CORRAN

I remember watching an episode of the excellent TV series Coast in which one of the presenters - Neil Oliver I think - imparted the astonishing information that Scotland has 7,000 miles of coastline. Given that the British coastline totals around 11,000-12,000 miles (estimates vary), that is well over half. Looking at the west coast of Scotland it is easy to see where all these miles come from. Not only are there the numerous islands offshore, but this stretch of coast has the appearance of having been shredded, what with all the sea lochs which have formed around the mountainous terrain. One of the longest and widest of these is Loch Linnhe, which stretches for 31 miles from the Firth of Lorne to Fort William, where it hangs a left and turns into Loch Eil. Corran is at the narrowest part of Loch Linnhe, appropriately named The Narrows, and provides a ferry service to the eastern shore of The Narrows. The Tate website has a sketch by the artist Joseph Mallord William Turner depicting the Corran Narrows. Just above the ferry slipway is the Corran Lighthouse, a picturesque whitewash building with an adjoining lodge which offers self-catering accommodation. There is little else here apart from an inn, a scattering of houses and wonderful views up the loch.

Map of the area.

The Corran Ferry at Corran Narrows - geograph.org.uk - 107441. Photo by Norrie Adamson, via Wikimedia Commons.