13th July 2021.
Having slept like a log, I was up at half 7. We got ready, and started packing the car. Ash did not feel great so skipped breakfast. The owner of the hotel heard about the cock up at the bar the previous night, and we also told her the reason for this trip. As a result, she very kindly gave Ash his room for free, having had a relative with a similar condition pass away. We refueled in Fort Augustus before setting off to our next destination.
The road down to Fort William was straight, and in comparison to other drives on this trip, was relatively short, coming in under an hour. As we were too early to check into the hotel, we headed straight for Ben Nevis. This was easier said than done. I imagine most of you would think it was easy to find a huge mountain like Ben Nevis, but it was not. We ended up taking an odd detour before finally arriving in the car park at the foot of said mountain. Sad to say it was an underwhelming ‘Is That It?’ feeling once in the car park. There was a small gift shop, and to be honest, we were not even sure we were in the right place. The gift shop had a couple of maps and touristy bits, again, not what you would expect from such a monumentally world famous attraction.
That being said, we decided to saunter up as far as we could. Due to Ash’s condition, we barely made it to the foothills. We called it a day and headed off to see whatever sights we could see in the vicinity. Luckily, we found one such place. The Glenfinnan Viaduct. This was used in the Harry Potter movies, as the train took the pupils to Hogwarts. Its an impressive piece of architecture, and there is plenty of parking and viewing areas to boot. Having taken in the views, we crossed the road for a stroll on the shore of Loch Shiel opposite the viaduct.
It was then back to The Moorings hotel in Fort William. This was a very odd place. The front was Olde Worlde, but the back was ultra modern. Once checked in and unpacked, Ash want to got exploring again. We drive for half an hour and found a waterfall in the middle of nowhere. These were the Eas Chia-Ag waterfalls. Surrounded by incredible forest, the water was crystal clear. There were people swimming in the pool at the base of the waterfall, and some sort of pumping station at the top. The climb to the top was a little steeper than anticipated, yet fun all the same.
We headed back to the hotel arriving around half 6. Had a very uninspiring dinner, and went to the room. An early night was had by all, and I was out for the count by half 10.