Tag Archives: Scotland

Longest Day

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This is a quick post, and will be updated when I have more time and energy.

UPDATE: Updated on June 14, with a ton of photos since it’s now so much easier to post them.

Today was the day I was most worried about. We were told the walk was 14.5 miles and that there were some steep climbs. In addition, my right big toe took a beating and currently looks rather bad: I can see it’s been bleeding underneath the toenail and, having experienced this before, I know I’ll eventually lose that toenail. (Darn! No sandals this summer.)

UPDATE: The nail has NOT fallen off. It’s still looking crummy, but I guess I’m keeping it!

We started off with a nice breakfast at our B&B in Invermoriston. Then we packed up and headed out.

The wrong way.

THIS time it wasn’t my error, but that other guy walking with me. Hah!

Once we turned around we headed to the GGW post and went up – up – up. It really wasn’t bad, going up a road and all. Early in the day a road isn’t as hard on the feet as it is later.

We finally saw the sign for the high route, which is what we opted to take to the next destination.

There were easy bits, there were steep bits. But nothing really was tough when we reached what is called the View Catcher. I was actually rather surprised, as I’d read another walker’s post about how hard it was to get there.

From there we headed up and down and through a dark forest. Every so often we heard a cuckoo. When I pulled out my camera to record it the darn thing stopped! This happened several times, in fact.

Well, we then hit a much harder climb. I think that might have been the one the writer had really been referring to and just got the timing off. (It’s easy to do on a long walk.) It was a tough one, but, to be honest, not nearly as bad as I had anticipated.

When we reached a stone structure (after the one pictured above) with a bench we stopped for lunch.

Oh … one thing I’ve not written about are midges. Those are tiny flies that you can barely see that bite! We were prepared and had put in insect repellent. But we saw things in the air that we assumed might be the critters. They are worse later in the month and for June and July. I’m glad we are here when they aren’t out in abundance. I’ve seen photos of people with bites and it looks quite frightening.

UPDATE: We never did get any bites at all!

Okay … back to the walk: we continued on. There was really nothing terribly strenuous, but it was relentless. When we reached a forest service road it was so muddy and mucky and not fun at all. Plod, plod, plod.

From there we headed out on a road for a bit and then another trail through a bunch of meadows. A long way. And then we finally ended up on a road. It seemed to go on an awfully long way, at one point veering on to the narrowest trail (I guess to avoid the car problem since it was a one lane road).

FINALLY, a cuckoo!


We were then directly to go through a gate and take a trail again. Ah … we felt like the end was in sight.

It wasn’t.


We went on for at least two more miles.

But we DID make it to our B&B (with a beautiful yard!), and we DID get showers.

Sadly no naps though because it turned out yours truly made reservations for a restaurant that was almost a mile away. Argh! More walking?

But walk we did. And eat … well YES we certainly did eat. And had dessert as well, thank you very much.

Now we are back in our room and we are exhausted. Tomorrow we get driven to a place about 11 miles away and walk back to this B&B. The nice thing about that is we don’t have to pack! (The next day we get driven back to the place 11 miles away and walk the other direction, reaching our final goal of Inverness.)

I was terribly worried, as I wrote above, about this day. We survived. We LOVED the views, and we are glad we don’t have another long day like this! Some of our fellow walkers (yes, we meet and get to know other people) are walking all the way to Inverness tomorrow. I’m thankful that we aren’t!

This was what we saw on our walk back to our lodging:



Goodnight!

Day Two, May 21

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We began today with breakfast at Distant Hills B&B. It’s a great way to start a walk, really. The owners here, Dani and Cameron, are delightful, and I will have to share photos of the flowers growing in the yard at some point: they are amazing!

After breakfast Cameron drove us to our starting spot for today’s walk, and off we went.


Starting out at the locks we headed up on a road. Now roads in Scotland are pretty darn narrow, so I frequently heard Dan yell out (he was behind me) “Car back!” to warn me of a car coming up the road. I nearly always step further aside and turn around so the driver can see that I know he/she is there. Nearly everyone waves.

Speaking of that, I must say that people here are quite friendly: nearly every walker and cyclist greets us as we pass by. I love it.

