Kentallen Bay

I am not sure this has much to commend it, too near the road, too many moorings. But there is a small and charming little chapel built in 1868, St Moluag’s Church (locked when I was there). You could scramble up to the old railway line and walk down to the Holly Tree Hotel about half a mile away, or pick up one of their moorings might be better (ph 01631 740 292). It was the old railway station, much changed, and is said to be good for kids, there is a restaurant, and even a swimming pool – check it out. A ferry to Fort William used to run from the small pier. The walk between here and Cuil bay looks good but I have not done it.

The branch railway line which opened in 1903 from Connel to Ballachulish must have been a wonderful ride, and surely would still be an excellent tourist resource if it had not been swept away by the infamous Dr Beeching in 1966. Years ago one of my medical school teachers who when he heard I was moving to Scotland became quite nostalgic about this journey; after the war when he had been demobbed he was given a return rail ticket to anywhere in the UK, and he chose Ballachulish as a suitably distant and peaceful destination. Luckily Sustrans are converting the track to a long distance cycle route.