A friend of mine is over visiting from Russia this week, and I promised to take her on a quick tour of Scotland to so she could see some of the “must-see” sights. We set off from Glasgow early this morning, heading up the side of Loch Lomond, which was looking magnificent in the spring sunshine.
We continued beyond the head of the loch, passing through
Glen Falloch and
Strath Fillan to
Tyndrum, where we stopped to stretch our legs and have a bite to eat at the
Green Welly Stop. Suitably refreshed, we got back in the car for just a few minutes, stopping at a parking area beyond
Bridge of Orchywhich gives great views over
Loch Tulla and the surrounding mountains, including
Beinn Achaladair and
Beinn an Dothaidh.
We got back in the car – again, just for a few minutes – and drove across
Rannoch Moor, stopping between
Lochan na h-Achlaise,
Lochan na Stainge and
Loch Ba, one of my favourite places in Scotland.
Although bright and sunny, it was also very windy and quite chilly, so after a brisk wander we jumped back in the car and continued on our journey northwards. We drove up through
Glen Coe, crossing the end of
Loch Leven at
Ballachullish, on past
Fort William where we caught a glimpse of
Ben Nevis, and through the remains of the
Leanachan Forest to
Loch Lochy. From here, the road twists its way along the edge of the south bank of the loch, crossing the
Caledonian Canal to follow the north bank of
Loch Oich, then crosses the canal twice more before joining the north bank of
Loch Ness. After 18 long, slow miles (29km) we reached
Urquhart Castle, sticking out into the loch on
Strone Point.
From the main tower we saw a swan swimming on the loch.
As well as having a good look around the castle, we had soup and cake in the visitor centre before continuing north, heading for
Culloden. The visitor centre there was just closing, and it was getting rather cold, so we had a quick look over the fence and jumped back in the car to visit the nearby
Clava cairns before finally heading south on the A9. At
House of Bruar we turned off the A9, and drove past
Blair Castle, stopping briefly to take a photo over the wall.
Before heading on to my favourite pub in Scotland, the
Moulin Inn! After which it was a long drive back to
Glasgow.
