We left the Isle of Skye with wonderful memories of an amazingly beautiful landscape. Back on the mainland, we were were into the Northern Highlands of Scotland. And we hadn't driven far before we could see Eilean Donan Castle, near the little town of Dornie. Set in a magical position on a small island where three lochs meet, it is linked to the mainland with an arched stone bridge. It is a much photographed bridge, and many tourism brochures use an image of this castle.
 
 
 
But a little further as we drove through Glen Shiel another lovely vision came into view. The water in Loch Cluanie was very still, and reflected beautifully the mountains on the other side. Almost impossible to see where real met reflection, it caused many travellers to stop and take in the sight. Interesting how such a sight stifles conversation, and people seemed to suck up the view rather than talk about it.

Mountains and lochs, streams and rocks, pine forests and wildflowers - the magnificence of the landscape kept surprising us. Near Fort William, where we spent the night, we were really surrounded by mountains as Ben Nevis, the UKs highest mountain, was not far away.. Next morning we crossed Loch Linhe and took a drive to Strontian, mainly to view the huge pink and purple rhododendron plants that line the roads here. We have seen so many of these plants now, and it is always amazing to see plants that seem exotic to us at home, growing here in such profusion. 
 

 
And so it continued until we arrived at Oban, a waterfront town best known for whisky and the Oban Distillery. We had hoped to do a tour here but they were booked out, so instead we took in the waterfront and the town. It was a busy place, both because it is the main town in this area but also because the ferries to a number of the islands (like Mull) leave from there. 

On the hill above the town is a construction that that looks like the Roman Colosseum, but is in fact McCaig's Tower. It was commissioned in 1897 by local philanthropist John McCaig whose aim was to provide work for local unemployed stonemasons as well as a providing a lasting memorial to his family. It was to include a museum and art gallery and also statues of him and his family, but his death meant only the outer walls were completed. Certainly it is a sight not expected here, though we have got accustomed to seeing Roman ruins in places that seem very far from Rome.

 Oban is also known for its fishing industry, so a fish tea, as it is called here, finished the day.