26-JUN-2008
Glenfinnan
From Spean Bridge, we drove west along the Fort William-Mallaig train route, stopping first at Glenfinnan. The monument visible here, erected in 1815, marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard at the beginning of the 1745 Jabobite Rising. The water visible is Loch Shiel, a freshwater loch.
26-JUN-2008
Loch Shiel
Loch Shiel - just gorgeous. And no more rain!
26-JUN-2008
Hogwarts, here we come!
Richard timed our trip such that we caught the Jacobite steam train passing over the "Harry Potter" viaduct -- it makes the trip from Fort William to Mallaig once a day, and a small group of varied tourists made the climb to this viewpoint.
26-JUN-2008
View towards Skye
From Glenfinnan, we drove west to Lochailort and followed the coast south-west around the Sound of Arisaig, from where this photo is taken. The road passes the Seven Men of Moidart (of which three remain), at at Salen we turned directly east towards the "western-most point on the British mainland". The twisty, windy single-track road was nerve-racking but the scenery beautiful.
26-JUN-2008
Kilchoan
Near Kilchoan, the last point of settlement before the W-MPBM. I won't mention the price of petrol...
26-JUN-2008
Ardnamurchan
Destination reached!: Ardnamurchan Point. The view out over the sea gives on the Inner Hebrides - that is, if you can stand up and look out without being toppled by the wind. The lighthouse was built in the 1840s by Alan Stevenson, and is made of pink granite.
26-JUN-2008
Flora
Tiny, delicate flowers clinging to the rocks near the lighthouse. The day after our trip here, we drove from Spean Bridge to Glasgow, return the rental car, and rode backwards on a train from Glasgow to Carlisle. We then caught a Carlisle to Leeds train, which took us along the stunning Settle-Carlisle rail line. From Leeds, we hopped to Harrogate, and spent three days with Heather and Grandma. Having learned on our first evening that Richard had never been to Durham, Heather was quick to correct this flaw in his education...
29-JUN-2008
Durham
... and she took us to visit Durham Cathedral and the University. The cathedral is immense, and spectacular: again, we were lucky enough to hear the organ playing. It bills itself as the "greatest Norman building in England", and it is not an exaggeration. Construction began in 1093, and the most recent major addition (the central tower) dates from the 15th century. We spent an afternoon exploring the cathedral inside and out.
29-JUN-2008
She searches for seashells (and fossils)
From Durham, we drove to the seashore...