Inverarnan to Crianlarich

June 2:  Today was an easy day at a little over 7 miles, on good, well-graded trails with a few gradual ascents.  So, Jan, Kathy, Ron and I had to make it more difficult by climbing up a side hill to a high point overlooking the valley that the trail ran through.  We added about 500 vertical feet to our day's total and had to pick our way down through grasses, bracken, marshy ground, and a few half hidden rocks.  It was fun and didn't add very much distance.  Unfortunately, we didn't see any wildlife except a 3-inch lizard and a few sheep with lambs (not wild).

The weather continues to be "brilliant," one of our new Scottish words.  The other one that has stuck is "complete rubbish" which we heard spoken by a tour guide at Edinburgh when describing the movie Braveheart.  Anyway, we walked today in clear skies and bright sunshine, with a strong enough breeze to keep the midges at bay.  No rain in the forecast for a few more days.

After arriving in Crianlarich, we had to wait to get into our B&B and for our luggage, giving us time to rehydrate at the Rod and Reel Pub.  Crianlarich is a wide spot in the road where 2 highways and a railway line meet.  It's a gateway into the Scottish Highlands so gets lots of tourist traffic.

We cleaned up, went for drinks at the Ben More Inn, got a brief Scotch whiskey lesson, then walked back into town to the Crianlarich Best Western Hotel restaurant.  Lamb shanks (well cooked and very tender) were the popular choice for dinner, although Phil had baked salmon and Betsy had a tart of roast vegetables.  We had a cute, young waitress, who was very good at marketing, and talked us into a round of desserts.  She sold us on a trio of ice creams - Irn Bru, tablet and mint chocolate chip.  The first two are obviously Scottish flavours that were subtly distinct and hard to describe.   Apple crumble was also a favorite.