Woolly says – We waved our wooden home goodbye and headed down the windy rounds to cross back onto the mainland of Scotland. All of us had loved our time on Skye and I had one more short stop on route as we were leaving.
The Sligachan Old Bridge, built between 1810 and 1818 by engineer Thomas Telford. The bridge is for pedestrians and cyclists only following construction of a new road bridge parallel to it on the A87. As we crossed over the road to take a closer look at the bridge I stopped to admire the mountains, tarns and brooks that were all around us, such a stunning place.
It was tricky getting closer to the bridge itself due to the boggy ground, but I was happy to admire it from slightly further away rather than get coated in mud and have Jo insist that I have a bath.
Although we were early the tourist population had already started to arrive and were busy taking snaps of the views.
Slightly further up from the river and bridge stood a large statue of two gentlemen. The Collie and MacKenzie Statue, a bronze sculpture honouring mountaineering pioneers Professor Norman Collie and John Mackenzie, was unveiled in September 2020 and depicts the two men in a tribute to their crucial work in establishing routes across the Cuillin Mountains. It was a wonderful memorial to both men.
It was time to hit the road, I had planned the customary comfort break but for the time being I was happy to sit back and enjoy the magnificent scenery as Jo attempted to take pictures at speed and Zoe managed the winding roads and traffic.
A couple of hours later and we arrived at our stop for the day. Fort William is a town in the Lochaber region of the Scottish Highlands, located on the eastern shore of Loch, a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, Ben Nevis and Aonach Mòr to the east, and Glenfinnan to the west.
We weren’t heading into the town but our first stop, a Handsome Jack comfort break, was at Neptune’s Staircase. This is a staircase lock comprising of eight locks on the Caledonian Canal. Built by Thomas Telford between 1803 and 1822, it is the longest staircase lock in Britain. The system was originally hand-powered but has been converted to hydraulic operation.
With the sun blazing down we wandered up one side pausing to watch a large boat going up and then exiting one lock into another, before turning and walking back down the other side. It made for a lovely walk followed by a quick coffee before we turned our attention to the next stop in the town, I for one was very excited about this one.
A few minutes’ drive from the staircase we pulled into a carpark right into the shade and left the mutt to dose as we headed into the Treasures of The Earth. Treasures Of the Earth is a private collection of Crystals, Gemstones and Fossils, founded over 20 years ago by a father and son team following their keen interest in all things Geology. Previously a Catholic Church, the building has since been turned into one of Europe’s largest collection of Crystals, Gemstones & Fossils.
Inside far exceeded my expectations and I could barely take it all in as display glittered and glowed in the semi dark area.
Crystals as big as the humans met up with a mural of a T Rex who had a pterodactyl flying overhead.
As I wandered from case to case the colours and size of the gems on display were incredible.
Yellows, greens, whites and pinks glittered, excavated from across the world.
Each case was better than the last
Three smaller cases held the skulls of the predators of my ancestors; I passed them quickly.
Even better was coming as I found the fossil section, now I have seen a few fossils in my time, Jo not included, but these were on a different level as the fish that had left them behind looked as though they had been painted on.
Trilobites sat near by which reminded me of the Dudley Bug that I was still to see in its new museum in Dudley.
More crystals came into view, and they were much bigger in size and glorious in colour and shapes.
We entered a dark room which suddenly lit up revealing another huge quantity of the precious collection, as we paused the lights went out and the UV reactive crystals came to life, from the Fluorites: Blue, green, or purple fluorescence, Calcites: Red, pink, or green fluorescence, Hackmanites: Orange or pink fluorescence, Willemites: Bright green fluorescence, to the Scheelites: Blue or white fluorescence and the Opals: Blue or green fluorescence. Stunning, one and all.
I had thoroughly enjoyed the small museum as had the humans and having given corgi features a short walk round the shady carpark and a drink we were off again.
Passing Ben Nevis, through mountain passes over bridges and forest scenes we travelled enjoying every moment. I was looking forward to a night at the seafront and another new place to explore.