Allthegobro

The ferry left Stornoway mid afternoon and we arrived back at Ullapool around 6.30pm for the drive north to Stoer, which is only about 35 miles north of Ullapool, near a town called Lochinver. It is on part of the coastline that jutts out into the sea opposite Stornoway, over on Lewis. It for the most part a dual lane road, but after turning off to Stoer becomes a single lane track. So it was a bit slow going along this part. Some great highland scenery and clear skies for parts.

This beach north of Ullapool was entirely thin flat stones, most about size of a small plate.

Highland tarn

Ardvreck Castle ruins by Loch Assynt

The Ardvreck Castle ruins on a small peninsular in Loch Assynt were particularly evocative of times past. Originally built in mid 1400s, modified over the years and then destroyed by a lightning strike in 1795. It was home to the Clan MacLeods of Assynt. It was the scene of much violence, with murders, executions and sieges of both traditional enemies and quarrelsome branches of the MacLeod family. Many ghosts are said to haunt Ardvreck.

The Highlands B & B at Stoer was an interesting piece of accommodation. It was formerly a ruined croft house, of which we have seen a lot. There were some photos of the place pre restoration. More or less a pile of rocks with stone wall ends. We stayed in the loft. Quite a big comfy room. There were a few other croft houses scattered around the area. It was close to a white sand beach. But there is nothing much more at Stoer, other than sheep.

Highlands B & B

Old Man Track

The reason for staying at Stoer though was to attempt the track to the famous sea stack, the Old Man of Stoer. It is a short drive out to the Stoer Lighthouse, where the track starts. Homealone decided to remain behind. Allthego set out on the 3 km track over the moor to the Old Man. There were a few other people doing the walk, so it wasn’t lonely. It was up and down though, a particularly steep section down into a gully and then up the other side was mildly challenging for the knees. The end of the trek though was rewarding with a great view of the Old Man. Allthego turned back at this point, one could go on and look down on top of the Old Man, as time was marching on. The track out and back took the Old Man of Mt Ommaney about two and a half hours and he was a bit puffed on arrival back at the Lighthouse.

Old Man of Stoer

The track to the Old Man

Islands off Drumberg

We continued north along this coastal single track secondary road before rejoining the main drag north and around the top to Durness. Along the way we stopped for a late lunch at the village of Kylesku, perched beside a sea loch. This was a nice spot sitting out in the sun, bit of wind blowing, gazing across the loch to the mussel farm in the waters on the other side. This was the farm where the mussels Allthego had for lunch came from. Pretty fresh and tasty they were too! Home alone had some fish ‘n chips. The standard for fish ‘n chips is a big piece of battered haddock, all of the ones we have had have been excellent, with varying quantities of chips. But it is starting to get a bit repetitive diet wise. Most move on to some lamb! Of which there are plenty running around in the paddocks. We stopped in for a short break at Durness. Unfortunately, the Zipline across a beach side ravine had just taken its last passenger for the day and we couldn’t try it out. Some great views and an adrenaline rush were missed out on.

Beach at Durness

Lunch at Kylesku Hotel

Zipline at Durness

Our stop for the next couple of nights is at Armadale, a few miles east of Durness. The sun is setting around 10.30 pm so it makes for long evenings. It is also early mornings with the sun rising around 4 am. It makes for long days!

These ‘pretend’ to be two islands, but in reality are one. The northern bit is Lewis. The southern bit is Harris. Allthego asked a youngish lady from the north if there was any difference in the people, she suggested the ones in the south were a little loopy. They seemed about the same to Allthego. We had arrived on Lewis and were staying in a Shepherd’s Hut at Mangersta on the west coast, in an area known as Uig. It is a relatively remote spot on farmland beside the sea. The farm grazes about a hundred sheep and an undisclosed quantity of Angus beef cattle. It is a rocky hilly place, but with plenty of green grass between the boulders. Totally unlike grazing lands in Australia, except perhaps for the south coast of NSW. As a base it is a good location because it is about equidistant from the east, north and south. An hour and half or so in either direction. In our 2 days on the island we went from one end to the other.

Location of the Shepherd’s Hut, red box in the middle of the picture.

The Shepherd’s Hut

Inside the Hut, the other end was the kitchen and bathroom.

At the top, known as the Butte of Lewis is the unique red brick lighthouse blinking out into the Atlantic. The cliff tops here were the home to great flocks of Fulmers and Gannets, the northern cousins of the birds we saw along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. The area going north is the locale of many of the ancient pictish brochs and  standing stones sites. The stones at Callanash are the standout, high up on a hill overlooking a loch they dominate the skyline. Also, buses flock here and people wander among the stones looking them up and down and wonder why they are there. The stones look the people up and down and wonder why they are there. We are at the stones on the very day of the summer solstice and there are a number of vans parked near the site. Later, we hear that there is to be a celebration that night at the stones and all are welcome. One character suggests that they might even ‘put someone in a wicker basket and burn them’. Back at the Shepherd’s Hut our host tells us that her daughter was at the celebration, we saw her driving back the next day. May have been a wild night, Homealone didn’t want to try it out.

Butte of Lewis Lighthouse

Callinash stones

Early morning rainbow(s)

The  Lewis Chessmen were supposedly found in the sandhills of one of the beaches at Uig. Quite a lot is made of this find of 12th century chess pieces made from bones. Chess sets of various sizes in most of the craft and tourist spots. We saw a set made of concrete, about 2 feet tall, at the Lewis Castle in Stornoway.  Stornoway is the major population centre and were the ferry ports. We have also been extremely lucky to see among the boulders and grass a rare short eared Haggis. Lewis and Harris are believed to be one of the last remaining places were the short eared Haggis can be found in small numbers, a delightful little creature. The long eared haggis is much more common and is farmed on the mainland  to supply the trade with meat.

