Loch Rannoch III - the Water

Arrived at the lochside farm cottages and there it was, faintly shining, the omen for the week:

"Airborne water".

Most of the active part of the week I spent walking. Along the loch, up the hills, through the forestry, beside the rivers and burns and almost constantly through the bogs. Whoever invented waterproof trainers was wasting their time. Whoever invented waterproof socks was a genius.

Wandering through trackless wastes, unnavigable forest and bottomless moss bogs, I eventually found Killichonan Burn. On the map was marked "Here there be Monsters" and "Waterfalls".

[ No monsters found.]

Another day we stumbled across a loch that was sheltered from the usual wind that week. On Loch Rannoch waves and white horses were becoming the norm.

Higher up the hill a much small lochan was imitating a millpond.

The waterfall at Kinloch Rannoch was generating unusual symmetry with lots of angular shaped lumps of rock showing through the cascade. 

In the centre of the loch is a Crannog, Eilean nam Faoileag. The Crannog has been dated to around AD 1290, so it's been around a while. It used to be much bigger until they raised the level of the loch by about 2m in the last 30 years. A submerged curved sandbank gave secret access to it. There are apparently references to occupation of the island from the middle of the 15th century to the middle of the 17th. The tower is a 19th century folly built by a Baron Granbley.  [Sounds like a made up name to me. :-) ]

Finally, the sun came out briefly while I was paddling about trying to get a good angle on this bendy jetty - socks working, feet still dry.

Loch Rannoch II - Hydro Electric

Scotland has loads of Hydro Elecric schemes and Loch Rannoch has it's share. Decided one day to bike up the forestry roads and visit one of the smaller water catchments. At the top of the track there was a boggy path which went on towards an aqueduct. I didn't take any pictures of the mud.

Eventually I found the dam that diverted water into the aquaduct.

Just a few metres along the way was one of last year's antlers hanging onto the mud. On the downhill side the soft muddy bank was reinforced by wooden stakes.

At the end of my small aqueduct the water joined some much bigger sources of water which arrived through tunnels [ Hydro info. ] The tunnelers in the main were made up from British, Polish, Czechs, German and Italian former prisoners of war, and other Europeans. Their nickname - "The Tunnel Tigers".

The aquaduct contours into the building from the right hand side of the picture - as I did on a mountain bike.

The end result is the contribution to the 'National Grid'. The water in the background went off to the next dam and turbines, to generate more electricity.

Loch Rannoch I - The Animals

Stayed for a week in a farm cottage half way along Loch Rannoch. The farm animals were doing a very good impersonisation of pets. The ducks swam in circles on their wee pond pretending to be afraid of me while arguing with each other.

The cockerel was very proud.

The Jacob's sheep were a bit Celtic looking, with some woad-like horn painting.

In the fields by the loch, wild geese were finishing their evening meal. Rather than fly and waste energy as I tried to sneak up quietly, they just sidled away. Invariably keeping one eye on me and one eye on where they were going. A mixture of Canada geese and Greylag.

This guy was crossing the road when I almost flattened it with the bike. Colourful, but painfully shy.

This pheasant was yet another camera shy potential dinner. Every time I tried to focus he skittered away another couple of feet further into the dim trees with me clambering, slipping and sliding up the bank. I need a much longer, faster lens.