Glen Coe and Loch Lomond

Today I will show you the very last part of my trip to Scotland with Ola. We will start in Glen Coe. A "glen" is a deep valley, often of volcanic origin (Volcanoes in Scotland? Well, I was also a bit surprised). Let's get on the road then, we will have over twenty kilometers to walk today.

This small lake is called Loch Achtriochtan and lies next to Road A 82, a few kilometeres from where the James Bong "Skyfall" movie was shot.

Next to the lake we pass a village of the same name. Well, calling it a village is maybe a bit too much.

Here you can see the valley in its full beauty.

These peaks are called Three Sisters of Glen.

Between the Sisters there is a path called Coire Gabhai. Not really fit for high heels my ladies.

The other side of the valley is framed by Aonach Eagach.

It is maybe not so high but climbing it is not easy.

Glen Coe has witnessed, as any place in Highlands, harsh fights during the Jacobite Rising. Yet, here the death was coming also with less honour and dignity. The so-called Massacre of Clencoe, commemorated by this monument, was a simple mass-murder not an act of war. We horses will never understand humans.

Finally, we are ready to move on the West Highland Way. We start in Tarbet, at 10 AM sharp, ready for a cruise on Loch Lomond.

With all this mist the view is quite disappointing.

Let's get out of the boat in Inversnaid and take a walk instead. This nice waterfall is called Arklet Falls. The Arklet Burn flows from Loch Arklet and at Inversnaid falls into Loch Lomond.

The plan for today is to take the West Highland Way. Its total length is of 154.5 km but obviously we will only take a small part of it.

The paths run through hills, hide in forests ...

... and embrace the lochs.

It is really a nice and refreshing walk. It is possible to see there things that are not so common in our industrialised world. Like a huge field of fern.

Finally we arrive next to the village of Rowardennan. In the back you can see the peak of Ben Lomond.

Next to it we found a monument. Does its shape remind you of something?

For me it looks like Stargate from the famous movie and TV-series.

Well obviously this is not the Stargate (at least not officially ...). This is a War memorial, commemorating those who died in World War I and II.

Our boat is waiting alredy to take us back home.

I hope that you have enjoyed the time that we have spent together in Scotland. I really did. I only wish the weather was more predictable. The has sun started to shine just as we were leaving. But maybe it is just a sign that we need to come back one day?

Oban

Time to leave the nice Isle of Skye. Here comes our ferry.

It seems pretty solid and should without any problem take us to Mallaig.

We arrived just on time to catch the train.

Maybe the train itself is not so special but it was not supposed to be the true attraction. I will give you a hint, we are going here:

Does not ring a bell? Then just take a look below. And yes, I am sure that it strangely reminds you of something ...

And yes, the Glenfinnan Viaduct has proudly staged in all the Harry Potter movies, with the Howgarts express passing there.

We arrived at Fort William pretty early so we had some time for a quick visit before our bus to Oban arrived. We first walked down the High Street.

As its name suggest, Fort William used to include an English fort. Not much has remained from it.

We have seen this interesting statue next to the banks of Loch Linnhe. I believe it is a knight or a hockey player. Unless you have a better guess.

Fort William lies close to the highest peak of Scotland, Ben Navis. We did not have time for hiking but at least we have spent the rest of our free time here.

Finally, we have arrived to Oban. 

Here comes the cathedral of Saint Columba. Is it only me or maybe you also never heard of those saints that are patrons of Scottish churches?

As we move to the bay, on top of the hill we can see the McCaig's Tower.

I am sure that you ask yourselves (just as I did) what was the purpose of this tower. Well actually there was none. It was financed by a philanthropist in the sole aim to give work to local workers. And to immortalise his name obviously. I encourage you to take this virtual tour of the Tower to fully assess its size.

One of the great things about climbing on hills is obviously the view. Here comes Oban from bird-eye view. Behind Kerrera island you can see the Isle of Mull.

Alright, let's move down. There is one more place I want to visit today. The famous Oban whisky distillery. Established in 1794 my friends.

Unfortunately it was not allowed to take pictures inside. You will have to believe me that they make great quality whisky. A bit too strong for me though. To cheer you up a bit, I will take you now for a little treat - the fruit scone.

It is getting late. I hope that you have enjoyed the time that we have spent in Scotland. Time to get some sleep before our trip back home.

Skye

I will take you to the biggest island of the Inner Hebrides - Skye. We will arrive to the port in its informal capital, Portree.

Now we need to move to Elgol, a town so small and so remote that even mobile phones do not work there.

We will catch there a boat that, thanks to a strong hand of a local skipper, will take us on a cruise on the Loch Coruisk.

The Black Cuillin mountains in Skye are not very high but climbing them requires experience, skills and good preparation.

This part is called the "Bad Step". As our guide told us "it happens form time to time that people do not fall from it". He did not have any experience with horses so I decided not to give it a try.

Look! Seals! They seem to enjoy themselves.

The water on these rocks is believed to be the shortest river in the United Kingdom. It only has a few hundred meters. It is called Scavaig.

Of course in regions with strange rivers the bridges cannot look like everywhere else.

The little boat was a bit too shaky for my taste but the views of the Loch and the island are truely breathtaking.

Time to get back on the solid ground again. The day is cloudy so I hope that our second point of interest will be well visible. We are heading to the Storr, a rocky hill that outstands from the omnipresent meadows.

The most famous view in Skye is the Old Man of Storr, a single rock standing high in the hill. As we approach it the sun starts timidely to shine.

Now we are in the perfect observation spot to see the island ...

... and the coast line.

We still have a bit of time left - do you fancy to swim a little in the sea? Not really? Well, yeah, it is cold. Very cold. So let's at least have a closer look.

The cost line here in Skye is amazing. Does anybody know what it is?

It is called fucus and it is a type of alga. It is not the same as the one used for making sushi but actually, it is pretty tasty.

Be careful, these little rocks are very slippery!

As the water is (as expected) far too cold for a bath, I propose that we just sit here and admire this little beauty. Just do not touch it! Well jellyfishes do not bite. But their sting can be quite painful.