On our journey along the A82, we came across the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge.
It is a beautifully scenic spot for the memorial and there were a lot of visitors there in spite of the chilly and damp conditions.
At Invergarry we changed onto the A87 and travelled past Loch Garry and Loch Cluanie
The rest of our journey to Kyle was all about the scenery. We were constantly amazed by the glens and the lochs and our senses were overloaded.
We made a slight error of judgment as we approached our destination at Morvich, near Kyle of Lochalsh. We were tempted by a scenic route up the mountain road at Ratagan. It was narrow and twisty as well as steep but had some lovely views of the loch below.
We didn’t complete the route as it was taking us away from our intended destination. We later discovered that we could have followed the road along the coast overlooking Skye and all the way to a very lovely tea room. Hmmm, seems a long way for a cuppa!
As we bowled along the A87 again, we spotted a well attended viewpoint and stopped to see what it was all about. There was an amazing castle, right on the confluence of Loch Duich and Loch Alsh. The castle was Eileen Donan castle, one of Scotland’s most famous landmarks. As we got closer to it, we were able to appreciate the beauty and location that made it so famous.
The castle has a long history starting in 634AD when Bishop Donan chose the tranquil spot to settle and create a monastic cell. Alexander 11 later established the first castle in the 13th century, in an an effort to help protect t the area from Viking incursions. The castle has expanded and contracted over the centuries until 1719 when it was involved in one of the lesser known Jacobite rising. Three Royal Navy frigates were sent to deal with the uprising and after bombarding the castle, it was blown up using the 343 barrels of gunpowder that was stored inside. After that, it lay in ruin for nearly 200 years. Much of the castle was reconstructed as a family home between 1912 and 1932 by Lt Col John MacRae. It is now open to visitors and is extremely popular with families. It was certainly busy on the day we were there.
Close to our overnight stop was Loch Alsh
From the viewpoint you get a great view of the Skye bridge
We gave ourselves a rest day before crossing the bridge for our next excursion. The scenery all around was fabulous and very relaxing.
