Princes House Hotel Fort William

... was a lot more difficult than we expected. It was an absolute nightmare and was very difficult on the knees and calf muscles. Got back down to the bottom after about 7.5 hours and headed straight for the Glen Nevis Inn for a couple of pints and a portion of chips...lovely, just what I needed. I DID IT, just climbed the UK highest mountain without any prior experience and training and in really bad weather.

I've made it to Fort William, checked into the SYHA Glen Nevis and decided to go for a walk in to town to get some dinner. Little did I know that it was 3.5 miles each way in the pouring rain to Morrisons.

Gone to far to turn around and I am wet now.

... Ways (and was totally lost!) and a couple out picking blackberries.

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 ...

... money for their charity, Coldstream Kids, that supports the children of Guards who have been killed in action. He tells me I'll meet them a bit further along the path and to tell them to get a move on, grub's up!

I do meet them and pass the message on and they tell me to look out for their flautists who are playing in Fort Augustus to help raise more money (everyone on ...

... up taking a little ferry back across Loch Linhe at Ardgour. Six pounds and 40 pence for a 3 minute crossing - daylight robbery but it was 8.30pm, almost dark, and with about 15miles around the side of a Loch on a single track road it seemed like a bargain.

We have continued with great weather and it was topped off tonight with the most wonderful sunset... fingers crossed for a repeat performance tomorrow.

... town!). We walked around the port and took more pictures and took in the sites and smells of a working port! We had a little impromptu show by a harbor seal who apparently was looking for food.

We headed back down through the highlands and on to Balquhidder. There is a church there where Rob Roy MacGregor and his family are buried. The church was only a couple of ...

... 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.

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.

... associated with his attempts to take back the Scottish crown.) After talking at length with the Austrian and Canadian families, once they announced we could leave the train for an hour and a half, we went to the monument, but couldn't go inside. We also saw a very beautiful Catholic church on the way to it, an old stone church built on a hill covered in purple blooms, with more mountains rising behind it. Andrew was ...

... kept secret - so don't tell anyone and it won't get spoilt by too many tourists. In the grounds around the People's Palace is a very impressive old carpet warehouse, decorated with ceramic tiles and a fully restored fountain. The exhibition was excellent and it was one of the few museums that requires a decent sense of humour to appreciate. Billy's boots did not disappoint and we bought a CD to listen to in the car [one of the very few advantages a car has over a motorbike ...

... ruins, go on bush walks, take picnics by waterfalls, play frisbee on the beach. Took a boat trip on the Loch Ness and spent an afternoon at Glen Ord whisky distillery. Isle of Skye was our favourite place. The views from the rugged cliff tops are amazing and well worth the trek through marshy fields and cow ****.