10/1: Stunning Scenery from Oban-Glenfiddich Along the Whisky Trail!

Steven and I had arrived too late in the Scottish Western Highland resort town of Oban a couple of days previously to do any more than walk around that night. That was why before leaving Oban shortly we wanted to spend some time at McCaig's Tower located high above Oban Distillery. 

Undertaken by an Oban oil tycoon in 1900, the unusual mini Colosseum wasn't completed before he died. Therefore, his complete vision for it was a mystery for everyone to since wonder what he may have had in mind. Travel writer Rick Steves remarked the tower was "an example of a folly - that uniquely British notion of an idiosyncratic structure erected by a colorful aristocrat. Building a folly was an in-your-face kind of extravagance many wealthy people."

From that spot, we had commanding views when we looked out at sea. I bet you never knew that tiny Oban played an important role at the height of the Cold War when the world's first two-way transatlantic phone cable was laid in 1956 from Gallanach Bay to Newfoundland in Canada. That was a milestone in global communication and provided the necessary link between the White House and the Kremlin to avoid a nuclear war after the Cuban Missile Crisis. 

From Oban, we headed north along the coastal road to Glencoe via Fort William as the Glencoe Valley was supposed to be especially lovely. We stopped for a short hike at Signal Rock and An Torr.

The hillsides were the setting for Hagrid's hut in the third Harry Potter film though nothing remained from the filming!

Views of the spectacular Glencoe Valley:

The valley narrowed a bit as we cut through Glencoe Pass. 

The steep ridge-like mountains were known as the Three Sisters and were far different than the rolling hills we'd just driven through.

The area's earliest people probably arrived here some 6,000 to 8,000 years ago, hunting and gathering food along the shores of Loch Leven. Later, farming settlements were established along the shores and its glens. In the early 20th century, the area's mountains attracted pioneering mountaineers. Visitors like us now come to enjoy this unspoiled landscape with its outstanding views. 

A little bit further on, we passed a raging waterfall in a canyon known as the Tears of the MacDonalds. Glencoe still remains synonymous with the brutal slaughter that occurred here on February 13, 1692 in the Glencoe Massacre. Thirty-eight men, women, and children, all MacDonalds, were murdered in cold blood by government forces billeted with them because they had not been prompt enough pledging allegiance to the new monarchs, William III of England and II of Scotland and Mary II. Others died trying to escape into a perishing blizzard.

We stopped again a couple of miles further on at the Coffin Cairn which looked like a stone igloo. The medieval parish demanded any dead had to be carried over the passes to Glen Coe for burial. Originally the cairn was just a heap of stones and was partially destroyed by men on the way from a workcamp. It has since been restored by the National Trust for Scotland.

Glen Etive was an even more remote-feeling valley and was the final scenes in the James Bond film Skyfall!

Because of time constraints, we didn't have time to stop in Fort William, the second-largest town in the Highlands, so just continued west toward Arisaig along the length of Loch Eil. 

IF we hadn't been driving all the way from the west coast to the east coast of Scotland in this one day and making the long detour to Arisaig, there were scads of pullouts along the gorgeous drive that would have made the most picturesque picnic spots or just perfect to sit a spell and take in the views. The drive west from Fort Willian was called The Road to the Isles as you could take a ferry over to the Isle of Skye if you drove all the way to the port town of Mallaig. Almost 45 years ago, a high school friend, Sally Gale, and I took a bus from Oban and then caught the ferry over to Skye where we spent several days - wow, does that take me back eons!

Even though Steven and I would have to backtrack a good distance later, we headed to Arisaig as my father's family had emigrated from this small village in 1772 for the eastern Canadian province of Prince Edward Island (PEI). My elder brother, John, and his partner, Mary, had come to Arisaig several years ago and suggested Steven and I also see where our forebears had come from. Of course, on that early fall day, the village looked quite captivating so it was difficult to understand what made my relative decide to leave his homeland, knowing he would never return. Both my mother and I, who married men from other countries, were so fortunate to know we had the luxury of seeing family and friends again in our respective homelands.

I was so glad John and Mary had discovered Clanranald Place in the tiny village as my paternal family were MacDonalds of Clan Ranald as I mentioned in the previous post on our visit to the Isle of Iona from Oban the day before. Though Steven, our four children, and I have all been to PEI, I have never taken the time to look where my father's family lived. Perhaps one day we'll take the time to do that. Guess that will have to go into our Future Trips folder of wishful locations to still see!

Gaelic for 'safe place,' Arisaig was a refuge for many seafarers including the real Long John Silver as Robert Louis Stevenson was inspired by his father's stories who built lighthouses here! More recently, remote Arisaig was a training ground for brave men and women who were part of Special Operations Executive and were prepared for clandestine operations in Nazi-occupied Europe.

