Road to the Isles
Rathad nan Eilean
The ‘Road to the Isles’ is a popular journey from Fort William to the fishing village of Mallaig on the west coast. The road doesn’t just take you past unspoilt beaches and the deepest freshwater loch in Europe, it also takes you through the roots of a massive mountain chain and past long-extinct volcanoes.
The six stopping points on the geotrail reveal more of the fascinating story of this area as you travel westwards.
1. Fassfern – Am Fasadh Fearna
About 6km from Corpach, turn off at Fassfern to see ripple marks in the rocks of a river bed. This was once a shallow, sandy sea floor, on which layer upon layer of sediment built up to form sandstone. This was later metamorphosed into the rock known as psammite, which has survived for you to walk on some 1000 million years later.
2. Glenfinnan – Gleann Fhionnainn
Walk up the knoll behind the National Trust visitor centre at Glenfinnan to see the steep and tightly folded Moine rocks of the area. You might be surprised to learn that the land to the south, on the east side of Loch Shiel, was once part of ‘Ardgour Island’ and totally surrounded by sea. Once the Ice Age was over, the land began to ‘bounce back’ from the weight of the ice. As the land rose, the sea retreated to the western end of Loch Eil, leaving Loch Shiel as the freshwater loch it is today.
3. Arisaig - Arasaig
At the small village of Arisaig, you’ll see there are a series of raised beaches along the flat land of the foreshore. These pebbly deposits have risen out of the sea as the land ‘bounced back’ from the weight of ice after the Ice Age.
4. Mointeach Mhòr
Stop at a small lay-by near the settlement of Back of Keppoch to look out over the large flat expanse of Mointeach Mhòr (meaning ‘great moss-land). This is where glacial debris built up at the end of a glacier and blocked Loch Morar from the sea. The sand and gravel deposited by the glacier was eventually covered by vegetation, turning the sand flats into today’s mossy expanse.
5. Sea views – Seallaidhean mara
Stop near Traigh Golf Course or wherever you have a clear view to the small isles of Eigg and Rum. About 60 million years ago the west coast and the Inner Hebrides were areas of intense volcanic activity as the North Atlantic Ocean opened. Horizontal lava flows created huge plateaus, and the layers can still be seen on the cliffs of Eigg. The jagged peaks of Rum that lie behind Eigg are all that remain of a volcano once many times higher.
6. Loch Morar – Loch Mòrair
Travel alongside the River Morar, one of Britain’s shortest rivers, to enjoy views of Loch Morar. The loch fills a deep basin that was excavated by glaciers, and with a depth of 310m (1017ft) is the deepest body of fresh water in Europe.
