Our first adventure on our September 2019 Scottish holiday was to heave ourselves up to the top of Corlach Peak (above our rented house) to gain an appreciation of the jagged coastline stretching across the horizon. The cows and sheep were very adept at negotiating the scrubby thistle-tangled rocks and tussocks, but we had to proceed slowly, especially on the downward trajectory.
Corlach
Paul and Mary (our hosts) welcomed us and revealed the quirks of Corlach (our rented house, not far from the town of Lochgilphead.) The view was mesmerising, and it was hard not to simply gape, slack-jawed at the waters of Loch Craignish which fed into the Sound of Jura and the distant Paps (the high peaks) on Jura. Somewhere out there was the Atlantic Ocean and so, facing west, we had a good chance of a picturesque sunset or two.
Loch Coille-Bharr
Our first big adventure was a hike around Loch Coille-Bharr and through primeval forests to the end of the peninsula (24,614 steps!) A miraculous picnic table appeared in the unlikeliest of spots right at the furthest point of the walk – a wonderful reward. Boy, did we need it, since the blustering wind on our backs and faces was a challenge but a challenge we faced like the intrepid explorers we were. Not another human being appeared all day.
The Living Dead
The sun sparkled on the loch on our return journey as further reward for our efforts and we traversed areas that had been reclaimed for a family of beavers, an eery, primitive wetlands. The path went up, down, high, low, in and out of mossy trees covered in lichen.
Immersion in Nature
We stepped over hoppity frogs and marvelled at weird mushrooms – it felt like a total immersion in nature – no neon signs or concrete pavements to be seen…. The final treat was an authentic Celtic cross, always something that triggers the pleasure zones in me (not to mention a good few minutes of imaginative time-travelling fantasy daydreaming.)
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