Accommodation

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Kyleakin to Glen Nevis

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Well, I’m in Glen Nevis and I’ve seen where some of ‘Braveheart’ was filmed (all the ‘Lanark’ scenes, including Murron’s murder.) Not much to see, but I definitely recognised the area. I’m staying at the ‘Ben Nevis Bunkhouse’, a no frills place with self-catering, showers, loo, and bunkbeds. I must say I’m a little nervous about staying here with two strange men who just walked in. They’ve been keeping the place clean (I think), so it should be okay. Besides, my instinct isn’t telling me to run!

Glen Nevis is gorgeous and I’ve hardly seen any of it! I’m very glad that most of the Ben was shrouded in mist today; it looks high enough without seeing any further up! I’ve got my map, food, and gear, and the weather tomorrow looks okay (but definitely not great). Still, tomorrow is my only day to climb, so I’ll do the best I can. I’ll be crying coming back up the hill to this bunkhouse, though!!! I had to walk into Fort William; it took me the better part of an hour. Considering where I’m staying, and the name of the town, I feel like a pioneer or something! Coming back with heavy bags was no picnic, but about halfway ‘home’ a kind ‘Fort Williamer’ offered to carry my grocery bags. We started talking and all that, and I came this close to missing my turnoff. As though I didn’t have far enough to go!! The ‘nearest’ phone which accepts a phonecard is 15 minutes away. I’m in the boonies, baby!

It’s incredible up here. It’s a rather exposed area, so the wind is really gusting and the rain is scraping our cheeks. It’s the kind of place where you just want to wrap a woollen plaid over your head and walk for ever!

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Hiking Around Kyleakin

 

I’m literally out in the middle of nowhere!!! My only guide back to ‘civilization’ through this boggy heather moor is a meandering burn. I could keep going for ever, but there were no maps available and I don’t want to get too lost ! I guess that if I continue to follow the burn I’ll be fine, though. It took me a full two hours to get here. Luckily, home (not so creepy after all, amazing what a ½ pint of Guiness can do!) is downhill all the way!

I saw two deer running through the glen!!!

1:42 pm

I’m back at creepy city. It’s raining and rain is becoming a natural (and daily) part of life. All morning, it was pitter-pattering, so I just wore my funky blue hat. At one point, I went to put it on and realised I’d dropped it somewhere out on the moor ! Luckily, I was able to sort of retrace my steps and find it. I must admit that this area isn’t too bonnie.

Tomorrow, most things should be open, so I’d like to take a bus into the more remote parts of the island. The oddest thing is we’re right on the shore of the Atlantic, real sea, but we can’t smell it. In a way, I guess that’s a good thing. The wonderful aroma of dried seaweed, dead and living fish, and salt water makes me nostalgic and restless.

There are inexpensive cruises advertised. That might be fun. It’s unbelievable that a little place like this, at the edge of the world (or so it seems) has the most expensive toll bridge in the world. We’re talking £5.60 for a car, £40 for a bus, and a whole range of other ridiculous tolls for every type of motor vehicle imaginable! Let’s just say that peeved the locals off just a little; they didn’t get any concessions until only a little while back. When the ferry ran, the locals could cross free. Now, they have to pay a toll—both ways. Blech. I can just imagine them loading themselves into cars, really cramming themselves in, in order to go grocery shopping, splitting the toll amongst each other!

Looks like the weather’s clearing up a tad. I think I’ll read a chapter and go back out for a stroll. Not that there’s much strolling to do here! I must admit it’s a quaint little town, if a smidge dead. I guess that it’s because the fishermen have to be up at 5… A.M. Yuck!

7:15 pm.

What a stroll! I meant to go back up to the castle but I got slightly, um, distracted. I decided to climb a peak. I got to the summit, saw another one and kept going up! I ended up with a fantastic view of water and sailboats and eventually I ended up finding what I imagine used to be old crofts. There was only a pile of bricks and stone left, sometimes a perimeter into which encroaches heather and grass. Coming back down (eventually) I got what I deserved. I slipped. I didn’t so much as bruise myself, but one pant leg got soaked through. I had to do laundry when I came back ! I might be going back to the pub tonight. One of the women who was there last night said she would be going and that she’d save me a seat. Why not? I’ll have to wash my tee-shirt anyway!

