England-Scotland Day 11 (Part 1) – Morning at Kyleakin and stopover at Eilean Donan Castle and the Commando Monument

13 April 2010

I woke early to explore the harbour and take some photos around the White Heather Hotel in Kyleakin while the rest of the family took turns to wash up and get ready for breakfast.

Castle Moil in the morning.

Kyleakin Harbour.

White Heather Hotel is the white building at the background.

I tried to spot otters in the sea but none was seen. Only Teko the bronze otter.

Teko the otter - bronze statue at Kyleakin.

After breakfast, we said goodbye to Gillian and she invited us to write a short note in her guest book, which we did.

Our plan for Day 11 of our road trip was to make the long, long drive from Isle of Skye to Balloch, a small town near Loch Lomond. Why Balloch? Balloch is somewhat the mid-point between Skye and the Lake District in England where we would be spending 3 nights.  So, Balloch was like a lay-over place. I believed it was better to stay near Loch Lomond then to stay in Glasgow city.

Along the way to Balloch, we planned to make stops at a few prominent landmarks, namely the Eilean Donan Castle, Commando Monument, have lunch somewhere along the journey (probably near Fort Williams) and then proceed all the way to our B&B in Balloch.

Leaving Skye, we crossed over the Skye Bridge and within a few minutes, we were at the Eilean Donan castle,  Scotland’s most photographed castle.

So here are some to add the millions of beautiful photos of this castle.

Water level in the loch was low. A photo of the castle with its reflection off the water would be a nice composition.

We could have paid a fee to visit the castle but we preferred to just admire the castle from the outside.

As the journey was long and this part of the highway on the A87 was easy driving, Daniel took the wheels from Eileen Donan Castle onwards while I became the navigator. The drive along the A87, followed by the A82 was scenic.

Cool driver.

Sleeping in car and missing some of the most beautiful scenic views.

We reached the Commando Monument, located along the A87 in slightly less than an hour. The views of Ben Nevis and the range of mountains which cross the eastern sky could be seen at the Commando Memorial.

Panoramic views of Ben Nevis and the range of mountains seen from the Commando Memorial.

Beautiful and peaceful place to remember those who gave their lives.

The Commando Memorial is in honour of commandos who died in WWII. There is also a section to honour the more recent fallen heroes. Walking around the monument and also reading the touching notes left behind by family members for the fallen, I can’t help shedding a tear for these brave men gave their lives so the world can be free.