Castle Stalker

(Loch Linnhe, Lismore, and Mull)

Weather cloudy with a few spots of rain, then later heavy rain, then some showers.

We had to check out of our lodge by 9.30am. Normally self catering places have a 10am departure time so we were on the go earlier than we would normally be and sharp in driving away from Spean Bridge.

There was some rain as we approached Fort William so we chose not to stop. We carried on South through Onich and went over the bridge at Ballachuilish. Further South there was Duror then approaching Appin we stopped at "Castle Stalker Cafe and View", which as its name implies has great views of the castle from a site on a hill above loch Linnhe.

From the website: "Our family-run cafe & gift shop is located in one of Scotland’s most beautiful spots and we certainly live up to our name. Wonderful views of Castle Stalker, Loch Linnhe, the Islands of Mull & Lismore can be enjoyed from the comfort of our impressive panoramic cafe."

It was dry so we took Maeve the Deerhound for the short stroll to the viewpoint then sat at the window in the cafe and had tea and scones while we enjoyed the view.

The rain kept away as we carried on South through Appin and Benderloch but there was rain by the time we got to Oban so we decided not to stop as we had planned. We kept driving and carried on South to mid Argyll where the rain was heavy for a time. We passed through Kilmartin, Lochgilphead, and Ardrishaig. Then on into Kintyre and through Tarbert and past Tayinloan before stopping at Glenbarr for a late lunch. A quick stop at the farm shop at Bellochantuy for local eggs then we were not long until we were back home in Campbeltown.

DMC-LX7 f/2.8 1/500 sec. ISO-80 9mm (35mm focal length 47mm)