Almondbank B&B Portree

... and negotiated. Armed with my trusty Rough Guide to Scotland, and some scribbled directions for each walk, I set off, bright and early (8.30?) for Callander - the "gateway" to the Trossachs. Noone else was on the roads - a good sign - so I pulled over for a couple of sneaky photos of the first Loch I encountered, Loch Venachar: Soon after ...

Today, I was planning to go to the youth hostel at the castle, but the Land Rover had other plans!!!

Oh dear, game over! I popped out to start the Land Rover this morning at around 9am and the engine was smoking like a trooper and sounding a lot worse than it normally does. I called the AA at around 10:00 and they turned up at at around 10:45 from a local garage. He told me that the engine is fairly terminal (piston problem ...

... will go out of their way to help a stranger.

Things that made me smile today:

The multitude of frogs and toads enjoying the wet ground
The two couples who gave me sponsorship at Inversnaid
Feral goats at Inversnaid - the book is not wrong about their smell!
All the lovely people I met at the youth hostel
The drying room - it was extremely hot and all my kit is now properly dry!

... pours across the path in numerous places today turning tiny burns into quite fast-flowing streams and I need to keep my wits about crossing on stones in a number of places. By the time I get to the Glen Falloch area the water in the river is so strong that it's not clear which bit is actually the Falls of Falloch - there are several contending waterfalls! I'm getting pretty wet but I console myself with the thought that this is only temporary, I'm not cold and ...

... that I'm taking it face on. I'm frustrated that everyone I meet coming the other way looks almost dry! Still, my waterproofs and boots are doing an excellent job and underneath I'm not really wet. The moor seems bleak in this weather but on a clear day there are obviously stunning views to be had.

Heading down to Inverornan, the clouds suddenly roll away and the sun comes out. I take my chances and stop for a quick snack, revelling in the chance ...

... t too low so there are still plenty of great views to be had. For the first six or so miles I see no-one and then the onslaught of walkers who've made an early start from Kinlochleven begin. I meet Julia, a lovely Northern Irish lady, who's only got a few miles to go and further on several more walkers who are finding the last stage heavy weather and are asking how much further!

Coming out of Kinlochleven I meet a local man, who must be in his ...

... it was a female). By 09:30 we were on our way, sadly by engine as the wind had decided to depart more or less in its' entirety. We arrived back in Portree at 15:00 or so, in time to re-fuel (diesel here was 20p a litre cheaper than in Dunstaffnage - the robbing %^$^'s!) and thence to a mooring, which hereabouts is maintained by the lifeboat crew so should be in good order. They have a fairly lackadaisical way of charging here ...

... to stay, and what not to do, we came up with an itinerary that took in the Isle of Skye, Torridon, and the Assynt area, all in Scotland's rugged and remote northwest. It was difficult to choose as there were literally hundreds of options that presented themselves. Our transport was a rental car - a lovely black Ford Focus, and we decided to stay under the canvas on Skye, and in good ole SYHAs for ...

... buildings got the attention of my parents like they were just kids in a candy store. We banked to the right and headed towards the University campus along West Nicolson Street, past the famous Peartree pub and beer garden. After circling the courtyard of George Square and passing the old Edwardian townhouses along the cobblestone streets that are now offices for professors, we made our way back to the Peartree for a quick pint. In the Peartree we sat and ...

... Dunvegan Castle which was really interesting. After tonight, that's it for our Scotland mini-holiday. Tomorrow we'll be driving back to Inverness and will fly to London where we'll spend about a week staying with our friends Jo and Brad. Hopefully we'll get a chance to update our blog a few times :) Bye for now, Karyn & Bevan