Day 3

Breakfast was good and we had our free room coffee on the terrace, serenaded by birdsong and totally ignored by several bunnies in the garden across the way. Seagulls and swallows swooped and glided. You don't somehow associate the scottish glens with seagulls but of course you're never far from salt water. So though ravens and corbies twa would sem more appropriate, there are seagulls everywhere. I do hope I get to see ravens. And the crows are mostly hooded crows. Which have rather dirty looking off-white waistcoats.

We drove up the west side of loch Lomond and stopped to look at the falls of Falloch. They were lovely but our picture taking was somewhat curtailed by midge attack. They do deserve their infamy...you're walking along peacefully and suddenly an itchy cloud settles on your head and exposed parts and then you get stung all over. One expects to see people with a permanent head shaking twitch but I suppose the hardy highlanders are used to it.




We followed the road up strath Fillan and past the bridge of Orchy. The railway travelled bside us across the river for a while then headed away up Glen Duibhe while we turned off for Rannoch Moor. The river has cut a deep and narrow channel along the valley and the trees are growing all along the river side, down in it's channel so all you can see of the river is the tops of the trees winding along the valley floor. I imagine it being dark and green down there with the chuckling water and maybe peaty brown pools cut off from the light by the tree canopy.
We went steeply up past Loch Tulla to Rannoch moor which is on a plateau. Speckled with isolated lumps of granite, grass humps and stunted trees. There are small boggy pools and the dark thin spikes of bog reed grows in tufts everywhere. I imagine on a foggy day it would be very eerie and folorn.
Then distant peaks loom close and high and become Glen Coe of tragic and haunting history. Between the peaks a huge U shaped valley winds down from the heights narrowing to a gap between two great rocks before opening into a narrower and steeper valley, the Glen proper I suppose.
It is awe-inspiring, grand and haunting and evocative of the dreadful tale of betrayal and massacre which happened there. Also, today in the bright sun and dappled cloud shadows, quite inviting.
And very quiet. We half expected the mountains to be dotted with brightly coloured fleeces and anoraks but there were only a few. And only a handful of tourists joining us to take photos at the view point for the Three Sisters.
This could be two of them or some other mountains entirely. There are a few to choose from.
We stopped at The Glen Coe village folk museum and did it! Barney likes to look at everything and read all the labels. He listens to all the commentaries and remembers all the dates. I get bored after while and can't remember any of the dates. But I bought a little booklet on the history of Glen Coe.
Then we drove up the south side of Loch Leven and had lunch at Kinlochleven before going to look at the Gray Mare's tail falls. It was a steep but short walk up before plunging down into ancient oak, birch and alder woods along the banks of the river with ferns and foxgloves. Green shady depths. And less midges than expected...I suspect because there was a group of walkers admiring the falls and I wonder if the midges followed them while we took pictures and Barney tried to get right to the bottom of the falls.
After this we drove down the North side of Loch Leven which was, of course, very beautiful and along the shores of Loch Linnhe to Fort William.
Fort William seems to consist of a street, a lot of residential/ B&B areas and estates and the Loch with a bit of a harbour. It's main attraction is that you can go to a lot of places from it. It has restaurants, two Indian, one Chinese (serves Chinese and European cuisine apparently...that would be a chinese chippy then?), several fish and chips and two or three haute C, with local seafood prominent on their menus, naturally. A surprisingly good range of vegetarian options and at least one gourmet haggis dish on every menu. (not that I'm a veggie but it's important for it to be available. We had a vegetarian child for 6 years or so and the trouble it caused you wouldn't believe)
Having walked the length of the town, we looked at the Jacobite Steam train (more of that tomorrow) and went to see the famous Neptune flight of locks on the Caledonian Canal. Ben Nevis towered moodily above us all the while and the clouds gathered and scattered across blue skies in a westering sun...OK, OK I just like to get lyrical occasionally :) and these history laden Scottish names do something to me.
Anyway the flight of locks was quite large and impressive but somehow a bit disappointing. They lift the water from Loch Linnhe up to the level of Loch Lochy and Loch Ness but being wide and modern with neat white railings they don't grab the imagination like they should. There was a splendid 3 masted boat (??) moored at the bottom of the locks but it didn't go through, mooored for the night then. But a lovely sight. We hoped to see it go through the two swing bridges (rail and road) but never mind.
Tired and thirsty by now, we went to Lochview House, our home for the next 3 or 4 nights. And here we are now.
It's a nice room, the window does open and there is tea making stuff :) :) :)
You can just about see the Loch from the window. The lounge downstairs one level has a marvellous view though and picture windows to enjoy it the better. There's a gorgeous garden and although the house is strictly no smoking, I expect I'll be able to sit out there with a last bedtime ciggie now and then.
We went out and had dinner in fort William, mussels, haggis and salmon. Barney does mussels better but the haggis was great. I do like haggis.
I realise we need to go to a rubish cafe somewhere and steal some little milk cartons..they never have enough in B&Bs. Failing that I'll just have to buy a pint and try and keep it cool in the cool bag..