About our weekend away:
1) We’re all full of excitement as we journey north-west through the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, then up past Crianlarich onto the remote Rannoch Moor, through the stark beauty of Glen Coe, and on towards Ballachulish on the shores of Loch Leven, before crossing Loch Linnhe on the Corran Ferry. A journey through a particular stunning part of Scotland.
2) We arrive, and the first thing the kids want to do is jump in the swimming pool. They swim twice a day for the remainder of our stay. We swim, and enjoy the sauna.
3) Saturday brings a challenging hill-walk to the summit of Garbh Bheinn. It’s a tough 885m walk, up steep mountain sides, with an equally steep descent down the other side. We’re so proud of Aidan and Megan – I wouldn’t have believed they could do it, and the views from the top – from the Isles of Mull, Rhum and Eigg, and on round to Skye, then the Highlands, and Fort William, and stunning views of Ben Nevis, Glen Coe, and Loch Leven. So beautiful.
4) Evenings filled with good food, good wine, good company and fun games.
5) The weather holds the entire time we are there.
6) On Sunday we explore a beach beside an Iron-Age fort on the shores of Loch Sunnart. We see flowers, and shells, and seaweed, and scramble up rocks, and skirt around fallen trees. We visit the Garbh Eilean wildlife hide and eat our lunch as we watch the seals playing on the rocks nearby.
7) The kids have a go at playing snooker, and Freda (a crazy game which involved much running around a snooker table), and have heaps of fun.
8) Monday brings a slightly busier day as we pack up, before heading to Loch Doilet north of Strontian, for a walk through the forest, a river crossing, and a wander back before the lovely drive back to join our friends in Strontian.
9) I glance out of my bedroom window, high under the eaves of the house, and spy a huge silver-pale moon hanging low in the sky, framed by the crags shadowing the shores of Loch Linnhe.
10) We catch the last ferry back, and then the roads are pretty clear as we drive home. A fantastic weekend.