Our Final Scottish Frontier – Fort William, Loch Lomond & Glasgow

Our final leg of Scotland was one of our most relaxed, mostly due to the rain preventing us from fully exploring. Here we are blogging and enjoying some wine in what has become a pretty foreign environment - the kitchen.

Fort William

Arriving in at Fort William we were thrilled to find we had booked an apartment – which meant we had a kitchen and could cook a homemade meal. We decided to keep things simple and cheap and opted to make Spaghetti and Meatballs. We headed to Morrisons and bought the supplies we needed, pasta, pasta sauce, meatballs and red wine (not for the meatballs for us). Not quite the make from scratch cooking we usually do. 

We started to boil our water, but after 20 minutes of waiting we realised that the stove did not have the potential to boil water in a pot, so no pasta will cook this way. It didn’t help that there was no lid and the only way we could cover it was with a cake tin… We then got creative and decided to cook the pasta in the microwave. After spending 10 minutes figuring out how to use the microwave we started cooking. The microwave short circuited every minute, and then Simon determined it a fire hazard so our pasta cooking wasn’t looking very good. Meanwhile we had been waiting 20 minutes for the frying pan to heat up for the meatballs so we aborted the mission and went with oven baking. What to do with the pasta? Last option is to put it in the oven, we had never tried it, but what did we have to lose, thankfully we had a microwave and oven proof container. Finally we had pasta and meatballs, but no microwave to cook the sauce so we stirred that through the meatballs and served it up. Dinner took us about 1.5 hours to cook, and the frustration was palpable but the bottle of wine was definitely the purchase of the day.  

Was it all worth the effort? Good question, honestly we are not sure, but we hope you enjoyed the story, because in the end it gave us a good laugh and reaffirmed our belief that together we can achieve anything!

After a late checkout we made our way into the National Park, where Ben Nevis the tallest mountain in Britain looms. For obvious reasons we didn’t climb it. We moved onto the village of Glencoe and went for a quick stroll around a nearby pond before deciding to tackle something harder.

Heading to the mountains and ski resorts we pulled over in one of the valley passes to look up at the many stunning hidden valleys and paths that we could take. We were decidedly underequipped as people around us were strapping on all of sorts of hiking kit we didn’t have. Thinking it through we determined we should not be the tourists that get lost and make the 6 o’clock news and moved on.

The next stop was Kilchurn castle. Believe it or not this one is completely FREE. Yes that’s right, you don’t have to pay to go and see it. The castle was abandoned in the late 1700s but survives remarkably well, although very secluded. This castle is not well known and is very much off the beaten track with no signage, and not the typical tourist haven. This meant the whole thing was ours for the hour that we were there.

 

Our second last stop of the day was Inveraray which is a beautiful whitewashed lochside town with old ships and cute stores.  We had a nice time just perusing the various little shops, laughing at all the touristy junk and deciding if Simon would look good in tweed. We did end up buying some rock candy, it might not be from Hartlepool but it’s exactly the same stuff. Close enough. This was the first time in a long time we had actually gone into a touristy shop, we avoid this stuff like the plague.

Loch Lomond

Hitting the road for the final leg we drove to Arrochar and checked into our seemingly innocuous guest house. From the outside this place looked like any other plain hotel but on the inside we found a beautiful place freshly remodelled and almost to a boutique hotel standard. It was fabulous.

We promptly crashed out on the bed, tuned in to the food network and completely veged out. It was raining cows and horses (the worse version of cats and dogs outside) all afternoon and evening so we didn’t feel bad having a solid chunk of downtime.

Given the inclement weather we decided to just get dinner at the attached pub next door. There was the usual standard pub fare but we both decided to get something different. We both ordered the chicken enchilada. Boy were we in for a treat. What arrived was an enchilada with a side of chips, salad and a warm coleslaw. It was befuddling. The enchilada was indeed filled with chicken but had been mixed with an Italian pasta mix for the filling. The end results was part Mexican, part Italian, part Scottish pub and part BBQ food. It was just bizarre.  Obviously we are becoming Scottish (tight walleted) by osmosis and as it was super cheap so we did not complain.

 

We slept in and had a glorious morning of lounging, a big breakfast, more lounging and finally checking out at 11. It was truly luxurious and we were sad to leave the great guest house.

Cruising around the national park was somewhat disjointed by roadworks, lorries and poor weather. We eventually made a stop at a town that has famous fall of Dochart in Killen. Given the rain over the previous 24 hours the river was running wild and rapids were immense. The water had the colour of bubbling coke from all the peat washed into it and the constant crashing, roaring noise of the water was almost immersing.

As the sun had come out as we arrived Simon made a bet with Amy that it would start raining within 15 minutes of us getting out of the car. Simon lost the bet but sure enough 30 minutes later it was raining again. That’s Scotland for ye!

We didn’t have enough time to do Loch Lomond justice due to the rain, so our blog really can’t reflect its renowned beauty. 

