A Trip to Western Scotland

This year’s hot destination?
When I mentioned at a party that I had just come back from a short trip to the West of Scotland, slightly to my suprise three different couples told me that they had been there too this year, in very much the same area. So clearly - in an admittedly small sample consisting of my friends, the highlands and islands of Western Scotland are one of the hottest destinations of summer 2011.

Speaking of hot, most people think of Scotland as being a cool, rainy kind of place but in fact the weather was drier and sunnier, and very much the same temperature as back home in Germany. And the days were long - in June and July it gets dark around 11 p.m. and starts getting light again around 4 a.m.

Based in Kentallen
I hadn't heard of Kentallen until one of my brothers suggesting arranging a family get-together at the Hollytree Hotel in Kentallen. It turned out to be a perfect destination; the hotel has 20 rooms all with a view over beautiful Loch Linnhe, a sea loch or fjord on the Scottish west coast. We watched otters dive only a few feet from the hotel.

The building was originally the Kentallen Railway Station and has been tastefully modernized while still keeping many of the original station features. The hotel has friendly staff, a bar, a bistro and a more upmarket restaurant featuring locally-caught fish and seafood. And a heated swimming pool for days when visitors prefer to hide indoors from bad weather.

We didn’t hide though, the weather was fine and we enjoyed some fantastic hikes and day trips.

Closest larger towns are Oban (22 miles), Fortwilliam (14 miles) and the pretty coastal town of Mallaig from where you can take a ferry to the Isle of Skye as well as the islands of Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck. Local activities include fishing, walking, hill climbing, sailing and diving. A new cycle track linking Oban and Fort WIlliam passes close-by; a large amount of the cycle path runs along the old railway track which was closed in the 1960s.

Driving
Be prepared. Non-locals are surprised by the number of single-track roads, with passing places at fairly convenient intervals for vehicles driving in opposte directions to pass. Or for slower vehicles to stop and let others behind pass by - important to remember if you are an anxious tourist or towing a caravan - the locals drive remarkably fast on these miniature roads.

Kentallen is in Glencoe, a beautiful if slightly lonely glen or valley, the scene of a famous, or infamous, massacre in 1692, when members of the Campbell clan murdered members of the MacDonald clan. Some claim the glen is still haunted by those poor MacDonald souls but the scenery is breathtaking and a drive through the glen is ideal for people who prefer to sightsee by car.

We preferred to walk. Glen Nevis, at the foot of Britain’s largest mountain, Ben Nevis, was my favorite walk but we also enjoyed mooching along the shores of Loch Linnhe, exploring coastal vegetation and rock pools. Taking the Corran ferry across Loch Linnhe to Ardgour was a “back in time” experience. The West Highland Way (www.west-highland-way.co.uk) runs for more than 90 miles from Glasgow to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis, but it is entirely possible, and probably preferable to walk short sections rather than the whole route.

A couple of castles
Since the males in my family wear the tartan of the Clan MacDonald of Clanranald, we enjoyed visiting the family seat, as it were, Castle Tioram. Castle Tioram is a ruin, built on a half-island (you can walk over easily at low tide) on Loch Moidart. Notices warn visitors about the dangers of entering the ruined building - it was already described as an abandoned ruin in the mid-18th century - but the clamber up is fun for the well-shod and sure-footed and the views are breathtaking.

The photogenic Castle Stalker, which sits in Loch Laich, can be reached by boat and is open to guided tours on some days in summer. Check www.castlestalker.com for dates.

Kilmartin
The village of Kilmartin lies within an area with one of the richest concentrations of prehistoric - Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age - monuments and historical sites in Scotland. There are over 350 monuments within a 6 mile radius. A charming and award-winning museum in the village, Kilmartin House Museum, explains the history of its prehistoric inhabitants. Local sites feature standing stones, several burial cairns, stone burial cists and cup and ring marked rocks. Almost all the sites are an easy walk from the road.

Films made in the area
The area is so photogenic that many films hace been made here, including Mel Gibson's Braveheart, Rob Roy starring Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange, and parts of the Harry Potter films: the Hogwarts express is actually the Mallaig to Fort William steam train while Hagrid’s house was constructed in Glencoe. Lars von Trier’s film Breaking the Waves was shot in Mallaig as well as a popular Scottish film, Local Hero, directed by Bill Forsyth and starring Burt Lancaster.

I want to go back
Finnish friends told us they've been back to the same area several years in a row and I can see why. There is so much to see and do, we only managed a tiny fraction - if you like wild scenery and long hikes - that I want to return soon too.