The Glenfinnan Memorial and Loch Shiel

Weather fine. Dry, bright, sunny sunshine. We seemed to be North of the layer of thin cloud that we all the way up the West coast yesterday so we had sunshine all day.

We decided we would take the road West from Fort William along the side of Loch Eil and head for Glenfinnan. We parked at the National Trust for Scotland site for the Glenfinnan memorial where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard at the head of Loch Shiel in 1745 at the beginning of his abortive attempt to regain the throne. With Maeve the Deerhound we first walked up the hill behind the visitor centre to a viewpoint where there is a great view along Loch Shiel over the monument, and in the other direction a view of the Glenfinnan railway viaduct. Then we went for a wander over to the memorial for a look round. Not far from the car park is the start of a minor road which provides a lovely walk up to the viaduct itself.

Back on the road we chose to go further West and head for Mallaig. All along the road there were wonderful views of mountains and lochs. As the road comes back towards the coast approaching Arisaig the mountains of the small isles can be seen over the higher ground beside the coastline. We stopped at a car park to get a good view over to the Cuillin and Bhla Bheinn (spelling) on Skye. By the time We passed Morar and were approaching Mallaig we could clearly see Eigg, Rhum, Canna, and Muck as well as the Sleat peninsula on Skye.

In Mallaig we found the dog friendly Garden Cafe so we had lunch sitting outside with Maeve standing alongside the table. She rarely if ever sits or lies down in this sort of situation but did have some water from the bowl which one of the waitresses brought for her. After lunch we had a wander round the harbour, which is very much a working harbour with ferries and fishing boats and a big new ice house.

Having passed Morar on the way to Mallaig we had a notion to go back there and see the silver sands where the beach scenes in the movie Local Here were filmed. We weren't disappointed, although we couldn't pick out the place they had used in the movie. The beach along the side of Loch Morar is amazing. Wonderful fine slivery white sand and lovely calm shallow water in the sheltered sea loch. Maeve even had a paddle as we wandered along. 

Driving back along the road with the sun lower in the sky revealed amazing reflections in the lochs as the dark waters picked up the reverse images of mountains and trees and the colours of the hills. Then, as we approached Fort William, we had the huge bulk of Ben Nevis displayed before us at its best with the bright low sun picking out every ridge and emphasising the shapes of the deep glens and steep slopes with dark shadows.

Supermarket again to get something for dinner before we drove back to the lodge where we sat with some tea and watched a little coal tit in the nearest Birch tree as the light faded in the early evening.

DMC-LX7 f/2.8 1/1600 sec. ISO-80 5mm (35mm focal length 24mm)

Extras:

The Glenfinnan Viaduct

Train crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct

Mallaig Harbour

Maeve the Deerhound on the Silver Sands of Morar