The morning route today takes us from our mooring off the hamlet of Strontian to Glenbeg on the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Dougie has arranged a tour and tasting at the Ardnamurchan distillery for those interested. We are!
The distillery is considered one of the remotest in Scotland and takes its name from the peninsula. It’s one of the newer Scottish distilleries having opened in 2014. Operations are super green – powered by renewable energy using both hydro-electric power and a large bio-mass boiler fed with timber from the nearby forest. They harvest the non-native tree species for the boiler and replant with native trees. The boiler provides heat to the distillery floor maltings and draws the water for its whisky production from springs above the distillery. The nearby Glenmore River is used as a source for cooling water. Byproducts of the process are recycled as animal feed and fertilizer. The tour was good, the tasting less so.
After lunch, we proceed down the Sound of Mull to Loch Aline where we are anchoring tonight. We experience rough weather again for an hour or so and it is quite cold. Mary is now wearing three layers bottom and four layers on top.
At the mouth of Loch Aline is the coastal village of Lochaline, the main village in the Morvern area of the Highland council. It’s small with a population of around 200 but supposedly has a hotel, social club, and pub (!). Dougie runs a group of us over to the dock by zodiac to check out the pub. Along the road to the village is a working silica sand mine. Alas, the social club is only open are weekends and the pub no longer in business.
