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Renowned for
its salmon and trout fishing, not to mention
walking and sailing, this foreign-sounding
village lies at the south western corner of
beautiful Loch Shiel on the magnificent
Ardnamurchan peninsula. It has long been
associated with ‘Bonnie’ Prince Charles Edward
Stuart and his ill-starred attempt to secure
the throne of England. |
Shiel Bridge - Photo:
Mike Nass |
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Loch Arkaig - Photo:
Lis Burke |
Just a few
miles from Fort William, this Highland village
is world-famous as the location of the Clan
Cameron Museum, a surprisingly modest building
full of artifacts and exhibitions relating to
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s uprisings of 1715 and
‘45. A local monument also recalls heroes of
the Second World War when thousands of British
commandos used the area as a training ground. |
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Arisaig Bay - Photo:
J M Briscoe |
A 40-mile
drive from Fort William, this pretty seaside
resort has its own sheltered harbour as well
as the promise of some remarkable sunsets. It
stands on the shores of Loch na Ceall and is a
stop on the main West Highland rail line. A
ferry takes visitors to nearby islands while,
in summer, a steam train brings sightseers
from Fort William. Nearby is Camus Darch
beach, setting for the movie ‘Local Hero’. |
Arisaig was
chosen by Bonnie Prince Charlie as his base during
the 1745 uprising and the local church clock was
built as a timely memorial to Alasdair
MacMhaigstir Alasdair, a well-known Gaelic poet
who fought alongside the Prince at the Battle of
Culloden.
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In common
with all the villages in the Highland region,
Ballachulish is surrounded by jaw-dropping
scenery. Located south of Fort William on Loch
Leven, it developed around a major slate
quarry, which continued for 250 years until
closing in the 1950s. The quarry is a tourist
attraction, as is a local factory making the
Scottish delicacy tablet cake. |
Loch Leven at Ballachulish - Photo:
Johnny Durnan |
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Dalwhinnie distillery in the snow - Photo:
Sarah Christie |
A pleasant village famous for winter sports,
Dalwhinnie is encircled by magnificent
scenery, having developed around an inn used
by cattle drovers. It is equally well known as
the home of one of Scotland’s finest malt
whiskies and its Dalwhinnie distillery is said
to be the highest in Scotland, standing at
1,073 feet above sea level. The main buildings
were largely rebuilt following a fire in 1934. |
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The largest
town in the Highlands, Fort William is
dominated by the presence of Britain’s tallest
mountain, Ben Nevis, and lies at the southern
end of the Great Glen on the Road to the
Isles. Now a major tourist centre, it
developed around a fort built by Oliver
Cromwell to suppress rebels during the English
Civil War.
It is
particularly noted for climbing, hill walking,
mountain biking and sightseeing, being the
finishing point for the 95-mile West Highland
Way as well as the terminus of the Great Glen
Way; the latter runs through the Great Glen,
following the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness,
to Inverness. |
Fort William Church - Photo:
Peter Whatley |
The movies “Rob
Roy” and “Braveheart” were both filmed in the
hills around the town and the West Highland Museum
contains significant mementoes of ‘Bonnie’ Prince
Charlie – including a bed he slept in – and his
Jacobite followers.
North of the
town, the village of Corpach lies at the
confluence of the lochs Eil and Linnhe and boasts
a ‘Treasures of the Earth’ museum which displays a
vast collection of minerals, gemstones, fossils
and crystals in cave settings.
Nearby, Neptune's
Staircase is a remarkable series of eight
high-rise locks on the 60-mile Caledonian Canal,
built by the Victorian engineer Thomas Telford.
The gaunt remains of Inverlochy Castle a few miles
away date from the 13th century. Once the seat of
the Comyns, some of the surviving walls are 10
feet thick.
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Glencoe Lochan - Photo:
Douglas Gemmell |
Arguably
Scotland’s most infamous natural wonder, the
winding road that leads to the village of
Glencoe is a moody masterpiece of light and
shadow. Several miles long, it starts near
Rannock Moor and ends at Loch Leven, with much
of the land in between owned by the National
Trust for Scotland. The pass follows the floor
of a valley decorated by dark, towering
mountains that evoke an earlier age. It is
known variously as the Glen of Weeping or the
Valley of the Shadow of Death. |
On Signal Rock a sign was
given that launched the shocking Glencoe Massacre
of 1692 when 38 members of the MacDonald clan,
including women and children, were butchered on
the orders of the 10th Earl of Argyll. Two
poignant monuments remember those savage days.
The Study is a platform of
rock that provides a famous vista of the so-called
Three Sisters – Beinn Fhada, Gearr Aonach and
Aonach Dubh.
The unique Glencoe Mountain Resort is some 12
miles south of the village. As well as winter
activities such as skiing and snowboarding, it
also has a summer season, offering sports such as
paragliding.
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One of the
most evocative and romantic locations in the
whole of Scotland, this beautiful Highland
village lies at the head of Loch Shiel and is
dominated by rows of gaunt mountains on the
‘Road to the Isles’.
