6:51
As usual, I am awake already. Went to bed early and need to get going early, so it's alright this time. First things first - shower.
7:50
Time for breakfast. Like yesterday morning, the sky is overcast. Not really nice, but I will be mostly on trains today and will also cover quite a distance.
8:30
Reorganised my backpack. It's time to leaving the B&B, which is a pity. I really enjoyed my stay here. Inverness itself could be a bit bigger though.
8:45
I walked briskly thanks to the two course breakfast. I am now at Inverness station. The train to Kyle is already there. I am boarding it unsure where to sit. It is not very full. I am looking forward to this train journey as it is supposed to be very scenic.
10:17
The weather is changing for the better. It is sunny and crisp. I am sitting on the wrong side - should have picked a seat on the right hand side of the train, but this is really amazing anyway.
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| Inverness to Kyle - taken on the moving train |
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| Approaching Kyle of Lochalsh |
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| Inverness to Kyle - taken on the moving train |
11:38
I am in Kyle now. The weather is spectacular. As I step out of the train, I marvel at the scenery. This is absolutely amazing.
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| Kyle of Lochalsh - view onto bridge to Skye and Skye |
I have about 30 minutes to kill until the bus to Eilean Donan Castle is due. Under normal circumstances, I would go and explore the village. Instead of doing that, I just sit there and stare in wonder and awe. The air is salty. The sun is bright and warm. Wind is blowing through my hair... and I kind of curse myself for not having added Skye as a proper destination.
12:14
The bus is there. 4 minutes late. Not a reason for concern under normal circumstances, but buses here are far and few. The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. Harsh and lush, ragged and soft all at once. I just can't seem to get enough of it.
12:35
I have arrived at the Eilean Donan Castle. It looks pretty amazing and the ticket only costs £6.
12:55
The Eilean Donan Castle website advised to plan at least 1 hour for the visit. I am done with the four rooms on show, hustling and jostling through a group of German bus tourists. Minimum age 72. I feel young despite my greying hair. My backpack serves as a bumper... I bump into pretty much everything and everyone. Since there is nowhere else but my back to put it, there is nothing I can do.
13:15
I had lunch with view onto the castle. The desert - a whiskey fruit cake - was interesting. It was a fruit cake for sure, but the whiskey must have decided it had better things to do than stick around. I have also taken photos of course but there is still some time until the taxi arrives.
14:00
I am sitting in the sun, taking in the landscape and the smell of the sea among the lessening crowd of tourists. There is a pleasant steady breeze. A band is playing Scottish traditionals.
I am inclined to think that the Great British Summer is nothing compared to the Glorious Scottish Summer. (Sorry! I have pictures to prove it.)
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| View onto Loch from Eilean Donan |
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| From Eilean Donan castle towards Skye |
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| Lush green and deep blue |
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| View towards Skye |
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| Enjoying the sun |
14:35
It is time to head towards the village of Dornie where I ordered the taxi to pick me up
14:40
I am in Dornie already. That was a lot quicker than expected. Sometimes relying on Googlemaps is not a good idea. Who cares. I simply sit in the sun some more.
14:55
The taxi is there. It is 5 minutes early and I breathe a sigh of relief. So far my planning is working out like clockwork.
15:30
The taxi driver is a lovely chap. He makes conversation so easy and tells me a lot about the area. When I mention the amazing weather, he chuckles and says that it is Scotland's best guarded secret. I can't contest that. So far, the weather has been treating me kindly. I sincerely hope that I have not jinxed it now.
We cross Skye and the landscape is totally surreal. I really need to come back here.
15:41
We are in Armadale - just in time for the earlier ferry, which is due to depart in 9 minutes. I hurry to get a footpassenger ticket. I had originally planned to take the next one at 17:15, but since I can get this one, I will play it safe. Even if it means being stuck in Mallaig until the next train is due in a couple of hours.
16:20
I have arrived in Mallaig. The ferry ride went smoothly, gave me some more amazing views. But now I need the loo.
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| From Armadale to Mallaig by ferry |
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| From Armadale to Mallaig by ferry |
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| From Armadale to Mallaig by ferry |
16:30
I have found the train station in Mallaig. Ok, it's not like I had to search it - it is unmissable. Mallaig seems to consist of the ferry port, the train station and a few houses and restaurants. That is pretty much it. And it is remote. I mean, ... the train station does not even have a ticket vending machine. It has a counter manned by a real person who sells tickets. That kind of unsettles me.
I do not have a ticket from Mallaig to Banavie yet, since booking it in advance would not have made it cheaper. So I tell the lady that I need a ticket to Banavie. She smiles as though she is feeling sorry for me. “Banavie?” she asks in an Are you sure? kind of way. I confirm. I do not think that she has any reason to be smug about my choice of destination... throwing stones in glass houses and all that. Then again, maybe she knows Banavie. Oh dear! What have I gotten myself into? Ah well, it's only for one night. I will be fine.
Once I am holding my the ticket, the rucksack is getting somewhat heavy.
I now realise that Mallaig is also brimming with seagulls and B&Bs with vacancies. Despite having had lunch at the castle, I feel peckish again from all the watching and wonder I have done. (If only "watching and wondering" were to burn as many calories as jogging.)
The Tea gardens look like the perfect place to have an afternoon tea.
17:30
There is still another 45 minutes to go until the train to Banavie departs.
I pass the train station and see a red train, steam, loads of people - clearly tourists. I go and have a look at what is going on.
It’s the additional Jacobite steam train for the summer season. I check it out and I am almost immediately disappointed. The first class carriage I am seeing is not really what I had seen, booked or had in mind. It looks kind of cheap. Oh dear! I really hope that tomorrow's first class will be different. If it is not, I am seriously considering cancelling the trip.
18:19
At long last the train to Banavie departs. There is truly not much to do in Mallaig. The sun is hiding behind clouds now. We climb up and down, pass Lochs, cross the viaduct. It is all pretty cool, but I found the trip from Inverness to Kyle to be more scenic. Maybe it was down to the better weather.
19:38
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| Ben Nevis in the evening sun |
19:45
I have found the hotel pretty quickly. Again, googlemaps made it look more complicated than it was. The hotel has a conservative mid to late '80ish feeling about it. Not sure what grants the prize, yet is is certainly better than sleeping rough - or in a single bed. For some reason I am hungry again. But that will have to wait. I want to have a look at Neptune's staircase, right next to the hotel.
20:00
I took some pictures of Ben Nevis and Neptune's staircase. My blackberry chimes. The taxi booking from Banavie to Fort William for tomorrow has just been confirmed.
20:45
It was time to attend to the hole in my stomach. It has been filled with a pleasant veggie curry. Now by body tells me that it needs a bed. It's been quite a day and despite all the concerns, everything went amazingly smooth.
21:52
My body is tired but my mind was not just yet. I have once again reorganised my backpack. (Dirty stuff to the bottom, clothes I will wear tomorrow out on the chair.) All electrical gadgets are hooked to the mains. I have finished typing up today's report, with Sherlock running on TV in the background, although I am doing the show an injustice. It should never be downgraded to background noise.
One last thing is nagging me. I surf to YouTube to see what first class looks like on the Jacobite. It is very different from the one I saw today. Proper first class.
I hope that I will be on that one – if there really are two different trains.
I hope that I will be on that one – if there really are two different trains.
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