After gallivanting around the Highlands all week, we thought on our final day we should actually have a look around Fort William, seeing as we were staying there and we had only experienced the Aldi. Brendan also wanted to visit Glen Coe to take a photo.
We packed up our temporary home and drove into town for a wander.
Fort William is just like any other small town really, except here they remind you practically everywhere that Ben Nevis is next door. There are lots of shops selling Nevis memorabilia, lots of shops with Ben Nevis themed names. Aside from being known for Ben Nevis, Fort William is also known amongst walkers and hikers for being the finishing point of the West Highland Way – a 96 mile route that begins in Milngavie (just north of Glasgow) and takes you through Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and (you’ve guessed it) the western Highlands. The end of the route is marked by the Man with Sore Feet statue.
I hadn’t walked the West Highland Way, but over the past few days I had climbed Ben Nevis, explored the Great Glen, wandered around Skye and ventured up to The Old Man of Storr. I don’t think this guy would begrudge me a sit down alongside him.
For breakfast (well, brunch – we’d had a lie in for once) we were looking for a delightfully quaint and local establishment to really get a taste of that authentic Scottish breakfast experience. Right next to the Man with Sore Feet statue, we found a Spoons called The Great Glen.
Alas! Our lie-in had come back to bite us as The Great Glen stopped serving breakfast at 12 noon. However, the Spoons menu did teach us that, according to them, the only thing that differentiates a traditional Scottish Breakfast from an English Breakfast is the inclusion of a potato scone – whatever that is. As it was unavailable, I went for haggis on a pizza.
Definitely authentic Scottish cuisine that. It wasn’t great, but what more can you ask from Wetherspoons? I’ve definitely posted prettier food on these blogs, but hey ho. It didn’t offend me – which cannot be said for every German guest who ever entered The Great Glen pub…
For those of you who are flag illiterate like those in charge of this particular Spoons, that is the Belgian flag, not the German flag. What a boo-boo – I’ve heard Angela Merkel has already been on the phone. She’s livid.
Anyway, after brunch we went for a wander around the shops. There were some great deals on outdoor equipment and bags – really annoying for someone who needs a new bag but currently has no money. I could afford some Kendal mint cake though.
North of Fort William is a village called Inverlochy, and in Inverlochy there is the old Inverlochy Castle, a ruin that has remained largely unaltered since its construction some 800 years ago. That’s old, that. Naturally, Brendan and I went for little wander around.
Oooo, very ruin-y. The old Inverlochy Castle is not to be confused with the Inverlochy Castle up the road that’s now a hotel. I mean, the old one is nice but I don’t reckon there are many comfy beds or private bathrooms. We soon left and headed for Glen Coe.
The drive through Glen Coe was lovely. It was a lovely day AGAIN and there are some spectacular views on the road. There are also many places to visit. Loch Levan is extremely picturesque, as is the Ballachulish Bridge; there’s a memorial site to the Massacre of Glencoe; there are waterfalls and access to a particular road towards Glen Etive where you can find the spot on which James Bond and Judi Dench’s M stood looking out towards Skyfall. However, one of Brendan’s photographer friends had taken a photo of a stream down one of the glens, and Brendan wanted recreate it. So at a place on Google Maps marked as “Glen Coe Valley View Point”, we left the car and wandered into the Scottish wilderness.
Up the Lairig Gartain we walked. “Lairig” is Gaelic for “mountain pass”.
We found a stream. The water was very clear and on a hot day like today, incredibly inviting. Once again I found myself wishing I’d brought my swim trunks to Scotland.
This was not the stream point that Brendan was looking for so we carried on. And on.
And on. Even though the weather was lovely, Brendan was annoyed cos he wanted gloom to experience the authentic, moody Scotland.
After an hour of walking along the stream, we came to the crest of the lairig, marked by a pile of stones. On the other side, you could see down into Glen Etive and Loch Etive. I think Brendan’s initial plan was to walk all the way there – but he changed his mind when he saw just how far was left. With the sun dipping ever lower, we decided that this would be as far as we went.
We had some photos on the rocks. Is that allowed? I dunno. They were pretty loose. I definitely nearly fell. Imagine breaking your ankle out here, literally miles from anyone else. We had walked passed approximately 0 people on our trek. The isolation was perceptible. But we weren’t lonely for long!
“Oh my God! Deer!” exclaimed Brendan. They were pretty camera-shy, and human-shy obviously.
So we walked back, looking out for a stag and hoping that if there was one, it wouldn’t see us as a threat. It was Day 5 of our Highland excursion and I just wasn’t feeling up to wrestling a stag. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
The shadows upon the mountains were growing longer as we reached the small lay-by we had parked in. Brendan had come to terms with the fact he may have led us up the wrong glen. Oops. It was nearly 7pm and we were hungry. It was finally time to use the disposable BBQs we’d brought with us. We settled behind a rock that shielded us from the road. It was getting a little chilly so I grabbed the Nessie hand-warmer.
Brendan set to BBQing. He’s quite good at this tbf.
He did burn a spoon though.
As I wasn’t driving, I could also enjoy a beer.
I bought this at Loch Ness to take home to Cheshire, but after our encounter with the deer, it seemed natural to drink it now. It was nice!
The burgers were delicious, of course. We used up the rest of the bacon and put Burger King’s Bacon King to shame. A raven had been eyeing it up for a while, so I threw the last of it to him/her.
Bran was very thankful. It took every piece in its beak and flew away. I do like ravens – they’re so clever. Maybe I’ll get a raven tattoo? It’s a thought…
And with tea done, it was time to leave Glen Coe, the Highlands, Scotland, and we were treated to a great sunset.
Here are a few things I learned from my first ever visit to Scotland:
- Driving through Glasgow on your way to the Highlands, you can see both Celtic Park and Ibrox from the motorway.
- Scots don’t like turning their main beams off.
- Most Scottish people you meet in Scotland aren’t actually Scottish.
- Scotland feels the need to remind visitors to DRIVE ON THE LEFT.
- Petrol/diesel is expensive up here.
- Don’t call a loch a lake in front of a Scot.
- Crampons are a waste of money.
- Fraser Clan memorabilia is always sold out
- Outlander Series 5 is out next year.
- Scotland is prettier than England. Yeah, I said it.
Highlands DONE… for now, at least… Roll on June when T.W.A.T.S. would return with a motorhome…
#VidOnTour 