Autumn in the Highlands - heading home

 

Blackrock Cottage Glen Coe

Every trip has to come to an end and today is that day for us.  It has been fabulous!  The hotel is terrific. You might notice I didn't mention eating there though. That is because the dinners were not memorable and breakfast would have been too expensive to add in the room charge. So we actually brought that instant Quaker Oat porridge and ate breakfast in our room!  Since I love porridge anyway, this was no hardship!  The huge breakfasts offered when combined with hotel stays can be way too big in my opinion.  

Dinner?  The menu was extremely limited, possibly due to staff shortages, so there were only two choices for me. One was Mediterranean noodles and the other was fish and chips.  Alan was only interested in the burger and the steak was too expensive.  We never intended to eat at the hotel the third night due to lack of choice, but then we got so tired and I already mentioned the fabulous cold dinners we got from Morrison's!  

I loved the setting of the hotel too, right next to Neptune's Staircase, but there is not that much to do for me in the Fort William area so I am not sure we would return.  

We had our last walk along Neptune's Staircase and the water was so still it was like a mirror.  

Last walk at the 
Staircase

The reflections were incredible. On the way back, one of the larger boats had turned its engine on and little ripples were beginning to upset the reflections.

 

Just outside of Fort William is the Highlands Soap Company and we stopped there so I could do a bit of retail therapy, there has been none of that so far.  My intention was to Christmas shop and I did....but most of the things purchased were for me!  Ginger Syrup for gin cocktails, a darling jar with mulled wine spices with a little spoon and some Stephen Brown Chilli Jam.  Yes, the Stephen Brown label has a McCoo on it, but I have bought his jars of tasty things before and it is not the label that sways me.  

Inverlochy Castle

And of all things, the turn off to the Soap Company has Inverlochy Castle right before the parking lot! So I got to visit it too!  That was a very unexpected pleasure.  

Our next stop was Glen Coe, again.  But as I always say, each time we go anywhere in Scotland it is different.  We got a few nice shots of Skye on her own and then Alan stopped at Glen Etive to try his luck at this spot again.  I think he was more successful this time.  Skye and I stayed in the car, reading and sleeping.  Ok, I read, she slept!  

The way home passes Tyndrum and we often stop here to eat dinner.  For years we have eaten at The Real Food Cafe where they have always served ethically and sustainably sourced food.  Through the years, we have watched this restaurant grow from what looked like a temporary building to a really nice restaurant setting now.  I have loved all its incarnations.  

Skye says "is this for me?"  

The General Store

Luss Pier on Loch Lomond

We were not sure how traffic getting through Glasgow with COP26 still happening would be and Alan did not want to drive in the dark so we almost did not stop at Luss! But, lucky for me, Alan got tired and wanted a little break. This gave me a chance to run in to Luss, go to my favourite little shop there - the Luss General Store, wander along to the pier and get to take some photos of Loch Lomond.  And a bit of shopping again!  

Walking back up toward the general store
from teh pier

Craft shop at the pier, but it was closed!

Then it was time to really head home.  And to top it off, there was a lovely bit of snow on some of the hilltops!

Autumn in the Highlands Day 3

Part of our morning walk along Neptune's Staircase

 I must admit, today was not one of our better days.  With it being off season, so many things are closed and I still can't really enjoy doing long hill walks, which is something Fort William has many to choose from.  So our options were quite limited.  

We started the day walking along Neptune's Staircase, which is a lovely way to begin a day.  I do wish there were boats travelling along it though.  It just is the wrong time of year....

This photo show where our room is. Look at the red bush and then the trees blocking the windows of the white building. One of those windows is our's!  We can see the canal, but not very well!

I had suggested going to Inverlochy, just because I had read about it in a book but it didn't sound like there was a whole lot to do there. Then I suggested going to Oban, but that was truly too far.  Alan suggested going to Glen Coe, but we were there 2 days ago and will drive through again tomorrow.. Oh what to do?

I had also suggested catching the little Corran Ferry, which crosses Loch Linnhe and goes to the Ardnamurchen Peninsula.  At first, Alan had said no and then changed his mind.  The ferry leaves every 20 minutes and we headed off to catch it.  We had to wait in the queue as one ferry left but were able to get on the next one.  It is a tiny ferry and the crossing only takes 5 minutes! This was Skye's first ferry crossing and it was obvious she knew something was odd about what was going on.

This peninsula is very remote and feels like an island.  Alan wanted to see the Ardnamurchan lighthouse, which is the westernmost point of the UK.  Since we have been to the southernmost point - The Lizard, the northernmost point - John O'Groats, it seemed to be right to head off to this destination.  Alan also likes lighthouses!

Looking at this map, you can see the circle we did.  We started at Fort William, took the Corran Ferry, drove to Ardnamurchan Point, went back turning at Salen and drove past Glenfinnan and on to Fort William.  A long hard drive, but interesting in its own way.

Looking down from the Lighthouse

Little did we know this drive to the Lighthouse would take us over 2 hours to get to!  The route planner said it was about 54 miles from where we docked.  Sadly this backs up something I always tell visitors to the UK, look at the mileage and double the time you expect it to take.  It is over 70 miles to drive the other way to get back to our hotel, without the ferry.  We went home that way.  

We did expect to not find many places to eat, but what we had not counted on was EVERYTHING was closed for the season!  So we went from breakfast at around 9, to lunch at about 3 when we finally found a cafe open on the way home. Ok, the Ardnamurchan Distillery was not closed, but there was no cafe there.  

As always, I enjoy the scenery in Scotland, but over 2 hours before getting to our destination was a bit too much scenery!  

The lighthouse was almost exactly like one we had seen in Dumfries and Galloway, and it was windy and cold!  So after the requisite photo, Skye and I waited in the car.  

The return was a bit different, but it still took a long time. 

We went to Morrison's to get dinner since I didn't want to eat at the hotel again. Their menu is very limited, probably due to staffing shortages, and I have exhausted what I would like to eat.  We have salad, cold chicken and dip to enjoy in our room.  (and it was delicious!)

It was a long, hard day, especially for Alan so eating in our room and probably heading down to the bar will be enough.  

As we were walking Skye this morning, we walked by the ferry master office, unmanned.  But there is a notice on the window.  It says during this season, these offices will be unmanned and if anyone needs to use the locks, there is a phone number to call to get a team to come help them.  I did wonder how the canals could be "closed" and now I know they are not.

Sad to say, tomorrow is our last day.  I know it will be more exciting than today was!  

Autumn in the Highlands Day 2

 We woke up rather early today, I guess we are still getting used to the clocks going back over the weekend! This should have been good since we could get out and do things early.  But we had not factored in the sun being in the wrong place! 

Our first stop today was in Corpach to see the Corpach Shipwreck.  We have been there before but many things in Scotland are well worth repeating since the light is different every time. However, the light was not good this early in the morning! 

The Corpach Shipwreck

The shipwreck was too back lit and neither of us could get a good shot.  We still have 2 more days so we can try again. (Actually, we did go back later today.  But I was tired and waited in the car with Skye.  Alan says he got a good shot but I enjoyed the peace and quiet and read my book.) While editing my photos from today, I was pleasantly surprised what I could do with what I thought was a very backlit photo!

While we were walking around the locks and harbour in Corpach, two tour buses arrived. I was surprised since I thought tourist season was over. One was a Rabbie's tour, which is the one I would recommend. They are smaller buses and go to unique places and the passengers always look like they are having a great time. The other tour bus was a normal size one, called Lochs and Glens.  What tickled me was no one from either bus appeared to head toward the shipwreck!  They all just  piled off their buses, walked around the locks and took photos of barely visible Ben Nevis, from the car park!  Not even walking 20 feet away so they could miss all the cars and clutter.  But the article I linked did say the shipwreck was not well known so now I understand why they didn't rush off to see it!

More photos from this part of Corpach:

 

We returned to our hotel since I had a meeting at 11.  Zoom might just might be the bane of our existence, but I also did not want to miss this meeting of UK Public Relations Advisors for an organisation I volunteer for.  

Neptune's Staircase
looking down over about 8 gates

Neptune's Staircase,
going up to about 3 gates

We had about 30 minutes before my meeting started so we thought we would get a coffee and sit on the hotel deck beside the canal.  There is no traffic on the canal, so I am wondering if there is a season and is it closed now?  Anyway, the lock side cafe didn't open until 11 so we ended up just walking the canal again. It was much more fun to see it in daylight!  

Taken as a panorama with my phone.
You can see it is distorted but the colours are so nice!

My meeting was interesting, but also took up the nicest and sunniest part of the day, as one would expect! As soon as it was over, we left for Glenfinnan!  The Jacobite Steam train is not in season now either, that ended in October. But we walked to the viaduct and it was so beautiful.  Not an easy climb to get a good view, but now we know where to go if we are ever in the area when the steam train is running! The title photo is from this viewpoint.

The Glenfinnan Monument is also nearby and we walked to this as well.  This monument commemorates the very spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie arrived in Scotland to begin the attempt to regain the crown he felt was due to him.  Apparently, we have only been here once before and that was in 1985.  I have had it confused with another monument and thought we had been here repeatedly!  Once I got close to this, I knew I had not seen it in ages, and certainly not regularly.  

Another highlight of the day?  I had a bath!   We even drove by a shop so I could get some bubble bath! We no longer have a bathtub and it was too tempting - and then it was so wonderful.  Now incredibly relaxed and I think it is early to bed.  

We have no idea what we are going to do tomorrow!  I love this sort of holiday! So relaxing. 

Here are some more photos from the day:

 

 

Autumn in the Highlands

 

For some unknown and very lucky reason, my husband happened to look up how much a few days at The Moorings in Banavie - near Fort William, would cost because it is usually way out of our budget.  And lo and behold, it wasn't....so he booked 3 nights!  And the rooms are dog friendly!  So Skye is also travelling with us!

Today is the first day of COP26 too and it was mind boggling to see so many police all over where we drove.  There has been a big police presence at the beach in my town, 40 miles away from Glasgow - where COP26 is being held.  And this presence was obvious through Glasgow and beyond, even on the Erskine Bridge.  At least traffic was not bad getting through Glasgow on our way up north.

On the way out of town, we got our meal deal for lunch at the M&S. Since we had no idea where we would end up when it was lunchtime, it made life easier to have this.  

The drive along Loch Lomond was unexpectedly beautiful. For the first day of November, we certainly did not expect to be treated to such spectacular Autumn colour. We stopped here to give Skye a little walk.  

    

Our next stop was Rannoch Moor.  We have driven through Rannoch Moor many times, it is a soggy looking place that precedes the entrance to Glen Coe. I have always enjoyed looking at it but never gave it much thought until I read a book with my book group called Corrag.  This is a story about a person who may or may not have actually existed and centres one the Glen Coe Massacre.  Corrag is a young female who travels on her own to Glen Coe and becomes part of the community there, before the massacre.  The book was super and I can't describe the massacre that happened in the 1600s, but have a look, or read the book, it was mesmerising.  And one reason I really wanted to return to this area - to look at it with different eyes. 

We stopped a few times to take photos of the Moor, and trying to catch the sun!  At times it looked like storms were going to hit us and then the sun would appear.  It was lovely. The title picture is Rannoch Moor and this rainbow was what was behind me when I took that photo.

The weather was not clear but this is the sort of atmosphere that works best for Glen Coe. It is always a pleasure to drive through this beautiful valley. We also take the side roads on occasion and Alan did this today.  He went on Glen Etive road, a single track road, to try to take a photo he has tried to take many times.  If we had gone further up the road, we would have arrived at the iconic scene from Skyfall, one of the James Bond movies.  It was vey muddy and treacherous walking there, so Skye and I waited in the car, at the foot of the Buachaille.  I could not get a good photo, but have attached a link to give more information about it.

We then drove slowly through Glen Coe, passed the fabulous waterfall we have enjoyed seeing since we first drove past it in 1985.  Then the requisite stop at the Three Sisters for photos.  

 

It is also nice to stop at the visitor centre.  The shop and cafe are good, but the view from the rear of the building is fantastic.  They are now building a cottage reminiscent of what the people might have lived in at the time of the massacre. The pandemic has held up construction but I can't wait to go back and see what it will be like when it is finished.

View from the visitor centre.
The dark shape in the right centre is the 
new cottage they are building.

We arrived at The Moorings around 5, and time for a walk along Neptune's Staircase. At this time it was to dark to take any photos, but we will be here another 3 days so there will be plenty of time to do that.  Our room faces the canal and looks over the locks too. But there are tress on either side and they interfere with our view!