Our Scottish Adventure.

Kellie and Tim are off on another adventure to the northern hemisphere (we always seem to go north!).  This time we are spending it with some good friends from our part of paradise north of Sydney - Ros and Dave.  No doubt there will be plenty of anecdotes about our adventures, and hopefully we will be able to catch a glimpse of "Nessie!"  Come along for the ride....

Up early and onto a pretty deserted station to the catch the train into the airport.  A quick bite of breakfast in the Qantas lounge before getting on the 747 to Hong Kong.  We went a bit stir crazy with the 6 hour lay-over in Hong Kong waiting for the BA leg to Heathrow… by the end of it it seemed like we were on a first name basis with the Lounge staff (Tim did manage to have a sneaky look at a few of the work emails that had come in during the flight..!).  Then it was back onto an A380 for the flight to London.

Albert's Royal concert Hall.

So we arrived in London – one of the first flights down, so no queues at immigration!  Into a taxi and onto our hotel in Kensington.  It was pouring with rain the whole way!  Rivers were flowing across the streets and the gutters were overflowing – we were starting to worry…  After checking in and a bit of a freshen up, we had some breakfast as the sun started to break through.  It was a day of patchy sun and a few rain showers, but no too bad at all – just a bit of a false start!  We started with a nice long walk in the cool summer sunshine (now!) around the Kensington area we were staying and amongst the trees of Kensington Gardens.  We had a leisurely cup of tea by one of the lakes in the Gardens (amongst the swans, thinking of tonight’s game!) before heading towards the Royal Albert Hall for a tour.

The Royal Albert Hall is an amazing place, with stacks of history.  It was built with the proceeds of the first Worlds Fair – held in the original Crystal Palace in Hyde Park.  Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, was a keen sponsor the Arts and Sciences and bought around 80 acres of land for his vision of furthering the Arts and Sciences – that area is today occupied by the Royal Albert Hall, as well as the V&A, Natural History  and Science Museums.  Albert died before his visionary Concert Hall was completed.  We were not able to take pictures inside as they were rehearsing for the Proms – we did get to hear some of the rehearsal of the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle though… The sound was amazing!  The mural out in the foyer of the Hall might be familiar to Beatles fans, as it was done in the same style as the cover of their Sargent Peppers album.

After lunch at Hyde Park Corner it was off to Buckingham Palace to see the inside…!  We had a tour of the State Rooms – again no photos (sorry, it doesn’t leave much for the Blog!), but some very spectacular rooms that are used for entertaining heads of state.  On show were many of the gifts that are exchanged by world leaders at the occasions, and the key exhibit right at the beginning in the quadrangle, was the coach that Australia gave the Queen for our bicentenary.  Once through the impressive collection of gifts and artwork, not to mention the elaborate and ornate internal decorations, we left via the back door and through the back yard – which looked like an immaculately manicured bowling green, but was the size of a football field – it even had its own lake!

It was then back to the hotel for a bit of a rest before heading out to a local pub for dinner.

P.S.  Checked the internet when I got back to the room to see the Swannies had a big win…. Feeding those Swans in Kensington Gardens must have been good luck!

Walking in Hamstead Heath

We got up for an early breakfast this morning, before heading off on the “tube” to Hampstead.  We spent the morning exploring Hampstead Heath.  It is a fantastic area of parkland that is open to all members of the public.  While we were spending time there we saw all sorts walking their dogs, doing their daily jog, swimming in the lakes (brrrr…!), we even got run over by a 5km Fun Run that was being held in the Heath.

Hampstead Heath is a very ancient parkland that dates back to Ethelred the Unready (what a great name!) one of Great Britain’s early leaders.  It is nearly 800 acres of parkland that is available to the public.  It was passed down by the monarchy to various individuals, but the main portion was purchased for the pubic by the Board of Works in 1888, and various bits were added over time.  It now includes the Heath itself, Parliament Hill (whose vista towards the city of London is protected by law) and Kenwood House and it’s grounds.  It is one of the highest points in London, and has great views over the city.

We spent a few pleasant hours walking through the Heath, taking in the sights – a dodging the Runners from the Fun Run!  The terrain ranged from woodland forests that reminded us of Robin Hood, to grassy windswept fields with hills that gave us a great view right back to the landmarks of London city.  All around the park were benches, with dedications on them like “In memory of so-and-so who loved to walk among the Heath” or similar phrases.  Clearly, this has been a place of reflection and solitude for many over a long period of time.

During our walks around we stumbled across Kenwood House, which was a stately home owned by the Earl of Mansfield.  It was a beautiful home set high on a hill overlooking manicured gardens and the Heath beyond.  It was featured in one of the scenes from the movie Noting Hill.  It contained a significant art collection with many notable artists – it even had a self-portrait by Rembrandt!  We then continued on our walk through the Heath, until we ended in the town of Hampstead, where we explored the postcard-perfect town and it’s cobblestoned alleyways, before stopping for a quick coffee, and then caught the train back to the hotel.

After our morning wander, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up for a long lunch with our old friends Matt & Trudy at a restaurant in Chelsea Gardens.  It was great to catch up and we left the restaurant 4 hours later…!  Then we headed out to South Bank to see a bit of the city and have a wander along the Thames.  What a bad choice!  The place was chock-a-block with people… we could hardly move and had to shuffle along in parts.  Eventually we crossed over the Millennium Bridge (the one in Harry Potter, that gets destroyed by the death-eaters!), to the north side of the river, which was much less crowded.  After a wander around St Pauls we headed back to the hotel for the evening – pretty tired after a long day of being on our feet for most of it.

