Scotland the Glorious

We went to Scotland for our holidays. It's beautiful. I loved it.

Friday, July 07, 2006

Day 4 (continued) Steall Falls

Back at Fort William we were a bit hot, tired, thirsty and grumpy. Well I was. Least said about t'other one the better.
So, we decided that I needed a cup of tea whether or not anyone else did and that we would then have a little walk. There had been some not entirely agreeable conversation the day before about whether I actually do walking. And there had been dismissive comment about how I certainly wouldn't want to climb anything. Have to say I probably wouldn't these days though I used to be something of a mountain goat.
So a short, easy walk seemed to be in order and we went and bought a booklet from the Glen Nevis visitor centre and, over tea, chose the more exciting half of what was described as a 'moderate' walk in Glen Nevis. Then remembered that we had to be back for dinner booked for eight at the Crannog Restaurant in Fort william. What with the heat and having spent several hours bathed in steam, smoke and smuts I needed a shower before mingling with people in an enclosed space. It all began to look a bit sweaty and tight for time .
We drove the first part of the walk, along a gorgeous, narrow, humpy road, All rocky and bracken and fern fringed along the Glen. Glimpses of rushing water and encounters with shaggy long-horned cattle. And a lot of people driving the other way, presumably having finished their walks and now heading back for showers and dinner.
The actual walk was steep narrow and rocky...I'm sure the guide book was right in saying it would be dangerously slippery in wet weather.
After about a hundred yards, I thought, just possibly I'd bitten off more than my legs could chew! they went all weak and rubbery and didn't agree about the necessary lift to get over the steeper bits. Bear in mind that I am fatter than I should be and don't do excercise. but I told the damn legs to get on with it and after a bit longer they did. And there were level bits and even the odd downhill stretch. Ask any of our children and they'll confirm that I can go a long way quite steadily on the level...it's just uphill that slows me down to nearly stop. In past holidays, they would all hurtle past me on the uphills and then I'd trundle past them on the downhills. Swings and roundabouts? Weren't any. So, notwithstanding rubber legs, total absence of useful breath and rivers of sweat I carried on quite briskly. I'll give him 'don't do walking' I thought.
It was delightful anyway. Rushing water glimpsed in a gorge far (very far) below, Sunlight, flitting birds, old and twisty oak, alder, birch and rowan trees clinging to the rocks. Waterfalls crossing our path and towering mountains all around.
Actually we overtook people. I was impressed with me! The legs stopped wobbling and as long as I remembered to keep picking them up a bit higher than they would normally go, I wasn't in too much danger of tripping over my own feet and disappearing over the edge :)
So up to a narrow gap between converging cliffs with a waterfall crashing down through huge boulders. The crowning glory was a flat, circular, mountain meadow opening out, bathed in sunlight and enclosed by dark mountains. At the far end of the meadow, a leaping waterfall shimmering on the rock face and falling into the river below. Which wound lazily through the meadow.
Gorgeous, spectacular, heavenly. A secret valley straight out of a children's adventure book. the place I'd always wanted to run away to. (I still do).
I'm sorry, what with dinner booked and no tripod and no time to really drink it in, the pics have come out a long way short of what it was like.
Much too beautiful to do in a hurry. I could have stayed days and nights and we did the whole walk in about 1&1/2 hours. Stupid. But we didn't know.
It was somewhere up there

Forgot to mention knotted and gnarled old pines


The way back.

On the way back down, I practically skipped along. Some years ago Barney made walking sticks for a while and I claimed one for myself. On rocky downhill treks it's like having something halfway between an extra leg and eyes in your feet. Felt quite mountain goatlike and very pleased with myself for having got up to the meadow in the first place.

3 Comments:

Blogger starbender said...

What an absolutly BEAUTIFUL PLACE!!!
Enjoy every second of it, I wish I was standin right next 2 U so I could witness it first hand!

:)

8:47 pm  
Blogger mig bardsley said...

It is quite marvellous. Star, how on earth do you keep all your blogs running at once? And find time to visit other people?

2:53 am  
Blogger Nubian Nerd said...

Great pics! I've been living in Scotland just over a year now and I'm absolutely loving it!!

2:53 am  

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