Yesterday, the weather report for today indicated a good chance of rain, but today when we opened our curtain and looked out over Loch Linnhe, the sky was bright and the sun was shining through some white clouds. It looked like we were going to have another great day in this lovely country!
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| Sailboats on Loch Leven on a very calm morning. |
After breakfast at Ardno House, our host Alan gave us some advice regarding how to approach the two days we have here. We decided to focus today on Glen Coe and Glen Etive. Glen Coe, named after the River Coe which runs through it, is considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland. The glen is volcanic in origin, with stark, very tall, ragged mountains on both sides of the river, which is sometimes a small stream tumbling over rocks of many sizes and other times lake-sized pools of crystal clear water.
Before we reached the turn for Glen Coe, we noticed that the water in Loch Leven was unusually still, almost like a mirror, with the mored sailboats reflecting perfectly in the water. Who could pass that up! Smoky was out of the car and down on the dock in a flash. His photos are stunning.
Back on the road, we entered the glen from the town of Glencoe, traveling down very busy A82. We were really amazed at the number of vehicles, including large trucks and buses, that travel along this road. Combine that with lots of tourists, and you have a bit of a traffic problem.
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| Mountain view, Glen Coe. |
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| Beautiful view from Achnambeithach pulloff, Glen Coe. |
Our first stop was at Achnambeithach, a National Trust for Scotland site. From the pull-off, you could cross a small bridge over to a large grassy area where sheep were grazing. A cottage sat right at the base of the mountain, with a backdrop of a really tall waterfall. The River Coe had formed a lake here, and we happened to arrive when the sunlight falling on the hills and water was magic! The mountains on the opposite side of the glen were reflected in the water of the lake. Shadows from the movement of the sun played across both the mountains and the water, ever changing the view. It was truly magical.
A number of tour buses came and went in this area, so we would be practically alone for several minutes and then surrounded by people for a while. Smoky was down on the shore photographing the ever-changing light-on-water show, and I was on the bridge, watching a white-throated dipper that was feeding in the fast-moving stream. I thought at first that I might have spotted an otter, but then this little bird popped up out of the water, sat on a rock, and dipped its body up and down before going back in the water again. I watched its fascinating behavior for several minutes through the binoculars, but it flew away before Smoky came back to the bridge, so we have no photographs.
Speaking of photos, while I was on the bridge, I noticed a car pull up, and a petite woman jump out with camera and tripod. She hurried across the bridge and down to the water's edge, obviously intent on capturing that magic light. Her companion, who was slower getting out of the car, had no camera equipment. Some time passed with both the young woman and Smoky taking lots of photographs. After a while, we all ended up on the bridge.
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| Ros, Jez and Ron on bridge. |
As so often happens with fellow photographers, Smoky and the young woman began talking and soon the four of us had introduced ourselves, remarking on the similarities between us. Ros and Jez were from London, but because they both loved being out in nature (Ros to photograph and Jez to hike), they escaped to the country whenever they could. Ros said she had been trying for several days to get to this particular location when the mountains were reflected in the lake. This was the perfect time! Thanks, Ros and Jez, for sharing some time with us.
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| River Etive in Glen Etive. |
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| Lovely Gen Etive. |
Glen Etive was calling, so we bid our new friends goodbye and headed back down the road. A right-hand turn onto a one-lane road with turnouts carried us into Glen Etive, and for about 14 miles, the road meandered through this lovely glen following the river, until the road finally ended at Loch Etive. We turned around and drove back, enjoying the absolutely beautiful scenery, soaking in the quiet atmosphere, and enjoying it all. This is a road you drive just for the experience of being there. All too soon we were back on A82 in Glen Coe, which is certainly different from Glen Etive but equally as enchanting in its own way.
We stopped a few times on the return trip down Glen Coe, but the afternoon light was not as magic as the morning light had been, so we headed back to the B&B early enough to get cleaned up for dinner. Tonight was a treat because we had lunched out of our snack bag halfway down Glen Etive! We had reservations at the restaurant at the Holly Tree Hotel overlooking Loch Linnhe. Alan, our B&B host, recommended the Holly Tree. Our dinner was wonderful!
Our "starter" was entered this way on the menu:
Feta Cheese, Red Pesto and Black Olive
Flavoured with herbs and served with mixed leaves
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| Chargrilled venison from The Holly Tree. |
Chargrilled VenisonHere's what I ordered:
Prime cut of Scottish venison lightly chargrilled and served with a rich red wine and currant jus
Butternut Squash Ravioli
Flavored with a homemade fresh tomato and herb ratatouille and finished with freshly grated parmesan
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| Butternut squash ravoli, Holly Tree. |
Sticky Toffee PuddingYou may remember that we are having an unofficial contest to find the best sticky toffee pudding in Scotland. It looks like we may have a new winner (so far) -- The Holly Tree! But don't worry; there is still time enough for the contest to continue!
Warm date sponge topped with a delicious butterscotch sauce and ice cream
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| The winner! Holly Tree's sticky toffee pudding. |
Tomorrow we're going to chase the Jacobite Steam Train to see if we can get to the Glenfinnan Viaduct by 10:30am to photograph the train as it passes by. Stay tuned!
--Shann
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