Pratt/Thor Adventures: Traveling South

August 7 and 8: Travel days south, first driving from Dounby to Stromness, Orkneys; catching the ferry back to Scrabster; and driving to Nethy Bridge in the Spey Valley, on the north edge of the Cairngorms, all on the 7th. On the 8th, we drove from Nethy Bridge to Glasgow, by way of Ft. William, Glencoe Valley and Loch Lomond.

Things to note include:
1. On the ferry ride back, past the Island of Hoy, we saw the "Old Man of Hoy," a stone pillar standing at the water line.
2. The wind was blowing hard and the sea had some good swells, but we did not get seasick.
3. Nethy Bridge is a historically important timber town and another mountain resort. We stayed in a grand, old-style hotel with at least 3 tour bus groups.
4. We had a nice walk up the Nethy River, through a second or third-growth forest and back along a mile of the Speyside Way, another of Scotland's long distance hikes.
5. We stopped at Neptune Steps in Banavie, near Ft. William, so Elaine could see the 8-step locks and a piece of the Caledonian Canal. Because we could not find hotel accommodations in Ft. Williams, we did not drive the usual tourist route along Loch Ness and the canal, .
6. The drive from Ft. William to Glasgow followed the same route we rode on a bus prior to our trip to Italy for the bike ride in Puglia. We were able to share the West Highland Way sights with my sister. We stopped at the foot of the Devils Staircase on the way through Glencoe and for lunch at the Kings House Hotel at the head of the valley. After all the other Scottish scenery we have viewed on this trip, it becomes clear that the West Highlands are the dessert! Even on a drizzly day they are gorgeous.
7. We checked into a Hilton Garden Inn on the River Clyde, near the Scotland Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Glasgow.
8. After getting into Glasgow, we walked to downtown, toured the central city sights, and had dinner at the Red Onion, another repeat from our earlier time in Glasgow.