From the road we were taken to a path for walkers and we stayed on that a bit, crossing the road at one point, and then heading down to Loch Lochy. We then were going to spend a whole lot of time walking either near the loch or a bit above it. We went through lovely forested areas. We also went through an area that had new plantings of trees. (I really can’t remember the exact order of things, so I very well may get some things out of order.)

And we also ended up on a road again. Another narrow — and later narrower — road, but I may be getting things out of order. How is one’s brain supposed to function after nearly 13 miles?!

At one point there was a long slog through a forested area that wasn’t all too exciting. But not every inch of a walk can be exciting, right?


We stopped for our lunches, prepared by Dani at Distant Hills. Dan hung his pack on a log that was sticking out. I foolishly set my pack and camera back on the ground. We took a bit of time for lunch and headed out again. I’m not sure when I looked at my right wrist, but there was Mr. Tick, just trying to burrow in. Thankfully I saw it before he did get in there, and got him off completely. I’m guessing I’m just fine because of quickly doing that, but I’ll be watching that part of my wrist for a while. Lesson learned: don’t set things down near plant life.

The GGW had a diversion somewhat close to the end of our walk, where we had switchbacks along a trail that honestly wasn’t difficult as it gained altitude rather slowly. There were signs along the way … um … I think they are called interpretive? Anyway, we had the most lovely expansive views on this part of the walk.



And then it was just walk, walk, walk. Not quite as exciting although there were pretty moments, and even in those that aren’t amazing are just pleasant.

My only problem, and it was minimal, was that my feet swell as I walk and my smaller toes aren’t always happy. I suspect after this trip I will dismiss these shoes and get something with a larger to box. I had worn these on walks at home and thought they were fine, but I think for longer walks I can use that more generous toe box … if I can find something that fits! (I have very large feet and finding shoes isn’t always easy.)

Eventually we ended up at the Laggan Lochs and I called our driver to see how we were to meet up. Despite the somewhat difficult connection and my inability to understand him all the time I did figure out what we were to do so we waited for him to arrive, which he did after maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. We will see him, Al, tomorrow as well. He’s a character, and at first I thought he was angry at us but I think I just didn’t catch on to his personality at first.

So then it was a bit of time to relax before dinner. Our feet and muscles could certainly use that! For dinner we revisited last night’s restaurant: we have no choice as it’s the only restaurant in town!

Tomorrow we get picked up by Al at about 9:45 or so and head to Laggan Lochs again. He will then transport our luggage to our destination as we walk to Fort Augustus. I doubt we’ll have to worry about the luggage arriving since he takes it right there, but time will tell.**

**NO! I was wrong about Al taking our luggage. I’m not sure where I got the idea he would deal with it!

First Ten … Done!

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And only 69 to go, if it really is 79 miles. What with our mistakes as we walk the Great Glen Way who knows how many miles we will really go?!

We began today with the hotel breakfast. I won’t miss them, to be honest, but since I normally don’t even eat breakfast does it really matter that they were sort of ho-hum? Probably not!

We first went to the starting point of the walk to take a photo. A woman eating at the picnic table right in front of us offered to take a photo of us. She was clearly American, but we didn’t really chat so I have no clue where she is from. She, too, was doing the GGW, but she was on her own. I suggested we’d see her on the trail but she said she was a very slow walker.


And then it began. The first mile (plus a little) was what I’d already done, but the rest was new. At Soldier’s Bridge the woman who said she was a slow walker passed us. We never saw here again. Some of the walk was now just walking through the town of Caol (pronounced “Cool”), as cars drove by.

Eventually we did come across the fairly well known beached boat and of course I had to take a photo.

Then it was on to the village of Corpach. It was there, at the Corpach Sea Lock Office, that we could purchase a key that would get us into a few compost toilets on the GGW. Well … so much for that! The sign said they were understaffed and no one was there. Ah well.

At that point we were at the Caledonian Canal and that was to be our companion for the entire rest of the day. That and just a lovely view, beautiful flowers, and an easy going walk for the most part. Because we were on an unpaved road it wasn’t as easy on our feet as, say, a forest path would be, but really it wasn’t bad, and there really was no climb to speak of.

