Owocki_Scotland4 

A Wee Week in the Scottish Highlands

These are all of our week-long trip to Scottish Highlands, where we rented a "self-catering" cottage on Loch Linnhe, just across from Fort William, in the very small village of Trislaig. There was a single track road along the loch, with lots of sheep and stunning views of Fort William and Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain. From Loch Linnhe -- which connects to sea and so is at sea level -- this rises to 1344 metres, or 4406 ft. The pics here are organized by day, briefly annotated as follows:

Saturday    -- Drive from Glasgow through Glencoe moor and town, and across ferry to Trislaig.

Sunday   -- Drive around Loch Ness, with many searches for Nessie.

Monday      -- Bringing Diane back to airport, and then drive back along new route to Trislaig, with stops in Helensburgh at Hill House (Charles Renee Mackintosh design) and Inverary town and castle.

Tuesday   -- Suzi and Stan take passenger ferry across Loch Linnhe to do walk around Fort Williams and surroundings, including Ben Nevis whiskey distillery.

Wednesday -- Drive to and around Isle of Skye. This was a very long day trip, but the breathtaking scenery made it well worth the drive....

Thursday    -- Day trips around Fort William, including ship locks, Glen Nevis and the Steal waterfall, and ending at Clachaig Inn near Glencoe, which many hikers proclaim as Scotland's most famous pub.

Friday  -- Drive around western most peninsula in mainland UK, including stops in Strontian, where the element Strotium (#38) was first discovered in 1790. Off road to Mailaig, we enjoyed beautiful stops at sandy beaches, and also a lovely hike along the off-the-beaten-path Loch Morar.