I am so lucky to be married to Steven who remarked that there sure was a lot of driving for a few photos of Arisaig! He was right but I was glad we took the time though he bore the brunt of all that additional driving as he always does when we travel.

We drove next to the Visitors Center at Glenfinnan Monument, at the head of Loch Sheil, only to find the parking lot was full even though it was the offseason. We managed to find what was a probably illegal spot a ways away but didn't mind as it was a good excuse to get out and stretch our legs after doing so much driving. We climbed a steep hill above the visitors center so we could take in the lovely views of the monument set among superb Highland scenery. It was a tribute to the clansmen who fought and died for the Jacobite cause of Prince Charles Edward Stuart also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie.

The monument marked the area where the Prince's flag was raised in April of 1745 in a last attempt to restore the Stuarts to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland. Despite its inspired beginnings and early success, the cause was lost less than a year later at the bloody battle at Culloden. 

From the same hill, we had sweeping views behind us of Scotland's longest concrete bridge, Glenfinnan Viaduct, which had 416 yards of raised track over 21 supporting arches. After the viaduct was used as a location in several films and television series, including in four of the Harry Potter films, British Transport Police warned fans not to walk on the viaduct after a handful of near misses with trains had occurred.

A closeup view of the monument and not looking directly into the sun which always makes for a better photo!

Near Fort William, we stopped again at the Commando Monument, a powerful bronze statue of three World War II commandos in an evocative mountain setting. Considered one of Britain's most beloved war memorials, it honored the elite military corps Winston Churchill decided the country needed during the war. 

They became famous for wearing green berets, an accessory and name elite fighting forces in the US and other countries adopted. The brave men trained in the Lochaber region near Fort William in the shadow of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest peak. After many men died in combat, this 1952 memorial was built to remember the fallen British heroes. The memorial was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother with no parade or ceremonial drill and the Queen Mother walking through a line of Commandos on the way back to her car. 

Nearby was the Garden of Remembrance which honored British Commandos who died in more recent skirmishes from the Falkland Islands to Afghanistan. 

Commandos and their families have laid small tributes to loved ones. 

Scottish military ashes were placed a few feet away. Seeing all the memorials was a necessary reminder that the US hasn't been the only nation involved in distant wars and that our Allies across the sea have also lost many heroes in Iraq and other joint conflicts. 

From the west coast, we drove hell for leather across the country toward Aberdeen on the east coast as we wanted to stop at Glenfiddich Distillery so we could join their last tour of the day.

I don't think we've ever seen as many rainbows as we did as we drove through Cairngorms National Park! 

Speyside, on the lower reaches of the River Spey, was the heartland of Scotland's malt whisky industry. The 50 distilleries in this small area produce 60% of the country's malt whisky. Among the most famous we passed were the names we're probably all familiar with: Glenlivet, Macallan, Chivas and so many more all on the Malt Whisky Trail.

We drove past the Speyside Cooperage in Aberlour who made and repaired an astonishing 150,000 oak casks per year for just the local malt whisky industry. Aberlour was also home to Walker Shortbread cookies, my favorite cookies of all time but we were on a mission to get to Glenfiddich so didn't stop for their tour or shop!

We made it to the shop at Glenfiddich Distillery with literally just one minute to spare, so too late for the tour but at least time to shop for samples at their store. We'd purposely not spent time at the Oban Distillery in the hope we'd be able to tour Glenfiddich. Oh well, at least we got to shop! Lina: As it was your Dan's 65th birthday that long-ago day, you know we thought of him as we knew this was his favorite tipple!

This water was pumped from the River Fiddich and only used for 'process cooling' before being returned to the river.

It was hard to think of a more beautiful day than we'd had driving through the scenic Glencoe Valley, the historic Glenfinnan area, and then along the Highland Tourist Route before finally reaching Aberdeen in the early evening. We were blessed with sunny weather the entire time which helped to make the day even more magical!

Next post: Searching out more family history near Aberdeen and the most unusual fishing village of Footdee.

If you want a change of scenery, I have also been writing posts on our short trip to Sri Lanka in March in between these posts on Scotland. Here's a link to my latest post on climbing the very steep Sigiriya and Pidurangula rocks near Dambulla:

https://bergersadventures8.blogspot.com/2020/05/37-climbing-both-sigirias-lion-rock.html

Posted on Mother's Day, May 10th, 2020, from our home in Denver. Though Steven and I are normally relaxing at a state park in the Florida Panhandle at this time, the pandemic has meant that we came home very early from our overseas trip and thus were home with our youngest who, with his siblings, helped make this my best Mother's Day in years. I am so incredibly fortunate and proud to be mum to Nina (Will), Natalie (Adam), Alexander (Cory), and Zachary.