Lewis cheesmen

Mangersta stacks

The rare short eared haggis.

Down in Harris is the strip of white sand beaches and rocky headlands one sees on postcards and calendars. It is quite a drive there and back through the boulder strewn hills and along the coastline. We stopped off at the Harris Golf Club, a nine hole links course ruining along the sea shore and headland. Great views over the beach at Scarista.

A tarn in the high country

Scarista beach and Harris Golf Course

A loch in the hills

One of the features seen driving around are the ruins of many ‘blackhouses’. These were dwellings that many crofters lived in up until the early 1950s.  Stone walls to about chest/head height, with blocks of peat on top of these and a thatched roof supported by wooden frames. Animals lived in one end during the winter and the family at the other. There was a central area with a fireplace, the main fuel being peat. It was very smoky inside, a small hole in the roof to let smoke out, no windows and therefore dark. We had a look through a replica of one of these, rather humbling experience. They were replaced in the 1950s by what are known as ‘white houses’ more substantial dwellings of stone and sloping thatched roofs and later slate. There are also ruins of these around, a number being renovated and modernised. New buildings are also modelled on the style.

A replica blackhouse

The blackhouse’s peat fire and kettle

Lewis Castle.

It was hard to drag ourselves off Lewis and Harris, on our last day the sun had come out for us showing the colours of the island in a different hue. It is now back to the mainland and along the north west coast and around the top to John O’Groats.

Well we are now heading off of Skye and bound for the Isles of Lewis & Harris. The day’s drive will take us to Ullapool where we join a ferry for the 3 hour transit across to Lewis. Allthego thought that it would be good idea to go back to the mainland from Skye by way of a ferry. If you can’t go ‘over the sea to Skye’ anymore then one should ‘go from Skye over the sea’ if you can. And, yes, you can do this. There is an historic ferry that goes from Skye to the small town of Glenelg on the Scottish mainland.

Ferry to Glenelg

Turntable ferry to Glenelg

The Broch ruins near Glenelg

The ferry it seems is the last ‘rotating deck’ ferry in the world. It carries no more than 6 cars. It crosses a short channel at the southern end of Skye to Glenelg. In order to catch the ferry we need to traverse several miles of up and down single track road. It is not a very wide single track road and the passing bays seem to be a little further apart than the usual 200 metres. Allthego soon learns a trick though! Cars coming the other way come in batches of 6, being the capacity of the ferry. So we are able to get along at a reasonable pace and count cars. The road is a little steep in sections and not really for the faint hearted. But we made it and the ferry crossing successfully.

One of the many lochs we drove up and then down on the way north.

A glen not far from Ullapool

Some roadway among the mountains.

In Glenelg we sought out the local Broch ( pronounced ‘broc’). There are lots of these relics scattered around Northern Scotland, many of them just heaps of stones. The broch at Glenelg is one of the best examples of these structures remaining somewhat intact. They were a ‘flattened’ conical shape, about 5-10 metres high, with rooms for work, animals and living quarters in the sides of the structure. They were built extensively in the Highlands from about 2000BC to 100AD. The structures were defensive but were also demonstrative of the social status of those who lived within them.

The Caledonian Hotel in Ullapool.

Waterfront at Ullapool.

Leaving Ullapool on the ferry for Lewis & Harris.

The road from Glenelg then took us along the coast, with many great views of beaches and headlands before reaching Ullapool, where we stayed for 2 nights. Ullapool is a port town surviving very much on tourism and the ferry service to Lewis & Harris where we were now headed for 3 days.

We have arrived on Skye having crossed over the bridge. Quite an impressive bridge standing high above the loch. Allthego remembers the book ‘Ring of Bright Water’ written by one Gavin Maxwell; he studied it in high school English a few years back.  It is about the author’s life on Skye and his relationship with some otters. The bridge has some of it’s stanchions standing on the island in the loch where the story is based. A visitors centre is nearby. It was tempting to go and see the place. But do you know what, we didn’t have the time to visit it. Too much else to see and do in the 3 days we had on Skye.

Our B & B near Torrin, Skye Mountain Lodge

Cuillin Mountains from our front yard

Waterfront at Portree, the main town.

We based ourselves near a small village called Torrin on the south end of the island, a long way from anywhere. Quite long stretches of narrow single track road to reach it.  Internet quite unreliable and sluggish. The Skye Mountain Lodge was a wonderful B & B. Great hosts and a great view across the loch to the Cuillin Mountains, some very impressive ‘black hills’ to wake up to. Frequently shrouded in mists, they did appear though from time to time. In the 3 days we experienced all of the weather patterns that Skye could throw at us, except snow. It did get quite chilly though! Some great sunny patches, particularly in the afternoons. The sun and clouds, some fluffy and white others dark and brooding, threw ever moving shadows that created unusual patterns and changing colours on the mountain slopes and valleys.

Some hills, there were lots of hills!

Old bridge looking to the Cuillins

Uig

In our 3 days we set off on road trips to try to get around the major viewpoints and landmarks, both natural and human. Needed more time! But we gave it a good go and saw some wonderful things along the way. The Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, Fairy Pools, Dunvegan Castle and the lighthouse on the most westerly spot at Neist Point offered some of the most dramatic scenery.

Old Man of Storr

Kilt Rock and waterfall

Neist Pt lighthouse

The mountains and hills, the product of glacial scrapping were everywhere around us. One of the memorials to some early explorers on the island noted in awe the words of Pslam 121 ‘I to the hills will lift mine eyes from whence doth come my aid’. A very good description of the environment around us! Allthego and Homealone also enjoyed some good fish ‘n chips as well as mussels, the breakfasts were excellent at the B & B too!

