Friday, April 02, 2010

Loch Spelve and its mysterious pier.


We paddled west into Loch Spelve and passed the few scattered houses at Croggan before arriving at...


...Croggan pier. I have no idea why such a large pier would have been built in such a remote spot. In the distance on the Scottish mainland, Ben Cruachan looked magnificent.


We were now heading towards the SW corner of Loch Spelve, a beautiful and remote environment.


The contrast between the open crossing of the Firth of Lorn and the mountains gathering round the head of Loch Spelve could not have been greater.

2 comments:

  1. Hello Douglas,

    According to Olive Brown and Jean Whittaker in "Walking in South Mull & Iona", MacBrayne steamers once made a scheduled stop at Croggan Pier. The pier was completed in 1896. They don't say which route the steamers were on unfortunately or why Croggan was chosen as a stopping point.

    Andrea.

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  2. Thanks Andrea, maybe the pier was built before the road? Even so, I am surprised by the size of the pier given the small size of the houses and the village. If there had been substantial Victorian villas I could have understood it better. A friend who lives and works in Loch Spelve does not know either but is going to try and find out.

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