Las Ramblas Stone Skimming Division take a pre-skim stroll over the Atlantic
Linda, Neil, Sam, Alfie, Marion, Bruce, Kevin, Andy, Jill, Sally & Daisy were supposed to meet up with The Kinks but they missed the Bus in Oban and couldn't find their own way to Seil.
Route
Ten miles South of Oban you come across a minor road heading
west signposted to Easdale and, more intriguingly, to the Atlantic Bridge. This
is a diversion worth taking. The road leads to the Island of Seil, the most northerly
of the Slate Isles
Clachan Bridge
Opinions differ about whether Seil should be counted as an
island at all. The Atlantic Bridge or "Bridge Over the Atlantic"
mentioned on the signpost links Seil to the mainland. It is more properly known
as the Clachan Bridge and was built in 1792 for the sum of £450.
The single arch of the bridge is 72ft wide and is steeply
humped to provide a clearance above high water of 28ft to avoid obstructing the
passage of small vessels. Originally designed to have two arches by John
Stevenson of Oban, the plans were amended to the single arch that was built by
Robert Mylne. The rare Fairy Foxglove
(Erinus alpinus) covers the bridge in a gentle purple haze in the early summer.
Tigh an Truish Inn
Just over the bridge you come to the attractive and
welcoming Tigh an Truish Inn. The name means house of the trousers and comes
from the period after the 1745 rebellion when kilts were banned. This was the
place where islanders heading for the mainland (then without the benefit of the
bridge) were said to have swapped their kilts for trousers.
Heading away from the Pub!!!!
Shipwreck
Alfie, Sam, Neil, Jill & Sally
View Over to Mull
Time to start back toward the Tihg an Truish
Wee Blue Butterfly
And a Red One
Time to take in the delights of the Tigh an Truish then head over to Ellenabeich for some last minute training in the Oyster Bar
Marion invited the Johns (Flansburgh and Linnell) to join us in Abriachan for a walk but they arrived early and had left before we got there, they did leave some evidence that they had been there.
Marion & Bruce step out in Inverness-shire for a short Sunday saunter.
Route
Abriachan is a scattered rural community of about 140 people set high above the shores of Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. There are still some active crofts but the majority of inhabitants are employed in Inverness and beyond. In 1998 the community purchased 534 hectares of forest and open hill ground from Forest Enterprise. Since then, as a social enterprise, the Abriachan Forest Trust has managed this land to create local employment, improve the environment and encourage it's enjoyment by the public through a network of spectacular paths, family suited mountain bike trails and innovative education opportunities
