Eilan Donan revisited. - Friday 14-7-23
Leaving Skye, we went back across the Skye Bridge fairly early, hoping to be able to park at Eilean Donan this time.
Though we arrived at about 10:30, we only just got a space before they closed the carpark!
Situated on a tiny island in the confluence of Loch Alsh, Loch Duich and Loch Long, Eilean Donan is said to be the most photographed castle in the British Isles.
It is certainly an imposing subject, but the best shots would be early in the morning before the tourists arrived, and preferably at high tide.
Largely destroyed in 1719, the castle lay in ruins for the best part of 200 years. In 1911 restoration work started and was formally completed in 1932. Open to visitors, the castle can also be hired exclusively for weddings and private functions.
The bridge over Loch Long from the castle.
Loch Alsh looking West
After spending a hour or two trying to get some photographs without too many people in them, we moved on to Fort William where we had booked a campsite for a few days. Arriving mid afternoon, we parked in the town and had a look around. There is a steamtrain that leaves the station here and crosses the Glenfinnan viaduct on the way to Malaig made famous by the Harry Potter films as the Hogwarts Express. We had hoped to get tickets online, but they were fully booked until mid September. We found out from a couple we met in the pub that night that they always hold some tickets back, so if we arrived about 45 minutes before the train left, we might be lucky. The next day we headed off for the station at the appointed time only to find all steam services cancelled for the next 5 days for maintenance. We decided to go to Oban instead, so headed off down the coast.
We spent several hours looking around Oban before heading back to Fort William. On our return journey we stopped at The Old Inn, which I had spotted on the way down this morning.
Apart from being a very nice pub with some good beer, the beer garden is an excelent vantage point to view Castle Stalker.
Castle Stalker is a four-storey tower house or keep, set on a tidal islet on Loch Laich, midway between Oban and Glen Coe. The castle has been used as a location in several films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Highlander.