Cliffs at Neist Point

Dunvegan Castle

Finishing that bowl of mussels

Allthego could write much about this place, but he thinks that it is best left to others to do this. Pictures tell a thousand stories they say! We had a great time on Skye. We now head a bit further north for Ullapool and then by ferry to the Isles of Harris and Lewis, home of the famous Lewis Chessmen!

We are in Fort William for a day before heading a little north to the Isle of Skye. So the opportunity, having picked up our car, was taken to revisit the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Monument. The National Trust have a visitors centre in the valley below the viaduct curve and after a short walk up a hill behind the centre there is a good view of the Viaduct. Well, Allthego stood on the hill for 45 minutes to await the Jacobite train from Fort William. As did about 50 other people. Allthego stood his ground on a good vantage point despite some invasion efforts by other nationalities. All good. Anyway the locale was a little too distant for a good clear shot of the train, needed the longer lens which had been left behind in the car. The Glenfinnan Monument was erected in times past to mark the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie had landed in about 1744, after coming over from France to pursue the restoration of the Stuarts to the Scottish and English crowns. The esteemed National Trust charge 4 pound to climb the tower, so Allthego didn’t. Others did, seems to be a good view from the top, where the Bonnie Prince stares north.

Glenfinnan Monument

Jacobite train on the viaduct,

Earlier in the day Allthego had ascended Anoarch Mor in the gondola to try and get a view of the north face of Ben Nevis. Homealone did not venture up. It was pretty foggy up top when first alighting from the gondola car, not much to be seen. Fortunately, the air cleared a little and there was a good view down the valley to the lochs. But Ben Nevis was shrouded in the dreaded Scottish mist, so Allthego didn’t venture on the 40 minute return walk to the north face and returned down the mountain to the waiting Homealone, who had enjoyed a cup of tea.

Allthego all alone in the gondola, a bit chilly.

View from top gondola station

Gondola up Aonach Mor

Back at the Imperial Hotel we packed and rearranged a few things for the next stage of the journey; a road trip north to Skye and then onto the island of Lewis & Harris, before heading to the Orkneys and the Shetland Islands in the far north. The first stage to Skye covered some familiar ground, the journey took us up to Invergarry, along the shores of the Caledonian Canal and in particular Loch Lochy. On the way we passed by the Commando Monument which commemorates the role the region played in the training of British commando forces in WW11. Quite an impressive statue gazing out over the mountains. The weather was a bit crook, chilly and windy with rainy squalls. After passing through Invergarry, where we had had dinner whilst on the canal trip, the road out to Skye just rolled along beside the hills and lochs. It is marketed as a great drive, but the scenery was a little disappointing. There had been a lot of pine forest logging going on in recent times and the hills were significantly denuded in many places. A big replanting job will be required to cover the scars.

Commando Monument

Glenshiel, now a peaceful valley along the way to Skye.

Glenshiel monument

Loch Lochy

In a peaceful valley along the road there is a monument to the Glenshiel battle of June 1719. 300 years ago the Jacobites were defeated here by Government forces. There had been a memorial service a couple of days earlier, many tributes were scattered around the memorial stone. Memories are long in these parts! We also stopped in at the famous Eilean Donan Castle for a photo. It has featured in a number of TV shows and movies. On the maps the area is called the Kyle of Lochalsh.  Allthego wondered what this meant. Seems to be that it is here that 3 sea lochs converge, Loch Alsh being one of them and the ‘kyle’ being the ‘straight narrow’ part of the loch.

The Scottish mist on the way to Skye.

The Skye Bridge

Eilean Donan Castle on Loch Alsh

A little later we caught sight of the bridge across the Loch to Skye. No longer a ferry trip and thus some of the locals think it’s no longer an island! We will just have to see!

We are now heading back to Laggan to conclude our journey on the Caledonian Canal. It is going to be the same route, but a different experience. Mainly because the weather will be different! Our first stop will be the infamous Urquhart Harbour where we had that mooring hassle a few nights back. Looking forward to it! The trip down to Loch Ness from Inverness went quite quickly, the weather overcast and windless. No rain. The Urquhart Harbour presented no gremlins this time around and we neatly parked the vessel at the dock. All the onboard crew congratulated themselves several times over and wondered why it was so hard the first time.

Ruins of Urquhart Castle

Some rocks used by a Trebuchet against Urquhart Castle.

This is a replica Trebuchet, a siege weapon that hurled rocks at castle walls.

The main attraction in this area are the ruins of the medieval Urquhart Castle. The Castle is situated on a headland jutting out into Loch Ness, it would have been an imposing sight in its hey day. We stepped ashore here and had a look around the ruins and notice boards explaining life in the castle. It was blown up by the Jacobites in order to prevent it’s use by Government forces. Later in the day we went into Doumnadrochit to investigate the Nessie Centre, the asking price for entry was a bit rich. So we bypassed it and headed into the small town for a look see and some refreshments.

A Jacobite at Urquhart Castle telling tales of long ago.

Some refreshments at Doumnadrochit.

A submersible used by a Nessie hunter.

After humming around for awhile and Homealone getting rather peckish we managed to contact the Clansman Hotel. They immediately sent their driver to pick us up (he was later to return us to the boat) and we headed back for dinner in their dining room overlooking Loch Ness. By this time the sun was out and it was a great view as the sun started setting. Excellent meal as well.

Setting off the next morning the objective was to reach Port Augustus in time to go up the locks. The weather had improved significantly and we had patchy sunshine as we traversed Loch Ness. We kept our eyes peeled for a Nessie sighting, but no, it was not to be seen. We concluded that some distant bow wave ripples might pass off for a sighting, so a number of photos were taken for later processing and investigation.

Walking the boat through the Port Augustus Locks.

On deck dinner at Port Augustus. A little chilly, but great to get outdoors!

Mule 2 being congratulated by Rosemary!