Hampton Court

So the jet lag was pretty much finished, and we were feeling OK… but a sleep in was much appreciated (we were on holidays after all!).  A late breakfast and then it was off to the tube (via the local Tescos to get some lunch) and then we were off to Hampton Court to see the official residence of Henry the 8^th.  It was a very interesting history lesson about one of England’s most iconic Kings.  As a young man he was an impressive and ambitious leader – only looking for the best for his nation.  He married a princess from Spain, who was a pious and formidable woman in her own right – Catherine of Aragon.  Hampton Court was a great “hotel” offering lodging to those visiting the King.

As a young man Henry married Catherine, who was his brother’s wife before his brother suffered an early death.  During Henrys early life he tried hard to put England on the international map in terms of diplomacy and power – and was largely successful thanks to his astute wife and his close confidant Cardinal Wolsey.  It was Wolsey who actually owned Hampton Court and gave it to Henry as a “gift” – after his position of power was under threat as he had been unsuccessful in negotiating a divorce for Henry from his first wife – Catherine.  Henry was very keen to ensure that he had a male heir  - and Catherine had not been able to “Give” him that heir, so he sought to divorce her.  In the end, as Wolsey was unable to negotiate a divorce with the Pope, Henry divorced Catherine by Royal decree and effectively split from the Catholic Church and set up the Anglican Church – changing the course of English Church history.

Hampton Court was a place of extravagance and merriment – Henry had around 60 homes that he used around the country and this was largely because the Royal retinue would eat and drink so much that after only a month or so, they would have to move on as the resources in that area were exhausted!  Eating and drinking, was a very important thing for the court of Henry 8^th, and Kellie enjoyed seeing the kitchen areas of Hampton Court and learning how they prepared the meals – although she was thankful that she didn’t have to use the same utensils and kitchens that Henrys cooks used!

After looking at the Palace itself, we then had a picnic lunch in the magnificent gardens, along with many others.  It was a beautiful sunny English summer’s day and great weather for a picnic.  We then walked among the magnificent and extensive gardens – including the ponds and the fields where we saw about 300 deer running.  No doubt this would have been an impressive woodland area where the King sourced most of his produce for entertaining his guests – but even today, it was an impressive garden with beautifully laid out gardens in full bloom in the English summer.

After a day in Hampton Court, we caught the train back to London, to see the Blues Brothers review show at the Hippodrome in Leicester Square.  It was a fun show, and great entertainment.  By the end of it the whole audience was up and “shaking their tail feathers” to the music.  Then it was back to Kensington for some dinner, before an early night as we had an early flight to Edinburgh to meet up with our fellow travelers Roz and Dave who had just arrived in Edinburgh from Australia.

Within Edinburgh Castle

We got up very early in the dark, to catch a flight to Edinburgh to meet up with our friends Ros and Dave.  We left London in the rain, to arrive in Edinburgh to dry but cloudy weather – perfect cool temperatures to walk and explore the city.

We dropped our bags at the hotel, and went straight away to meet up with Ros and Dave as we had tickets to see Edinburgh Castle.  We went off up the Royal Mile (our hotel was just off the Royal Mile – right in the heart of the old city of Edinburgh) to the castle.  It had the seats set up in the courtyard all ready for the Tattoo, and people everywhere there to see the Festival.  The Castle had a fantastic view over the city, and lots of history to be soaked up.  We queued for over half an hour to see the Scottish Crown Jewels, and saw the Great Hall – where they hold important state dinners and events. Much of the Castle is dedicated to the Military culture in Scotland and there is the Scottish War memorial within the Castle – right at the very top!

After our castle visit, we set of down through the Princess Street Gardens to the main street of Edinburgh – Princess Street.  The crowds were still thick, and seemed to be getting thicker!  We had a quick explore of the “new city” of Edinburgh, before climbing the Scott Monument.  It is 280 steps up to the top, via very skinny spiral staircases… Tim only just managed to squeeze through the last bit with a backpack on his back!  It was worth it with a view of the Castle, the old city of Edinburgh, and out over the new city to the sea.  We then walked on to climb Calton Hill, which gave us another excellent view over the city and the Castle.  We also had a view of Holyrood Park and Arthurs Seat…

We then made our way back down to the Royal Mile to go back to the old city.  We wandered the streets of the old town of Edinburgh having a look at all the alley ways and street performers that were there for the Festival.  We managed to make our way down a cobblestone street to an old pub called the Malt Shovel” where we decided to have a few “quiet beers” and ended up staying for dinner.  We then wended our way back to our hotel, stopping frequently to listen to the many street performers.

Tim's old home in Edinburgh

We met up early with Ros and Dave to walk down to the Central Rail Station in Edinburgh (Waverly Station) to collect our hire car for the next few days.  Dave was volunteered as the Chauffer for the day, and we set off for Stirling in the rain!  ON the way we stopped for a picture at the house that Tim lived in with his family for 14 months many, many years ago.  It had changed very little, and Tim was able to pick it out when driving along, by noticing St Thomas’ Church which was directly opposite!.

After this little side-track down memory lane, we arrived at the town of Stirling.  We stopped off at a very small café which served a traditional Scottish breakfast… Bacon, Eggs, Fried Bread, Fried Scone (really a funny shaped pancake soaked in oil and fried), Sausage (which was really sausage meat flattened into a pattie – they call “sausages” “Links” here in Scotland…?), Black Pudding, and there might have been some tomato and Mushrooms (but they would have been fried in oil also…!).  It was probably the most unhealthy breakfast I have had for many years…. but strangely, appropriate here in rainy Scotland!?!