On the road again we drove around some more of the park and then headed to Glasgow. It was a bit of relief to finally hit the motorway after miles and miles of constant slow traffic thanks to lorries and road works. The drive in was easy and we found our Hotel without issue.

Glasgow

Our hotel was located in what is called the ‘digital entertainment’ section of town. Meaning there’s a cinema and some restaurants. Spotting an actual Mexican place and after the previous nights fiasco we resolved to get some decent Mexican. Given a cinema was next door we arranged our first ‘date night’ in I don’t know how long. 

After we had settled, Peter, who we had met up with in Edinburgh, picked us up for a drive around Glasgow. We started at the architecturally gorgeous Kelvingrove Museum and then moved around the city. Peter has a wealth of knowledge about both cities and happily filled us in. Thank you again Peter we really enjoyed the evening and appreciate your time and energy. Retiring to a pub for a quick pint after the tour we had a great chat for a while and enjoyed the atmosphere of a modern Glasgow pub.

We had our Mexican dinner which was miles better than the previous night but not up to Mexican Kitchen standard of back home and walked across the road to watch Escape Plan. It was enjoyable but the cinemas have ‘premium’ seats which they charge you an extra 2 pounds for and regular seats. The regular seats are at the front and are your standard sort of cinema seats albeit snug and the ‘premium’ are bigger, wider and have more leg room and are up the back. A bit cheeky if you ask me to do in every cinema.

Parting Thoughts

If Scotland is not on your bucket list then put it on, Isle of Skye especially. The Scots call it Gods country and we couldn’t agree more. The food may be average (although I’m sure this can be fixed by throwing more money at it), and the beer flat and warm, however at the end of the day none of this matters because all you remember is the magnificence of Scotland. It is an outdoor wonderland, with seemingly limitless things to do and enjoy. The scenery is constantly changing from one place to the next, all equally as beautiful. Scotland has truly inspired us to be more active outdoors and given us a hunger to get amongst nature. In the 2 weeks we spent in Scotland we have been able to get a good feel for the culture and history, cover most major areas and see some of the key highlights. We learnt Scotland is completely achievable in 2 weeks, but ideally you would want to spend 4. We have deemed Scotland the land of Amy’s peoples, everyone is fair and you can go out all day and not get sunburnt.

Just another reason we love our country

Australia is known for its coffee culture and never have we appreciated it more than being away for this long. What is interesting is that where we do find amazing coffee they have modelled themselves off Australian coffee culture. We think it’s great that Australia is having an international influence on coffee. 

Simon & Amy
xoxo

No Nessie, but we found a slice of Heaven – Loch Ness & Isle of Skye

When thinking of Scotland you think of a few things, but right up there would have to be Loch Ness and the fabled monster otherwise known as Nessie. Loch Ness is a short drive from Inverness where we spent the night.

Driving around the side of Loch Ness is not a short trip as the loch (lake) is huge. It contains more water by volume than all the lakes and rivers of England combined, and once you get to either tip of the loch it stretches to the horizon. You could fit the worlds population in this loch more than 10 times over. The water is black with less than 3 metres visability due to the peat washing off the mountains. It is no wonder Nessie has been hard to find.

On arrival to Loch Ness we made a brief stop at Urquhart Castle where the most number of Nessie sighting have occurred. We are a little over paying for castles as usually you can see the outside which is nice enough and free. This castle however was not really visible until you paid to take the walk out to see it. We had our own ideas and went around the back of the visitors centre which looked over the castle and Simon climbed onto the roof to get a good view. Unfortunately we were not lucky enough to spot Nessie, but on the positive side we saved $30.

We stopped in the small town of Fort Augustus and went Nessie hunting on the local boat cruise. The loch itself is a geographic wonder with 3 of the steepest shore drops in the country, one nearly 100m deep at the shoreline. The views from the water are spectacular with high mountains encircling the loch. We were shown all the very impressive sonar equipment, it seems even to this day all the boats want to be the one to find Nessie. After all, 2 tonnes of fish are disappearing each day from the Loch and there is nothing to explain this…The guide on board told us tales of the lochs history, what species live it, how cold it gets and how it’s very different to swimming in the ocean. The water is fresh not salt which means you have no extra buoyancy, and with a surface temperature of 8 degrees it’s easy to cramp up and sink. A prize of 100,000 pounds is still on offer for the person who can swim the return trip of Loch Ness. To swim just one way (40km) takes 27 hours if you’re good. Anyone up for the challenge?

Whilst out the water we did catch a snap of something in the distance on the water, we’re not sure its confirmation of anything. You be the judge. 

Fort Augustus is also home to an impressive series of locks (note the K) that connect the loch to a channel stretching to the ocean. Crossing the bridge in Fort Augustus with the channel on the left and Ness on the right Simon has created the game, “Know you Lock\hs.” How to play is still a work in progress but those that know the difference between a loch and a lock will be at an advantage.