We made it in time for what was probably the last locking for the day at Fort Augustus. As we were down two crew Homealone volunteered to act as the 2nd mule for walking the boat through. This time around it was up the locks rather than down. Technique the same. We made it without any dramas and settled in for the night, ready for a quick getaway the next morning.

Evidence of Nessie

We moored on Loch Oich for lunch in the sun.

We headed off for Laggan the next morning in simply great weather, sunny, nice blue sky with some puffy clouds. Calm waters and a light a light breeze greeted us on Loch Oich and we slowly trailed behind some sail boats with their sales aloft. We cruised past the ruins of Invergarry Castle and the Hotel where we had enjoyed lunch and dinner a few days back. Our last stretch before the  Laggan Locks was the magnificent so called ‘Laggan Avenue’, a narrow section of canal lined by pine trees.

Laggan Avenue

This boat is styled a barge. It carries perhaps 20 passengers fully catered and guided up the canal. Somewhat more luxury than our boat!

After a short cruise out into Loch Lochie for a last look we returned to the Le Boat base. We stayed the night there and disembarked the next morning, handed the boat back, settled our account and took our pre booked taxi back to Fort William. The Watts were leaving us here and taking the train back to Glasgow for their flights home to Australia. It had been a memorable ten days on the Canal, with much to remember and recall with them and the Nielsens in a few weeks time.

For now though we settled into the Imperial Hotel for a couple of nights to regroup for the next stage of our journey in Scotland; over the sea to Skye.

We have reached the halfway point in our journey along the Caledonian Canal and are in Inverness. We now have to turn around and go back! Niel and Jackie are leaving us here in Inverness and heading off to Ireland. But first we are to have a brief wander around the city and see some of its sights, mainly those involving food. We don’t have much time to do anything else, apart from going out of town to visit the Culloden battlefield. Culloden was where in 1745 the last pitched battle took place on British soil.

Inverness streetscape

Inverness Castle overlooks the River Ness

On the swing bridge over the River Ness into city central.

The weather was also improving a little and we had a relatively clear day for the visit to Culloden. Khalid, a very Scottish sounding Pakistani taxi driver, advised us that it was going to rain the next day and that we should do outdoor things today. I asked him how he knew it was going to rain tomorrow. He explained that because it wasn’t raining today it would rain tomorrow. This was helpful.

Homealone hooked a willing Scottish lad.

A hairy Haggis piper

The National Trust is slowly trying to ‘restore’ the battlefield environment at Culloden to what it was in 1745. No easy task given subsequent land uses and the passage of time. A guide took us around the site explaining the various positions taken up by the opposing forces and the basic battle strategy of both sides.

Culloden battlefield today

Battlefield mass grave

A composite painting of battlefield events

At its simplest interpretation the battle was between Government (English) forces with protestant ideals and the Jacobites (Scottish clans lead by ‘Bonnie’ Prince Charlie ) supporting the restoration of the Stuart dynasty (catholic) to the Scottish and English thrones. The visitors centre explains things in much detail and it was a lot more complicated than that. Scottish clansmen took part on both sides, the French helped the Jacobites. The religious differences were not as clear cut.

The Scottish clansman had a particular battle technique that previously proved successful against the Government forces. The Highland Charge, demonstrated in the photo below. The English traditionally stood in lines of three rows. The Scots would charge them and with their forearm mounted shield smash the first guy aside, slitting his throat with the upraised dagger in his left hand. Next the Scot would slash down at the second row with the claymore (big sword) in his right hand. The guy in the third row generally, ran away or so the Scot hoped! This technique worked well on firm ground, but here at Culloden it’s a bog. Enough said! Anyway, the Jacobites were routed and Bonnie Prince Charlie escaped back to France.

Tony as a Scottish Clansman weaponed up.

In the aftermath of the battle the English slaughtered all the injured and captured Jacobites. They were later buried in various mass clan graves in unmarked pits. Years later clan names were engraved on stones placed near the pits. It is not really known whether the clan names match the pits. It was also a period when laws were introduced in an attempt to supress and wipe out the clan system in Scotland, hoping to prevent future uprisings. The population was heavily suppressed and controlled by English land holders, culminating in the Highland population clearances. Many emigrating to Canada, US and Australia. Please refer to Wikipedia for more on this and any thing else about the Jacobites. There remains in Scotland today this feeling that the English are, well, the English and the Scots are the Scots. Culloden feels a bit like the Civil War battlefields we have seen in the United States. The battles just don’t seem to have been finished!

After all this education it was back to the present, a farewell lunch and then the boat for the trip back down the Caledonian Canal the next day.

Do have to share an earlier picture and story with you about the ‘Eagle Barge’ at Laggan locks. The Eagle Barge is unique. It is the only floating hotel on the Canal. As such it demanded our attention. It was booked out for dinner. But we could squeeze in for a bar snack and beverage. Well, was it an interesting place and a study in service technique. The first trick we saw was when a keg went dry and the young lady behind the bar man-handled the replacement keg into position. Very impressive sight indeed! Though the beer was rather flat and very warm. The second trick was to charge 8 pounds for 3 half pork (dubious) sausages and a scoop of chips and get away with it! Niel, Jackie and Tony obviously enjoyed the ambience of the location and the sprawling lounge chair, despite the sluggish service.

Niel, Jackie and Tony at rest on the Eagle Barge

Now back to the journey.

After leaving our mooring at Invergarry we continued up Loch Oich to Fort Augustus, about half way along the canal system. Here, there is a staircase of 5 locks and a swing bridge to navigate down into Loch Ness. We arrived before lunch and decided to stay at the top of the locks and go down in the morning, mooring at the bottom for a late breakfast. This would give Jackie spare time to do some washing ashore. Have to think of these things.