We arrived (in the rain – or “Scottish Sunshine” as our guide called it!) at Stirling Castle and joined a tour with Andrew – who turned out to be the most entertaining guide we could have imagined!  His passion for the history of Scotland and of Stirling Castle in particular, was inspirational.  Stirling Castle was a very significant castle in Scottish history – and many Kings and Queens of Scotland were crowned there.  Most of the buildings on the top of the castle rock (a similar geological outcrop to the one Edinburgh Castle is built on) date from the 1500’s and 1600’s, although some elements of the constructions from the 1400’s still remain.  The Castle was strategically important, as it guarded the furthest downstream crossing of the Forth River… so for anyone wanting to control the Lowlands this position was vital.

Only one of the buildings - the great hall – today retains the golden coloured limewash that once covered the entire Castle structure in the 1500’s.  What an imposing structure it would have been with this colour adorning the walls.  It would have been able to have been seen from miles around, and would have acted like a lighthouse for the surrounding countryside telling all that could see that “a wealthy and influential King lived here”.  The immaculately restored Palace was a highlight, built by James V for his wife Mary of Guise (a Frenchwomen) it was one of the first Renaissance buildings in Scotland.

After exploring he Castle, we headed off to the William Wallace Monument, built high on one of the near rocky outcrops, on the other side of the river Forth.  It was built in 1869 to honour William Wallace – one of Scotland’s heroes from the 1300’s.  William Wallace was “braveheart” for those who have seen the movie – although we were told that he was much more bloodthirsty that the movie portrayed!  He fought his finest battle in the valley between the Monument and Stirling Castle, called the Battle of Stirling Bridge.  From the very top of the 67 meter tower, we could see where the battle took place – it is now a carpark for one of the local football fields!

We then headed off towards Falkirk (and its’ famous sculptures of the Kelpies – mythical water horses) for the Falkirk Wheel….  We stopped off at a truck stop and had what must have been close to the WORST burger I have ever had!  Enough said!  What’s the Falkirk Wheel, I hear you ask?  A very good question…  It is a modern day “Lock” – a rotating boat lift that connects two of the most important cannels in Scotland – the Forth and Clyde Canal and the Union Canal.  By connecting these two canals, in 2006, for the first time since early in the 1900’s there was a canal route from Glasgow to Edinburgh.  The boat lift is able to lift the weight of 100 Elephants up 24 meters, with only the electricity that is used by 8 kettles to boil a cup of tea!  This is all done by some tricky engineering by Tony Kettle and the help of a scientific principles discovered by the Greek thinker Archimedes.

The weather was improving, and while still cloudy and humid, it had stopped raining.  The locals called this weather “close”…. because it was CLOSE to raining again!  We then made our way to Roslyn Chapel – made famous by the novel and movie, The DaVinci Code!  It is a remarkable Chapel that was built out of intricately carved sandstone in the 1400’s by William St Claire.  The Chapel was never finished… in fact, what we see today is only the Choir Section and the Crypt – the rest was designed, but not completed due to St Claire untimely death before it could be completed.  There are many carvings inside (and outside) the Chapel, but my favourite is the scene depicting the birth of Christ, with the Angels shown singing and playing instruments to celebrate the Messiahs birth.  One of the angels is shown playing the bagpipes!  Only in Scotland….

We then drove the car to a free carpark that Kellie had researched near the airport (as we didn’t need it for the next few days), and caught a double decker bus back into the old town of Edinburgh for a quick bite to eat before we saw some Jazz – New Orleans Style!  We then stumbled back to the hotel to crash after a pretty full day!

The Castle at night

We set off after some breakfast on the Royal Mile, to catch a bus out to the port of Leith to see the Royal Yacht Britannia.  When we started our bus ride, it was raining, but by the time we arrived – in typical Scottish fashion – the rain had stopped and it was a fine day.  We toured around the impressive boat that was one of the Queens favourite things… apparently she even cried when it was de-commissioned!  Interestingly, one of the comments by her husband at the beginning of the exhibition noted that “historically monarchs built Palaces, Museums or other buildings to mark their reign – the Queen has none of these, but Britannia was the only structure she has built”.

It was sumptuous, with state rooms and living quarters all set up as it would have been if the Queen had been using it.  She used it as her “Palace away from home” to entertain heads of state.  Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan were among some of those entertained on the boat.  Its last official duty was to take General Paton home from Hong Kong after the handover to the Chinese in 1997.

The boat was a working Palace, with all the trappings of the Queens position, but it also had the usual things you would expect for a ship that spent many weeks at sea – a number of Bars (!), a hospital, a post office, an extensive kitchen (that is still used for corporate functions today), amongst others.  It also had some things that you might not expect, like a Rolls Royce!  The Queen used to take her car with her for ground transport on her trips – the car had to be lifted on an off by a special crane (in later years the garage was converted to a beer store room, and the Queen sourced her cars locally!).  It was a unique ship – from the gold leaf paint on the side, to the immaculate engine room – so clean that you could almost eat off the floor!

We then set off from the Royal Yacht, to walk along the Water of Leith Walk which followed the Water of Leith all the way into the city.  It was a lovely walk along the riverside, with many walkers and bike riders using the walkway.  We stopped at Connonmills to have some lunch at the Orchid Pub.  We tried our first Haggis of the journey… everyone agreed it was actually quite nice (although we didn’t google what was I it until AFTER we had eaten it!).  From here we took a short bus ride back into the new city, to have a walk around.  While the girls explored, Tim and Dave made friends at the local over a pint!

