Scotland Tour: Mallaig, Invernesshire

In order to reach the as yet unexplored area (for us anyway) around Mallaig, we drove through the more familiar, though still majestic, areas of Loch Lochmond and then Glen Coe. A stop in Glen Coe at the Clachaig Inn (near Ballachulish) deserves mention for its atmosphere, popularity among climbers, and fantastic selection of real ales. We ordered up pints of Nessie's Monster Mash, Tradewinds, and Sheepshagger's Gold from Cairngorm brewery (all excellent), and a cloudy, tart, sour ale from another brewery that I didn't bother to remember. The Clachaig certainly belongs in the pub of the month club:

Past Fort William and Ben Nevis, we turned west toward Mallaig, passing through either 'Bonnie Prince Charlie country' or 'Harry Potter country' depending on where your loyalties lie. Harry Potter's journey to Hogwart's was filmed at the Glenfinnan viaduct, featuring an old steam train that is still in operation. This is not the famous viaduct, but another photo-worthy bridge that emerges from a mountain tunnel along the same rail line:

The drive to Mallaig, along the Sound of Arisaig, with its mix of sea and mountains, was one of the most scenic yet:


As we neared Mallaig, we decided to take a detour to some of the famous beaches in the area, including Camusdarach Beach, featured in a James Bond film in addition to the film Local Hero:


Jon & Janet at Camusdarach:

The dunes at Camusdarach:

Perfect weather for a day at the beach. The water was inviting, but as I suspected, frigidly cold:

Britt, who can live on science alone, probes the tide pools for sea anemones, crabs, mussels, barnacles, and prawns:
The beautiful, colorful sea life in the tide pools:

Photo shoot on the Camusdarach dunes:

Heading back inland to the sheep-lined mountain roads:

Mallaig, though certainly a destination for tourists as they island-hop to Rum, Eigg, and Skye, is first and foremost a working fishing village:

The Mallaig harbor, despite (or perhaps because of) its blue-collar feel, was the most aesthetic of all the sea villages on our tour:



The Heidingers on the docks:

Me in the quiet evening interim after the last ferry of the day has docked and before the fishermen head out to sea at night:

The clean-up crew: