Ho-Ro, Ho-Ro ... (part 2)

Scotland, 23 September – 02 October.

Day 5

Adventure day today. Stroll up a hill named Ben Nevis. I’d read the various guides. Just finished walking the Camino. Fairly fit. This should be easy, right? Wrong!

One of my hardest walks ever. Not helped by an overweight pack (caused by an overconfident underestimation of the degree of difficulty). Certainly not helped by the zero-degree temperate at the top.

One wrong step in the mist, and it's goodbyeeeeeeee ..........

But very glad we did it all the same. Quite an achievement.

Day 6

Exploring the district. First stop Glenfinnan to see the fabled “Harry Potter” train and aqueduct. Stood in the wind and rain and mud and slush and cold for 45 minutes waiting for the train to steam on by. Headed back down to the visitor centre only to see the sign that the train wasn’t running today. Should have looked there first.

Ah well. Off to the very stately Glenfinnan House nearby, on the shores of Loch Shiel for a warming cup of tea. (But I did get to see the Royal Scotsman parked on the aqueduct an hour or so later.)

A Loch Ness boat cruise organised by Natalie came next. A bit of fun. And I learnt a bit too about just how deep that lake is, and how maybe, just maybe, it does have some hidden secrets.

Day 7

Our hosts at Lothlorien were lovely. Their “working cocker spaniel” was arguably even lovelier.

Our lodgings at Lothlorien were only a few minutes drive from Glencoe, site of the 1692 massacre which has pitted the Campbell against the MacDonalds (and a number of other clans) ever since. Like Culloden, the history is fascinating. The simplistic view (Campbells are traitors and not to be trusted) masks a far deeper and more complex reality. And like Culloden I certainly don’t pretend to be an expert.