This is the place ‘Bonnie’ Prince Charlie
arrived by boat to rally his Scottish troops
and launch the second Jacobite rebellion in
1745. A 19th century monument stands beside
the loch as a reminder of those stirring days. |
Loch Shiel seen from Glen Finnan Viewpoint -
Photo:
Norrie
Adamson |
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Glen Finnan viaduct - Photo:
Sarah Maidment |
A spectacular viaduct
designed by Sir Robert McAlpine carries the
main rail London-bound line to the Highlands. |
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A visit to
the local heritage centre sheds light on the
turbulent history of this Highland region
where many people emigrated to Canada in
search of an easier life. To the south are the
ruins of Invergarry Castle, seat of the
MacDonells, in the grounds of Glengarry Castle
Hotel on ‘Raven’s Rock’. ‘Bonnie’ Prince
Charlie stayed in the castle before his
rebellions of 1715 and 1745. A monument known
as the Well of the Seven Heads recalls the
time when seven men were beheaded for murder.
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Caledonian Canal Swing Bridge - Photo:
James Denham |
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Sunset over the Corran Narrows - Photo:
Jon Royle |
Set in
walking country on the rugged peninsula of
Ardnamurchan, Kilchoan is a fine place from
which to explore a landscape dotted with
shadowy hills and trout-filled lochs. At
nearly 1,800 feet, the mountain of Ben Hiant
dominates the area and looks out on the island
of Mull. |
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Lying at the
eastern end of Loch Leven and with mountains
on three sides, this picturesque village
developed around an aluminum works built in
the early part of the 20th century. A major
hydro-electric plant was later established
here. Today it lies on the West Highland Way
and is a haven for walkers. One path leads to
Grey Mare’s Waterfall - one of the highest
waterfalls in Britain – while a second follows
an old military trail to the magnificent Pass
of Glencoe via the Devil’s Staircase. A major
attraction is a huge indoor climbing centre
containing the world’s largest indoor ice
climbing facility. |
The River Leven - Photo:
J M Briscoe |
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Loch Oich - Photo:
John Allan |
Enveloped by
magnificent scenery and wooded hillsides, this
small village lies on the banks of Loch Oich
and Loch Lochy in striking distance of the
Great Glen. One of its key attractions is the
Great Glen Water Park. |
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An area
surrounded by glorious scenery in true walking
country, Kintail lies at the head of Loch
Duich on the route from Fort William to the
Kyle of Lochalsh. It is dominated by the Five
Sisters range of mountains which soar to over
3,000ft.
A little
further north lies the moody, 13th century
castle of Eilean Donan, probably the
most-photographed site in Scotland. It was
severely damaged in the early 1800s but
rebuilt in the last century to become a major
tourist attraction. With walls up to 14ft
thick, it sits menacingly on a causeway
reached only by boat or across an arched
bridge. |
Eilean Donan Castle - Photo:
John Allan |
Beyond Kintail
are the spectacular Falls of Glomach which tumble
hundreds of feet earthwards. Among the highest in
Britain, they are difficult to reach.
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Skye Bridge - Photo:
Martyn Gorman |
This small
town is a tourist stop-off that leads to the
Isle of Skye via a modern road bridge that, by
any stretch of the imagination, is an
engineering wonder. The surrounding hills
offer panoramic views of the island’s Cullin
mountain range. The town is also the terminus
of the rail line from Inverness. |
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Set in the
midst of tranquil scenery, the hamlet of Loch
Ailort only developed when a small town was
built to house hundreds of workers as they
constructed the West Highland Railway,
punching long tunnels through bare rock. At
the head of the loch is a magnificent,
eight-arched viaduct. |
Lochailort Inn - Photo:
Jim Bain |
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Lochaline Jetty - Photo:
Peter Bond |
Standing at
the mouth of Loch Aline, this Highland village
contains one of the earliest depictions of a
Scotsman wearing a kilt. The image is carved
on a stone in the local churchyard and dates
from around the 16th century. The ruin of
Ardtornish Castle - 14th century seat of the
Lord of the Isles – can be seen across the
loch. |
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Once Europe’s most important herring port,
picturesque Mallaig nowadays attracts sea
anglers rather than trawlermen and sits at the
end of both the Road to the Isles and the West
Highland rail line. Ferries take visitors to
nearby islands. Nearby Loch Morar is reputed
to be the deepest inland lake in Britain at
1,000 feet. Naturally, it contains a Nessie-style
monster. |
"The Jacobite" near Mallaig Station - Photo:
OLU |
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A tiny coastal village,
Plockton conjures up images of fishing smacks,
chunky sweaters and the slow-paced lifestyle of an
earlier age. That’s why, no doubt, the BBC
exploited its loch-side charm as a setting for the
popular TV drama series Hamish MacBeth. Once a
busy fishing port, it sits isolated on a peninsula
with boats bobbing out in the harbour. Nearby is
the larger settlement of Loch Carron.
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Spean Bridge - Photo:
Charles C |
This village
lies on the main road between Perth and
Inverness and is so called because of a bridge
built over the River Spean by the English
soldier General Wade in 1736. Nine years later
it became the site of the first incident
involving Jacobite rebels in the 1745
Uprising. The bridge was eventually replaced
by a stronger structure, designed in the early
19th century by the engineer Thomas Telford.
A few miles away
at Glenroy is the unique geological spectacle of
the so-called parallel roads. These are shore
lines that have graced Glen Roy since the end of
the last Ice Age.
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This small village some 17
miles southwest of Fort William stands at the
mouth of a picturesque valley overlooked by the
mountain Ben Resipol (2,774ft) near Loch Sunart.
The village is linked to the discovery of the
radioactive substance strontium, which was found
within ore dug from the earth at a local lead mine
in the 18th century.
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