Prior to the eight locks of Neptune’s Staircase the GGW marker told us to take a left. We ignored it because we wanted to first see Neptune’s Staircase. When we went back we saw a different sign for the GGW and took that instead. It took us in a circle, really. Turned out that turning left bit was merely to avoid crossing train tracks (or so we think). We should have just kept walking when we first arrived at Neptune’s Staircase! (Is this confusing? I’m not sure I’m writing clearly, but I am so exhausted my brain isn’t working all that well! Of course it also wasn’t working well when we walked in a circle. Hah!)


Close to the top of the Staircase we saw a place to get lunch, so we stopped, had bowls of lentil soup, and enjoyed sitting for a time.

Then it was back to walking the canal.

I’ve read people complain about the day due to walking the road and “just” being by the canal, but honestly it was just so pretty and I was happy to be there.

We walked by another swing bridge and eventually ended up at the Gairlochy locks and swing bridge.

Then I merely had to learn how to make a phone call to our night’s lodging’s owners. It took a while, but I eventually figured it out (011 44 are required, but the 0 that’s listed before the given phone number should be removed. Who knew? Definitely not this phoneaphobic person!)

Cameron showed up quickly, and drove us to our place. It is just fine and the yard is beautiful! But our luggage transport hadn’t shown up with our luggage. Uh-oh! I called Mickledore and was told they’d get on it right away. Then I remembered our AirTags! I could easily see the luggage never left the place we stayed last night. When Mickledore got back to me they said there had been a “hiccup” and I said I knew that the luggage was still at our hotel. Gotta love those AirTags! It took a bit of time, but the luggage did show up. Whew!

We walked to dinner. I ate too much.

We walked back to our lodging …

We showered. And now I’m fried which is why you are reading the “rest of the story” in one quick paragraph.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a thirteen mile day and is supposed to be a bit harder. I hope we are up for it!

Sunday, May 19 A Day Of Rest

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We woke up lazily, and had our 9:00 breakfast at the restaurant attached to the hotel. It sufficed, and came with the Mickledore arranged walk, so why not?

Dan tweaked his back (again), so he opted to rest in our hotel room while I did some investigating for our walk tomorrow. I first walked, following a Great Glen Way sign I thought pointed a particular way. Nope. Then I walked the other direction and found the official start of the walk, where probably everyone takes the obligatory photo.


But it isn’t where you start the walk! How confusing is that?

I walked just a small bit and saw a sign across the street that looked promising. I took a quick photo and zoomed in. Yep. The start of the walk! Right by our hotel. The path, in fact, runs directly behind our hotel window, and the people I heard talking last night were clearly walking on it!

The building you see behind the fence is our hotel.


Since I located it I decided to walk a bit to see where it took me. The first Great Glen Way marker was pretty clear and easy to follow …


Hmm. Into a residential area. Strange. But, once again, I misread a sign and wound up at a dead end in said residential area. What IS my problem?!


Well, I figured it out: the Great Glen Way signs have what I thought were arrows pointing in the direction I should go, when I guess they just are the logo or some such thing. Other posts do have an arrow pointing us in the correct direction (like the one I posted above), but those aren’t like the signs I mistakenly followed. Go figure. (I’ll try to remember to post a photo of the sign that confused me when we head out tomorrow … but with this old brain who knows if I’ll get to it!)

So backtracking was next and it was “Well, DUH, Patty, can’t you see what that sign is telling you to do?!”

Continuing the walk I ended up off sidewalk and street and on to trail. It’s so pretty … flowers are blooming and the birds are enthusiastically singing. Weather was fabulous, too: enough cloud cover to keep me from getting too warm, and very little breeze.

I wasn’t sure how far I walked when I opted to turn around (right after crossing Soldier’s Bridge), so I set my watch to record a walk and back I went.

Except again I missed a turn. Argh! When I hit homes I thought, “Well I don’t remember this at all.” So I turned around and headed back and it was so darn clear where I missed my turn. There were the sheep. There were the sweet lambs. (There was all that sheep poop.) Ah well. I very well may have added 1/2 mile or more to my walk and that’s just fine. I may as well get ready for the longer walks we have coming. (Tomorrow’s is said to be 10 miles.)

I came back to the room to find Dan doing some computer stuff, and after I showered, and did a small amount of laundry in the sink, we hung out for a while before going back out.

