Penny and I just got back from a wee weekend away. We went to the far West Coast of Scotland, in fact, the most westerly point on the British Mainland, Ardnamurchan, and Gaelic was sprinkled everywhere.
We stayed in Ballachulish on the Friday night so we could get up bright and early on Saturday to get the ferry across to Corran. The guesthouse we stayed in on Friday (Creagmhor Lodge) night was lovely, and Pen and I sat in front of the fire reading, Pen had a glass of wine, and I had a real ale and a whiskey. The whiskey was a nice surprise because they had Edradour, which is Scotlands smallest distillery, and a very smooth and enjoyable whiskey. Not only did they have Edradour, they must have had around 50 different whiskeys in this little bar! Very impressive. So we had a relaxing evening, then hit the sack.
The next morning we had breakfast and shot up the road to the ferry. We crossed and drove for about 2 hours along the coast which was beautiful, and saw a couple of sea eagles which were very impressive, and too fast for a picture. We did see plenty of other wildlife on the weekend. We saw plenty of sheep, some looking far more wild than others, Highland Cows, we think we saw a sea otter, we saw cormorants, deer, and seals. We didn't see any whales or dolphins. Now to be fair, the otters and the seals were in a marine sanctuary near Oban on the way home, but it was cool all the same. One of the highlights of the trip was Sanna Bay, which was absolutely stunning. White sandy beaches, rocky outcrops, rolling hills, and mountains in the background. It was chilly, but as we understand in the summer the water turns even bluer, with hints of emerald, and warms up enough to enjoy a dip in the shallows.
We also went to the lighthouse hoping to see some whales or dolphins, alas all we saw was the sun set into the clouds...but it was still pretty.
We stayed at the Kilchoan (pronounced Kilhoan) Hotel, where an Aussie couple, Danny and Tiff took care of us for the 2 days we were there. It was a nice and new place, although it was more expensive than we initially had thought it would be.
On our way home went through Oban, and stopped at a marine sanctuary just outside Oban, and thorhoughly enjoyed it. We were quite close to the otters and seals which was cool, but we also were impressed with the array of fish, and other sea creatures in their aquarium displays.
All in all we had a great weekend together, and it was awesome to see some of Scotlands lesser seen, and lesser known bits, especially when they're as beautiful as they are!
I'd strongly recommend visiting this wee hidden gem, especially in summer if you have the chance.
Scott
Creagmhor Lodges lounge where Pen and I enjoyed a fire, wine and whiskey..it was cozy.
The whiskey bar, with lots, and lots of whiskey
The breakfast room, and a full bellied Penny
The forecast was for sun!!
2 hours later, the sun was out, and snow was...on the hills
One of Sanna Bay's inlets at low tide
Sanna Bay, what an awesome spot
A bit of scrambling as well!
Bring a good book, and a picnic basket, this is worth hanging around to soak up
Pen, climbing down, and thinking...should we have brought rope?
A brave, and curious wee sheep
It's beautiful around here in many ways
No dolphins, or wales, but we did get to see the sun set
As the sun went down, the moon came up
One of Scotlands famous Highland Cows.
When you can't pick your nose, you lick your nose.
The deer we saw on the way home, they didn't hang around
A hawk with some dinner, again he didn't hang around either
Winter in the Highlands, ice and cold
The road home, it was a beautiful drive
The ferry crossing from Corran to the mainland
One of the Sea Otters
Another otter in meercat mode
And dining on a dinner of fish
One of the younger seals
A seal doing a water based meercat impersonation
A baby ray, isn't he cute!
I don't know what this is other than ugly
As soon as Pen sat down here the crabs claw came up to get her...
Off to Oban
after all the sea life in the marine sanctuary, Pen got a little hungry and tucked into a seafood pasta
Oban at night as we left for home, what a great weekend!
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