Beautiful Ballachulish

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Most people know Ballachulish as the place after Glencoe if you’re travelling north. They may also recognise it from the Ballachulish Bridge. That was my perception until we spent a few days there.
We identified the Brecklet Trail as an interesting walk and were aware that it started off by a slate quarry. It basically goes up a mountain to a forest which contains some disused buildings and then back down to the modern village of Brecklet, which is the oldest part of Ballachulish. However, we weren’t fully aware of the significance of the slate quarry and how old the industry was.
Slate quarrying in Ballachulish started in 1693, which was the year after the Glencoe massacre. So, the shockwaves of that massive historical event must still have been reverberating around Ballachulish at that time. The slate quarrying stopped around 1955.
On the Brecklet Trail, the abandoned buildings are eery, but fascinating, though their origin and reasons for their abandonment are uncertain. Suggestions that they were once part of the quarry operation, which became disused after the building of the Slate Arches are plausible, but unfounded, though the buildings would seem to predate the forest.
There’s a BBC piece online from ‘Nationwide’ from the 1970s which showed the aftermath of the closure of the slate quarry on Ballachulish town. At this stage a dispute between the quarrying company and local government was at a stalemate about who was responsible for clearing up the debris left by the slate industry, which was a blight on the area. The village also became a dumping ground for old cars and other rubbish.
Thankfully some sort of resolution must have taken place, as Ballachulish is now beautiful again, with due respect paid to its industrial past. Situated on beautiful Loch Leven, the views of the Glencoe mountains, the Ballachulish Monroes, the Mamores and other mountain ranges are stunning.
The Ballachulish Bridge, part of the A82, goes from South to North Ballachulish and was built to replace an ancient ferry service to improve connectivity in the Highlands. Crossing the bridge really is one of the highlights of a journey through Scotland. Ever since I got my drone, I had dreamed of flying it down Loch Leven over the bridge and seeing the views which I normally can only get a brief glimpse of as I drive across, so I was pleased to be able to include that here.
I filmed this on two separate days, one when we did the Brecklet Trail walk and one, when we visited the quarry remains and the monuments. The walk is challenging from the start, being an ascent up a mountain essentially, but becomes easier after the slate picnic table. The forest was a good shelter from the sun on a hot day.

I hope you enjoy the film.

Music: All from Youtube Audio Library:
Anomalous Hedges - The Mini Vandals
Satya Yuga - Jesse Gallagher
Timeless - Lauren Duski
The Six Realms - I Think I Can Help You
Moonrise - Reed Mathis