Loch Leven Hotel Fort William

... it would be really good to explore all the islands my boat, and so i set to finding something suitable. I found a site, for a tall ship based in Paihia that does day trips out from there. It looks an amazing experience and something ive always wanted to do! Thats on the 28th of November, so look out for the pics:) Im also planning on doing some kayaking up here, of course, make it feel like home a bit! Then, a ...

... The Nevis ranges comprises of three peaks - and apparently more people die trying to climb Ben Nevis than on the roads of Scotland due to poor preparation and the rapidly changing weather. Where we stopped is a monument to those who have died protecting the country, and as we were taking photos a platoon of army boys came jogging past. Evidently the ranges is a popular training ground - they have to run up to 10 miles with 30 pound backpacks on their backs! <br><br>Next we ...

Liz &amp; Alec, who gave me a lift last night, turn out to be heading back to Kingshouse this morning so offer me a lift straight back to the start of my walk through the winding valley of Glencoe. The sky is already looking ominously dark so it's on with the waterproofs and I batten down the hatches with my rucksack cover before venturing out across Rannoch Moor. <br><br>The rain starts almost as soon as I hit the moor. It's relentless and the headwind ...

... Ways (and was totally lost!) and a couple out picking blackberries. <br><br>Fort William wasn't what I expected - it's certainly not a beautiful town and the '60s and '70s housing developments above the town don't exactly blend in with Ben Nevis and the stunning hills behind. The Great Glen Way takes walkers all the way to the end of the Caledonian Canal and ...

... streets and t-junctions, we eventually found the main motorways out of Edinburgh.... and finally on the way to Oban. It was special to be back beside the sea after so long.... the smell, the water and the sounds of birds. The seagulls here were huge!.... about twice the size of those at home. It had the lazy atmosphere so consistent with seaside towns, even with a busy metropolis so close by.<br>

The rest of the drive up has been lovely but it's all been a bit of a warm up to this .. it's stunning up here. We took a roundabout scenic route up from Callander to Fort William which was beautiful..up through Glencoe etc.. We topped it off by popping out for a 'quick' drive out for an hour or so after we checked in at 5.30. Well we ended up taking a slightly bigger drive than anticipated all around the A861and ...

Another castle I wasn't able to get across to. The water level was too high and they weren't running the boat. I hiked as far as I could across the boggy field, but after again going shin deep into water, I decided to turn back.<br><br>Some interesting waterfalls along the way over here, as well as behind the castle.<br>

... and having vinegar perhaps added to it...). While eating on a park bench in the middle of the main park here we could look over cathedrals, churches and the bottom end of the shops.<br><br>Heading home via the Spean Bridge, we stopped off quickly at the Commando memorial and take the mickey out of the local 'flock'. We also past through Loch Laggan and Dalwhinnie. Late night arriving home, bout 11pm.

... a good meal at the hotel (Scottish sakmon, scampi, mussels, with NZ sauvignon blanc) and a good B&amp;B. Ben View Guest House Ben View We went to the see the Ben Nevis Gondola but the clouds were too low to make the trip worth while. This area is a big ski field in winter. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Great Britain. On the way to Ayr ...

... reason they put us upstairs by ourselves in this tiny room. We were obviously having too much fun or something as after a while this poor woman had to come upstairs and stand in the doorway and watch us. Kind of inhibiting, so started asking her for fresh drinks, one at a time just to get a bit of privacy. Meal was good though, and they let us come downstairs for coffee. So all (except Alan and Eli) stopped off for a final whisky in pub, then taxi back to Glen Nevis.