Exploring Scotland 1 Castle at a Time, Part 22, Loch Maree
We went to Loch Maree because it’s the setting of my current work in progress and I wanted to see the highlands up close and personal. And Loch Maree is the highlands. It resides in Wester Ross in the Northwestern upper regions of Scotland. It’s known as the Jewel of the Highlands because it’s so untouched. I was unprepared for the raw beauty and power of the place. Scotland was carved out by huge glaciers that covered the entire continent hundreds of thousands of years ago. That fact never seemed so evident until I saw the Loch Maree area. This is Mount Slioch. It stands 3219 feet high and dominates its surroundings. It’s very popular with climbers. Loch Maree has a maximum depth of 375 feet and an average depth of 125 and is nearly 13 miles long. It is the 4th largest loch in Scotland. The loch has around 30 islands, Isle Maree being the most important. It is on that island that a small chapel was built in 766 AD. by St. Maol Rubha. He came to spread...