Scotland the Glorious

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

Friday, July 07, 2006

Day 4

Breakfast at Loch View is good we've decided (smoked salmon and scrambled egg on the menu) (but the coffee is horrible)
We decided to go and book a steam train ride from Fort William to Mallaig for tomorrow but found it was booked up till Friday when we're going back. Disappointment loomed and we wandered sadly up the platform to drool over the engine (that's Barney not me) and sit down. Discovered that you can get late bookings too. So queued up and got two for today. Yay, we're going on the Hogwarts Express! It is really the train and track used in the Harry Potter film. I suppose that's a bit cool?So. got tickets for today, had a parking panic and a flurry of seat searching and settled in opposite 3 chinese ladies, who semed to me to be daughter, mother and grandmother..Barney thought mother and aunt. Whichever, they were, respectively, chatty, smiley and smiley and shortly after the train set off, they all fell asleep! But not before a little animated chinese conversation in which the words Harry Potter and Hogwarts featured.
You can't turn a corner in this part of the world without seeing yet another fabulous view. As well as the famous viaduct we passed several scenes from Local Hero (I remember watching the film and thinking Iwould like to go there!). the weather was brilliant.
Mallaig was quite nice though not particularly picturesque and the hoped for views of Egg and Skye and other islands were obscured by the industrial / fishing areas of the port. But there were jelly fish in the harbour which I wasn't expecting!
We had a pleasant lunch. Barney beginning to feel a bit over fished (he seemed to have had fish at least once with every meal since we'd left Lancaster) but he had Langoustines anyway since they were advertised as world famous...clients have travelled hundreds of miles to eat our langoustines. Hmm. After tasting, we realised that we had also travelled hundreds of miles to eat them. Nothing so special about that then.
After a hasty visit to a Himalayan craft exhibition (in Scotland? Well why not) yielded 2 pairs of thin trousers for Barney but nothing for me, we hurried back to our train and this time, I got myself a window by a door and stood there popping head and camera out of the window whenever it looked safe (dire warnings about possible decapitation by passing vegetation and rocks notwithstanding).
Minutes before we crossed the viaduct which features apparently in the Harry Potter film (if, like me, you've not seen the film, you need to know that it's pretty impressive in its own right) my battery ran out. Of course while I rushed to the compartment to change it, I lost my (by now) coveted window space. The viaduct curves elegantly and conveniently in such a way that you can lean out and take a picture of the train going across and both Harry Potter and steam train fans were all determined to get that shot! the corridors were briefly seething wth camera waving tourists.
Anyway, my space had been snaffled by a very elegant, poised indian lady who cheerfully offered to let me have a turn after she'd taken her picture. And naturally, the train went slowly enough to allow everyone a good chance at the picture..it is one of the big selling points of the ride after all.
So we both did our shots, and compared notes and agreed that it was all very lovely.By this time I was a bit tired of standing so went back to sit with our chinese ladies, now very animated and cheerful. Saw three herons sailing majestically across Loch Eil but there wasn't time to get the camera out again so I just enjoyed the sight.
(To be continued)*


*Because I'm knackered and there's a whole lot more of day 4 to come. At least I think there is. I might have got some days mixed up.

4 Comments:

Blogger Mel said...

Oh what a grand time you had. I'm envious of the ride on the steam train--let alone the gorgeous scenery along the way.

I could almost hear that clickety clack of the train as I read.
Wonderful photos.....


We need to schedule a holiday, that's all there is to it!

12:44 am  
Blogger mig bardsley said...

And chuff chuff and Whoo-ooo.
Holidays are a necessity. Like sidewalk pictures :)

2:55 am  
Blogger starbender said...

Day 4-
Augh!!! I just got here....
day's late, and dollars short, that's me!
U'r trip looks and sounds fantastic! I have ALWAYS wanted to see Scotland, and now I feel like I'm there with U-- On that wonderful train!
:)

7:16 am  
Blogger Gerald (Ackworth born) said...

Quite how I got here I'm not sure [proably clicked on a comment you'd left somewhere]
blog-reading can sometimes by like reaching platform 9 and a half!
How often we sometimes seem to miss half the journey fiddling with our camera.
Must bookmark you and come back to read more of your holiday jaunt

5:08 pm  

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