(I ended up going with two Canadian roomies. I had more fun than the night before!)

 

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In Which I Discover Pubs — Inverness to Kyleakin (Isle of Skye)

10:16 AM

From where I’m sitting, Inverness is rather bonnie! Actually, I’m on a bench on the bank of the river Ness, in a green, ‘parked’ area. ‘Downtown’ is only a few minutes away, but you’d never guess it. I can’t believe how clean the river seems. Parents allow their children to play in the water, so it can’t be that dirty. To get here, I had to cross the suspension bridge again. They’re fun!

I can’t believe the number of Australians and New-= Zealanders I’ve met! I usually have at least one in my room. Last night, we were two in the room, and she was Australian. Haven’t met many Canadians since Glasgow and Edinburgh ; there was an Albertan in Aviemore.

I can’t get over how young the Scots marry and start their families! I’ve seen couples barely out of their teens with wedding bands and the stroller. Since there are many such couples, I assume it’s the norm. Personally, I’d rather live first!

I’m going to keep exploring until about a quarter of 2. Haggis should be picking me up at 2:30. It looks like a long bus ride to Skye (arrival time estimated at 6 o’clock). No worse than yesterday, I guess!

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8:46 p.m.

On the way to Kyleakin, we made an hour long stop at Eilean Donan castle! It’s very beautiful. Unfortunately, the guides are cold and unfriendly. They lack the passion required by the job. There was a cool ‘recreated’ kitchen complete with mannequins. It was creepy but well done!

Speaking of creepy, this youth hostel is almost terrifying! I’m just getting this bad vibe about this place. At first, I thought I might just be homesick and lonely, but I met up with some very nice people and the feeling didn’t go away. I’ll spend a night here and if I still feel weird in the morning I might ask for a refund and go elsewhere. There are lots of cheap places around here. What I hate is not being able to pinpoint the origin of my ‘bad feeling’. I can’t tell if it’s about things coming or things that have already happened. Anyhoo, I feel creepy.

I hiked up to the ruins of an old (13th century, destroyed late Middle Ages) Scandinavian fortress. The hike up is unbelievable, there’s no real path. You really have to play ‘mountain goat’ to get up and down. (This was when I discovered that I am essentially immune to the greatest deterrent to Scottish tourism: the midge. I’m told I could market my blood and make an easy fortune! Those bugs are worse than mosquitoes, which love my blood. I’ll never know why the midges left me alone, but bit the people with me to pieces, but I’m glad!)

I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow. I don’t think there’s a tourist information centre here. I would like to go on a trail ride; I’ve seen several advertised, only they’re further ‘inland’, I think. I’ll see how complicated and expensive it is to get out there for day trip.

10:46

I’ve just spent the last hour at a pub with a Swedish girl I met and about 7 strangers! This was the first time I’ve been to a pub. It helps that I can actually drink now, not just a few sips but a whole beer and actually enjoy it (I had a Guinness. Boy is it good !). The only thing is I’ll stink of cigarettes tomorrow. The music was a little loud, but nothing like school dances. Considering the wallflower I am, I rather had a good time. I guess the beer helped! Now, I know what a pub’s like. Imagine going back to North America and telling everyone I never even set foot in one!?

 

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Aviemore to Inverness

10:02 AM

20 days to go… boohoo. I’m really settling into this routine of packing and unpacking, settling in and moving on! At this time tomorrow, I’ll have been gone a week. That’s a QUARTER of my trip over, zip, done. I’m glad I’m getting into the ‘stuff’ I’ve really wanted to see. I think it really makes a lot of sense to get through Skye to Fort William, climb the Ben ,and go into Edinburgh for a day. Loch Lomond is supposed to be so beautiful.

