Whether it is geology or geomorphology, the lochaber area has some fascinating sites of national and international importance with a great many of the locations within easy reach of Craigard House.

This is a classic area to view the rocks of the Caledonian mountain building episode. But that is not all there is to explore, there are two sites are National Nature Resources, the Isle of Rum for it's core of a volcano and Glen Roy the "parallel roads" which are the remains of a shore levels of a lake in the glacial times.

Lochaber has been designated as a geopark and now has it's own web site, www.lochabergeopark.org.uk and has produced a series trail guides to some of the most important areas and are available online, click over to view: Ardnamurchan, Glencoe, Glen Nevis, Glen Roy, Loch Leven, Morvern, Road to the Isles and The Small Isles.

The Isle of Skye is about an hour away with its varied geologic landscapes from basaltic lava flow through to Jurassic rocks which occasionally yield up vertebrate fossils of importance such as the 4 turtle specimens that have been recently found. I myself found a fossilised jawbone of a Jurassic crocodile on the beach at Elgol, not so dramatic as it sounds, it was only 4cm long.

The Great Glen lies along the line of one of the deepest structural faults in the UK, movement has gone on since the Hercynian mountain building of the Carboniferous period. It is even continuing to do this day, however in much reduced activity. The result of this sideways movement is that the rocks on one side of Loch Ness originally started some 110km apart, however total sideways movement has been estimated to be around 700km!

Geomorphologically there are numerous glacial features, from the plateau of Rannoch Moor, moraines north of Fort WIlliam, outwash terraces, deltas and spreads. Raised beaches can be seen in Ardnamurchan and Glenborrodale.

Craigard Guest House, Invergarry, Inverness-shire, PH35 4HG Telephone: +44 (0)1809 501 258 Email: andrew_middleton@tiscali.co.uk