A Journey Through Scotland!

I have had many journeys throughout most of the Scottish mainland, I often intended to get across to the many islands that almost surround the north and west of the country, so far that has eluded me. I love to get away from the larger cities and drive along the almost deserted roads and look in awe at the many beautiful sights that surround you in this small but delightful country.Here in no particular order are some of my favourites:-Loch Lomond- you are able to drive almost the entire length of the western edge of this loch, situated just a few miles to the north of Glasgow. Yet you could be in another world almost if you love the peace and tranquillity of the open air. With so many places to stop and park your car, you are able to get out and enjoy the views at your leisure, or to take a relaxing walk along the shore. You can watch the many small boats out on the water, or take one of the many boat trips on offer yourself.Callander- this delightful market town at the entrance to the region called the 'Trossachs' is a good place to base yourself while exploring the local area. I have often stayed here either camping or renting a cottage. One way to explore the area is by cycle, there are numerous cycle routes to take you to many of the points of interest nearby. The legend of Rob Roy was from this area, you can visit his family's gravestone in the village of Ballquhidder a few miles to the north. Back in Callander itself is a museum and exhibition centre called the Rob Roy experience.Killin- this delightful village a few miles further north of Callander I found quite by accident one day whilst out cycling, riding fast downhill along a very wet and grassy track I found myself in the middle of the village and stayed for some length of time exploring the village. A river runs through the village with an old stone bridge connecting the two parts of the community. Beneath the bridge is a waterfall called the 'falls of Dochart' many pedestrians will walk onto the bridge to take photos, the bridge is already a bottleneck for the many tourist vehicles trying to enter or pass through the village, and this though seems to add to the charm of the place. In the village itself are many small shops selling all sorts of bric-a-brac, as well as an assortment of tiny tea shops.Oban- is a large seaport, it is known as the 'gateway to the isles'. Many of the islands off of the western shores of the mainland are reached from here. Although not too many people live here all year round, during the busy summer months the town is almost overflowing with tourists. Sitting prominently above the town is a monument to one of its ancient families. The McCaig tower, or McCaig's folly as it is also known is a colosseum like structure built in 1897 to provide work for local stonemasons.Glencoe- a few miles to the north east of Oban lies one of Scotland's most famous natural features, Glencoe. It is the site of one of the country's greatest massacres when in 1692 the Campbell's of Argyll killed as many of their hosts the MacDonalds in an act of treachery after being hosted by them for ten days prior to the slaying, those MacDonalds that managed to escape the massacre were mostly to perish in the mountains shortly after of the cold. For a more in depth account of this event go to glencoescotland.com one of my sources for this article.Today the main road runs through the area meaning the vast wild and rugged barren landscape is easily accessible to the many walkers and climbers as well as the skiers during the winter.As you head further north towards the Great Glen and the Caledonian Canal, this is the waterway, both natural and manmade that almost dissects the country in two. You will pass through many delightful small towns and villages. The most notable of these being Fort William, positioned at the foot of Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in Britain). As well as being the start of the Caledonian canal, a system of locks called Neptune's staircase elevates the sea traffic up to the higher level of the inland lochs further upstream. A total of 29 locks are required to lift and then lower back to sea level at the northern end past Loch Ness. Another notable village is Fort Augustus; this sleepy village comes alive during the summer with many busloads of tourists offloading here. This village is also famous for being the southern point of the nearby Loch Ness, home to the legendary Loch Ness monster. Whether or not this monster really exists or existed is a matter of opinion, over the years many photograph's have been shown with an unexplained ripple in the water or of some shape or other out of focus in the background, but so far no clear proof has been shown of its existence. Some of the roads leading off to points further north and to even more remote places have some points of interest on them. On one a tower called the Glenfinnan monument was erected as a reminder to the Jacobite uprising in 1745-6 when Bonnie Prince Charlie (the heir to the Scottish throne) returned from exile in France to try to rid Scotland of the English. He for a time had them on the run, but through hesitation they lived to fight another day, the rebellion that he hoped to happen ended in defeat in 1746 in a battle at Culloden just outside Inverness.A little way directly north of here, but many miles by road is one of the most photographed castles in Scotland, Eilean Donan castle. Sitting on its own little island and connected to the mainland by a small bridge this castle is truly a beautiful site, with many tourists visiting here daily. The road to this point is not a good one, many narrow sections full of twists and turns. The last time I visited here a traffic accident further down the road had effectively closed the only main road out of this area. With many miles of tailbacks we decided to use the smaller little used roads to get home, the major drawback being a 200 mile detour, but on empty roads once again.There are many more fantastic places to visit in this part of the world, too numerous to mention here, one last place worth a mention is Urquhart castle beside Loch Ness, this castle has been a ruin since 1689, it is a fine place for a photo of the ruined castle and the loch, but if you take such a photo, then you should check for any unusual or unexpected appearances in your photo. Sources:-Personal experiencesPersonal knowledgeundiscoveredscotland.co.ukwikipedia.orgglencoescotland.com