D and I were meant to be going to Glasgow to see the Christmas lights but because of the unpredictability of the weather, we postponed our trip and instead booked a tour of the Hollow Mountain: Ben Cruachan the world’s first high head reversible pump storage hydro-electric power station. Phew, think I got the words in the right order.
While I’ve walked to the top of Ben Cruachan, via the Cruachan Dam, this is the only Munro in which I’ve gone into a gigantic cavern 1km deep inside the mountain, walking past sub-tropical plants into the visitors’ gallery.
As no-one else had booked on the tour we had the guide, Ian, to ourselves: a private tour. An awesome piece of engineering. Ian described our journey as like something out of James Bond. Sean Connery style. I loved his story of the tunnel tigers – the men who worked in units of two, one man providing the shoulder for his mate to rest the hand held drill with which they drilled out the black granite rock. Those tunnel tigers who are still alive are stone deaf and have shoulder injuries.
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