… (more rambling about plans!)

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Inverness: 7:05 pm

I decided to go to Orkney on a day trip which will delay my schedule by one measly day (the Ben will be Wednesday). My Orkney day will be expensive; I’ll be ‘blowing’ the extra cash I’ve got. Once I get that out of the way, I’ll still be on my budget, but I won’t be ahead anymore. Who cares? I’ll only be here once! Besides two whole days of exploring Skye appeals to me. Now, if I could only get through to book the hostel! (I would have been ‘stuck’ on Skye Monday, anyways, since Haggis doesn’t do the southern ‘Skye-Edinburgh’ circuit on Mondays. Neither does it do the northern ‘Edinburgh-Skye’ circuit on Sundays.)

8:07 pm.

Well… I’ve got my accommodation booked straight through to next Thursday morning! It’s really nerve wracking, spending all this cash so quickly. At least Skye and Fort William are only £8.50 (no breakfast, of course). I figure that if I get some serious non-perishable food shopping going, I’ll be able to make up for my little folly of going up to Orkney.

I had a very lovely afternoon here in Inverness. I went up to the castle (blech!) and ended up this awesome tour about the ’45. (that’s the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.) I was smart and asked if there was a student price. There was and I save a whole 30p ! Well, that’s a chocolate bar here! (Speaking of chocolate, I don’t recommend chocolate ice cream in Scotland. Every time I ordered it, I was disappointed. It didn’t taste at all like chocolate. ‘Wall’s’ ice cream, the kind on a stick, has good chocolate, though.)

Anyhoo, the group was treated both congenially and as a troop enlisting in the army would have been treated. It was very interesting, the setting of the tour alone was worth the money (it began with a descent into a creepy cellar down damp stone steps and along candlelit walls!). Inverness itself has charming places, but it’s not great. It’s one place where I knew I’d be disappointed, but hoped I wouldn’t be. Still, from certain angles, the castle is stunning, and the bridges spanning the River Ness are pretty; one’s a suspension bridge and it literally rocks as people walk across it. Back on the ‘mainland,’ one feels that one has been on a boat!

This trip is unlike any other I’ve taken and this journal reflects this. I mean, I’ve got bad stuff in here like disappointment and discouragement! But there’s triumph here, too. I want to remember all of this trip.

 

This hostel is unbelievable. It looks and feels like a 5-star hotel. Everything’s carpeted and brand spanking new but… empty, I guess. The top bunks are high up! I don’t know whether to be claustrophobic and sleep up there or whether to be ‘heightaphobic’ and sleep down there! (During my stay, I only slept on a bottom bunk once and I didn’t sleep too well! The best bunks were the ones without ladders, believe it or not! They were easy to crawl onto and get off of and had the best mattresses! Offhand, I remember them being in Perth and Kyleakin, but there might have been a few other places.) There aren’t any keys, either. Instead we have those new-fangled magnetic card things. I hate ‘em. (My first time in Glasgow I had keys. When I returned, they had *just* changed to magnetic cards!) We need them to go almost everywhere in this hostel (into our rooms and into the lounge/laundry/ common room area). And I think that both here and Glasgow got a special on really ugly tartan carpeting! (although, like Glasgow itself, this carpet is growing on me, and I’m becoming rather fond of it!)

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Hiking Around Aviemore

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2:27 pm

I’m writing this from the majestic shore of Loch an Eilan, a 13th century castle ruin just a stone’s throw away. Unfortunately, it’s not accessible. It was raining when I left Aviemore this morning, but now the sun is shining and the clouds are clearing. I can see the blue Highland sky. The hills around me are all awash with rain, and so brown. A few more days like this and they are bound to explode into fiery purpleness.

What a bonnie, wee castle it is! I’m so jealous of the birds that come and go from it as they please. It is overrun by trees and bushes; I have a view of the ‘front door’ into the courtyard, but it is blocked by foliage. The ground here is boggy, boot sucking, cranberry jelly slurping out of a can boggy. I’ll have to do more laundry tonight ! Well, it’s a long way back to Aviemore, so I’ll be going.