We then walked back across to the old city, and Walked the length of the Royal Mile down to the new Scottish Parliament buildings and the Palace of Holyrood House – which is the Queens residence in Scotland.  She uses this to entertain for state occasions – it is (appropriately) right opposite the new Parliament building.  She stays in the Palace one week each year, at the beginning of summer, to carry out official engagements.  On our way down the Royal Mile we stopped at St Giles Cathedral – an impressive old church with magnificent stained glass windows.  The church dates from the 14^th century, but most of it is much more recent than that – it is the principal church of the Church of Scotland.

We then walked back up the Royal Mile to our hotel for a bit of a rest (and to get some warm clothes!) before we went to the Tattoo in the evening.

We met up with Ros and Dave for some dinner on the Royal Mile and then made our way up with the rest of the crowd, to the Castle forecourt for the show.  The whole of the Royal Mile was a sea of people shuffling up the ancient cobblestone road – all 40,000 of us!  When the show started it was just on sunset, and the Castle looked magnificent in the fading light of day.  During the show the walls of the Castle were lit up in the same way they light up the buildings for Sydney’s Vivid festival… very spectacular.  There were military bands from USA, India, as well as three bands from Australia participating in the Massed Pipes and Drums… The Australian Federal Police Pipes & Drums, The New South Wales Police Pipe Band, and the Royal Caledonian Society of South Australia.  So the Aussies were well represented…

It was a great experience, and well worth the 45 minutes that Kellie had to wait online to get the tickets!  The show finished with the lone piper high up in the Castle, and a stirring rendition of “Scotland the Brave” by all the cast from the show.

Kellie on Salisbury Crags with the Castle in the background

For the morning today we decided to do our own things – Roz and Dave headed off to do some Yoga to get themselves in tune for the walk, while Kellie and Tim set off to walk around Holyrood Park.  The Park is adjacent to Holyrood Palace and was the place where Mary Queen of Scots used to hunt deer (after practicing archery in her back yard!).  We didn’t see any deer, but it was a popular spot for joggers and walkers.  The park is dominated by two hills – Arthurs Seat and Salisbury Crags.  Arthurs Seat is 251 meters high, and has a stunning view over all of Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth.

We decided to “face-time” the kids while on top of Arthurs Seat…. just because….  Hilariously, when we started dialing a dog came bounding up to us and wanted to see who we were looking at on the phone – the dogs owner apologised and told us that she always “face-times” her sister, and the dog was familiar with the ring tone and wanted to join in the call, thinking it was someone he knew!  After climbing these two peaks and walking around the park, we headed to the New Parliament House to have a snack on the lawn between Parliament House and Holyrood Palace, before heading up the Royal Mile to the hotel to meet Roz and Dave to see another Fringe Festival event “Out of the Blue”, an accapella group from Oxford University, before heading off for lunch.  We took a short taxi ride over to the other side of Holyrood Park to an old historic village called Dunningston.  We had a long lunch in the sun (!) in the beer garden of The Sheep Heid Inn, an old pub that had been operating since 1360!  The place was full of history, and Bonnie Prince Charlie is said to have eaten there.

The village is only one city block, so didn’t take much exploring after our long lunch.  The girls made friend with a local named Christine who showed us Doctor Neils Gardens near Dunningston Kirk (Church), as well was the community gardens  (which are normally closed to the public) – she was quite proud of them and Roz and Kellie were inspired to try setting up some community gardens in Berowra when we return.

We then made it back to the old city to a pub called the Royal Oak, which was an old pub that specialised in Folk music – it had a room downstairs that could sit only about 20 or 30, and we heard two guys, who were local Folk musicians from Edinburgh, called “Gone Native”.  They we very entertaining with songs loaded with political content.

Selfie at the Falls at Dochart

We started off early today and took the bus out to near the airport where we had parked the car.  We set off for Glasgow via the Trossachs – a beautiful area of lochs and forest and hills.  We drove through the rain (“liquid sunshine” as they call it up here!) to the Falls at Dochart.  Real picture postcard stuff, even though it was grey and overcast.  It was a lovely little town, but we abandoned our sightseeing after the rain (sorry – liquid sunshine) started coming down in buckets!

We stopped at a Pub on the way – Called the Drivers Inn at Inverarnan.  It was chock full of stuffed animals and deer antler… obviously an old hunting pub.  When I say old… it was established in 1705.  We then got back into the car the hassles started to happen…

We got a mile or so down the road only to come to a dead stop for just over an hour.  Obviously there was some accident on the narrow road along the side of the Loch.  We decided to turn around and take the long way to Glasgow.. only to come to a stop again, this time for only about 20 minutes.  Once moving it was a long and slow drive into Glasgow, to get the car back to the hire car company just in the nick of time.  Then onto our hotel, just a short walk away….

The Jury Inn was where we were supposed to be staying, but when we arrived they told us they had no record of our booking which we had pre-paid for and they had no spare rooms!  After they saw the steam coming out of our ears, they arranged for us to have 50 pounds worth of drinks at the bar while they sorted something out.  They ended up finding us accommodation at the Hallmark Hotel, which was OK… except for the cold shower in the morning and the fact that the hire car to the hotel was so small that we had to nurse one of our suitcases on our laps in the back seat, as it wouldn’t fit in the boot!

After a frustrating day, we had a relaxed dinner in the hotel, and an early night to try and catch up on some sleep ready for our walk over the next few days.

View down to Fort William

After a spot of breakfast, we decided to have a very quick explore of Glasgow city.  We set off from our hotel and walked along the Clyde River, and then made our way into the city.  There was a touch of the liquid sunshine falling from the sky, but by the time we got to St Georges Square where the Glasgow City Chambers were – it was bucketing down.  After sheltering for about 10 minutes, we decided to make a run for the nearest coffee shop to buy some lunch for the train trip.  By the time we got out of the shop, the rain had eased and we walked back to the hotel to check out and grab a taxi to the railway station.