Navy canal patrol boat

Fort Augustus locks going down to Loch Ness

Bicycles along the canal

Fort Augustus is a pleasant little town, very focussed on tourism. Shops, pubs and eateries line the canal staircase. Numerous travellers gaze down from the sidelines as the boats move through the locks, lots of Chinese tourists here on bus tours taking in the sights. A busking bagpiper rendering ‘A Scottish Soldier’ and other ditties kept passers by entertained.

Allthego ‘walking’ the boat through the locks. Tony Watt was on the back rope.

Nessie sighting in Fort Augustus

Fort Augustus Lock

It takes about an hour to go down the locks. The operation is a little different to others in that we have to drag our boat from lock to lock, one on the front rope and one on the back rope with no engine power assist. A bit like mules hauling wagons. Not as hard as it might appear as once you get the boat going it glides along relatively easily. We got through without any problems and as planned enjoyed breakfast at the bottom with views down Loch Ness. Jackie eventually got her washing done. Jackie took a bit longer than usual. Bit slow (90 minutes) in discovering that the spin dryer, despite her using detergent, does not wash clothes. On the journey though Jackie excelled in the galley, with a lamb stew, a chicken casserole, spaghetti bolognaise and some excellent Cumberland sausages and vegetables.

Buskers are different in the Highlands

Canal side and the Scottish ‘mist’

Loch Ness looking towards Inverness.

After breakfast we headed off into the Scottish mist down Loch Ness, it was 37 km to Inverness with a night stop over along the way at Urquhart Harbour, below the ruins of the old castle. No sightings of Nessie on the loch. Allthego had taken the wheel here for the attempted mooring in the Harbour, in somewhat windy conditions. He was wanting to hone his reversing skills into narrow moorings between other boats. It was a minor disaster. Despite an impressive approach the finish was ruined by over exuberance on the throttle, forward and reverse, combined with bow thruster efforts and cutting of the engine. One of our neighbouring boats was gently nudged and the dock knocked backwards a bit. No pictures. No damage. Bruised ego.

Canal side

Beside the Canal, Henry the tortoise, thought to be over a hundred.

In the morning we completed the short passage to Inverness for a two night stopover.

It has been one of Allthego’s bucket list items to do a boat trip on the Caledonian Canal. What better reason to come to Scotland. The Canal connects the Scottish west coast at Fort William in the south to the east coast at Inverness in the north. It is 97 km long. Built in the early 19 century, it took about 20 years to construct and was completed in 1822. The man made portions of the Canal link a series of natural lochs (or what we would call ‘lakes’) together, in what is known as the Great Glen. The most famous of the lochs is Loch Ness. There is roughly 30 km of man made canals and around 65 km of natural lochs. Loch Ness is inhabited by Nessie, which we hope to sight in due course. There are a few (12) large locks to navigate through as we move along the canal,  we are not allowed to go down the staircase locks into the sea at either end.

The canal was built to provide a trade route between the east and west coasts that would bypass the dangerous sea route along the Scottish west coast and around the top near the Orkney Islands. The Canal construction was also to provide a source of employment in the Highlands and protection to shipping from the ravages of French privateers. The threat of Napoleon also influenced the English Navy to support the project. When the Canal was completed though, Napoleon had already been defeated and the Navy didn’t need to use it. Ship building had also advanced and the new steam driven iron hulled ships were too big to use it. Today, it is a recreational canal for folks like us and also a safe route for sailing enthusiasts moving from places like Norway in the North Sea down to the northern Atlantic and Irish coasts.

Our Le Boat cruiser tied up at Glenorchie

Laggan Locks and the Canal north

Canal side

To undertake our journey we have hired a modest motor cruiser that will reasonably accommodate the 6 of us in 3 berths, with a spare one to hold luggage. All up we are onboard for 10 nights and had 8 days on the water. The plan was to cruise the length of the canal. The journey started at Laggan about a third the way up the canal, so the first cruising day took us back down the Canal through Loch Lochy to Fort William where we promptly turned round and set course for Inverness, setting course wasn’t that difficult as you just pointed the bow straight ahead most of the time. Overnight, we moored alongside pontoons or in small harbours. Generally, we were able to hook up to water and power.

Canal side

On Loch Lochy

Canal side

We set off in pretty terrible weather; cold, windy and scattered rain squalls. It was like this for the first 3 or 4 days. However, into the afternoons, the weather cleared a little and we were blessed with some patchy sunshine.

Going through a swing brdge

Old loch keeper’s cottage

Invergarry Castle ruins

There was considerable merriment onboard despite these conditions. Good humour abounded and what happens on a cruise stays on a cruise. So the saying goes. Niel’s efforts with the fishing line were rewarded with 2 eels, they were returned to the water to live another day. On our third night we found ourselves moored near the ruins of Invergarry Castle. Nearby was the Glengarry Hotel overlooking Loch Oich, a small loch between Loch Ness and Loch Lochy. We had lunch in the Hotel, a wonderful old building with great eating areas and views over the Loch. Invergarry Hotel, another short Scottish walk away, beckoned for dinner. Great old pub setting, food excellent!

Glengarry Hotel

Niel and his eel!

Rhododendron flower. These were in bloom in many places.

The landscape along the Canal is outstanding. In the early stages we have views of Ben Nevis (Scotland’s highest peak), still with small patches of snow on its northern face. As we progress the mountains continue to line both banks, covered in plantation pine trees and naural vegetation. In the foothills and along the flats beside the Lochs there are small farming operations and plenty of black faced sheep in the lush green paddocks. The weather drapes the mountain ridges and valleys in layers of cloud and mist, sometimes an eerie atmosphere prevails. Great contrast with the clear blue sunny skies of the publicity brochures, postcards, calendars etc. We all think it would be good to see some of those too!

Perphaps the new day will bring some on.

