Loch Ness

---

Loch Ness day. A drive around Loch Ness, punctuated by hot chocolates, several photo stops and a picnic by the lake. All good and some brief periods of sunshine made it quite an enjoyable excursion. Loch Ness is certainly more atmospheric in the mist and rain and it takes on a more foreboding and eerie nature and one significantly more conducive to Nessie spotting but it was good to see it with the sun shining. The north side is considerably more popular and populated than the south. On the north side tourist coaches and pubs are common whilst on the south side the road is one lane with those 'passing places' sprinkled along its length. They are some delightful little villages on both sides but on the south side there are no tourist souvenir shops at all. I suppose the north side has the Castle ruins which most people stop at but really the other side has better vistas. Anyway Lee and I thoroughly enjoyed the drive despite having to report no sightings.

Tomorrow I head off for another walk. I'm trying to walk Ben Macdui. Quite a high peak but the concerns come not from the altitude but from its e posture to the elements and I need fairly good weather to do the lot. Even if good conditions the temperature will be 10 to 12 degrees colder and considering today's top was 14 I'm hoping for a small miracle! I start the walk from a ski resort (not a good omen!) and have about a 900 m ascent although the gradient is pretty friendly. It should be about 9 hours so it means an early start for me. There is a point about two-thirds along the way that I can loop back if the conditions are unkind or if I feel that 9 hours should be 6 and the rest spent in a local pub. I've been told the Naffy Bridge Inn is really good! Anyway I'll see.

Another domestic night. I'm cooking again, third evening in a row. So it's feed and the TV for a while. We know how to have a good time!

---