When the taxi finally turned up (this is the one that was arranged by the hotel that had botched our booking last night!), he couldn’t fit two of our bags in!  So we paid for our own taxi (of the London Black Cab variety) and set off for the train in the pouring rain (again!).  Our journey to Fort William and the highlands had begun!  By the time we got out of Glasgow, it was fine and even sunny in patches, and was magnificent weather for viewing the spectacular scenery on the journey north.

When we got to the Hotel, we quickly checked in and grabbed a taxi to take us to the Gondola up to one of the peaks near Ben Nevis (Scotland’s highest mountain at 1,344m).  We walked a bit further up from where the Gondola dropped us off and the mountain we went up was Sgurr Finnisig-aig (… don’t ask me to pronounce it!) and it was 663m high.  We had a spectacular view of the town of For William and the surrounding area – and the weather was kind to us so we had excellent viewing conditions, even if it was a touch windy!

It was then down the hill, to have a quick refreshing “Irn-Bru” a famous Scottish soft drink that tastes like Creaming Soda (…I won’t have to do that again!) while we waited for our taxi (Jim was his name… he had dropped us off at the hotel and the Gondola and was going to pick us up and take us to a Pub in town that he recommended called the “Grog and Gruel”.  Excellent food, and some Haggis was again sampled – the boys are taking quite a liking to it!

We then walked back to the hotel to fill some hip flasks that the boys had to commemorate the Walk, and to do our last minute preparations for tomorrows start.  We are eagerly looking forward to it!

At the start of our walk

We set off early after some breakfast for our first day of the Great Glen Way – first stop was the supermarket to get some lunch, before heading out to the old site of Fort William and the start of the Great Glen Way.  Then we were off, and on our way to the first stop which was the beginning of the Caledonia Canal.  On our way, we met up with some highland Cattle – which Roz has a soft spot for – so we stopped to say “hello”.  After giving directions to some school girls (this will become important later!) we went on to the start of the Caledonia Canal.

This Canal was built by Thomas Telford and, in combination with many of the Lochs along the geological fault known as the Great Glen, allows a boat to go from the Atlantic Ocean right across Scotland to the North Sea.  The first part of our journey North Eastwards, included “Neptune s Staircase” – a series of 8 locks that raise a boat 20m.  It is the longest staircase lock in Britain.  At the top of Neptune’s Stairs we met up with our School Girls who were getting into their canoes for a paddle down the Canal.  We then stopped to have a chat to a couple of Englishmen (brothers) and their sons who were riding their bikes along the Great Glen Way – they were going to do it in 3 days as opposed to our 6 days!

We then moved on from there to follow the banks of the Caledonia Canal along to the Sheangain Aqueduct.  This was a structure (one of many) that carried the man-made canal over the natural watercourses and creeks that crossed its path.  At this point in our walk the school girls in the canoes had caught us up (although they were not going much faster than we were!), so we decided to have some lunch at the side of the canal.  We found out later that they were doing their canoe and camping trip as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award - the same as our kids had done.  We then came across a bridge that was the oldest original bridge on the canal.  The Moy Swing Bridge was built in 1822 (out of cast iron) to compensate the farmer whose land was bisected by the construction of the canal.  The bridge is still operational today.  The bridge was usually closed in position over the canal, as the farmer has right of way – however, when we walked by it was open as the farmer was away on holiday – so it could remain open for the boats on the canal to travel though at their leisure.

We then made our way along the tow road between the Caledonian Canal and the River Lochy to Gairlochy, another double lock.  Here we made a call to our host for the evening, Robert, who came and met us to take us to our B&B (Smiddy House).  We walked through the small town of Spean Bridge, where our B&B was, to the Station Hotel, which was a pub and a restaurant in the old station building, on the working railway line, at Spean Bridge.  They were great hosts, a lot of fun, and the food was delicious!  We then sat by the side of the river and took in the views, until it got too cold and we ahd to retire indoors for the evening.

A day of forest walking

We woke up this morning to a pretty wet outlook – rain had been falling fairly consistently last night and continued to come down, and was pooling everywhere.  We had a lovely breakfast, and our host Robert dropped us back to Gairlochy on the Great Glen Way where we had left it yesterday.  We then set off for a much more hilly walk through magnificent forests alongside Loch Lochy.

We walked along a variety of tracks, from narrow walking trail alongside the Loch, to forest trails/roads that were able to take some of the vehicles that maintained the forest.  We also spent some time walking along the road around the Loch, and early on in our walk passed “Millionaires Row”, where there were some magnificent houses right on the edge of the Loch with immaculate gardens and fantastic manicured gardens.  All the land we walked through today was Clan Cameron land.

We were well and truly soaked to the bone within 30 minutes – despite all our wet weather gear, and had to keep moving just to keep warm.  We had many travelling companions during the walk today, including two young guys from Italy who we had met briefly at the restaurant the night before – we saw that they were well kitted out with wet weather gear as we watched them walk ahead of us.  Later on in the walk, we came across two gentlemen from Oman – very interesting chaps, and ended up having lunch with them (in the pouring rain!) at the side of the walk.  They were brothers – 2 of 9 brothers in their family!) – and their family were date farmers.  They were generous enough to share some dates that they had grown on their farm back in Oman.