Been away for a few days, but we are now back in Fort William. The six of us have completed the boat trip up and back down the Caledonian Canal. The Nielsens left us in Inverness and headed off to Ireland and the Watts are on their way back to Australia. The internet along the canal was not conducive to blogging so Allthego now has a few updates to complete and will try to get back to real time over the next few days. More on the canal experience in the next post.

From the right the Watts, then Browns and Niel Nielsen in red cap at left, Glasgow Queen St Station. Setting off for Fort William,

The gang heading north

Scottish moors going north.

We arrived in Fort William from Glasgow by train along what is known as the West Highland Line. This is a rather spectacular train journey through the Scottish landscape. Leaving Glasgow we travelled along beside the Clyde River, before rising into the Highlands. Up here we ran high above the shores of lochs far below, through what is almost rain forest. Past a nuclear submarine base and later the storage caves of their trident missiles. Later we crossed Ranoch Moor, in some places the train line runs on rails ‘floating’ on foundations made from wood and ash. It’s pretty damp and boggy on the moors! We go along at a fair pace and it is hard to capture images of the scenery through the windows and ‘Scottish mist’, code for rain and fog.

Across the moors from the train.

It was a damp day in Fort William, Scottish mist.

This is the most remote Scottish railway station

Along the way we all indulged in some light snacks and enjoyed impromptu entertainment. Tony Watt it transpires is somewhat skilled at splitting apples. But not ones that are a bit on the floury side. He needs crisp ones. Anyway he managed to lay a finger across an apple and then smash down with his other hand upon said finger. Made a bang! Instead of splitting in two the apple shattered. Homealone across the aisle took a sharp catch of a piece, a lady in a seat behind had a piece whistle past her and the rest just sought of flopped on the table. Fairly humorous at the time!

Ashburn House at Fort William, overlooking Loch Linnhe

Loch Linnhe

Eventually we arrived in Fort William. It was dry and we set off for our accommodation pushing and pulling our bags down the short stroll to Ashburn House, overlooking Loch Linnhe. It was a lengthy ‘short’ stroll and we eventually collapsed into the B & B. Great B & B with an excellent breakfast set up overlooking the Loch. We had a very comfortable three nights here. Bit wet and damp though which was disappointing. The previous summer in Scotland had been unusually dry and April this year had followed the same pattern. But May, well May seems to be doing the catching up.

Neptunes Staircase takes boats from the sea waters of Loch Linnhe up 8 locks into the Caledonian Canal. The white structure is a railway swing bridge and behind it is a road swing bridge, All need to open to let boats up into the canal.

Jacobite steam train heading for Mallaig along the shores of Loch Linnhe.

We spent our first day in Fort William having a look around town, and then walking along the first stretch of the Caledonian Canal from the sea locks on Loch Linnhe up to Neptune’s Staircase. Rather cold, windy and damp at times. Enjoyed hot chocolates at the café beside the canal.

First class in the Jacobite heading to Mallaig.

Crossing the Viaduct at Glenfinnan, made famous in the Harry Potter movies,

Ready to roll at Glenfinnan station

The highlight in Fort William was the 84 mile round trip steam train journey on The Jacobite to Mallaig and back. It was misty, wet and cold but the journey was memorable. Particularly, the crossing of the 1898 Glenfinnan viaduct. 21 Arches overlooking Loch Shiel and made ‘famous’ in the Harry Potter movies. After an early pub dinner in Mallaig, the train stops there for an hour and half before returning to Fort William, we arrived back at Ashburn House to prepare for our taxi ride the next day to Laggan and the start of the cruise on the Caledonian Canal.

“Doth wanda far upon the moor and findeth one’s self lost in the woods. Yea merrily one yet dances in the woods and refindth one’s self lost on the moor. How confusing one can be Homealone, aye Allthego a paradox it be.”

“Homealone” Act IV   Sc 111.

Yes, we are off to Stratford for some Shakespeare, ‘Taming of the Shrew’. The twist on this interpretation of the play is that the gender roles are being reversed. The play traditionally has a male taming a female shrew, but this time it is the other way around. All the parts in the play are acted in reverse gender.

We trained it from London to Stratford, first on the tube to Marylbone Station and then a regional train to Stratford. A pleasant journey first through the outskirts of London and then the rolling  countryside to Stratford. Took a bit over an hour. A short walk to our accommodation in the Mecure Shakespeare Hotel. Parts of this hotel date back to 1637, we seem to have one of these rooms! The floor slopes, nothing is particularly even, doorway a bit low, window and door frames a bit twisted etc. Great atmosphere though and everything works ok. The Watts similarly placed next door to us.

Shakespeare Hotel

Shakespeare’s birthplace

There were some markets on, a few owls on show. A white faced scops owl.

It was to be a busy night as we were off to the play the night of our arrival. We had some good seats in the stalls not far back from the stage. It is what is called a thrust stage, it juts out into the audience who are seated around it and also in boxes set up into the walls. Just under a thousand in the  theatre and no one is more than about 20 metres from the action. Very entertaining night, wonderful costumes. You could see all the facial interplays between the actors and also catch  the impromptu lines. One of the actors tapped some piano keys and offered  “Someone should compose that”; got a bit of a titter from the audience. Anyway, Allthego didn’t learn any new tricks on how to tame a shrew. He doesn’t need any tricks anyway because he doesn’t know any shrews! Can’t speak for Homealone!

Next day we had a wander around Stratford and enjoyed an English Sunday pub roast lunch at a local establishment, we had missed breakfast which was to be a help. Roast beef and pork with Yorkshire pudding, potatoes, peas etc. Big meal.

Tony Watt in red top peering into our luncheon venue

Lunch

Where did it go?

