My Highland Travelogue

Welcome to my Highland Travelogue Page.   My passion is to explore the Scottish Highland Upland Lochs. When time permits, I will drive to a remote location, park the car, fasten on my backpack and trusty camera, and trek a few miles to discover a hidden Loch or Lochan. My pleasure is to explore the smaller, hidden Lochs and Lochans, rather than the larger, well known ones that are already well documented. 

I think that certain places are "healing" , and I begin to understand why when I sit by a lonely stretch of water, with nobody and nothing around for miles. So far, most of my expeditions have been in Highland Perthshire, for logistical and economic reasons, but I hope to travel further as time passes. I think that maybe I am frightened that my Highlands are threatened and that they may vanish. Perhaps to record them on photograph is my mission? When I stumble unexpectedley on one of those jaw-dropping views, I have mixed thoughts - firstly, I want to share it with the world, then, when I think on, I selfishly want to keep it all to myself.  Often I just stand a while in wonderment.

I am no scientist, but many of our small inland Lochs and Lochans are in decline.
Each has its own mini eco system, and it is the decay of this that is the problem.
Each eco system is made up of many interactive and interdependent parts - water,sediment,fish,insects,animals,weather. Eutrophication (chemical and acid pollution) is causing serious problems to our smaller Lochs and Lochans that do not get the same level of monitoring and protection as those larger and better known examples adopted by S.E.P.A.
The decline of insect life affects the fish life, which affects the Lochan itself, which affects the bird and animal life.
This then causes (some) of the Lochans to be affected by Algae and Reed cover, which then affects light penetration, photosynthesis and the general "life" of the Lochan goes into a rapid decline.
This is happening now. Already, some of the large Raptors are coming down to road level to find food.

I dont know how long they will be there for us, but I have to record them as they are now.
I hope I am wrong.

Above all, I feel priviledged to be allowed the honour to walk on this sacred land - I am finite, my footsteps will soon vanish, but this wonderful place will stand for millions of years.

I will try to describe my adventures as best as I can and I hope that I can share my wonderful Highlands with you.

"Enjoy Life's Journey, But Leave No Tracks" (Cherokee Wolf Clan, with thanks to Sue)

"Your travelogue helped to influence our choice of destination as your pictures and details are superb and really do give that `get away from it all feeling`- Martin Rutherford

Like a large Highland Loch on your wall?  - click here!

If you have any questions about the places I visit, please e-mail me and I will do my best to help!

My wonderful friend Martin, his friends and their trip to the Skiach's
Posted by Graham Lumsden (highlandp) on Jul 12 2010 at 7:34 PM
Highland Travelogue >>

I`m writing this email to you to let you know that we have just returned from a couple of days fishing at loch skiach and the mill pond...i got intouch with kinnaird estate last year about fishing here and they said that due to them closing the hotel and returning it to a private house they were`nt sure if they would be letting people fish there again...they got back to me last month and said if we still wanted to fish the lochs it would be permitted and if we wanted to camp overnight we could use either of the bothies...well,we went up early tuesday and picked up the keys for the bothies and drove up the hill to skiach,the weather was dry but very windy the higher we got, so fishing was a challenge to say the least..the keys we were given for the bothy at skiach didnt open the padlocks so we decided to go down to the mill pond

...the bothy opened easily here and what a wonderful place it is,very basic but so much more civilised than a tent...candles for light,a fire for heat and a gas cooker for cooking the fish you catch...

the mill pond is a much nicer setting than skiach,due mainly to the trees at the dam end...we fished most of the day and managed to catch a couple of wild brown trout (safely returned them as they are far to pretty to fry)

...we cooked a dinner of pork and vegetable stirfry with a tin of new potatoes heated on the fire and washed it down with a few bottles of beer....

we carried on fishing until 11pm and then built a large fire in the bothy and crashed out in the glow of the fire until the dog woke us at 5am barking like mad...an early start and not through choice saw us fish until 7.30am and then back to the bothy to cook bacon and eggs and coffee....what a wonderful place this is...we fished on until 2pm and then had a bbq for lunch...

after tidying up and leaving the place as we found it we decided to call it a day at 5pm and drive back down the hill and return the keys....they charged us £10 each for the bothy and we agreed that it was one of the best tenners we have ever spent.....wildlife wise.we saw a couple of deer that came quite close to the bothy and also 4 horses that were wandering around freely...

hope this email finds you well and i`ll be in touch the next time we use one of your "write ups"...we still have`nt been to loch broom yet but we did spend 3 days up near plockton in may although the weather was terrible as was the fishing.

enough of my rantings

p.s. we forgot to take 2 things with us...a fish slice for turning eggs and a camera.

i took some pictures with my phone so i`ve added them for you and of course you can use the story if you want.

( how did we turn the eggs ? )

answers on a postcard...........nah,i`ll tell you....the lid from the tin of potatoes

regards......martin the taxi driver

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