Day 8: Crossing to Inverness
Cloudy weather without rain greeted us on the morning of the eighth day. We loaded the last of our things into the car and tidied up the flat before setting off after breakfast at around 9.30am. However, we weren’t heading straight for Inverness, but first towards the harbour in the town. There we parked the fully loaded car in the car park in the immediate vicinity of Corpach railway station and walked on to the shipwreck in Caol.
My father and I wanted to take a few daytime shots of the old cutter. I used ND filters to compensate for the differences in brightness between the sky, the water and the object, as well as long exposure times to show the movement of the clouds. The fact that it takes so much time to take the pictures made me realise once again how quickly an hour actually goes by when taking photos.
Meanwhile, my girlfriend and my mum explored Neptune’s Staircase, the longest lock system in Scotland and the UK. Neptune’s Staircase is the popular name for this lock system in the Caledonian Canal. Built in the 19th century, the lock is a coupled lock consisting of eight lock chambers. A lockage takes about 90 minutes.
On the way along the canal from the beach to the lock, you cross the railway line at Banavie station. At certain times, the ‘Hogwarts Express’ runs along this line. By chance, my mum and my friend were in the right place at the right time to watch the Jacobite Train pass right by the Dichtem level crossing, honking grey clouds of smoke into the air.
Around midday, we set off in the direction of Inverness. Our route took us via Invergarry and Invermoriston. We made our first stop in Invergarry. The ruins of Invergarry Castle on Loch Oich were the seat of the heads of the Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, a branch of the Clan MacDonald. Despite restoration and stabilisation measures, the ruins are fenced off for security reasons. Inside, beams support the walls. Unfortunately, there is not much to see and it is also not possible to enter. Whilst exploring the surrounding area, we came across another shipwreck at the foot of the castle in Loch Oich. This time in the water, surrounded on one side by trees. Naturally, I took advantage of the breather to take a few pictures. While I waited, a grey wagtail kept me company.
Our onward journey took us through the town of Invermoriston. We stopped at a car park right on the main road, the Invermoriston Falls Car Park. Not far away is a stone bridge that crosses the River Moriston and reminded me of the architecture in the town of Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina, although the shape and setting is very different. Interestingly, the Old Invermoriston Bridge is privately owned and yet open to the public – at your own risk. The bridge was built in 1813 by Thomas Telford as part of his general plan to better connect the Highlands. The lack of bridges was one of the main reasons for the poor road transport system at the time. From the crossing you have a good view of the new Invermoriston Bridge, which we crossed earlier by car. We were able to take some perspective shots from there. We were able to observe a dipper between the stones and rapids in the river’s current.
On the other side of the main road, a path leads into a wooded area to a summer house that was very similar to Hagrid’s hut. From there, the Invermoriston Bridge with its rapids can be photographed and the view enjoyed.
After our little walk, we were getting hungry, so we had a picnic lunch in one of the camping dining areas in the car park. We also used the break to send off the postcards we had already prepared and written on. There was a typical red letter box opposite the car park. A small shop had opened right next to it, where we had a quick rummage for bits and bobs. We asked the owner of the shop about the stone circle, which was right next to the car park. A sign indicated that access was prohibited. The shop owner confirmed this. The stone circle was privately owned and no longer accessible to the public, which he very much regretted. He gave us the tip to visit the neighbouring cemetery. From there you would at least have a clear view of the stones.
We then packed up our seven things and continued along the A82 on the west side of Loch Ness towards Inverness.
