Glorious Glenfinnan and Loch Shiel on a warm, bright day in April, "Road to the Isles," Lochaber, Inverness-shire, Scotland.
Commentary.
From Glens Dessary and Pean, near Loch Arkaig,
Glenfinnan and its river winds its way southwards to the once glacial highway of Loch Shiel.
It, in turn, runs south-west and west to reach the sea near Acharacle and Moidart.
This view has been shared by locals, tourists, clans and tribes going back over 10,000 years.
Three hundred years ago the doomed Jacobite Uprising raised its standard here, as commemorated in the monument (left of centre).
Queen Victoria set the trend for exploring these regal mountains and lochs nearly two hundred years ago.
Even Harry Potter enjoyed this classic view from the Hogwarts Express as he crossed the Glenfinnan Viaduct in the popular fantasy books and films.
It is a scene that, in all seasons, catches the eye and the imagination.
Pyramidal peaks, sometimes, as here, snow-capped,
cradle a sumptuous, meandering blue-ribbon of fresh-water
nearly twenty miles in length and 400 feet deep in places,
that is now cruised by visitors in the summer months.
This fjord-like lake contrasts in scale with the gentler,
lower, rias of Moidart, that gain in beauty, what they lose in scale.
The “Road to the Isles” is a pure delight for fifty miles
from Ben Nevis to Loch Nevis, on the western seaboard.
This view from Glenfinnan is always seen as one of the highlights on this legendary trail.
This is an area not made by magic, but it is magical, in that, so many contrasting and complementary landscapes are compressed into such a short journey.
Every twist and turn brings a scene of beauty, colour and joy.
I never cease to be impressed.
Glorious Glenfinnan and Loch Shiel on a warm, bright day in April, "Road to the Isles," Lochaber, Inverness-shire, Scotland.
Commentary.
From Glens Dessary and Pean, near Loch Arkaig,
Glenfinnan and its river winds its way southwards to the once glacial highway of Loch Shiel.
It, in turn, runs south-west and west to reach the sea near Acharacle and Moidart.
This view has been shared by locals, tourists, clans and tribes going back over 10,000 years.
Three hundred years ago the doomed Jacobite Uprising raised its standard here, as commemorated in the monument (left of centre).
Queen Victoria set the trend for exploring these regal mountains and lochs nearly two hundred years ago.
Even Harry Potter enjoyed this classic view from the Hogwarts Express as he crossed the Glenfinnan Viaduct in the popular fantasy books and films.
It is a scene that, in all seasons, catches the eye and the imagination.
Pyramidal peaks, sometimes, as here, snow-capped,
cradle a sumptuous, meandering blue-ribbon of fresh-water
nearly twenty miles in length and 400 feet deep in places,
that is now cruised by visitors in the summer months.
This fjord-like lake contrasts in scale with the gentler,
lower, rias of Moidart, that gain in beauty, what they lose in scale.
The “Road to the Isles” is a pure delight for fifty miles
from Ben Nevis to Loch Nevis, on the western seaboard.
This view from Glenfinnan is always seen as one of the highlights on this legendary trail.
This is an area not made by magic, but it is magical, in that, so many contrasting and complementary landscapes are compressed into such a short journey.
Every twist and turn brings a scene of beauty, colour and joy.
I never cease to be impressed.