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The
village of Connel and its counter part of North Connel are just
5 miles north of
Oban
with
Benderloch just a few miles further north. The most striking
feature of the villages is Connel Bridge which spans the mouth
of Loch Etive at the Falls of Lora where the tide flows
vigorously creating rapids and tidal eddies which white water
canoeists love, particularly on a spring tide ebb.
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The area
is known for its beauty as it looks out over the Firth of Lorne
to the mountains of Mull
and
Morvern with the lush greener Island of
Lismore
before them.
The airfield, now known as Oban airport has just been
upgraded and will soon have a few small plane services to
Glasgow and the Isles. There is a railway station as this is the
last stop before the line terminus at Oban. |
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courtesy of
Rosemary Todhunter |
The
village has a shop and a few hotels. The bridge was
built in 1903 as a rail bridge only to link up with
Ballachulish
and later it
was adjusted to allow cars to cross as well. Now this beautiful
structure alas does not carry trains at all as the line was
closed in the mid 1960s.
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The Falls
of Laura is a special place for those wanting to experience fast
water kayaking or other form of paddling. This of course is a
tidal area with the water rushing in or out of Loch Etive every
6 hours and 12 minutes. |
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Photo taken by Strathclyde University Canoe Club Released
under Attribution license. |
A
few miles
north, is the village of Benderloch, with its famous
pink shop and also a seasonal cafe. There is access to Tralee
beach from Benderloch and also a really nice short hill walk up
Ben Lora for some magnificent views of the area.
There are
many routes for walking and cycling in this general vicinity and
fishing is a popular pastime for visitors as well. See our lochs
and fishing pages for details.
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