In and around Fort William

June 10 and 11:  Yesterday the weather deteriorated and we got a chance to do domestic things to prepare for the next portion of our adventure.  Jan, Cathy and Ron climbed Ben Nevis and summiteers in 2 1/2 hours.  They had some rain and reported that there was little to view on top.  They came downhill expeditiously and were at the hotel by around 3:00.

Our first chore of the day was to find out if we could ship a package of stuff we no longer need to the Windermere Post Office.  The Post Office personnel here in Ft. William were not to helpful but the sales people in WH Smith were.  We bought two boxes and some packing tape.  The Osters were doing the same thing though they were shipping to the States.  I help them get there boxes packaged and returned to the guest house.  

Our next chore was to move to a new hotel, with all of our luggage.  Eight of us are staying two more nights in Ft. William.  I called a taxi, requesting a van, and we loaded all of the luggage into it.  Dennis and I rode in the taxi, the rest walked to the new hotel - Premier Inn.  Unfortunately the rooms were not ready until mid-afternoon so we strolled down the pedestrian mall to the Highland Museum. We walked around its eight rooms covering natural history, wildlife, domestic affairs, commando training, geology video and a few quirky exhibits all associated with the Ft. William area.  The Osters took off for an afternoon at the Cameron Clan ancestral home, museum and land holdings - Leslie is a Cameron.  Mark and I retired to a coffee shop for very good cups of coffee and a snack.  Betsy went in search for bug bite stuff and more blister aids/cushions.  She came back to the coffee shop after successful finding these items and joined us for a cup of her own.

We returned to the hotel and secured our rooms. Betsy and I sorted through our stuff deciding what could go into the boxes that we would ship.  We easily filled them and after taping them up walked back to the Post Office to mail. 

By the time we returned once again to hotel, everyone else was back from climbing and from visiting the family properties. 

We gathered at the adjoining restaurant and bar for drinks and then dinner.  We all retired to bed.

 

While checking e-mail, I discovered a message from our hiking buddy Kirk Hall, who suggested we might be interested in seeing Neptune's Staircase, a series of 8 locks on the Caledonia Canal, about 2 miles from Ft. William. This became an inspiration for today's sightseeing.

We arose late for us, around 7:30 am, and had breakfast at a nearby grocery store restaurant. It was cafeteria-style but with cooked to order breakfast items.  After reconnoitering with others, we decided to walk a little of the Great Glen Way, another long distance walk that goes from Ft. William to Inverness, to the locks, then to catch a train to the town of Mallaig. This is a coastal town and the terminal for ferries going to the Isle of Skye.

Neptune's Staircase is the largest set of locks in the UK but are rarely ever used.  They were engineered by Telford around 1820.  We walked from the bottom to the top and visited with a commercial, luxury canal boat captain who was preparing his craft for a trip tomorrow. 

To be continued.  I am back to updating, it is now Sunday the 12th and we are in the Glasgow Airport awaiting our flights to London Heathrow and then to Rome, Italy.

After seeing the Staircase, we crossed down the street to the Banavie Train Station.  We waited about 15 minutes and caught a train to Mallaig.  It was a little over an hour to this working port town.  We passed through several glens and small lochs.  The most famous sight was the Locheil Viaduct, a backdrop used in the Harry Potter films.  There is a tourist steam train that runs to Mallaig which needs reservations (why we went via a modern train).  And the steam train was also used in the Potter films.

We had lunch and completed a 2-mile circular walk around Mallaig before catching the train back to Ft. William.  We saw a number of ferries arrive and depart.  The ride back was comfortable and offered nice views of undisturbed hillsides with some native trees instead of the spruce plantations.  We guessed that these lands were to steep to be cut in earlier times.

Our group of eight gathered for a quick beer in a crowded, yet traditional pub for beer and cider and the went to dinner at a much quieter, calmer restaurant.  We toasted our success again before saying our farewells to Jan and Ron, who were not going to get up in the morning to see us off at 6:30 am.