Virtual Walk: Scotland

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 24th February 2021:  102.75km walked today taking the total to 5321.60/8868km. 13.5% of 110 entries submitting 761.11km. We make our way north along the Great Glen from Fort William to Drumnadrochit today, calling in at Fort Augustus and Urquhart Castle en route. Route 15: Oban to Fort William Route 16: Fort William to Inverness We have already finished 2 of our walks in Fort William but this time we walk across the bridge over the River Nevis where it flows into Loch Linnhe and head up the River Lochy before reaching Old Inverlochy Castle. This castle was built about 1280 by the ‘Red’ Comyns, lords of Badenoch and Lochaber. It was built here so they could command the southern entrance to the Great Glen as well as Glen Spean. It originally had a moat but was in a good defensive position due to the River Lochy. The Comyns were dominant in this area at that time and were key supporters of King John Balliol, which meant that they were enemies of Robert the ...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 23rd February 2021:  108.50km walked today taking the total to 5218.85/8868km. 12% of 130 entries submitting 904.13km. Today we explore more of Ardnamurchan before venturing into Moidart with a visit to Castle Tioram. We then head back to Fort William. Route 15: Oban to Fort William After about another 2 kilometres we reach Glenbeg where Ardnamurchan Adelphi Distillery was opened in 2014. It is an environmentally friendly distillery in that all the power and heat come from local renewables; hydro-electricity from the river, cooling water from that same river, and a biomass boiler using local wood chips. By-products from the whisky process don't go to waste either as they are used to produce animal feed. Although this is a new distillery, the Adelphi name is much older as the original Adelphi Distillery was built in the Gorbals district of Glasgow in 1826. Just past the distillery is the Ardnamurchan Natural History Visitor Centre. Part of the centre is t...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 22nd February 2021:  85.96km walked today taking the total to 5109.35/8868km.  11.5% of 105 entries submitting 747.46km. We walk through and learn about the history of Glencoe today before catching the Corran ferry to explore some of the West Highland Peninsulas. Route 15: Oban to Fort William We pass Buachaille Etive Mor, which we passed when we walked the West Highland Way but, at Atlnafeadh, we start to follow an old military road through Glencoe rather than follow the West Highland Way up the Devil’s Staircase. This old military road was constructed in about 1780 and is a much quieter route to follow than the A82! Glencoe is probably Scotland’s most famous and scenic glen where the mountains were formed by volcanic eruptions and then sculpted by huge glaciers. There are lots of fantastic walks and 8 Munros to climb such as Buachaille Etive Mor and Bidean nam Bian. There is also a fantastic ridge walk, the Aonach Eagach Ridge, which stretche...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 21st February 2021:  113.01km walked today taking the total to 5024.39/8868km. 10% of 151 entries submitting 1130.11km. Today we walk round the west end of Loch Awe, walk through Glen Nant to Taynuilt and Bonawe before we return to Loch Awe. From Loch Awe we walk through Glen Orchy before approaching Glencoe. Route 15: Oban to Fort William Continuing along the road, we pass St Mary’s Loch to reach the village of Ford, where there are several prehistoric remains. In the centre of the village is a burial mound, there are several standing stones nearby, and a crannog can be seen on Loch Ederline to the south. The village of Ford originated as a stopping point on the droving route to Inveraray. Later, day trippers from Glasgow would take the train to Loch Awe Station, catch a steamer along Loch Awe to Ford, then would be taken to Ardrishaig to get the steamer back to Glasgow. The last steamer on Loch Awe operated during the 1950s. At Ford, we turn north and ...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 20th February 2021:  98.07km walked today taking the total to 4811.38/8868km.  13% of 97 entries submitting 754.35km. Today we visit Ardrishaig and Lochgilphead before walking above Loch Fyne to Inveraray and then on to Loch Awe. Route 15: Oban to Fort William Ardrishaig with its harbour, little lighthouse and grey houses was largely created because of the Crinan Canal and it lies on the side of a hill on the west side of Loch Gilp just north of where it joins Loch Fyne. At the canal basin, we wander the sea lock and the harbour before going to the Egg Shed, a building transformed by a Scottish Canals partnership into a heritage and community hub, which opened in 2019. The Egg Shed is named after the building’s former use for the storage of eggs in transit, and as well as being a community centre, it tells the story of the Crinan Canal and the surrounding communities. From Ardrishaig, we walk to Lochgilphead which, as its name suggests, sits at the ...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 19th February 20121:  104.31km walked today taking the total to 4713.31/8868km. 13% of 108 entries submitting 802.38km. We visit the Slate Islands’ area today before heading south through Mid-Argyll towards Lochgilphead. Route 15: Oban to Fort William We cross over the 200-year-old Clachan Bridge which spans the narrow tidal channel of Clachan Sound. The Sound meets the Atlantic Ocean at both ends, so the bridge is often referred to as the ‘Bridge over the Atlantic’. It leads us onto the island of Seil, where we continue southward along the coast, past Balvicar Bay, to eventually reach the village of Ellenabeich located on the islands’ south coast. Ellenabeich means ‘island of the birch woods’ and is named after an island, Eilean a Beithich, which once sat off the coast here. As early as the 16th century, this island was quarried for slate to the point that it disappeared. Originally about 1 hectare in area, the island was quarried 76 metres below sea le...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 18th February 2021:  89.65km walked today taking the total to 4609.00/8868km. 11.5% of 108 entries submitting 799.58km. From Connel we explore the Lynn of Lorn and Appin today before heading south again past Kilninver to walk Loch Seil. Route 15: Oban to Fort William At Connel we cross the bridge, the second largest cantilever bridge in the world, pausing to stop to look at the Falls of Lora which aren’t always visible as they depend on the tide. This is because they are the rapids of a tidal race rather than a waterfall, generated when the tide level in the Firth of Lorn drops below the level of the water in Loch Etive, so the water in Loch Etive pours out through the narrows as the Falls of Lora. We now take a path along a disused railway to Benderloch which sits on Ardmucknish Bay. Benderloch has some prehistoric remains including 2 forts and a dun, dating to the Iron Age which are located on the summit of a steep-sided rock outcrop, called Dun Mac Sn...