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After getting back to the car from
our wander up the Pap of Glencoe, we drove round the corner to Glencoe Visitor Centre just as the first drops of rain began to fall from the forecast band of showers. The visitor centre was surprisingly interesting, with lots of info on the history of Scottish mountaineering and a sobering video about the Glencoe Massacre. But it's a small place and couldn't hold our attention for too long. Rain was still falling outside but the showers were supposed to be moving away northwards through the afternoon. So we headed south to find the dry weather behind the showers. And found it at Castle Stalker!
The approach to the castle (viewpoint) from the south crosses a spectacular footbridge over salt marshes. The tide was out at the start, but much further in when we returned an hour later. The boardwalk on the north side of the bridge evidently gets covered at the highest tides, judging by the seaweed on it. Castle Stalker from the start:
Looking back across the bridge:
Next there's a tarmac cycle track which follows the bed of an old railway line:
Soon a track gives access to the coast, with Castle Stalker coming back into view:
Turn right at the shoreline - there was a small boggy area to negotiate before getting to the shingle beach. Soon we reached the headland which forms the closest mainland point to the castle. It looked an unfriendly place under dark skies. Apparently it's accessible on foot at the lowest tides, but I wouldn't like to try it...
A few glimpses of brightness to the west and south, but another brief shower was approaching, signalling a hasty retreat to the wooded cycle track.
Back at Jubilee Bridge, the rain had passed and the sun came out.
The tide had come in surprisingly fast since we were last here under an hour ago. The ground under the bridge was previously almost completely dry. Not any more:
Distant castle view, now across water instead of mud:
Last views of the bridge and castle:
On the way back to Glasgow we stopped at the Falls of Lora at Connel, which were in the middle of a "black" flood tide (the rapids are rated on a website for their likely strength based on tidal ranges).
