Caledonian Hotel Fort William

... to Glen Nevis, where we went for a walk and saw a beautiful waterfall. Back on the bus and to lunch, where i had a yummy plate of Haggis, Neeps (Parsnips) and Tatties (Potatoes). <br><br>Until this time the weather had been pretty good to us - you might even see some blue sky in the photos. But by the end of lunch the rain had set in. We made a quick pit stop to climb a muddy hill so we could see the Harry Potter bridge (second movie, when Harry and Ron are in the flying car ...

... king - who told her that if she put her face in the enchanted river for 7 seconds, her beauty would be restored forver and peace would return. Which she did - and which we did too! Yup! threw our faces, in the middle of the rain, on cold slippery rocks! (hopefully i'll be able to upload photos at the next hostel!). <br><br>Phew - what a day! and what an entry! Tonight at the hostel is the Tartan Yoga party, so i had better go and see what outfit Josh has created. <br><br>Till next time! <br>

... is sadly known for being voted the city with the ugliest people in Scotland! Not the best of awards to win. Had a quick look around and Josh even managed to squeeze in a quick haircut! <br><br>Then to the local distillery, a quick tour and some samples - i had a quick taste, but i'm truly not a whiskey person - josh said the Penderyn one in Wales was better. <br><br>Onwards to Loch Ness which is the best known of the 4 Lochs in the Scottish Highlands ...

... br>Some other info Ross gave us.<br><br>- Scotish flag is based on a vision that St Andrew had while fighting the British a white cross shining against a blue sky.<br>- golf is actually illegal in Scotland, William the IV declared it illegal as it stopped the young men practising their archery, the law has never been changed.. lol<br><br>Back in Edinburgh, food and sleep,early start in the morning!!!!! oh no..

... night tonight! <br><br>Tyndrum is disappointingly a glorified layby but the hostel is lovely with plenty of space, a great drying room and I'm looking forward to my day off!<br><br>Things that made me smile today:<br><br>The sun coming out at Loch Tulla<br>The gate with the "Please Close the Gate" sign. It was stood all alone with no supporting fence, hedge or wall for miles!<br>Getting to Tyndrum - I was pretty tired after 64 miles in three days!<br>

The final stage of the Great Glen Way runs down Loch Lochy and back onto the Caledonian Canal all the way to Fort William and Loch Linnhe. The Caledonian Canal is another feat of 19th century engineering, where rather than use specialist "navvies", the local Highlanders were pressed into service in between their ordinary droving and crofting activities. <br><br>It ...

... walk is sponsored too). Last year they raised over £20,000 on a similar event.<br><br>Fort Augustus is at the junction of the Caledonian Canal and there's quite a crowd when I arrive as the swing bridge in and out of the locks is about to be opened to allow the boats out into the Loch. The sun is shining and the hills look stunning. I could quite happily sit by the canal eating ...

John<br><br>Our first destination was the sea town of Oban which was reached by diriving west past Glasgow then up through the high country and back down the coast at Oban. It was a real thrill to set eyes on the ' bonny bonny banks of Loch Lomand' on the anniversary of mum's passing and we came across a small church on its shores and gave thanks for her life. Lock Lomand was beautiful but there ...

How did it come to this? I thought I was joining my brother for a stroll in the snow and now I proudly have a one week lease on two ice axes, some crampons, a helmet and a big pair of man boots - I think this winter 'walking' may be more hairy scary than I was led to believe. Fortunately my brother knows a guy, Simon, who is doing an MIA(? Mountain instructor) course, and he needs to take a number of novices through their initial ...

... leaks in the pipes up the hillside which we could see from the road. It was a non issue as it turned out. It was only a couple of guys doing steam cleaning or sand blasting maintenance. I walked back along the river bank with D and took a shortcut up the hillside to the house. The evening meal was a great success if not very substantial. Seven or eight different courses of mostly small portions on large plates but a great time was had by all.