Scotland Road Trip 2022 - Part Three - As Good As It Gets

Nov 3

Nov 3 Scotland Road Trip 2022 - Part Three - As Good As It Gets

Day Five

Back on the road again today and for a change we had a wonderful sunrise to greet our early start.

A relatively short stage, only 150 miles or so, but as we were heading up to the Highlands we were always going to be a little slower than on a motorway journey.

And the forecast predicted rain later in the day. What a surprise.

It was only about 15 miles or so before the first spots appeared, but luckily that was about as bad as it got.

We deliberately chose quiet roads to start and the country lanes leading up to Coupar Angus were lovely to drive with very few vehicles around. We started climbing on the approach to Dunkeld and the winding roads were lined with beautifully coloured autumnal trees as we approached. We stopped briefly in Dunkeld to admire the impressive and very fast flowing River Tay just before crossing the bridge to join the A9.

In the spirit of our trip, we noticed an interesting brown sign just after passing Pitlochry and decided to stop and explore. Killiecrankie in Perthshire is managed by the National Trust of Scotland and is a magnificent wooded river gorge where “one of the goriest battles in Jacobite history took place.” Once again we chose to visit at the best time of the year and the walk down to the river at the foot of the gorge was magical with autumnal colours. We stopped to see the famous “Soldiers Leap” where in 1689 a soldier allegedly jumped 18 feet across a raging river to escape chasing Jacobite soldiers and then made our way down to the rapids and the River Garry below.

We continued our journey suitably refreshed but just a little tired after our climb and the surrounding landscape started to get even more interesting. A sign informed us that we had entered the Cairngorms National Park and the low cloud and mountains gave it a very moody feel. We turned off the main road by the distillery at Dalwhinnie and then the real fun started.

The road between Dalwhinnie and Spean Bridge provided us with the most stunning of landscapes and it became a genuine challenge to focus on the road at times. We stopped frequently to take photographs and, thankfully, the traffic was sparse. We passed Loch Laggan and I managed to find a parking spot, clambered down a steep, muddy slope to find some of the most atmospheric views of our trip to date. We stopped briefly at the Loch Laggan dam and slowly made our way down and into Spean Bridge.

We took a brief break at the Commando Memorial just outside Spean Bridge, impressive in the very wild and intimidating landscape. Located just a mile outside of the town and under the impressive Nevis range of mountains, including Ben Nevis, the highest point in the UK, it had a special and poignant feel about it.

We drove through Fort William, more picturesque than I had imagined, and along the road skirting the rather wonderfully named “Inner Seas Off The West Coast Of Scotland.” Another beautiful drive on a day that was packed with wonderful views.

After such a fantastic day it was almost a relief when we arrived in Ballachulish, our home for the next few nights. But to be honest, the view of mountains and L:och Levan from the front window gave us an awe-inspiring conclusion to something very special indeed.

Day Six

Yes, yes, yes, of course it rained again overnight.

Heavy and hard and very loud.

But this is an adventure and we are not letting a little rain get in the way of exploring. So, after a relatively leisurely start to the day, we got ourselves suitably attired and out into the Scottish dreich.

We started off just a few steps down the road, at the Ballachulish Visitor Centre. Not too much to get excited about to be honest, with a cafe and the usual souvenirs, but there was some reference to the local history of the village and in particular the slate mining. Interesting, not just because we are staying in a converted slate quarry workers cottage, but because our walk for the morning started off at the now disused Ballachulish slate quarry.

Our chosen walk, in the grey and damp of course, was the Brecklet Trail, a route that I had discovered online. It started at the entrance to the quarry and rose rapidly and steeply. It offered spectacular views, initially over the quarry but then out over Lock Leven and the surrounding peaks. Whilst not a particularly long walk it took us through scrub, over rocks and through some very atmospheric plantations. In fact, for an area renowned for its views, in many ways the walk through the woods was the best part of our journey. We found ruined stone buildings, wonderful “fairy land” landscapes of moss and ferns and plenty of fast flowing burns and streams and waterfalls. Everywhere was wet and green and idyllic.

Of course, and I am sure it will surprise few, we decided to go a little “off piste” and explored a disused field archery centre before walking further up into the hills, reaching a dead-end at an unexpected small hydro-electric operation besides a raging river.

After a warm and dry lunch back at the visitor centre we made the decision to venture out again in the rain, this time driving along the spectacular Glencoe valley, just a couple of miles away.

Having explored Glencoe a few years ago in the warmth and sunshine (see previous blog post) we knew how stunning this area could be. This time we would see it through completely different eyes as when we left Ballachulish the rain was once again falling.