First off I showed Dan the sign I totally missed this morning, and then we went to the big Great Glen Way sign, agreeing that our photo would wait until we are actually heading out. As we were there four cyclists showed up: they had just finished the GGW coming from Inverness (our final destination), taking two days to do the ride. Dan took some photos for them, and we chatted a bit. One woman did say they hit good weather but we should be prepared for anything. I’m hoping we are, although I’d prefer no rain. (I can dream, right?)

We then again walked to the little downtown area, in search of coffee and a light snack. Hm. Apparently coffee isn’t available in the afternoon. Instead we wound up ordering beers and a pizza. A bit more than we had planned on eating. Ah well. Guess we’ll burn it off on the walk. Maybe.

Our “light” snack. Heh.

Next up was a walk back to the hotel, a bit of a rest, some computer time (including writing more of this blog entry), and just a lot of doing nothing, which I really do excel at. Dinner was right next door — the same place we get our free breakfast — and was just fine. Nothing to write home about, but I’m not writing home so whatever!

Seeing a young man stick his menu in his pants, though … that was a fun thing to view and a great photo with which to END. 🤣

Friday, May 17

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What a lazy start to our day! I woke up a number of times in the early morning — it gets light here very early — but since Dan continued to sleep I’d roll over (in our tiny bed — I’m not used to that, as we have a huge California king bed at home) and fall back asleep. Finally I woke again, looked over, and Dan was reading. Oops … I slept until 9AM! After the little breakfast this place provides (we can pick and choose from oatmeal in a cup, “croissants” that aren’t anything like real croissants, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, orange juice and more … but all prefab stuff), and after our showers, it was time to figure out what to do before our 3:00 whisky tour at the Oban distillery.

Side Note: I’m actually not usually much of a whisky drinker, but when in Rome, or at least Oban …

When we headed out the door our first destination was all about coffee. No surprise there, right? We located a place, ordered our cappuccinos, and sat outside in the lovely sun. It was not too hot, and just a really pleasant spot.

Next up was making our way to McCaig’s Tower & Battery Hill. The walk (and stairs) were just lovely and my back behaved! We spent time up on the hill, taking photos and just relaxing. Oban is sure a beautiful place! I was sorry I neglected to bring my macro lens up the hill with me: flowers are abundant here at the moment. Ah well … maybe I’ll remember in Fort William if we head out on walks there.

Lunch was next on the agenda. We wandered. In our typical fashion we had to investigate a number of places before settling on a spot. I had a smaller lunch: after yesterday the salmon pate seemed to be a good option. Yesterday’s food was just far too much, and my stomach is suggesting I go a bit lighter!

From there we went to the Oban Distillery for a tour and tasting.

What a fun time! The young man who led our tour was great … and hey, even with a deaf ear I could understand him easily, as he spoke so nice and clearly. We took the tour and on the way sampled three whiskies. Only small amounts of each, mind you We now, for the first time in eons, will have a souvenir to bring home: we were given one of the glasses they served a whisky in. Normally we aren’t souvenir buyers. With our small bags and lack of space we just don’t go there. But for little Oban whisky glasses … well, we will just have to find spots for them!

We dropped by Cuan Mor, where we want to have dinner (recommended by my boss Robert Massey at Symphony San Jose), but they don’t take reservations, so we just have to return and wait for a spot to open. That’s fine — it’s not like we are under any time constraints!

And then it was back to our room, where I could write up some of this blog entry, and then rest a bit. I could also look out the window … it is so doggone lovely here!

We might have rested a bit, too. You decide.


Dinner was enjoyed at Cuan Mor … they said it would be a 30 minute wait but in reality it was only 15. A yummy dinner — AND dessert! — were enjoyed. When I get home I’ll sign up for a weight loss program. (HAH … as if I ever do that!)

The sunset at 9:10 was gorgeous! I’m so glad we are where we are, as I can see it from our window, while Dan, great photographer that he is, went outside to shoot it.

Tomorrow we leave lovely Oban and head to Fort William. We are going the long way, via train. The bus would have been 1 1/2 hours, while the trains (we switch in Crianlarich) total almost 4 hours, but I had written to a travel group and was encouraged to take the train. I was told we are in for some great views. I do hope this was the right choice!

Thursday, May 16

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Sleeping went well from midnight until about 4:00. Then, for me, sleep was fitful. Dan seemed to fare better. I don’t fret over crazy sleep patterns when I begin a trip: it’s rather expected.

