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Published: September 18th 2011
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With the “Skye Boat Song” ringing in our ears we packed our bags and said farewell to the Isle of Skye. We have had a wonderful time exploring Skye in weather that proved better than expected. This morning we head for Fort William en route to Mull. We have had various comments about Fort William from “Why would you want to go there?” to “It always rains in Fort William.” So Fort William here we come. It better be exciting and dry.
Once the car was packed our first stop was the Skye Bridge for a quick photo or three. The walk to the top of the bridge provided us with great views all around. The wind had dropped and the sun was trying really hard to come out. This provided us with a fabulous atmosphere when we stopped at the castle – Eilean Donan. The sun provided just the right light and there was no wind which meant the reflections were perfect. This is the most photographed of all Scottish castles and it was easy to see why.
While we have been travelling through Scotland we have been aware of family connections. Ancestors fought with Bonnie Prince Charlie and rounding
a corner we stopped at the battlefield of Shiel Glen, where the Jacobite army suffered a defeat in the early 18th century. Were our ancestors here?
Nearing our lunch break a bird was wandering lazily along the road. As we got closer we expected the bird to take off to safety. Just shows how little faith we should have had in the instincts of the bird. Just as everything was lost the bird took off and scraped over the top of the windscreen and away. Roasted pheasant would have been nice for lunch.
Driving into Port Augustus we discovered plenty of action. Athletes were nearing the end of a duathlon, and two boats were nearing the end of their journey through the Caledonian Canal. What an incredible piece of engineering to create a canal and locks that link the Irish Sea with the North Sea, all completed in the early 19th century. The only problem occurred when athletes could not cross the bridge to the finish line as the bridge swung round to let the boats through.
We arrived in Fort William quite early so we had time to wander through the town. What an incredible number of B &
Bs, hotels and guest houses. We wondered why there would need to be so many. Perhaps Fort William has more to offer than we have been lead to believe. The walk along the main shopping street in glorious sunshine was quite pleasant but we thought it would be quite a different story in wind and rain. As we parked at a local supermarket by the railway station we were in time to see the Royal Scotsman train depart. The dining cars looked as though they were expecting Royalty. We could see passengers enjoying pre-dinner drinks in their state rooms. Perhaps this train was on a special excursion for rail enthusiasts. So as we waved the train goodbye we headed off to our modest room in a local lodge.
Tomorrow we take a boat trip to Mull for more island experience and all going well we will also visit Iona.
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