We drove only halfway along the valley before realising that this may not have been the best of ideas. The rain was heavy, the road busy, with many lorries and large vehicles making the relatively narrow road a little trechorous to navigate safely. But we stopped off at a few of the designated parking areas and I ventured out to take as many photographs as I could. Whilst the majority of the peaks were impossible to see, the heavy, low cloud and moody atmosphere made for some great images.

So another dull and wet day in Scotland. But wow, did we see some wonderful things.

Day Seven

Yes, of course it did.

And as always we decided to just embrace the weather and go for it.

So we decided to climb Ben Nevis.

Now when I say climb what I mean is that we actually used the gondola lift that takes people 650 metres up the mountain to the start of the chair lifts.

And when I say Ben Nevis what I actually mean is Aonach Mor, the 8th highest mountain in Britain and a very close neighbour to Ben in the Nevis range of mountains.

But however you want to word it, we found ourselves half way up a mountain in the middle of some wonderfully wild Scottish weather.

As is often the case, it is really difficult to accurately describe what we experienced on our visit. It rained hard at times but also gave us a few respites in order to get out and explore. The wind was howling and was estimated at the visitor centre to be between 25 — 30 mph. And the clouds were drifting over the peaks and along the valleys in a way where visibility would change almost by the minute. This is exactly what you want to experience on a mountain!

After a cup of tea (how civilised) we decided to brave the elements and set out to walk one of the designated routes. It was wet and very rocky and whilst it was no more than a 40 minute trek the views at the top were simply breathtaking. It really was like something from another planet.

Needless to say I once again tried to take as many photographs as I could, but I fear none will actually do justice to the what we experienced.

Bad news for the Instagram generation I guess so you might just have to take my word that it was awe inspiring if the photographs don’t impress!

I was also fascinated by the mountain bike course which started at the top of the gondola ride. With a vertical drop of over 550 meters and almost 3 km in length it is apparently the only World Cup downhill course in the UK. The list of regulations on the starting hut were extreme (it is officially graded as Orange Extreme) and there is little doubt that it would be a seriously intimidating trip down the mountain. The Oakley hut and starting gate also looked incredibly cool set against the bleak mountain landscape.

Maybe we will save that experience for our next adventure!

For anyone interested, the Nevis Range website has a number of webcams showing certain points on the mountain and I found them fascinating to check up on both before and after our visit.

Day Eight

Sadly our rather short road trip required the inevitable change of direction and we found ourselves starting the long trek south again.

Yes it was wet and the drive through Glencoe was on almost deserted roads due to the fact that most sensible people had decided not to venture out until the deluge had stopped. So not being at all sensible we went for it and had it all to ourselves!

The cloud had actually lifted from our previous visit and we were allowed some spectacular views on the first 30 miles or so of our journey through the mountains and across Rannoch Moor. I am fascinated by this wild and desolate place and love the peculiar fact that not only is there a railway station here, something that seems very unlikely, but that it is the UK’s highest station at 408 metres above sea level and is one of the most remote, being 16 km from the nearest public road.

We took a break at a place we have visited before on a previous visit, Loch Lubnaig near Callander in the Loch Lomond National Park. This time around, well you can guess what the weather was like I am sure. But in the absence of blue skies it still offered up beautiful views across the water in a lovely part of the country.

Our journey south allowed us to meander a little, mostly to avoid the roads around Glasgow and the delays caused by the ongoing roadworks, but also to enjoy more of the scenery that we would have seen from the motorway. We took our lunch break at the rather wonderful Rosslyn Chapel just south of Edinburgh and this allowed us a memorable drive along the beautiful Pentland Hills, a place we have stayed in before and really enjoyed. I suspect many will have heard of Rosslyn Chapel from the book and film The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, which stirred up many controversies but also gave the place some wonderful publicity. It is a genuinely delightful and historic little chapel and sadly we had little time to explore, just a quick walk around the outside and a breath of the bracing Pentland air to go with our sandwiches.

And then we finally found ourselves crossing the border back into England again and leaving Scotland behind us. A slightly sad moment perhaps, but it has to be said that the sun was out and the skies were a lot bluer as we pulled into our overnight stop just outside of Wetheral.

Make of that what you will!

And whilst it was really just a place to stay in order to break the long trip back home, Wetheral, just a few miles from Carlisle, was a lovely little village that we explored for an hour or so before the light went. We stayed in a converted barn (tick), there was a lovely village green (tick), a beautiful river (tick) and we found a great walk from the railway station, down some steep steps and along the riverbank, that gave us spectacular view of the railway viaduct over the River Eden (another tick). The pub we stopped off at was a little less impressive, but then you can’t have everything, can you?

So all told a rather pleasant 220 miles or so on the road towards home, apart from the early morning deluge of course which had been long forgotten, with some very pleasant stops.