It was then back on the trains to Glasgow. This was a staging point for us before moving further north to Fort William and our boat trip on the Caledonian Canal. We would also meet up here with the Nielsens, increasing the travelling party to six. It took most of the day to reach Glasgow Central Railway Station. Just had to more or less walk to the end of the platform to get to our hotel. Great location! We had experienced some random seating issues on the train and had to swap seats a couple of times to accommodate people along the way who had reserved seats. Whilst we are reserved people we had unreserved seating, wont make that mistake again. Book well in advance! And there is never enough room on these trains for people from the colonies with a modest amount of luggage. But at the end of the day it was all ok and you just had to work around the issue.

The next  morning was rather wet. Fortunately, as the day wore on the skies cleared somewhat and we got some blue sky and sun for our wander around the old city sights. Neat dinner that night at the Riverside Casino over looking the Clyde River.

Grand Central Hotel

Peoples Palace, Glasgow’s social history on show

Glasgow Cathedral

It will now be off again in the morning on the train to Fort William, we have reserved seats. The train journey takes us along the iconic West Highland Railway through some scenic landscapes and along the shores of Loch Lomond. Still have not seen an Archie mug! Whilst on the boat the internet may be unreliable and your humble correspondent may well be off the air for a few days.

The Chelsea Flower Shower is an iconic London event. In planning the trip to London we had timed it so that we could include the show in our schedule. To ensure tickets they had been booked before last Christmas. The Watts had arrived from Australia as planned and we set off together for the great event, having moved lodgings to Belgravia Hotel a couple of kilometres away from Nell Gwynn House.

Tea rooms near our lodgings in Belgravia

The shark

Breakfast at Partridges

On the way we stopped for breakfast at Partridges, grocers to the Queen (she probably has a few grocers). It had also been decided to get some fresh bread, cheese and ham to take along for lunch. It was an impressive grocer, more like a big deli with plenty of fresh meats, cheeses, breads, biscuits etc. Various Royal souvenirs, BUT NO ARCHIE MUGS!  Nice breakfast and location along the street that led to the show. Many of the shops decked out with floral exhibits in doorways and windows. One of the terrace houses along the way had a shark in its front ‘yard’. Thinking back this was probably a warning to passers-by of the ‘sharks’ at the flower show. Food and beverage prices were elevated to say the least, of which we had forewarning.

Main Street at the Show

Mmm

Mmm

Despite opening the gates at 8am there were still streams of people queuing  when we arrived around 10am, thinned out a little as we moved past the first displays. It is hard to describe the seemingly never ending and impressive mini gardens, flower arrangements and marketing stands of all the hangers on in the gardening industry. Dwarfs the annual Floriade in Canberra.

Mmmm

In honour of Queen Victoria’s 200th birthday there was flower crown competition. This was one of the entrants.

Mmmmmm

The only exhibit having a queue was that of Princess Catherine (Kate as she goes by), it was called ‘Back to Nature’. It was a 40 minute wait in the queue we were told. Too long. We went back a couple of hours later and it was longer. The installation had been well publicised in the papers and TV. Promoting kids getting back outside into the fields, tree houses etc. Prince Phillip wasn’t around but one could imagine him getting in the act, being ‘confused’ and making an aside or two about the name ‘Back to Nature”!

D-Day veteran having a chat

A veteran, impressive sculpture behind him

D-Day veterans

The Show is held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. As I have since discovered it is not a ‘hospital’ in today’s sense of the word. Rather it is a retirement and nursing home for veterans of the British Army and is run as an independent charity. It was founded in 1682 and parts of the buildings date to 1609. Residents are called ‘pensioners’. 2019 is the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy and on the day of our visit a special ceremony was held to mark the occasion and open a commemorative installation at the Show. There were a number of D-Day veterans on hand, well into their 90s and some quite fit and talkative about those days. It is planned to move the installation to the Normandy beaches in France later in the year.

Mmmmmmm

What’s going on here?

Inspired by ‘Game of Thrones’ perhaps

Over our lunch of ham and cheese we enjoyed a glass of gin spritzer. We each had a different flavour; rhubarb, strawberry, elderberry and honey. Also met the owner who championed the merits of his gins over all others. His were made from real fruits and his own honey, not essences like the other competitors! And later in the day a refreshing glass of the Shows traditional Pimms and lemonade as we rested our feet before heading off back to the hotel.

An eye opening day to the world of flowers and design.

We now head to Stratford-Upon-Avon for some Shakespeare.

All Grand Tours need objectives, even if it is just to maintain the pace! Homealone has an objective. It is to obtain an Archie Mug to match the one she has commemorating the birth of Princess Charlotte.

So after scouring the souvenir shops along Portobello Rd and other locations nearby without luck we headed off to Windsor Castle to see if he is there visiting the great grandmother. Maybe we will find a mug there? It is not that we haven’t seen a mug with him on it. But it was very thick and the photo adorning it seemed to have been pinched off the internet and then mass produced on China china mugs. Not very satisfactory and certainly not a match for the authentic Charlotte Mug. We will keep looking.

On the way to the station we passed by the Oyster Bar where we had the not so great expensive fish n chips on our first night. The eatery is housed in the 1911 London headquarters of the Michelin Tyre Co. Ltd. It was restored to its former glory in 2011 for its centenary year. What a great old building. Stained  glass windows of Bibendum, the Michelin Man, and ceramic wall tiles of early racing cars that were shod with Michelin tyres. We had the dinner in the former workshop bay at the front of the building.

Michelin Building

An early racer

It was clear and sunny at Windsor as we strolled around the Thames River bank and took a short cruise up the river and back. Lots of people around, particularly near the castle and the surrounding streets and cafes, tourist shops etc. The Queen wasn’t in so Archie probably wasn’t. No mugs either, we will keep looking. It was suggested by a shop keeper that we might be a wee bit early and there hadn’t yet been enough time for the production run to get going. Come back later.

Windsor Castle from our river cruise boat.