We continued our walk and in the afternoon, the rain started to clear (we even saw some blue sky….. briefly!).  The landscape we travelled through was very “other-worldy”, with a waterfall at every bend and think moss on the forest floor like a carpet.  It was beautiful, and took our breath away – and our minds off the driving rain!  Near the end of our walk we arrived at Laggen Locks, at the top of Loch Lochy.  We had been told of a barge that was permanently moored there and which had been converted to a Pub.  Disappointingly, it was closed…!

When we finished our days walk, our host for the evening – Denis - picked us up from just past the Locks and we settled in to our B&B.  Once we were showered and warmed, we set off for the short walk to the local Pub in Invergarry for a drink and some dinner.  We met up with our fellow roommates at the B&B, as well as our friend from Oman.  It was a very entertaining evening, and we found out that one of the brothers from Oman – Al – was studying a PhD in oil economics and the elder brother – Aziz – was a retired diplomat, who had lived in England, Russia, Holland and other places.  We even learned that he had met the Queen and had attended one of the State dinners in Buckingham Palace that we had seen I our tour only a week or so ago!  Aziz modestly said “she was a very nice lady”!  We were even joined by a local, Derrick, who had been born in Edinburgh, but had decided to live up here in the highlands 20 years ago “because there was too many people in Edinburgh”.

After a short walk home it was into bed, after laying out all the contents of our back pack so that they would dry by the morning…

Cruising on Loch Ness

With a bit of good fortune, overnight all the contents of our backpack had dried out, so we repacked and set off from near Laggan Locks where we had finished the day before.  Today was a short walking day, along Loch Oich and the Caledonia Canal… mainly flat!  For about the first half of our walk we followed the decommissioned Invergarry & Fort Augustus railway beside Loch Oich.  Along our travels we saw the Schoolgirls from a few days ago with their tents beside the Loch – they did not look as enthusiastic as when we first saw them, but I guess they had had to camp in the rain yesterday and last night…!

The weather for our walk was mainly fine, although overcast.  We only had a few episodes of “Scottish Sunshine” to deal with!  When we arrived in our destination, we bought a rain-cover for the backpack, so now having made the investment we are guaranteed to have no rain for the rest of the trip…. Maybe?  At the start of our trip we past the remains of the Invergarry Station, which is being restored by the Laird.  We then saw the ruins of Invergarry Castle (home of the MacDonells) across the other side of the Loch as we continued along the old railway line.

We stopped for some lunch near Cullochy Lock, which was a very pretty lock and lock-keepers cottage… in the sunshine!  A couple from Tasmania passed us as we were relaxing in the sunshine.  We then followed the tow path of the Caledonaia Canal.  Along this part of the journey we were lucky to see two deer swimming across the Canal to the other side – by the time we got to the place they had crossed the Canal, they were well and truly gone!  We followed the Canal until we arrived at Fort Augustus.  It was a lovely little town right at the bottom of Loch Ness.  We took a cruise on the Loch, and took in some beautiful scenery around the bottom of the Loch.  It is an amazingly deep lake created by a glacier from the last Ice Age, and contains more freshwater than the rest of the rivers and lakes of England and Wales combined!  We also learned that the water of Loch Ness is a constant 5 degrees Celsius, all year round – on account of the massive boy of water acting like a giant (freezing) bath-tub!

Unfortunately, we did not see the monster!

After exploring the town and having some dinner we settled in for the evening.

A bothy on the high road...

We had a later set-off today as we had less kilometers to cover (although it was steeper!).  Along the way out of town, we collected some food for lunch from the local shop / service station / pharmacy / tourist shop, and some cherries from the fresh fruit van and we were off for day four.  The climb out of Fort Augustus was pretty steep, through some lovely forest areas, and past the only island on Loch Ness – a man made one from the middle ages that was about the size of a tennis court.  Early in our walk we had to make a choice of “the high road” or “the low road”.  We decided on the high road as the weather looked like it might be kind to us…

We started up the very step and winding path through some lovely pine forest to finally emerge above the tree line to a postcard-like highland landscape.  The rolling hills and a windswept outlook, combined with heather and other wildflowers growing from the rich (and boggy) peat grasslands was a very spectacular sight to behold.  This is before we get to those magnificent views over Loch Ness!  In between the brief rain showers (this is Scotland after all!), we got some fantastic views and every 100m or so we seemed to have to stop for another photo-opportunity.

At one of the creeks that we crossed, Dave and Tim decided to taste what the highland water was like.  They would like to say that it tasted like whisky.... but it was cold and brackish, but very nice!  We then descended down a long very steep hill into Invermoriston, stopping half way to have our lunch overlooking Loch Ness and Invermoriston House – a magic vista!  When we arrived at the bottom of the descent, we checked into the hotel and explored the small town and the Falls.  But only after Roz had given the boys a haircut and Kellie a treatment… ahhhh – the perks of travelling with a hairdresser!

After this we had dinner in the hotel restaurant, and caught up with our English friends Bob and John, who had managed to book dinner at the same place.

The "viewpoint" along the high road.

We set off for day 5 from Invermoriston just after we crossed the road to the general store to grab some lunch for the back-pack.  We hadn’t got 50m down the road until it started climbing a quite steep hill – as Roz would say “it was very rude for this early in the morning” – our legs hadn’t even warmed up!  The climb took us up to around 300m, which was nearly as high as the “high road” from yesterday.

About 1km into the walk, we had to make a decision to either take th “high road” again or the “low road”.  Todays high road was considerably more challenging than yesterdays, and took us up some pretty steep hills.  In the end Roz and Dave decided to take the “low road” and Tim and Kellie decided on the “high road”.  We waved each other good bye and set off up the hill.  The high road rose pretty quickly above the tree line to the typical highland scenes of hill-sides covered in heather and wildflowers, with stunning panoramic views!  At its highest point the high road rose 422m above Loch Ness…. and the views were spectacular!

