As a castle enthusiast, I took a sidetrip to the ruins of Strome Castle. Built in the 1400s up on a rocky bluff, the castle was strategically important as it guarded the Strome Narrows at the mouth of Loch Carron. In the hands of the Macdonalds of Glengarry a century later, the castle was often fought over with the neighbouring clan, the Mackenzies. One night in 1602, water was drawn from the well and accidentally deposited in the barrel containing the stock of gunpowder instead of the water barrel, rendering the castle defenceless. Receiving news of this error, the Mackenzies besieged the castle. Negotiations ensued and the Mackenzies agree to provide safe passage to the Macdonalds. Once the Macdonalds left, the Mackenzies blew up the castle. Although very little remains today of the castle the visit is worth it for the views overlooking the lake, the narrows and the deeply rich and green landscape.
Travelling passed fishing lochs, reservoirs and small villages I arrived at the road junction of Achnasheen that was built by Thomas Telford. A civil engineer, architect and stonemason, Thomas was an exceptional designer. His reputation was of such standing that he was nicknamed "The Colossus of Roads" having been responsible for the design and construction of numerous roads throughout the UK and more importantly for connecting many Highland districts that were previously inaccessible.
Starting as a stonemason in 1771 when he was just 14 years old, over the next 63 years his infrastructure projects included over 1,000 bridges, several canals including the Göta Canal in Sweden and the Caledonian Canal in the Highlands, harbors and numerous churches. Thomas was also an accomplished writer having contributed to the Edinburgh Encyclopaedia and publishing poetry before his rise to fame as an engineer.
Having left an impressive list of completed works throughout the UK and serving as the first President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Thomas' legacy is annually recognized via the Telford Medal, a prize awarded each year to authors who have produced exceptional written works that benefit the civil engineering and construction industry.
Having paused for a moment at the junction to absorb the works of Telford, I swung southwest travelling alongside several lochs into Lochcarron. Prior to 1813, it was known as Janetown, a tiny village that tripled in size when a major road coming from Inverness opened up. The village is located alongside Loch Carron, a sea lake that provides excellent opportunities for diving and underwater photography. One of the highlights for a photographer is the seabed of flame shell, a species of small saltwater clam with bright orange tentacles protruding from the edges. Fish such as 15-spined stickleback, named as such due to its 14-17 spikes in front of its dorsal fin, and small-spotted catshark can also be found in the lake.
This section completes the southern part of the NC500. From Lochcarron I'll be winding my up the west coast all the way to Durness.
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