Highland Farewell
Tonight is our last night in Scotland. We will be sorry to leave; we both enjoy it so much here. We dream someday of having a home here...we'd spent our winters in Scotland and our summers in Tokyo... dream on.
During our first full day in Ft. William we took a hike through Glen Nevis. The trail follows alongside the Nevis Gorge and was extremely rocky and a bit scary at points. The views were rewarding. It was hot and sunny today -- not at all what we expected in the Highlands, even in July. After our hike through the Gorge we grabbed a bite to eat at the Glen Nevis Lodge. Decent food in a lowlit, clubby type atmosphere with smooth jazz playing in the background. From there we drove over to Glencoe. We stopped in at the Visitor Centre there, a National Trust for Scotland attraction. There was a fellow dressed in traditional Scottish garb, kilt and all, standing in the lobby. For a fee you could have your picture taken with "Scotty". Ugh, how tacky! I would've expected better from NTS. You also have to pay admission to see and hear about the Glencoe Massacre. We passed that by since we've heard enough about that event on BBC shows. There was a lookout point with a model of the glen but it was incredibly difficult to identify the actual features based on the labels of the model. I was getting really frustrated then I went to the gift shop and found (free) info on different trails in the area. We chose a short hike up to see a waterfall. By this time it was really hot. There was not a cloud in the sky as we scrambled up a rough rocky path up the hill. The uphill exertion was tough enough but to have that sun glaring us in the face the entire time made it all the more difficult. We finally made it up to the top and were adjacent to the waterfall. Could not get a good view of the waterfall. We figured the path continued up higher but each way we tried seemed a bit too dangerous so we headed back down the hill. Even so, we had beautiful views from our vantage point.
The next day we drove to the Isle of Skye. The scenery along the way was stunning so we were gobsmacked to find that Skye was even more beautiful than the sights we'd just been ooohing and ahhhing over. We drove up the east side of the island and stopped off at different places, admiring the unique natural features. NOt much sunshine on that day. There was heavy cloud cover and very strong winds. I felt they should rename the island the Isle of Wynde.
Today we drove up to Inverness taking in views of Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle along the way. It was pretty but not nearly as stunning as the drive to Skye. We were both impressed by the enormity of Loch Ness. It is humongous. No wonder they haven't been able to find Nessie yet. We were underwhelmed by Inverness. Not much of note there. A few interesting old buildings scattered in amongst modern crap. It was kind of a dirty city and a bit depressed looking. We had a bite to eat in a local cafe then hit the road again back to Ft. William. We took a different route back, driving via Aviemore and the Cairngorms. Some of this was familiar territory from when we had stayed in Pitlochry for about a week. It was a pretty drive. We're back in Ft. William now. It is misty rainy outside and a bit cool. Brad is having a pint at the pub while I'm here at the library checking up on my email and updating this blog. I need to sign off now and go meet him at the pub. We are having dinner at the Crannog Restaurant, a supberb seafood restaurant. We ate there our first night in Ft. William and had great food. It's expensive but worth it.
During our first full day in Ft. William we took a hike through Glen Nevis. The trail follows alongside the Nevis Gorge and was extremely rocky and a bit scary at points. The views were rewarding. It was hot and sunny today -- not at all what we expected in the Highlands, even in July. After our hike through the Gorge we grabbed a bite to eat at the Glen Nevis Lodge. Decent food in a lowlit, clubby type atmosphere with smooth jazz playing in the background. From there we drove over to Glencoe. We stopped in at the Visitor Centre there, a National Trust for Scotland attraction. There was a fellow dressed in traditional Scottish garb, kilt and all, standing in the lobby. For a fee you could have your picture taken with "Scotty". Ugh, how tacky! I would've expected better from NTS. You also have to pay admission to see and hear about the Glencoe Massacre. We passed that by since we've heard enough about that event on BBC shows. There was a lookout point with a model of the glen but it was incredibly difficult to identify the actual features based on the labels of the model. I was getting really frustrated then I went to the gift shop and found (free) info on different trails in the area. We chose a short hike up to see a waterfall. By this time it was really hot. There was not a cloud in the sky as we scrambled up a rough rocky path up the hill. The uphill exertion was tough enough but to have that sun glaring us in the face the entire time made it all the more difficult. We finally made it up to the top and were adjacent to the waterfall. Could not get a good view of the waterfall. We figured the path continued up higher but each way we tried seemed a bit too dangerous so we headed back down the hill. Even so, we had beautiful views from our vantage point.
The next day we drove to the Isle of Skye. The scenery along the way was stunning so we were gobsmacked to find that Skye was even more beautiful than the sights we'd just been ooohing and ahhhing over. We drove up the east side of the island and stopped off at different places, admiring the unique natural features. NOt much sunshine on that day. There was heavy cloud cover and very strong winds. I felt they should rename the island the Isle of Wynde.
Today we drove up to Inverness taking in views of Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle along the way. It was pretty but not nearly as stunning as the drive to Skye. We were both impressed by the enormity of Loch Ness. It is humongous. No wonder they haven't been able to find Nessie yet. We were underwhelmed by Inverness. Not much of note there. A few interesting old buildings scattered in amongst modern crap. It was kind of a dirty city and a bit depressed looking. We had a bite to eat in a local cafe then hit the road again back to Ft. William. We took a different route back, driving via Aviemore and the Cairngorms. Some of this was familiar territory from when we had stayed in Pitlochry for about a week. It was a pretty drive. We're back in Ft. William now. It is misty rainy outside and a bit cool. Brad is having a pint at the pub while I'm here at the library checking up on my email and updating this blog. I need to sign off now and go meet him at the pub. We are having dinner at the Crannog Restaurant, a supberb seafood restaurant. We ate there our first night in Ft. William and had great food. It's expensive but worth it.
posted by lenora at 11:40 AM
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