Scotland by Coach?

Morning Sun Over Loch Linnhe

7th November 2018

Go on a coach trip to Scotland? You have to be joking! I have nothing against Scotland - it’s a beautiful country - but on a coach???

Setting off at 5.45AM made the whole thing sound even more ridiculous, but in it’s favour was the chance for me to get out of driving and navigation duties and arrive slightly less exhausted than usual after a long journey. So off we went, and after stopping to pick up passengers at a number of East Anglian addresses we headed north. Comfort stops at various places along the way included the Anglia Motel & Cafe in Lincolnshire which seems to have some fixation with all things to do with the second world war, including howitzers and military vehicles in the car park. Leeming Bar services was our second stop after our driver missed the turn for Wetherby, followed by brief stops at Moffat woollen mill, and the village of Callander for a wee break.

We were the youngest people on the coach (probably).

The journey wasn’t as bad as it sounded punctuated as it was by fairly frequent stops, various kinds of tablet related entertainment, as well as the drivers occasional commentary, although we were very glad to reach our destination as the last hour or two were in the dark and a bit tedious.

We finally arrived at The Highland Hotel, Fort William, a former railway hotel overlooking Loch Linnhe at 6.45PM

Rooms allocated and settled in followed by a three course meal which really hit the spot.

Ventured out for a quick look at the immediate vicinity but occasional showers drove us back indoors.

Fort Augustus

8th November 2018

Headed up along the Great Glen, a natural geological fault that, along with a little help from some intrepid engineers who built the canals to link the natural waterways, effectively severs Scotland in two. We stopped at the village of Fort Augustus in the drizzle to see the Caledonian Canal locks in action.

Gradually the weather improved and we boarded a boat to go for a cruise on Loch Ness. Unfortunately, in our eagerness to secure the last two free seats on the upper deck it hadn’t occurred to us that the open sides to the vessel may have let in the weather that had welcomed us to the area. Uncomfortable wet bottoms stayed with us for some time even though we subsequently tried to dry the seats with whatever tissues we had available. Anyway, we enjoyed a cruise up and down one end of the Loch despite no sign of any mythical creatures, thanks partly to the increasing amount of sunshine, but also due to the entertaining young tour guide. He could probably have made a decent living as a stand-up comedian.

Driving up toward the northern end of the loch we stopped off at Drumnadrochit for a lunch of baked potato with haggis (our first taste on this particular trip), cheese and red onion, washed down with Nessie’s Monster Mash beer and Thistly Cross strawberry cider. All very tasty and supportive of local industry.

A brief stop at Urquhart Castle (13th c - 16th c) for a photograph or two, and later spotted snow on some of the higher peaks on the way back to the hotel. In the evening Michelle bagged a bingo win, so she had to get the drinks in.

Loch Ness from Fort Augustus

9th November 2018

Drove out to Neptune’s Staircase just outside Fort William. The eight locks were built by Thomas Telford in the early 19th century and raise the Caledonian Canal 62 feet over a quarter of a mile. Unfortunately for us, the weather was determined not to show them off at their best, but undaunted we managed to have a look around and get a few photographs without getting too wet.

We then headed off to see the Commando Memorial near Spean Bridge. A 17ft high statue of three commandos in memory of the commandos who did their training nearby, and who died during the Second World War. This time the weather took a real disliking to us with wind and rain battering us on the exposed hillside.

After that, some kind of indoor activity was called for - so after a brief pit stop at Spean Bridge Mill, we went to the Ben Nevis distillery. We didn’t hear all that the tour guide had to say due to noisy machinery, and ignorant people chattering but we got the gist of it, and the smells were amazing. Came away with a bottle of 12 year old Nevis Dew - well it would have been rude not to.

Headed back to Fort William in the afternoon for a look around the town, a bite to eat, and a stroll alongside Loch Linnhe.

10th November 2018

In the morning we headed west along the banks of Loch Eil to Glenfinnan at the top of Loch Shiel (Honestly, there is a Loch everywhere you turn in this part of the world). We stopped to view the Glenfinnan Viaduct which carries the railway through some spectacular scenery, and is also known as the viaduct used by the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter series.

Glenfinnan Viaduct

There is also a monument honouring fallen clansmen in dramatic surroundings, and pathways to walk around the area. Just the sort of place we could have spent a few hours exploring. However, on a coach tour you are subject to the schedule and we were on our way again far too soon.

Glenfinnan Monument

We continued West on the “Road to the Isles”, enjoying the beautiful scenery as it passed by, until we reached Mallaig. A small port on the West coast of Scotland, it is the end of the line for the West Highland Railway, in a fantastic setting, and on the day we visited - closed! Numerous cafes/coffee shops were all closed and guess what we wanted. There was one solitary cafe open which by the time we had looked round the place was already extremely full of our fellow coach tourers. I guess the regular tourist season had really ended, and we ended up consuming bananas and lucozade in a churchyard overlooking the sea. A better view than the cafe offered but probably not quite as warm.

The afternoon saw us back in Fort William for the shops and cafes, followed by a couple of local pubs in the evening. The Wetherspoon’s surprised us with a two drink round coming in at £3.98 - probably half the price of the same drinks at home.

Mallaig Harbour

11th November 2018

We had actually travelled up through Glencoe on the journey up, but by that time it was completely dark so we didn’t even notice it. So this morning - Remembrance Sunday - it was time to go and have a wee look in the daylight. We headed south through Ballachulish and made our way up the spectacular Glencoe Valley.

We stopped in a car park for photo opportunities. The valley was in a wild, sombre mood today with the clouds slowly working their way around and over the hilltops. I suspect there are many days like this witnessed here.

Glencoe

Our driver was bombarding us with all sorts of facts about Campbells and MacDonalds and massacres and stuff. However, I would like to point out that much of it went in one ear and out the other, and given that this all happened in 1692 I think we should probably move on. We moved further up the valley and stopped again to observe the minutes silence that is as important as it ever was.

Glencoe

We then proceeded across Rannoch Moor, a desolate area of boggy moorland, and a place you most definitely would not want to get lost in, although we did see a number of people hiking.

Have you noticed there hasn’t been a stop for refreshments or shopping for a while? Well funnily enough following a very scenic drive through miles and miles of mountains, valleys and isolated cottages we arrived at The Green Welly Stop at Tyndrum. Yet another highland service station with ample room for refreshments and opportunity to purchase whisky, tartan, shortbread or all three if you really must.

Not long afterwards we were stopping for more refreshments. The company own a number of hotels in Scotland, and we happened to be near another of them where they had prepared lunch for us. The Loch Awe Hotel, unsurprisingly overlooking Loch Awe, offered more beautiful views in the Scottish Highlands as well as cottage pie and coffee.

Loch Awe