We ate breakfast at the hotel. We don’t normally do that (hotel food isn’t usually the best), but there isn’t much around here, and convenience does count!

Then it was a bus ride in to Glasgow …

and a search for an ATM which was more difficult that we thought it would be. When we found one it wouldn’t accept our Schwab card. Argh! It’s the card we use because they don’t charge a fee. But oh well. What’s a fee when one is spending what we are on this trip?

Following that bit of annoyance it was on to the train station, buying sandwiches for the train ride, and waiting a bit in the station. There was a piano there and a man was playing pretty much the same thing over and over. I was wondering, as a musician, if he was playing for himself or for the crowds. I know if I were playing I would be very aware of the people around me, but I wonder if some just play because they just love playing. Did he care that everyone could hear him? Hm. Just pondering .

When our track was announced we headed to our car. Sure enough, it was the furthest away. And our seats were also toward the end of the car. But hey, unlike all my seat errors in Europe I did this one correctly and we were sitting together. Yes, miracles to happen!

This one here is from Dan …

IPhone Photo by G Dan Mitchell

The ride was somewhat long for the distance, with tons of stops. We were sitting backwards, and I think that gives me a bit of a headache, but mostly I dozed off anyway … not because of the time change issue, but because traveling tends to make me sleepy!

Arriving in Oban, I was wowed by the beauty. We lugged our luggage to the inn, which wasn’t that far away, but doing roller bags is NOT fun and I told Dan I much prefer our backpacks. The room is just fine and we have a lovely view! (We are on the first floor, center of the house.)

Photo by G Dan Mitchell

The weather is also amazing (our innkeeper suggested this is not the norm). After checking in, enjoying the view from our room, and having a “wee dram” (well, okay, I had port instead), we headed out.

We were feeling rather lazy, so after walking a bit we saw a sign for a beer garden. Dan had beer, I had cyder (yes, it was spelled that way), and we shared some chips (aka fries).

I don’t know that we ever didn’t hear bagpipes! I’m thinking this group was a group of kids learning the instrument.

We just enjoyed the sit for a good long time and the it was time to head to the recommended restaurant (by the inn keeper). It was fine, but I’ve decided I really should be careful to read more about places before going by one person’s recommendation!

Walking back to our lodging we marveled at how light it still was. And oh so beautiful!

Hello, UK!

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After our long sit in the Frankfurt lounge, we headed to Glasgow via Lufthansa. Easy flight. More food.


We went through customs. I managed to do the wrong thing on the scanner — I think I scanned the wrong page of my passport! — and had to see a person instead. He asked me where I came from. I said California. Heh. Then he said, “No, where did you just fly in from?” Oh. Right. Frankfurt! Old Brain!

From there it was collection luggage time. I think our bags were maybe the 2nd and 3rd out! Dan didn’t recognize his but thankfully I said, “But isn’t that yours?” and he quickly went after it.

Our hotel (Holiday Inn) is directly across the street from the airport. As in about a three minute walk, max. So we are now in our room and we will see how we sleep tonight. It does feel like it’s night to me, although not quite 11:55, as the clock says. We have, um, quite the view … of a parking garage!

Tomorrow onward to Oban!

Two Weeks

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Am I counting down? Hm. I wonder …

2 weeks. 9 more oboe lessons to teach. 8 more services (4 performances, 4 rehearsals). 1 concerto competition to judge.

I’m not packing yet, but of course I continue to “pack in my head”. And I do believe I have everything I need.

Okay, I know I have everything I “need”. It’s really more of, “Is there anything else I want?”

And yes, in case you’re wondering, we have decided to take our trekking poles. Better to have them and not need them than to wish we’d brought them and have to go out and buy ‘em. It does mean we have to check luggage, but that’s not a horrible thing … right?

Maybe don’t answer that unless you agree with me.

Just more planning …

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First of all, in case anyone is reading … yes, we heard back from the final restaurant and yes, our table is booked. So we have everything set for our Great Glen Way walk, aside from the one place that is walk in only. I trust we’ll manage to make that one work: it’s certainly nothing worth worrying about.

