Day 288/9 Monday 30 – Tues 31 Jul 2007 Pitlochry to Killin to Spean Bridge, Scotland

After exploring the delights of Pitlochry we visit the nearby Edradaur distillery, one of the smallest in Scotland where unlike the big commercial ones, we get a chance to sample the product BEFORE the inspection. This makes the inspection far more interesting and we see the hand made processes in the pretty whitewashed buildings which we are then easily persuaded to buy. Then it’s a short drive westwards along Loch Tay to Killin where another pub awaits. Waterfalls – the Falls of Dochart – are inspected and the view from Queens View checked out as well as a reconstructed Crannog. Crannogs we learn are defensive iron age wicker houses built on artificial islands in lakes across Scotland. This one is staffed by enthusiastic volunteers who also encourage participation in spinning, fire making, wood carving and weaving. There are hundreds of examples which until today we’d just assumed were natural islands but apparently the iron age Bob the Builders were pretty busy.

On Tuesday the journey lies across the wilds of Rannoch moor, through Glencoe and a detour down midge-ridden Glen Etive to Fort William on the Road to the Isles. We stay in a very pleasant B&B at Spean Bridge and have an interesting dinner in an unwittingly slow food restaurant in Spean Bridge Station where the trains are still running even if the waitpersons aren’t.