Caledonian canal and Skye

At last we can head North and shorten the Canberra winter. It has been 5 years since we took out the ‘van and we decided to limit travel to UK and hopefully reduce Covid exposure. The Hebrides beckoned with a trip on the side to the see the Caledonian canal.

The first coffee stop was near the Falls of Dochart in Killin. This is proudly McNab territory. Fortunately the warring Clans have given way to a much more supportive town with the local hotel sheltering some 60 Ukrainians for several months. The children were really well organised and arranging the tables for dinner.

Our first encounter with the Caledonian canal was at Aberchalder on Loch Oich where a swing bridge operates. Functional but not particularly scenic!

In stark comparison is the suite of locks at Fort Augustus. This is a tourist trap and was really humming with boat trips and eateries. Loch Ness sits at the bottom (between the trees) and it is hardly surprising that the monster has not been seen recently presumably and very sensibly shying away from all the activitiy. 

Although most of the boats locking through are holiday vessels there are some quite large commercial barges still using the system.

At the North Eastern end of the canal is Inverness. A wonderfully picturesque city with its castle and Infirmary Bridge (one of four pedestrain suspension bridges built in the 1880s). The Calaedonian canal links four locks that transverse Scotland in a SW-NE line along the Great Glen Fault formed some 400 years ago with the linking canals engineered by Thomas Telford completed in 1822.

Close to our site at Morvich at the top of Loch Alsch is the pretty little village of Dornie.

However the real drawcard is Eilean (island) Donan (Saint Bishop Donan 560AD) castle. The initial small island settlement needed fortification from those marauding vikings and building was undertaken in the 13^th century.

Many of the buildings are refurbished at great expense given all the heritage rules. A new distillery Torabhaig (the ‘bh’ is pronounced as a ‘v’) was built within some very old heritage buildings. The building constraints meant the stills and other equipment had to be specifically designed to suit the structure. Expensive – as was the whisky! It also has some years of maturation to go with the oldest a mere 4 years. Watch this space!

One visit high on the list was weaving. We had sought a treadle weaver but settled for the surprising but much more efficient cycle weaver. The mechanical design was impressive with the shuttle shooting across the weave – much quicker than the hand pushed shuttles of yesteryear. It was suprisingly hard to get the right momentum – but gave new meaning to “on ya bike”. I should add I now have a very stylish twead cap.

On the Western most headland of Skye is a wonderful exhibition of refurbished (rebuilt) huts which really gave a feel for the crofter’s way of life. Each had a theme and was very detailed. The milking shed included milking cows and making cheese and crowdie (like a cottage cheese) and taking a small bit of blood from the cow to mix with oatmeal – a different version of black pudding!

Crofters did not crave today's comforts but did like to collect coronation menorabilia.

And here is one classic animal that has not changed over many years. Hairy cows are the unofficial symbol of the area with most pubs, houses and the like displaying something depicting these very photogenic beasts.

Having spent a few days driving we decided on a hike up the valley which started just outside the caravan park entrance. Gen Licht's beauty is easy to see but the quietness with the occasional bleating of a lamb or bird call was magic. A 14 kms up and back trip ensured we slept well that night. 

In addition to the Glens and mountains there are many picturesque views. One which features in many pictures is Portree. The wrecked ship in the corner of the harbour is not part of the normal scene.

There are quite a few lighthouses thanks to the many islands and resulting shipwrecks. Ornsay lighthouse is one of the most photographed for obvious reasons.

Close to the NW corner of Skye is Duntulm castle. Built in the 14^th century, it was the seat of the MacDonald clan. In need of a bit of TLC the remaining window was a huge attraction for those who do not know any other picture than a selfie. It took a bit of a waiting for the area to clear and get this shot!

As we drove down to Portree the Old man of Storr came into view. It would have been good to take in the 2 hour walk for a close up view but time was against us. Even from a distance it seems aptly named.

What was noticeable is the coast is surrounded by salmon farms. They are quite an enterprise with some 200 farms in Scotland, some with a dozen rings. Each pen has a capacity for some 1.2 million fish……