The high road rose to two peaks along the way – the first one (also the lower of the two – had a wooden sculpture at the top that was a round circle that they called a viewpoint.  If you looked through it, it framed a view back over some of the hills and munros in the distance.  A “munro”, I later learned over dinner, is a hill over 3,000 feet in height.  We then dropped down again until we rose on another steep climb to the highest point on the Great Glen Way at 422m.  At this point we took a rest at the stone bothy that was placed there and had a snack and some drinks while we took in the magnificent view of the Loch and the surrounding hills.

We then descended again to the second viewing point in this section, that had an amazing uninterrupted view of (what seemed like) the whole length of the Loch.  It was spectacular, and the weather was still being kind to us and providing sunshine, although there was some clouds around also.  We then continued our descent – we were not sure which was harder on the legs… the climb up or the shuffle down!  In any event we were just discussing how we should have devised some sort of system to know if Roz and Dave had already passed the point where the high and low roads met – when we came across the merge of the two routes and saw them looking at the sign…. wondering the same thing!

The four of us continued along the combined path from there through beautiful forest and farmland, until the final descent into Drumnadrochit.  At one point in the forested area, we stopped by the side of the trail and had some lunch – and we were met by Bob and John the Englishmen who had only been a kilometer or so behind us.  About 2 km out of Drumnadrochit, the rain set in!  It was “raining professionally” and was very cold, as well.  We reckoned the temperature dropped well over 5 degrees.  By the time we got to the B&B we were all soaked and very cold.  As it was too early to check in, we had a cup of tea at a local Café while the sun came back out.

After a hot shower and a bit of a rest for our weary feet – we walked down to the local pub – “The Loch Ness Inn” for some dinner and a drink, where we caught up again with our friends Al and Aziz from Oman as well as Bob and John from England.  We all seem to be travelling the same route, although Al and Aziz are now using other means of transport than their feet – and are doing some sightseeing along the way.  Bob and John are soldering on along the Way with us.

No more looking out for these blue posts to guide us....!

Today it was just Kellie and Tim that that started the last day of the Great Glen Way.  Roz and Dave didn’t start today as Roz was suffering with a sore foot from some blisters and rashes.  They had arranged to be dropped half way along the route for the last day with Bob and John, the Englishmen that had been doing most of the walk with us, and then walk the last 10 or 15 kms together.  So Kellie and Tim started out through the town of Drumnadrochit, stopping at the local store to buy some water and lunch before heading out along the A9.  It was pretty busy with trucks and cars whizzing past… not our favourite part of the Way!

We then saw the blue past that had been directing us for the last 5 days, and it pointed off the main road and back into the forest (thankfully!).  We started to climb through woodlands - it was pretty steep until we got to nearly 300 meters above Loch Ness where we walked for most of the day.  The forest we walked through changed from old growth, natural forest with native Scottish Pines, to newer growth cultivated forest.  In between the trees we caught a glimpse of Urquart Castle as we looked back towards the Drumnadrochit area.

As we climbed the terrain changed between forest and the highland landscape (with its heather and scrubs) and back again.  A few hours further along in our walk we came across an eco-café nestled in the middle of a densly wooded area.  It was very quirky, and a welcome resting spot where we could have some lunch and a bit of a rest.

We then returned to the roads again for a few kilometers, but this time they were back roads… not quite as busy as the A9 – in fact the only vehicle we passed was a tractor!  The roads took us through farmland until we turned off the roads and back onto the walking track, where the highland terrain started again.  This stayed with us until we started to descend into Inverness, when we returned to walking through forested areas.  We stopped at one point in this woodland area for a rest and a snack.

Along our descent, we passed an old reservoir and we caught a glimpse of Inverness and the castle – our destination – through the trees!  It was in sight, but still seemed a long way away.  Kellies right foot was starting to hurt and she was getting shin splints in her right leg, so the last few kilometers were going to be difficult.

We followed the last bit of the Great Glen Way through the suburbs of Inverness, and met up with the Caledonian Canal again, after starting out walking alongside it on our first day!  We then made our way along the river and over the Infirmary Bridge to the castle… we were done!  Only a few more tasks… grab a certificate from the pub opposite the castle (called the “Castle Pub”, of course!), and a quick half pint in celebration.  Then a photo at the –in at the B&B and have a warm shower and change of clothes before heading back to the Castle Pub to have a celebratory drink (and a less rushed pace!) with the others.  Bob and John were there as well, having finished their half day walk with Roz and Dave.

We then walked a few blocks (very slowly!) down to dinner at a pub on the river.  When we returned to the B&B we shared a quick celebratory Champagne (bought from the local Tescos after dinner) with Roz and Dave back at the B&B and then gladly flopped into bed – very satisfied with our effort!

Selfie in front of the iconic Eilean Donan Castle

This morning we met up with Roz and Dave for breakfast and then walked some of the old town of Inverness, just below the Castle.  We then made our way to the car hire place to pick up our hire cars and Kellie and Tim headed off for Skye (Roz and Dave were staying for another day in Inverness). 

We drove towards Skye on the A82, past some familiar scenery from the last few days of our walk – we reflected on how different it was in a car zooming along at 50 or 60 mph as opposed to seeing the scenery when walking!  We reminisced about how we missed the waterfalls around every bend, the wildflowers within reach of the path we were walking along, the smell of the Pine trees as we walked through the forest, the feel of the wind on your face…. But most of all we missed the peace and quiet of the walk.  There were no crowds of people off the beaten track, and the tranquility was therapeutic.

