Loch Hourn, the perfect alternative to the A87
Loch Hourn, the perfect alternative to the A87
Rowan had cleverly spotted an alternative to grinding our way along the trunk road. This entailed returning to Glenelg and then south almost to the end of the road to Arnisdale. By prior arrangement you could charter a boat along Loch Hourn to Kinlochhourn where the long road from the A87 junction near Invergarry ends. We'd booked the boat for 11:00 so needed an early start to allow time for the slog up and over to Glenelg and the surprisingly hilly road to Arnisdale. We prepared all we could the night before so we could get off quickly, and were away at 07:50. We toiled back up to the summit, whizzed down to Glenelg then onto new territory for the lovely but tough 9 mile ride to Len Morrison's house. He told us he'd be off to borrow a boat and would see us at the jetty in quarter of an hour! Frustratingly, we were half a mile short of the advertised "Sheena's tea hut" at the end of the road so had to wait in the open getting damp with the drizzle.
Once we were underway, Len explained that he was having trouble with the outboard motor on his boat so was having to rely on neighbours. He'd moved here 23 years ago from Glasgow with his wife and they make a living from boat charters and B&B. The boat was only just big enough for the three of us and our bikes. The charter cost a total of £42 which was well worth it as effectively it gave us an extra day's holiday - today was one of the highlights of the holiday whereas the A87 would have been a slog with juggernaughts belting past us.
Len took the trouble to stop the boat so we could watch the porpoises leap alongside us. He must have done the trip hundreds of times before but was still keenly interested in the wildlife, scanning the water and shore and whipping out his binoculars whenever he spotted anything that looked interesting - pointing out seals and a red-throated diver. It was a glorious ride, passing verdant islands in the light grey drizzle, the lock enclosed by mountains. Thirty people live around the loch, there was once a school but now the children go to primary school in Glenelg. We saw quite a number of walkers heading for Knoydart along the path on the other side, surprisingly many considering the remoteness of this loch, the most fiord-like in Scotland.
The first few miles of the road from Kinlochhourn were hard but it was fast and easy from Loch Quoich to the main road along a gently undulating quiet road. We enjoyed lovely views all along. They would have been fantastic in the sun, but today they were very atmospheric in washed out shades of green and misty greys.
Soon after hitting the main road, we stopped for a drink at an exceptionally lively pub where the weekend's village highland games was still being celebrated late Sunday afternoon. We were feeling tired now so decided to stop for the night at Loch Lochy youth hostel rather than pressing on to Fort William. We'd seen no shops all day so were forced to eat out, a very poor affair at the nearby water park.