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The
village of Lochaline on Morvern takes its name from the
fjord like inlet which extends north from the Sound of Mull.
This is quite a remote part of old Argyll and is a popular
shelter for yachts on passage up and down the west of Scotland.
There is a
car ferry which runs from Lochaline to Fishnish (between
Craignure and Salen) on Mull which is operated by
Caledonian
MacBrayne. The ferry runs regularly 7 days a week.
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The
main source of employment in the village is from the sand
mine which unfortunately may be closing very soon. The sand
which has been mined here is a very high grade Silica sand
which supplies the glass industry. This type of extraction
is unique in Britain and was only viable because the quality
of the silica sand mined here. The mine is right beside the
entrance to the loch and almost in the village. There it is
hoped that this might become a visitors attraction if the
mine does close, with tours of areas of the mine. |
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Other
places of interest are forest walks, woodland and coastal walks
as well as
Ardtornish Castle.
Kinlochaline Castle is interesting too but is privately
owned with no tours available as you might expect.
The
Morvern area is quite remote and as such the roads are mostly
narrow roads. The cheapest way of getting to Lochaline is to
take the Corran Ferry about 6 miles south of Fort William and
then drive along the A861 turning left on to the A884 at the
head of Loch Sunart. This is quite a long drive. The easiest way
is to take a car ferry from Oban to Craignure on Mull and then
from Fishinish to Lochaline.
This part
of old West Argyll is very remote. An area with many mountains
which are rarely climbed as they are below Munro height but
enticing in their own manner. The weather cycle can change as if
through all seasons in less than 12 hours. In June one year, I
started a hill walk from Loch Aline, more for distance than
height. It was a crisp morning clear skies very spring in
nature. By noon the temperature had soured to a balmy 72F, By 4
a northerly airflow took the temperature down a few notches and
by 7 it was snowing heavily followed by hail and then a
beautiful summers even entailed. In short, be prepared for the
weather changes, leave a note with your intended route and make
sure you have the right clothing and supplies.
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