Mercedes Road trip: Loch Awe and Loch Linnhe

[st4]

Good evening people,

Very early this morning (around 430am departure) I decided to make the most of the morning light and go for a tour in my delightful and all conquering C220cdi estate. I'd have wanted to fit a lot more tours in this year but work commitments have got the better of me and today was the first clear day I had before I could get a tour in.

The BBC forecast is a excellent device and my favourite haunt, Rannoch Moor was misty and cloudy, not good for the morning light to come through and even with front fogs maybe not the wisest idea. ( I heard reports later from a group of climbs of sub 10m visibility, so it would take all facking day to get anywhere.

Instead, I aimed a bit more costal and piloted the skip sedately up to Kilchurn castle at Loch Awe, now I know my last Scottish tour featured here, but really, its a stunning Landscape and a good place to kick off the day and my heart was set on Rannoch Moor, but you can see East here and the clouds weren't pretty, so it was to aim west.


_DSC0008 by [e-mail], on Flickr

Pretty clear here and the reeds are a lot longer than when I last came here. Whilst I really wanted to head to Loch Tulla and Lochan Na-H Achaillaise on Rannoch Moor, I had also promised myself a morning trip to Castle Stalker, on Loch Linnhe. It seemed almost rude not to.

The best of the A85 is again in the other direction towards Tyndrum and the A82 but nonetheless the drive to Connel is perfectly pleasant and I set the speedtronic to 55mph to err on the side of caution and save fuel.

From Connell you then head up the Appin coast (Loch Linnhe essentially) and past some nice views


_DSC0024 by [e-mail], on Flickr

This was all IIRC before 730am so the water was still, and the light peaceful and restful. Wish I came out the night before and camped here. A lot did, I missed out but had a party to go to, in which a lot of pizza was consumed.

I digress, Castle Stalker....


_DSC0028 by [e-mail], on Flickr

Ugly old me


_DSC0035 by [e-mail], on Flickr

And some walking around later and the best of the light was gone....


_DSC0039 by [e-mail], on Flickr

From here, it was a simple drive up to Ballahulish, and back via the A82 through Glen Coe (my favourite place in the whole wide world and I never tire of just "being there").

However, I've never seen such an interesting cloud formation above Buchaille Etive Mor as I was driving on the 82. I turned off at the Loch Etive turn and went down.

Obligitory estate car photobombing


_DSC0053 by [e-mail], on Flickr

Yeah yeah, I've blown out the car and the lights gone hard (its 10am so close to midday), but you rarely see such a low cloud formation in such a clear day.

Theres a well trodden path near a car park just along this way. Its worth going along as it gives you an isolated view of this most iconic and beautiful mountain. Some chaps who camped over night said he couldn't see 10m in front of him at 4am and it took ages for the fog to clear, so my gut instinct was correct.

Nice view and I've not gone one of Glencoe so green and summery before but I need back earlier in the morning.


_DSC0058 by [e-mail], on Flickr

Handily I am on late shift this week, so do have the time if the weather holds up to hit Loch Tulla, Lochan Na-H Achaillaise and here before I am due in work.

At 47mpg, its not like I cannot afford not too


_DSC0059 by [e-mail], on Flickr

[Viperzs]

Those views are lovely!! Nice trip summary.

Intrigued by the MPG though, I thought it would have been higher? I assume there must have been quite a lot of climbing?

[r129sl]

Full of envy again. We spent a bit of our honeymoon at Ardanaiseig on Loch Awe. It wasn't quite so nice in November.