We left Fort Augustus just after lunch avoiding the hordes of tourists pouring from coaches (this is something that sends us nuts) and headed to the Isle of Skye.

We almost didn’t do the Isle in our initial planning, we thought it might be too far away and hard to get to. In comparison to some other places the Isle is a long way and a hard drive but the payoff was unquestionably worth it. The road from Loch Ness to the Isle is absolutely magical, and one of the best roads we have driven in our life. The views are magnificent and the road itself is sweeping and fun to drive. The rain was somewhat offputting but pushing through it we stopped at a few places and drank in some of the most incredible scenery we have seen to date. The mountains seem to loom over you and make you feel insignificant. There are glorious waterfalls running down all the mountains and it truly is a feast for the eyes. It is the only road we have seen a sign which indicated that there were ferral goats for 2 miles. 

We were lucky enough to pull over at this perfectly still loch in the most picturesque spot. We could not believe how well everything was reflected off the water, and the best part was there was no one but us around to appreciate this piece of beauty. These pictures are completely without filters (excluding the black and white one of course). This is nature at its best. 

Eilean Donan castle is the postcard Scottish castle overlooking where 3 lochs meet. This particular castle is apparently un-missable so we stopped to get our daily castle fix on our way to Skye. We were impressed with the long stone bridge over the tidal loch to get to this rebuilt medieval castle, and blown away by its picture perfect setting. We were happy to admire from the shore as we’ve seen inside enough castles to know what stone rooms look like by now.

Isle of Skye

Opening in 2009 there is now a bridge to the Isle making it much easier to get to than by ferry. Driving through torrential rain and stuck behind a stream of traffic, the fun was gone and serious business took over. On arrival at our BnB the weather subsided and left us well alone for the rest of our time on Skye.

The BnB was one of the best we have stayed in so far, new, modern, clean and the hosts could not do enough to help us and were so friendly. The view from our room and dining room were divine. 

View from our Bedroom window

TOP TIP: So far on our journey we have been really blessed with amazing BnBs at pretty competitive prices. This has been through careful selection, using sites such as Booking.com to filter places by our price range and then looking at the top rated and reading reviews. We recommend this approach.

On our first full day on Skye we followed some highlights given to us on a map by Craig our host. 

This included…

-         Old Man of Storr (a large rock formation). We started the steep climb and after 45 minutes and some breathtaking views we still had not made it to the old man and realised our shoes might not be up to the task so we left. Sorry old man you will have to wait for next time. 

-        Kilt Rock (a unique cliff face that resembles the pleats of a kilt).

 

On our way along the coast we found this special spot

-         Quiraing (Keirang) (a distinctive and dramatic landscape). It was almost like being in a scene from Jurassic park in that you fully expect to see Dinosaurs roaming across it at any stage. Unsurprisingly many Dinosaur fossils have been found here. Our photos do little to show the magnitude of this place.

-        The Fairy Glen (Bizzare and delightful miniature landscape of cone shaped hills) looks like something from the Hobbit.

-         Coral Beach (An impressive white beach, which looks like it belongs somewhere tropical). For us this beach was strange, bizarre and felt like it had been transported in from Thailand minus the palm trees. This place breaks every stereotype you may have of Scottish beaches. The most unique part was having to walk through a paddock of cows to get there. #mostrandommoment

     This adventure took all day and we were fully exhausted when we got back, but what we had seen was absolutely breath taking and humbling. The views from on high at Skye need to be seen to be believed they are Jurassic and awe inspiring. We ended this glorious day by treating ourselves to a gourmet meal and a bottle of wine. This day could not have been any more perfect. 

Day two we headed to the Fairy Pools which are some unique holes in the rock of a river on the Isle. They are shades of turquoise and green which look deep and smooth, exactly where you would expect to find fairies. 

The weather was not as pleasant as the previous day but we were fully kitted out in our outdoor wear and took it in our stride. It’s not a matter of will it rain in Scotland, just when. The #1 TIP we can give to anyone travelling Scotland is always have a spray jacket on hand.

Walking the trails of Skye has inspired us to get outdoors more when we get back. The hiking here is phenomenal and we could’ve spent at least a week on Skye just walking the trails and mountains. It is unbelievably beautiful.

We were sad to leave Skye, it is probably our favourite place in Scotland and we know we say this everywhere but we really could have stayed here much longer and been totally happy with that. We definitely will return to the Isle at a later date and finish the walks and climbs we started.

Crossing the bridge we turned south for Fort William.

An observation we have made in Britain is that service stations have really taken out the service part of the station. There are no windscreen cleaners available, and you have to pay to put air in your tyres. It’s the little things you don’t usually appreciate that you miss when you no longer have them. Thankfully Britain, unlike most of the countries we have been so far do provide free table water. 

Simon & Amy

xoxo