On our way home we passed Connel Bridge which spans the narrows where Loch Etive enters the open sea.  It was built in 1903 to carry the newly opened railway from Connel northwards towards Ballachulish.  Until then travellers were rowed across by four oarsmen but then road vehicles could be carried across on a railway wagon so saving a road journey of about 120 miles. In 1914 it was converted to allow road vehicles to drive over and for the next 50 years the bridge was used by both road and rail traffic. Since the line was closed in 1966 it has been used exclusively by road traffic controlled through the narrow roadway by traffic lights.
Unfortunately it was a bit early to see the Falls of Lora with water tumbling over an underwater rocky shelf near the bridge. Depending upon the tide there are spectacular rapids when the level of the sea is much higher or lower than the water of Loch Etive at the narrows.   Even so, the turbulent currents and eddies still showed the ferocity of the water which can be 4600 tonnes a second at a speed of 12 knots The RNLI and rescue services sometimes use it for exercises and it provides an exhilarating time for very experienced kayakers.