Walks and Steam Trains

On Thursday we went on a 14km walk, from the campsite up into the forest to a small waterfall and then back along a very wet, boggy, riverside path! It was a great walk set in stunning scenery and we were only rained on once during our four hour trip. In the evening we enjoyed a meal at what can only be described as the Fawlty Towers of Fort William. The service was shocking but thankfully the food made up for it.

Yesterday we woke up to heavy rain so decided to give the Highland Games a miss and ventured into the town centre for a wander around. The rain started to ease off in the late afternoon so we went for another walk, this time it was shorter, at 6km, but was up hill all the way!

Today we thought we'd give our legs a rest and went on The Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig. The day started off really cloudy, cold and rainy but has turned into the best day we've had so far with bright blue skies and sunshine. The train journey gave us some fantastic views of the Scottish Isles as well as a romantic feel, with a couple getting engaged onroute, a couple on honeymoon and another couple celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary!

Scotland Shows Its True Colours!!

On Monday we went for a lovely walk along the shores of Loch Morlich and then up a small river to take some photos.

At this time of year in Scotland, when it warms up nicely the dreaded midges emerge from the undergrowth and eat you alive. They are tiny and fly around looking for something to eat - US!! We have tried midge spray, it didn't work. We have tried midge candles, they didn't work. We closed ourselves up in the tent, THAT WORKED! We enjoyed the long awaited peace and quiet until six o'clock this morning when a duck started quacking about a metre from our heads, at first we thought how lovely it is to be one with nature until half an hour later and the duck was still there. He seemed very upset about something and was making a racket. Thankfully, something scared him and he finally moved on!

West is Best
On Tuesday we visited the Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig and spent several hours driving and walking around. We saw Reindeer, Wolves, Red Deer, Bison, Wild Boar, Highland Cattle, Lynx, plus several varities of birds and owls. We finished the day off with a nice meal at a local Inn.

Wednesday morning brought more cloud and rain so we decided to leave Glenmore and head West, via the Glenfiddich Distillery. We arrived at the distillery around lunch time, just in time for the start of a one hour tour. It was really interesting and even better it was free of charge!

We then drove west to Fort Agustus, which is at the West end of Loch Ness. It is a quaint town which is splity down the middle by the Caledonian Canel. We found a nice campsite, and after making a quick pasta dish for dinner we took a stroll into town for desert and a drink, or two!

We woke up on Thursday morning to blue sky - something we hadn't seen for a few days! We packed up the tent and then went into Fort Agustus to watch the boats going through the locks. It was quite entertaining at times! The sun started to come out and we finally took off our jackets and fleeces!

At lunchtime we drove to Fort William and luckily the sunshine stayed with us. There is so much to do here and the campsite is in a stunning setting so we have booked in for 4 nights. Tomorrow we plan to go for a long walk and on Saturday, weather permitting, we may go and watch the Glenfiddian Highland Games. We have booked tickets on the Jacobite Steam Train for Sunday. It runs from Fort William to Mallaig and is the same train they used the the Harry Potter movies.

Cairngorms

Monday Morning

Unfortunately we woke up to rain again this morning and it seems fairly well set it but we are going to go for a drive and try and make the most of the day.

Sunday

We enjoyed a walk around the town of Pitlochry before driving the extra 65 miles to Glenmore, in the Cairngorms. As we drove past the 'Welcome to the Highlands' sign we were treated to a true Scottish welcome - Rain!! The clouds were so low the Cairngorm mountains were barely visable! As we watched the temperature drop to 12 deg C we did contemplate turning back to sunny Pitlochry!

We arrived at Glenmore Campsite around 2pm and the rain paused just long enough to let us pitch the tent! It has been raining lightly ever since.

After sorting out the tent we drove into Aviemore to have a wander around and to buy some more bread, milk and more importantly beer & wine! We also bought a little bottle of Famous Grouse Whisky so we can have a wee dram for Graham & Aileen! Plus it will help us sleep!

We are now just relaxing in the tent and looking through brochures to try and decide what to do tomorrow.

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Scotland

We left York yesterday to start our camping trip around Scotland. After a seven hour drive, covering 300 miles, we stopped for the night in the lovely town of Pitlochry, just north of Perth.

The campsite is surrounded by the Grampian Mountains and next to Loch Faskelly. After having a little rain on the drive north we had a lovely evening with blue skies and stunning scenery.

Today we woke up to blue skies and warm sunshine and are going to have a look around Pitlochry and then drive further north to Glenmore, near Aviemore.

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Fun & Finance

We have been home for ten days now and have been enjoying our free time. Kate has sailed her Laser several times and as the wind was so good last Wednesday night it was actually quite dark before the racing finished!

Colin is still taking plenty of photo's and even got up at 5.30am last Saturday to walk into York's town centre to take some pictures of the famous Shambles (below) with no one else around!

Whilst in York we have been looking into property and mortgage options and are really hoping to be able to buy a small property but unfortunately York is not cheap, although it is quite a good place to buy to let.

We attempted to fly Colin's kite on Sunday evening but it seems that as soon as we mention the word Kite the wind disappears. However, today should be a good test as it is quite windy at the moment and we are hoping to go kite flying this afternoon.

We are planning to head off to Scotland later this week and go camping in the Highlands. Unfortunately we are still awaiting the arrival of the box we posted from America with a lot of our personal kit in. Once this arrives we can then start our next adventure!

Back Home!

We arrived back in York on Saturday morning and have been slowly trying to get over our jet lag ever since! We flew from Boston to Amsterdam and then had to run to catch our next flight to Leeds. When we landed we were not too suprised when our bags didn't appear as we thought the times between the flights was a bit tight. Thankfully, our bags were delivered to us in York at 9pm Saturday night.














On Sunday we went to the Sailing Club, on the River Ouse (above) and Kate raced her Laser. It was a lovely sunny day with a nice breeze. It felt good to be home! It was an eventful day with two boats crashing their masts into the bridge and someone falling over on the jetty. Colin had a great day taking lots of pictures.

The last few days have been fairly quiet, catching up on some well needed rest and relaxation!