The Castle from the railway station

Main gate at Windsor

The barman in the pub where we stopped for a refreshment didn’t know who Archie was. What hope do we have!  Allthego took some  inspiration here from a big photo of Winston Churchill and also pondered on some of his words of wisdom:

“Some people regard private enterprise as a predatory tiger to be shot. Others look on it as a cow they can milk. Not enough people see it as a healthy horse pulling a sturdy wagon”.

Not much has changed in the years since.

Having someone famous look over your shoulder.

The Thames from the historic Windsor Bridge.

Homealone waiting at the gate to get into The Boatman.

After dinner, at ‘The Boatman’ beside the Thames as the sun went down, we headed back to London. The search for an Archie mug would continue in the morning.

Had a slow start to the next day and decided to do a short trip into the city to see St Pauls Cathedral and the Old Bailey Courthouses. Have missed these in the past. The 17.50 pounds each to get into the Cathedral was, we thought, a bit on the steep side. You could get in for free if you went to a service. Impressive building and a great view looking up from the river. Homealone couldn’t resist some liquorish assortments and chocolate coated raisins from Hardy’s old time lolly shop.

St Pauls

From the Millennium Bridge to Tower Bridge

Buying those lollies in Hardys.

Still couldn’t locate an Archie mug. We will now wait a while before resuming the search. The Watts arrive from Australia tomorrow to join us for the next stage of the Grand Tour.

Off today to look around Nottinghill and the Portobello Rd markets. Allthego had stumbled over a self guided walk around Nottinghill on the internet and had mapped out the details. After a short tube ride we set off at a brisk pace down Portobello Rd on a partly sunny day. Now Nottinghill over the last twenty years or so has become trendy, like it was back in the mid late 1800s. In between it had become run down, it is no longer cheap and nasty.

Victorian era terraces

George Orwill lived here

Portobello Rd markets

Renovation work is ongoing, plenty of cranes and scaffolding around the streets with repairs and paint jobs on the terraces. Lots of young mums pushing prams around in between cups of tea and scones in the street cafes. It is fairly multicultural too, the market area abounds with all nationalities manning stalls along the road.

Portobello Rd market stalls

Cake shop in Nottinghill

Market stall, the buckets are full of olives

We looked out for the bookshop made famous because of the Hugh Grant Julia Roberts movie ‘Nottinghill’. There is one in Portobello Rd that subtly promotes itself as the bookshop, but it isn’t, just an imposter selling cheap Chinese souvenirs and bric a brac. People stand around here taking selfies and posing for fellow travellers. The actual bookshop is further along off in a side street. Still a bookshop, but not just travel books! The shop façade and interiors are as per the movie and there is a plaque outside authenticating its place in history. Homealone couldn’t resist transacting and acquired a Peter Pan book. Allthego asked the shop attendant whether Hugh was in a cupboard or just out the back. She was non committal, but did smile. Earlier, Homealone had encountered Paddington Bear beside the road.

This is not ‘the’ bookshop in the movie

This is ‘the’ bookshop, no longer just a travel bookshop.

Chicken pies in a pub for lunch

The streets are certainly colourful and the Mews are now smaller residences in behind the street fronts and larger terraces. One of these is claimed to be the most photographed mews because of its colourful and varied appearance. It was also in the movie, which also helps.

The famous rainbow terrace street

This street appeared in the movie a few times.

Paddington and me

Some more meandering found us at the tube station, so we hopped on and soon found ourselves back at Nell Gwynns to enjoy a home cooked omelette for dinner.

“….when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford”     Dr  Samuel Johnson 1709-1784.

TRUE, maybe!

The next stage of the Grand Tour finds us in London, having left the Viking Star and flown from Athens to Heathrow. The whole process took us a day and we arrived at our lodgings in Chelsea at about 8pm. A bit tired, but we managed to charge across the road and pick up a few supplies from the local Sainsburys. We are staying at Nell Gwynn House for six nights ahead of the Chelsea Flower Show. It is an apartment type block with self catering facilities, so we are eating in for breaky and also some evening meals. It is not far from a tube station so it is easy to get around the city.

Our lodgings, Nell Gwynn statue above the portico.

Chihuly, ‘Reflections on Nature’.

Nell Gwynn statue

Nell Gwynn House is named after one of Charles II mistresses, it seems he had at least 5. An energetic fellow with some skills. Her biography indicates she was one of the first English comic actresses and also a prostitute, she died in 1687 at the age of 37. The building we are in was built in 1937 and has 437 flats. It is quite a pleasant place to stay. Above the portico entrance is a statue of Nell and it is the only statue of a royal mistress in London. Maybe there are some elsewhere!

The Sapphire Star

Hebron vessels

Some glass bowls by Chihuly

Following a day of R & R and watching some of the Australian election outcome we headed out to Kew Botanical Gardens. We had decided that this time in London we were going to see some of the attractions and locations away from the city centre. It was an overcast day with some light drizzle from time to time, rather English. The Gardens had a special exhibition with the glass blown works of Chihuly, a Canadian, scattered around the landscape. We have seen this fellow’s work before in Seattle. It is pretty spectacular.

The Palm House

One of the glass houses

A Chihuly ‘Medusa’

Being towards the end of spring, some of the flowering displays were a little past their best But the summer flowers were now appearing. It was all very green, with some great big old trees in a grassy park like layout over many acres. As well as the expansive 19th century glass houses with international and regional plant displays.

A flower

Another flower

Matchsticks

After leaving the Gardens we went on down to the Thames at Richmond, thwarted some what by the high tide and consequential flooding of the riverside streets. So instead we had a drink in the Fuller Smith precinct and watched some of a local cricket match on the medieval Richmond Green before heading back to Chelsea for dinner.

Thames at high tide, invades low lying streets.

The Richmond pub for lunch

The cricket match at Richmond

A feed of fish n chips at a local oyster bar, not the cheapest fish n chips and certainly not the best.

But, we were hungry and ready for rest!