We stopped in at Urquart Castle for a photo along the way, as well as some other random stops when the scenery was impressive enough to catch our attention (which was reasonably frequently!).  We had a great day for travelling as the weather was sunny and clear for most of the day.  At one stage we stopped at a man-made loch, to have a look at the view.  As we got down to the waters edge we saw that every visitor (it seemed!) had created a “cairn” of rocks stacked one on top of the other.  It looked amazing!  So we decided to contribute to the landscape and build one of our own….!

We then stopped for lunch at a pub at the side of the road with a great view over the mountains, before arriving at Eilean Donan Castle.  We had sunny weather for our photographs of the iconic “picture postcard” castle, and spent some time looking inside.  Although there was reputedly a church founded on the castles island in the 6^th or 7^th century, the first castle was built on it in the 13^th century and was the stronghold of the leaders of the Clan Mackenzie and the Clan Macrae.  It is now a privately owned castle and had been restored in the early 1900’s and was an impressive building.  With its own bridge and situated on a small island in the loch, it had a real “castle fortress” look about it – in fact it has been used in quite a few movies, such as Highlander and James Bond – The world is not enough amongst others.

We then drove over the Skye Bridge and towards our accommodation at Duisdale House.  It was a very nice old building set amongst some lovely manicured gardens with an outlook over the ocean.  We had a walk down to the shore to take I the views back to the mainland, before having dinner in the dining room and heading off to bed.  It had been a less strenuous, relaxed day compared to the last 6 days on the track!

Armadale Castle

For our first day in Skye, we explored the Sleat Peninsula – which was the one that our Hotel was situated on.  We headed out to Aird of Sleat – along single lane roads, with “passing places” every so often.  These passing places were where when you met an oncoming car one of you would pull into the passing place and let the oncoming car pass, before continuing on your way.  The tricky thing was who was supposed to let who past…. It became a matter of courtesy and practicality – there was plenty of waving “thankyou” to the cars as we both tried to master these single lane roads… there were quite a few of them on Skye!

We explored Armadale Castle, which was home to the Donald Clan and its grounds (although the castle was unsafe to go into, as a large part of it had been destroyed by fire in 1855 and the Macdonald Clan moved out of the castle and left it to the elements - so we just looked at it from the gardens!).  We also visited the “Museum of the Isles” on the grounds when it started to rain – just as well we did, as they had a really interesting history of Scotland and the Clans, particularly the Isles and the Highlands.  By the time we had finished the museum tour, the rain had eased and we continued on our way.

After a long day driving we continued up the island past our hotel, to meet up with Roz and Dave at their hotel at Sligachan.  We had a drink in the bar first… an amazing sight with 450 different Whiskies available to purchase.  Needless to say we didn’t try them all…!  Then it was into dinner at the restaurant before driving back to our hotel at Duisdale.

Our lovely travelling companions

The next day we started off early to pick up Roz and Dave so we could explore the Island together.  It was raining heavily, with the rain often being blown across sideways by the winds instead of dropping out of the sky like rain normally should!  This continued until early afternoon – needless to say, we pressed on.  We travelled around the North East peninsula this time and visited the capital of Skye – Portree, and then visited the spectacular “Kilt Rock”… being very careful not to get blown off the cliff by the winds!  The views were spectacular – even though the weather was lousy.  We then stopped in at the “Life of Skye Museum” (as it was under cover!) and learnt about the way that many of the residents Skye lived a hundred or so years ago.

Passing through the picturesque town of Uig (and grabbing a coffee when the rain eased), we scooted onto the Old Inn at Carbost.  It was situated right on the edge of the sea and was a cozy little joint.  By the time we had finished our lunch, the rain had all but stopped, and we decided to make our way to the Fairy Pools at Glen Brittle.  They are usually coloured blue and are beautiful to look at… but when we were there, they were a raging torrent on account of all the rain that had fallen in the last 24 hours!  After the Fairy Pools, we drove on to the beach at Bualintur for a little walk in the sun, before heading on to Taliskar Distillery for a tour and a tasting.

It was just the thing to whet our appetite for dinner.  So we headed back to drop off Roz and Dave at their hotel and share dinner with them.  It was a little bitter-sweet, as it was our last time to be with them as they were leaving Skye the next day to continue their holiday in Scotland and England.  We had great fun with Roz and Dave and really valued the time we spent with them.  It gives you a different perspective to spend time with people on a holiday adventure – and they are very easy (and fun) to travel with.  Thanks for sharing your time with us, Roz and Dave!

Dunvegan Castle

For our last full day on Skye, we woke to intermittent rain, but by the time we had been on the road for a while, it was another glorious sunny day!  We were heading towards Dunvegan Castle – the home of the Mcleods.  It is one of the few Castles in Scotland that is still lived in today.  It was also set among beautiful gardens, and had an outlook over the sea, where a colony of seals has been living for many years.  The first castle was built on the site in the 1300’s, but the building today – while retaining some original features – has been modernized (at least inside).  We only got to see 2 floors and we suspected that was because the upper two were where the Chief of the Clan Mcleod still lived.

After visiting Dunvegan, we headed off on those single lane roads (which we had mastered by this stage…!?!) to the very windy Point Neist.  The scenery was breathtaking – and so was the wind!  It was a very windy walk out to see the lighthouse on the point, but well worth it as the views of the cliffs along the way were spectacular.  We then headed down to the small town of Stein to have lunch at the oldest Inn on Skye – the Stein Inn.  It was built in 1790 and was a quaint pub with a view over the bay.

We then headed back to the hotel via Portree, to pack up our things in preparation for leaving tomorrow, and so we could have a relax before our last dinner in Scotland.