Today brought a cloudy sky mixed with periods of sun dancing across the hills in Ardnamurchan. It was a good day to simply drive out to Kilchoan and on to the Ardnamurchan Lighthouse situated at the most westerly point on the British mainland and accessed by mostly narrow, single track roads. As expected, I was the only one there. The lighthouse has been safely guiding ships through the waters off the west coast of Scotland since 1849. Ardnamurchan now operates automatically but the tower remains fully functional.
The sparsely populated area known as Ardnamurchan was an important part of the kingdom of the Lords of the Isles and today, though the landscape is vastly changed after centuries of clearances, timber harvesting and sheep farming. The rugged hills are a stark reminder of the volcanic upheavals that formed much of the western Scottish landscape. The vistas are breathtaking and one can conjure up in one’s mind’s eye the fleets of birlinns cutting through the sea between the islands and mainland. We are reminded how vast the kingdom was – and how harsh and forbidding the land could be. Yet, it is beautiful and still wild to a large extent. If you keep an eye out you can spot the red deer who have occupied these hills since ancient times and provided food and fur for the medieval inhabitants of the Highlands. Another stop along the way was the fairly new Ardnamurchan Distillery and a tour was definitely called for! At only 10 years old, their whisky has already won awards.
