Heading north

Departing Glasgow in our zippy Fiat 500 we decided to head north east towards Stirling, en route to a cottage just out of Glenmoriston, where we'd spend the next 5 nights amongst the glens, lochs and munros of the Scottish Highlands.

First stop was the truly impressive Falkirk Wheel, an elegant rotating boat lift which gently swings boats between the Forth and Clyde canals, lifting boats to a height of 35m (equivalent to 11 traditional boat locks), all in just 15 minutes. Also impressive were 2m high metallic sculptures of horses heads, which we were soon to discover were mere models of the real things. We chanced upon "The Kelpies" , fantastic 30m high horse head sculptures, which overlook significant new developments in Scotland's all-important canal system. Horses have traditionally played a significant role in the region, drawing barges of coal, iron ore and goods from regional centres to key industrial cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Taking a considerable step back in time we then explored Rough Castle, where part of the Antonine Wall is highly visible amongst the vestiges of this Roman fort. Built around AD140, when Romans invaded Scotland (for the second time), the 60km long earth rampart wall and associated ditches and forts aimed to keep the locals out of what was considered Roman territory.

As usual we'd planned too much into our day and after a quick wander around the beautifully preserved town of Culross, we headed towards our cottage via the pretty Trossachs region and the utterly awe-inspiring Glencoe area. The cloud and drizzle that had characterised much of our time in Scotland was a perfect complement to the craggy peaks and tumbling waters. Settled into our cosy cottage we made a plan of attack for the next few days. So much to see and so little time!Read more