England-Scotland Day 11 (Part 2) – Corpach and Neptune Staircase, Fort Williams, Loch Leven and Balloch

13 April 2010

From the Commando Monument, we travelled on the A82 southwards towards Fort Williams and made a small detour to Corpach where we stopped to view the Neptune Staircase.

The Neptune Staircase is a system of eight locks on the Caledonian Canal that connect Loch Lochy, Loch Ness at the north to the Loch Linnhe and the sea at the south of Scotland. It is the longest staircase lock in the United Kingdom, and lifts boats 64 feet (20 m). This place reminded me of the locks system we saw at Stratford Upon Avon.

Locks forming part of the Neptune Staircase at Corpach.

Closer look at the locks with the different water levels on opposite sides.

Nice walk by the Caledonian Canal, watching ducks take off and land in the waterway.

After viewing the locks and canals, it was time for lunch at Fort Williams. We parked our car near the town centre and walked to pedestrian-only High Street where there were many restaurants to choose from. We walked the stretch of High Street, window shopping and settled to have lunch at Grog and Gruel restaurant located near the centre of High Street. I remembered this restaurant for its tables and chairs which I found to be small in size, even for Asians.

From Fort Williams, it was supposed to non-stop driving to Balloch but we made a stop at Loch Leven.

Loch Leven – this view made us stop here.

There was a quarry near Loch Leven. The shores of the loch was covered with gray, broken granite chips. There was a footpath on the right side which invited me to explore while the rest of the gang rested by the bank.

Wondered what they were doing while I took a stroll down the path along the loch.

They were leaving the messages to their K-pop idols on the rocks.

We made another stop at a rest point near Signal Rock where we spotted a wild deer.

Mountain at Signal Rock, Glen Coe.

Wild deer spotted near Signal Rock.

After the last stop at Signal Rock, it was REALLY non-stop driving to Gowanlea Guest House in the small town of Balloch, located near Loch Lomond.

After checking in, we went The Balloch House for dinner. The off-street parking for The Balloch House was right next to a small river leading into Loch Lomond. Nice place for a short walk after dinner.

Balloch, Loch Lomond. Still enough light for a short walk after dinner.

Then it was back to the B&B  for a good night’s rest as there will be another day of long distance driving the next day.