee bit on the pricey side but almost everywhere in the area is. That said, the food was excellent and the service quick and friendly.

One place to avoid if you're short of time or have a fear of crowds is Tyndrum. We stopped in on the road up for lunch and were shocked at just how much it now resembles an over-developed motorway service station. The place was chock-a-block with tourists, cars, campers, howling kids, etc. We had to queue to park and then queued again for almost 20 minutes before getting to the counter. Mind you the food was actually quite good when it finally arrived but I don't think I'd want to repeat the experience.

An Easter Break In Montrose - Day 4

It was the last day of our break in Montrose so, after breakfast, we headed up to Edzell to have a look at Edzell Castle and then take in some stops on the way back down the road on the way home.

Edzell Castle

The castle is maintained by Historic Scotland and we were the first visitors of the day. We had a bit of a chat with the caretaker, who was very helpful and suggested what looked like an interesting walk near Edzell.

Edzell Castle

The castle itself is ruined but has been restored enough to allow access to some of the upper floors of the tower, which gives some good views of the walled gardens, which are patrolled by some gorgeous looking peacocks and have an interesting array of bas relief murals along the walls. There's also a well restored summer house at the end of the gardens. After spending an hour or so wandering around, we went back to Edzell and had some lunch in a small café.

Lunan Bay

The road down to Lunan Bay is pretty windy and seemingly endless but it's worth the time and trouble as this is definitely one of Scotland's best beaches. Mind out for the sleeping policemen bumps in the road as you go through the farmyard near the bottom of the road as they're lethal at any speed.

Lunan Bay

There's a good sized car park among the dunes and the beach stretches for over two miles of lovely sand and it's popular with surfers as well. It's a pity there no amenities like public toilets or anywhere to get some refreshments but I suppose it'd lose some of what makes it so attractive if it was descended on by hordes of day-trippers.

In the centre and overlooking the bay is the old ruined, 12th century Red Castle, once the haunt of King William I "The Lion" of Scotland, who had it built to fend off attacks by Viking raiders. We walked along the road from Lunan and found the path out to the castle for a wander around and you get some nice views out over the bay from where it perches so it's worth the short trek. It's possible to wander in and around the ruins but they are in very poor repair and it looks ready to collapse at any moment.

Red Castle, Overlooking Lunan Bay

Auchmithie

Auchmithie is a small fishing village a few miles North-East of Arbroath and is reputedly the origin of the Arbroath Smokie. It sits perched on top of a cliff and there's a steep path leading down to the beach and harbour. The 19th century harbour is pretty dilapidated and crumbling away but there are were a few pretty blue boats pulled up on the grass.

A Natural Arch At Auchmithie

There are some caves within easy reach when the tide is low enough, although we did spot some numpty trying to get over to them as the water was coming in. The best part was the view of some natural arches along the shoreline to the North; definitely worth the steep walk down and back up again.

An Easter Break In Montrose - Day 3

Montrose Basin and The Lurgies

Our third day started out with a walk called The Lurgies, which is a path around the edge of a part of the Montrose Basin, starting from Old Montrose Pier and ending at the Bridge of Dun. As usual, we missed the turn off for the little car park at Old Montrose Pier and ended up parking beside the Bridge of Dun and doing the walk the wrong way (and back again).

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance survey of Northern Ireland.

Montrose Basin is a popular haunt of "twitchers" as it is rich in bird life such as Sedge Warbler, Pink-footed Goose, Knot, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Mute Swan, Grey Partridge, Lapwing, Shelduck, Wigeon, Reed Bunting and Eider and it is a designated Local Nature Reserve.

Montrose Across The Basin

The Lurgies path is an easy stroll along part of the bank of the River South Esk and along the edge of the Basin along to the pier. I'd advise sticking to the path though as it's easy to wander off of it and end up having to back-track to get round water obstacles. There are some very good views to be had across the Basin to Montrose and you can also see the House of Dun from the path.

House of Dun

Once we'd "done" The Lurgies, we headed up to the House of Dun, in the hope of getting a bit of lunch. The beautiful Georgian House was designed by William Adam for David Erskine, the 13th Laird of Dun in 1730 and it also has very nice Victorian gardens overlooking the Montrose Basin.

The House of Dun

We passed a few hours touring the house, gardens and woodland walks. The gardens were quite busy as they'd organised an Easter Egg hunt for the kids.

Scurdie Ness

It was still early so we headed out for walk out to look at the Scurdie Ness lighthouse. Parking at the end of the road in Ferryden, it's an easy walk out along the road to the lighthouse and you have the option to go past on on along the grassy banks for a ways on the other side.


The wind was whipping up a bit and there was a good surf rolling in towards Montrose.

Eating Out

Back in Montrose for the evening, we fancied a Chinese meal and of the two we found on the High Street, the Shanghai looked the far better choice. They offered a buffet, but nothing like any buffet we'd ever come across as there was nothing laid out for the diners to pick and choose from.

What they did was basically let you order anything off of the menu as you wanted it. It was a bit odd but it worked okay as they brought us a selection of starters all at once. We tried several main courses as well so it seemed to work okay for them and the diners and it saves using up valuable seating space with a buffet selection and you get freshly cooked dishes too.

