How wonderful to see Bessie with a bright blue sky behind her.  This was the scene at 10am this morning.

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Enough time to take some nice sunshiny photos – just.  It was a surprise and even the Met Office seem to have been taken unawares as there was no mention of sunny periods today.

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It soon clouded over, however, and the relentless rain started once more.  Not to be deterred of course, we decided to take Bessie for a spin around Loch Leven – just a few minutes drive away from the campsite.  The route takes you higher and higher – perhaps 200 feet above the loch.

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The bracken is such a rich orangey-red that, even in the rain, the steep sides of the banks are fiery and glowing.  Unfortunately, they are also used as a dumping ground for rubbish in places.  I can’t imagine anyone doing that but I guess they do as lumps of plastic and polystyrene are lodged in the bushes.  What a shame.

The scenery is spectacular, even with the low mist that cloaks the hills.  There are a few parking spots but they are few and far between and the road is good but twisty and not exactly wide.

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At the head of the loch sits Kinlochleven, apparently one of the first places to get electricity in Scotland, care of the hydro-electric plant constructed there in 1907. Peter spotted this foaming water race where a tributary meets the River Leven.

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We returned along the lower road on the north side of the loch but there were fewer places to stop.  Just as we neared the end of the loch, a few faint rays of sun managed to creep through the mist and for a moment the water sparkled but, alas, they were shortlived and the rain continued as if it had never happened.

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We decided to call it a day and return to the campsite via the Ballachulish bridge across the loch, built in 1975 to replace the ferry.

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I spent the afternoon trying to get to grips with my watercolour pencils – I think I’m getting the hang of them gradually.  I did a quick watercolour of Bessie in the sun:

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and a moody painting of a little island in the loch (see featured image).  Peter read until he fell asleep…

It’s now the evening and it’s still raining.  The forecast shows no let up in this area but it looks as though Tuesday might be dry for our crossing from Oban to Barra.  Just hope the sea’s calm as well!