Visit to Scotland

September 4, 1967

For breakfast we had "porridge" which turned out to be sort of soupy oatmeal. It was a traditional breakfast for that area and was quite good. While we were finishing breakfast the lady of the house went out to milk the cow. The fawn and the calf took up their accustomed places at the barn door. We went out to pack the car and the fawn came to nose around the car. He, named Bambi of course, was very tame.

The deer and the dear check out the "boot" of the car.

Before we left the Bed n' Breakfast, the lady of the house let Brenda feed the deer. Having gotten a little bit carried away with silliness, my original caption for this picture was "The dear feeding the deer.".

It was heavily overcast but at least not raining when we set out. The rain had moved westward to give us this faint rainbow. We drove over to Oban and poked around for a while and then headed north along the coast (A828). When we reached Ballachulish there was a long queue of cars at the ferry so we drove around the Loch Leven.

Loch Leven from the road that skirts around its end. This road was much longer than taking the ferry, but we were here to see things, so it was no problem to us.

Brenda at Loch Cluanie. Continuing north we went through Ft. William and along Loch Lochy. We turned off on A87 and went through Glen Shiel and up along Loch Duich. We had periods of pouring rain and periods of sunshine.

The rain brought forth numerous waterfalls and the green countryside was very beautiful when the sun came out. At times we traveled on wide, modern roads and at other times on one-track roads with passing places every 100 yards or so.

Coming over a hill, we got our first view of the well-preserved Eilean Donan Castle sitting on a rocky island connected to the mainland by a causeway. After finding a bed and breakfast we went down to the castle and looked around.

The late afternoon sky promised a good sunset so we climbed the hill above the B&B and looked down the length of Loch Alsh.

I stayed and watched until about 8 PM. This was the second really outstanding sight of this trip. There were still clouds in the sky but the air was clear and we could see the distant Cuillan Hills on the Isle of Skye. The water shimmered in the late afternoon sunlight like it does in the light of a full moon and the undulating course of the loch was clearly outlined against the darker hills. The hills had the fascinating dark blue tint that we have seen nowhere else except in Scotland. With the dark silhouette of the castle against the loch it was a truly unforgettable sight.

This view of Eilean Donan Castle from the Dornie Bridge gives a wider view of its location, but the modern boats in the foreground detract from its sense of medieval mystery.