Someone on Facebook (there is a Great Glen Way group) wrote to say some routes on the Great Glen Way have been closed, so I’ll be curious to see how we are rerouted and how many more miles we end up walking due to that. But what’s a few more miles, right? Perhaps our packet from Mickledore will even fill us in on all of that. Sadly, it’s yet to arrive! They had warned us that it could be FOUR weeks after sending it that it would land in our mailbox. Ah, snail mail! Getting more “snailish” all the time, I guess.

I heard back from one (Rick Steves recommended) B&B (in York) this past week. Turns out the place next to them has sold and there is major renovation going on. I hated saying goodbye to the place (it’s called the Bronte Guest House and doesn’t that sound great?), but if we are paying for something I think we need to get something that doesn’t drive us bonkers with noise, so we had to move. So it goes. Still, I will hope that, should we ever return, we will book with them. I’m sorry they are dealing with this issue, but I greatly appreciate them contacting us about it.

Ch-ch-ch-changes. If one is a traveler one must accept those and not stress. Right?!


My phone now informs me that we leave in 23 days. This means it’s definitely time to see what clothing I’ll bring and if I need to get anything else, since so much has to be ordered online these days. I try so hard to shop local, but stores are carrying less and less. I already have a pair of sandals coming. (What?! Sandals for the UK? What about rain. Yeah … I know ….)

Side Note: I have this awful tendency to want to have something new for a trip. This is absolutely ridiculous and I wish I could rid myself of the bad habit. So will I? Hmm. Stay tuned ….

BUT, regarding clothing … who knows what the weather will be like? Someone wrote to say that they did the GGW (see how savvy I am? I am now calling the Great Glen Way the GGW. Yep, I’m that cool.) last May and it was HOT. Now keep in mind “hot” is a relative term, but if the temp is 60° or higher it can really feel hot if you’re walking a lot. Trust me. I know. I’ll be checking weather eventually, but it’s simply too soon to bother now.

So either tomorrow or Tuesday I will be getting things out and seeing if I have things that will work. As any reader knows, we attempt to travel light, and that means clothes must all coordinate so I can mix and match. Easy to do, really.

Oh … and I have been wearing the shoes I’ll take on the Great Glen Way to make certain they work. So far, so good!

The other thing I’ve now done is purchase our “Two Together” train pass. This is a pass that makes our train trips much less expensive. It requires us to travel together (not a problem) and requires, as well, that it is always the two of us, so I can’t switch partners. Um. I think that works just fine.

Okay, this is enough of me for now. I hope this is all readable. I just finished with a week of opera and my brain is entirely fried.

Not that that is anything new.

More Accomplished!

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Trains are done, although we still need to get our “Two Together Railcard” which is good for a year. When I purchased the train tickets I included that card on the order which lowers the price significantly. I don’t have to purchase the card quite yet, so I am holding off, in case we visit the UK again within the year. It just might be used for more than this trip if that’s the case, and who knows?

Travel insurance is purchased. It’s a requirement for the walking portion of our trip, but it’s also just a wise thing to get and something we never bought before because we were simply unaware. Our credit card covers things like lost luggage and trip cancellation, but getting coverage for things like medical and evacuation is pretty important should we have an unfortunate incident.

AND our Mickeldore packet is available online so I can see where we are staying! That was fun to receive. It makes the trip all the more real.

Next up is figuring out places to eat while on our walk. I’ve read that getting reservations is recommended and I sure do want to be certain we have places to eat after a walking day.

Then it’s “do we want to schedule any visits?” There are distilleries we can check out, and of course there are some castles. I know we’ll want to see Stirling Castle, and I’m assuming we will also want to visit Edinburgh Castle. Might there be a concert somewhere? Have to check! Is there a pub that will have live music that would be fun to hear? Possibly. So more research is necessary.

Oh … and one other thing. I’m a bit obsessive (can you tell?) so I check our United seats pretty much daily. One leg seated us pretty far back so I was hoping for a change. Well, there WAS a change on one leg … a change of plane, which then put us in seats we didn’t want! Apparently United does this without notifying the ticket holders. I find that so odd. Thankfully I could move us to seats we preferred and take care of that issue. But honestly … shouldn’t they notify ticket holders who are paying SO DOGGONE MUCH for seats?! I’ve since been informed (from a United group) that others have had the same problem, and that sometimes they even separate a couple. One man said his seats were changed the day of his trip. So I guess checking is helpful, but until we are IN our seats there are no guarantees!