Post It from Bunree CC site, Nr Fort William, Highlands, Scotland. Saturday 28th September, 2013.

We decided to visit this Club site after hearing how beautiful it was from lots of people at Ayr so altered our itinerary slightly to do so, and we are pleased we did. We also chose to take the easier and more safe route avoiding Loch Lomond and drove north to Stirling and then along the A82 via Callander. It was good to see we were now in the Highlands and our stop for lunch at a high view point overlooking Loch Tulla was magnificent so I have included a photograph.

The journey through Glen Coe was equally magnificent but unfortunately there were no stopping places with room to accommodate us properly and I did not want to try and become stuck in soft soil after all the rain they had been having. Instead we stopped at the NT visitor centre on the edge of Glencoe village, the exhibition was well worth the visit and my knowledge of English and Scottish history much improved as a result. We also watched an excellent video telling how the Glen was formed over millions of years which put everything into perspective.

Bunree is a truly beautiful site on the edge of Loch Linnhe with awesome views of the Loch and surrounding countryside right from your window. It is so quiet in this area that often we could not hear a sound and then the silence would be broken by the sound of a bird or the distinctive noise of a vessels engine in the distance. All the pitches have a view of the Loch I would guess and the prime position is right along the pebble shore but we chose a pitch on the second row with the most stunning views over the Loch rather than take the very last front row one with less of a view.

We spent 4 nights here and the weather was very good to us, not a drop of rain during the waking hours and some sun on our last full day here. The A82 which runs past the entrance to Bunree is a very narrow main road and Linda, the Warden, warned us against cycling on the road itself but suggested we could, with care, use the footpath to the bridge at North Ballachulish where the path then was a dedicated cycle and pedestrian route and part of the Sustrans route 78. Linda was certainly right about her warning, we did as she suggested and even then the HGV’s were intimidating as they flew by, often with their wing mirrors over the footpath.

We took advantage of the weather and accessibility to quiet roads or paths and did a total of 38 miles cycling in the first two days. We crossed Loch Linnhe via the Corran ferry (free to cyclists), close to the camp site, and rode along the Loch side road towards Treslaig. We had a good view of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain at 1343m but the summit was in cloud. We saw an Osprey, lots of Grey Herons and possibly an Eagle or some other large bird of prey. There is a salmon farm at Ardgour and a very good cycle route adjacent to it that leads you through the trees and past two Lochs over to the far side of the village bypassing the ferry at Corran. I took a photo of the site from the opposite side of the Loch to show you how beautiful it is. Our second day of cycling saw us pluck up the courage to ride alongside the A82 and we rode to Glencoe village where we saw the monument to the ‘Massacre of Glencoe’ by the English Government  upon the MacDonalds using the Clan Campbell to do their fighting. On our way back we took a detour and rode to Kentallen Pier along the old railway line and passed the place where Colin Campbell, the Red Fox, had been killed, possibly by the Stewarts of Appin who he was on his way to evict. It is quite remarkable that history is on your doorstep almost everywhere you go around here.

Our final day saw us put the walking boots on and climb up into the Forest of Glen Righ right opposite the camp site. We climbed quite steeply up by the Inchree waterfalls to see spectacular views over Loch Linnhe and heard the cries of exhilaration from a group of people ‘canyoning’ down the falls. We occasionally saw their protective hard helmets amongst the dense woodland and the organisation that carries out this activity is based right there by the car park where all the walks start from. We then headed off and joined the Wades Road walk high up into the forest to a quarry but this involved quite steep climbs up some eroded paths. However after all the exertion the views were worth it. It was a spectacular day for wildlife as we saw not one but two Red Squirrels at an observation station close to the car park and that evening we sat on the edge of the Loch at the camp site trying to see the Otters and Seals that had graced us with a quick glimpse the preceding two evenings.

We were very glad we listened to what others had said and visited Bunree, if you are looking for beauty and tranquillity from your pitch then this must be one of the best to achieve it. Off to Culloden tomorrow travelling along the length of the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness, avoiding the monster of course!

Regards, Roy