Oh, the Highlands are bonnie, bonnie indeed!

6:55

What a great day! I really felt up to par, not sickish at all. I had a refreshing 11-hour night (9-8 AM !) and then that delightful walk. Sure enough, Loch an Eilan means the island in the lake. Tomorrow, I’m on to Inverness. I’ve made an important decision. It’s obvious that I won’t see everything I want to see on this trip. So, I’ve decided to see only what I’d want to see if this was my only trip to Scotland, ever. The Orkneys (Skara Brae) and Skye aren’t on that list. I will spend 2 days in Skye, but the Wallacey and Brucey ‘stuff’ is more important. So? I’ll definitely get to Edinburgh for the 27th. Maybe earlier. After, I’ll see the W’y and B’y stuff I’ve missed. After I’ll see Aberdeen, St. Andrews, and Dundee. Then, the south. If, and only if, I’ve got a few days left (and cash) I’ll go back up to Orkney. This schedule saddens me a little, but it’s one I can definitely live with. I’ll regret missing Kildrummy more than Skara Brae, that’s for sure. Oh, and there’s Turnberry, too!

I can’t believe it’s already the 16th! I’m starting to feel the clock ticking. I’m getting to Inverness a little late tomorrow (around 3:00 pm), but Thursday I’ll try to get both CAWDOR CASTLE and CULLODEN in. Now this is what I came to Scotland for! I must admit I’m getting antsy for Stirling, Bannockburn, and even Falkirk. I might have missed the Stirling Battle anniversary, but I’m right on time (!) for the Falkirk one. Supposedly, there’s some ‘stuff’ going on to commemorate the battle. Personally, I’d rather forget it! No, that’s not true, and I find it extremely sad that Wallace was essentially disgraced after losing this battle. Hello? You win some, you lose some.

I’ll think I’ll ‘go out’ tonight. There’s a movie on at 8:15. Sure, it’s an American flick, but, as (my mother) suggests, it would be interesting to compare Canadian/American cinemas with British cinemas. Besides, it’s only £3.

I had a fine dinner tonight: soup with cheese, the chewiest and most delicious bagel I’ve ever eaten, milk and a Dutchie-like pastry that’s less greasy and more yummy! I’ll never be able to eat a Dutchie again and think it’s delicious! I’m tired, but not going to bed early tired. Yup, I’m going out. I’ll be back a little late, but I can’t imagine getting lost in Aviemore, there have to be more rabbits and slugs than people in this crummy joint. I agree totally with The Rough Guide (my slightly outdated, but still amazing guidebook). Aviemore isn’t great, but it’s surrounded by great walking country.

Speaking of which, I don’t think I could have made it to the lake without a map and compass. Coming back was easier, but I missed my turnoff and had to backtrack. I was walking through heather moorland, just like I’ve always dreamed, climbing over fences and jumping burns. I think this ‘flat level’ walk did me a ton of good. Yep, I think I’ll be ready for Ben Nevis! (at least I hope; in the papers yesterday there was an article about a man who fell off the mountain and died. Thanks for the encouragement!) That’s one thing I’d regret not doing.

… (more rambling about plans)

9:46 pm

I didn’t make it to the movie, finally. I found the building, it was run down, creepy, and empty. I wasn’t desperate enough to brave the ‘entrance’ and go towards the sound of 2 voices. Instead, I had a lovely walk to the edge of town. When I got back here, I settled down with a newspaper and a Kit Kat and tea I’d bought. Then, I planned my stay in Inverness. I’ll ‘wander’ around town tomorrow. I should be able to do both Culloden and Cawdor on Thursday, they’re on the same bus route.

‘My heart’s in the Highlands

My heart is not here

My heart’s in the Highlands

A chasing the deer

Chasing the deer

And following the roe

My heart’s in the Highlands

Wherever I go. 

… (Burns)’