Ben Nevis and other mountains

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Started off the day with lots of fog in Kyleakin. Apparently, the Isle of Skye is nicknamed the Misty Island. This was the first fog we had seen and man, you couldn't even see the boats 10 feet away. So, we headed off for our second run up the nearby hills (Nigel had two fewer heart-attacks, an improvement over the first hill climb!) and sadly, the view was nothing but fog. Too bad cuz we didn't have the camera the first time we were up there and discovered the fantastic views! Anyways.....after another lovely breakfast served up by Gillian, we signed her guest book, said our goodbyes and headed off. We were in no hurry to get back so we made lots of stops for photo ops, short hikes, and a quick stop for sandwiches for lunch.

Early on we drove by the Eilean Donan castle and got some pics. Continuing on, we were really impressed by the five sisters which is a string of five peaks in the Kintail Park region. Had to stop to take photos and soak up the scenery. There were sone guys mowing the roadside flowers (buttercups maybe?) and the air was filled with what smelled like perfume. It was quite special. We did travel very briefly along a short stretch of road along Loch Lochy (which we had traveled on Monday morning on our way up north). Besides that short stretch, we drove all new roads which gave us lots to look at. We stopped for lunch in Fort William which is famous for being right at the base of Ben Nevis which I believe is the highest peak in Scotland. For very large things in Scotland, like mountains, they call it a "ben." So after all the haggis, scotch, and fried fish Nigel's been eating, we might start calling him Ben Nigel.

Fort William was bustling so we ate and then walked the high street (main street) looking in the shops. By the way, yet another sunny day, and in fact we all wished we had shorts to wear as it actually got quite warm. We continued on through the Ben Nevis an Glen Coe park mountains which was spectacular. We eventually came to Loch Lomond and drove along the western side of the loch. We didn't stop though as we will be back this way later on for some highland games. At the bottom of Loch Lomond, we headed east again, towards Stirling and back to Balerno. We were really lucky to have all the sunshine today as it really made the mountains shine.

I won't post a lot of photos today since they are mostly scenery....Don't forget to send a comment or a message!!! It's always nice to hear from our friends back home!

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