The food was very good as well so I'd definitely recommend it.

An Easter Break In Montrose - Day 2

It's Saturday and the second day of our break in Montrose.

Glen Clova

We got up early and, after a decent breakfast, headed off to Glen Clova as the assistant at the museum/tourist information office said there were some good walks in the area and we'd found what could be a half-decent walk up at the very top of the glen, around Ben Tirran.

Glen Clova is just under 40 miles from Montrose but the weather had brightened and it was looking like it was going to be a nice day so it seemed worth the drive, even if a fair bit of it wwas on small and narrow roads. There was a large car parking area beside the Clova Hotel so that made things easy too, especially as the route started just behind the hotel.

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance survey of Northern Ireland.

The path was marked as "Footpath to Glen Effock" and it was very clear and easy to follow. All you have to do is follow it all the way up to the bottom end of Loch Brandy at the base of The Snub. We wandered down to the loch for a relax and some lunch while watching a couple of anglers casting. They didn't hold out much hope of catching anything though as the water was still very cold. To make matters worse for them, a couple of girls arrived with three dogs, one of which decided it'd be fun to try and catch splashes so it spent at least 10-15 minutes up to it's knees in the water, smacking the surface with one paw and trying to bite the water that splashed up. Definitely mad but hilarious to watch!

Loch Brandy

After a wee rest, we headed on with a steep climb up The Snub and around the top rim of the corrie above the loch and over to Green Hill and then back down to the loch again. There were some good views at the top of the hill, with Lochnagar to the North and Mount Keen over to the North-East.

Eating Out

After a long day on the hills we fancied a curry and the only place we could find in Montrose was Indian Cottage on High Street. But it was very busy and we had to wait for a table (did that in the pub across the road) so it must be a popular place with the locals.

The service fast and friendly and the food was very good and reasonably priced so if you fancy a curry in Montrose, it's definitely worth a visit.

Glen Lednock Circular

The sun came out at last on Sunday so we headed up to Comrie in deepest Perthshire for a walk in Glen Lednock. Comrie, whose name derives from the Gaelic for conruith meaning "confluence of streams", is a quiet little village lying at the junction of the rivers Lednock and Ruchill where they join to become the River Earn, which flows East until it runs into the Firth of Tay. The River Lednock itself runs out of Loch Lednock, a man-made reservoir about seven or eight kilometres North, and tumbles down the glen to Comrie.

There's plenty of parking so we parked near the school and walked along Dundas Street until it turns sharply into Burrell Street. At the corner, if you head straight on instead, you'll see a sign for the Circular Walk and it's pretty straightforward from there. What you get for your shoe-leather is a reasonable, four-mile walk up a wooded glen beside the river and with some detours off the main path to view a few interesting landmarks.

The first detour takes you down a wooden walkway to see the Wee Cauldron, a smallish waterfall plunging into a deep pool in the river. The second is similar but the walkway is longer and suspended in places and leads down to the Deil's Caldron, a much larger waterfall spouting out of a gash in the rocks as the river forces it's way down through a very narrow gorge. Legend has is that the Deil's Caldron, or Slocha'n Donish in the Gaelic, was the favourite haunt of a brownie called Uris-chidh who enticed its victims down into the huge natural pothole where they would drown (obviously).

Shaky Bridge

Just up the glen a bit from the Deil's Caldron, there's a steep path off to the left leading up to the top of Dun More with its 72' high Melville Monument. The monument was built in 1812 in memory of Henry Dundas, the first Viscount Melville, who was once the Home Secretary and Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, among other offices. It's worth the climb as the views over Comrie, Strathearn and the Ochil Hills are very good as well as the views up the glen towards the peaks of Ben Vorlich, Ben More and Stob Binnean. If you don't fancy the steep path, then there's a much gentler route to the top about a mile or so up the glen. It's certainly the easy way down as well and once you're back on the road, you'll see a path leading off down towards the river, which is where you cross over and begin the return journey down the other side of the water.

The bridge across the Lednock is called the Shaky Bridge, one end of which passes through, and is wholly supported by, a huge sycamore tree. It's not very shaky though and I suspect the name derives from Comrie's old nickname of Shaky Toun because of its lying on the Highland Boundary Fault and being subject to the various earthquakes and tremors common to that area. If fact, the world's first seismometers were set up in Comrie in 1840.

One Tree All Alone

The walk back down the glen passes through open fields, with a few trees dotted around, and then into Laggan Wood and on back down to the town. There are some good views of the Melville monument from this side of the glen as you wander downstream.

With some time to spare we headed into Crieff for a walk along the banks of the Earn but we got a bit lost trying to find somewhere to park and by the time we'd got sorted out, our motivation had gone. I suspect we'd have been better off driving up Glen Lednock instead as it looks as if you can park just beneath Loch Lednock and walk up to the 133' high dam. Maybe next time!

I've compiled a collection of the route and waypoints on Windows Live Maps (see link below).

Windows Live Collection: Glen Lednock Circular Walk

Loch Chon

At last, we got a bit of d