Today, Lord of the Glens traveled southwest down the lower section of the Great Glen, leaving Fort Augustus at breakfast time to arrive midday at the village of Corpoch. The trip took us through narrow stretches of the Caledonian Canal and through the open waters of Loch Oich and Loch Lochy, passing the highpoint of the Glen in Loch Oich, at 106 ft (32m) above sea level. The boat also passed through Moy Bridge, the last hand-operated swing bridge on the Canal, where the operator hand-cranks the bridge open. Just before reaching Corpoch, the ship navigated through Neptune’s Staircase, a series of eight locks ending in Loch Lochy. Many in the group braved the chilly, gray day to stand outside and watch the locks operate, with Great Britain’s highest mountain Ben Nevis towering above, the 4406’ summit lost in clouds.
During the morning journey, two presentations gave us the opportunity to learn about Scottish nature and history. Robin gave an overview of Scotland’s natural environment, with a survey of the geology, flora, and fauna. Her presentation included a description of forests, mountains, moorlands and—as decided in a national vote—Scotland’s five favorite wildlife species: red squirrel, red deer, harbour seal, otter, and golden eagle. David talked about the 19th century Highland Clearances, when the Highland people were forcibly removed from their homes, their homelands turned into sheep farms and sporting estates. David’s detailed description helped us all understand this complex period of Highland history.
The history theme played forward into our afternoon at Glenfinnan, the site where Prince Charles landed in 1845 to begin his attempt to regain the crown. Charles campaign was crushed at Culloden, and the aftermath led to the Clearances David had described in his morning talk. At Glenfinnan, Ian set off on an “adventure walk” to the viaduct made famous in the Harry Potter movies. Robin took part of the group on a short nature walk through a pleasant woodland of birch, alder, and Scots pine, with a bit of heather just starting to bloom. Others joined David to discuss the significant history of Glenfinnan.
Scotland’s landscape provides many photo opportunities and throughout the trip, Ian gives excellent advice to photographers of all levels. In this evening’s Recap Ian focused on iPhone photography, demonstrating the many ways an iPhone can capture the moment, from panorama shots to timelapse videos, and of course just plain old pictures so we can carry home the memories of this special trip. The evening was capped off with music from Peat Reek, ending yet another full day on Lord of the Glens.
