Cruachan Mountain...

Final day of camper van holidays. A second rather soggy day so we basically packed up and headed out after breakfast feeling rather chuffed with such a great holiday done.

Took the dog out for a walk and collected another bunch of reeds so Bethany could try weaving a mat like mine through the holidays.

Took a couple of stops on the way back home but first of all was a wee thing I spotted in the Tourist Information Office. Cruachan Mountain.

Ben Cruachan is the highest peak in Argyle and Bute and sits on the edge (to the right of this picture) of Loch Awe. It houses a reversible (worlds first apparently) hydro electric power station which is located in the hollowed out cavern that has been blasted out of the mountain.

I took the kids on tour which takes you on a bus, a kilometre straight under the mountain to the cavernous machine hall that houses 4 hydro-electric pump/generators.

It is rather ingenious and throughly interesting. Essentially it's a mountain sized battery for storing electricity but not as electricity, as potential energy.

The power station doesn't work all the time but is used to cover energy spikes. We over produce electricity, so excess electricity which can't really be stored in conventional batteries, is used to power the turbines in this station which in reverse work as pumps to pump water from Loch Awe to a dammed reservoir in a natural corrie on Ben Cruachan. Essentially the water just stays there until needed as electricity where upon it is released down the pipes to the turbines to produce electricity. The process of starting production can be done in less than two minutes. Very impressive and with a 90% efficiency.

Thoroughly interesting and impressive feat of engineering.