Day 5

Exploring Fort William

Friday October 24th

Glenfinnan Viaduct & Lunch in a Train

Scottish Maccas! What’s a road-trip without out some American fast food. We were up and out before 9 to see the train, not just any train, the Jacobite Steam Train, originally built in 1901 to connect the remote Atlantic coast to Glasgow. The construction of the railway began in 1899 and was in operation from 1901 to 1967. British Rail decided to cease the use of steam locomotives in ’67, while the service was reintroduced in 1984 by Scot Rail after a surge in interest from tourists. Nowadays it’s renowned as the Hogwarts Express, being featured in every (8!) Harry Potter film – all of which I haven’t seen.

You can now ride the steam train from Fort William to Mallaig, an 84 mile round trip, taking roughly 6 hours, including a 2 hour stop for lunch. Which, in hindsight, I’d highly recommend, and I’d build into the itinerary if/when I go back. With our limited amount of time we decided to opt for viewing the train crossing the iconic 21 arch viaduct, which is also not to be missed. It really is a magical setting, as the train comes around the bend, pauses on the bridge and releases billows of steam clouds and whistles before dashing off into the hills of the Highlands.

Lucky for us, we squeezed in our visit on the last day of the season, October 24th. And it was (almost free) – except for parking, which is never free, ever, almost. Post train spotting we did some last minute sporadic train spotting on our way to the museum.

Next up was the Glenfinnan Station Museum, while, small, it is a wealth of information on the building and operation of the line, with a retired train operator on site giving demonstrations on the train whistle code. We picked up a couple postcards for the stash, and later in town found a post office hawking pricey overseas stamps for us, which one of never arrived.  After the museum visit we had lunch in a train car out back. Guess what we had?

We then headed up Ben Nevis, a 6 hour hike up, just kidding, we took the gondola, the only mountain gondola in the UK. Ben Nevis is the highest point in the UK, and while the gondola brings you up to 650m elevation from 100m, you’re still definitely not at the summit. It was a brisk day up top and we briefly explored before getting a cup of tea in the cafe and heading back down. We spent the afternoon on High Street in Fort William, picking up gifts before tucking in for a whisky tasting and dinner.

Verdict? We don’t like whisky. 

Day 6

Fort William to Glasgow

Saturday October 25th

Massacres, Chocolates & Tea Readings

We started the day at the Glencoe Visitors Centre. An informative museum displaying a historically rebuilt turf house, showing how people lived in 1692, when the Massacre of Glencoe took place.  

The massacre took place on February 13th 1692. More than 30 members of the MacDonald clan were killed by government soldiers after the clansmen offered shelter and hospitality for nearly two weeks before the soldiers received orders from higher authorities to attack. The attack happened because the MacDonald clan failed to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs by January 1st 1692, which was missed by only a few days. The harsh punishment was a striking example of government brutality and became a lasting symbol in Scottish history. 

We had a quick breakfast in the museum cafe, Scottish scones with clotted cream and jam, and a pot of tea, before hitting the road, following the coast south to Oban. Prior to Oban we stopped along the seaside to see Castle Stalker, which was surprisingly difficult to even pull off for, with most shops closed up for the off season and foreboding signage not permitting stopping or parking, anywhere. 

Castle Stalker is set on a tidal island, believed to have been built around the 1440’s and in a drunken bet was passed to the Campbell clan around 1620. The castle was then abandoned by the Campbells in 1840 when the roof was lost. The castle is currently privately owned and has been fully restored, open to the public a couple times a year in the summers. 

We hit the road again, heading south and stopping at our next castle, Dunstaffnage, one of Scotlands oldest stone castles. Beautifully kept grounds, friendly staff – a sweet older gentleman at the gift shop/ticket counter, and well preserved ruins. The grounds are also home to an 800 year old chapel in the woods. The castle was built in the 1200’s, during the struggle for control of the Hebrides between Scotland and Norway. In 1746 the castle tower served as a short lived prison for Flora MacDonald on route to the Tower of London, where she served a (gentle) year. 

Down the coast to Oban, a delightful port town that really could’ve used a couple days of exploring and island hopping. We started our visit at McCaig’s Tower, set atop Battery Hill, you get a lay of the land, from Oban Bay towards the islands of Kerrera, Lismore and Mull. During our lunch at Coasters we saw the Caledonian MacBrayne coming into dock, known locally as the CalMac, a large ferry connecting many of the inner and outer Hebrides to the mainland. After lunch we tucked around the corner to Oban Chocolates for a couple treats before heading for Glasgow. We stopped by Inveraray Castle but unfortunately didn’t quite have enough time to explore. Next time! 

It was about 3 hours to Glasgow, our first time on proper multi-lane highways and multi-lane roundabouts, but everything went smoothly and we arrived in Glasgow with time to spare. Even scoring some free street parking as it was after 5 on a weekend. What a rush. We had a bit of a boo around town and got eyes on the Willow, where we’d be attending a show that night. 

I had booked an “experience” on a whim, a psychic fortune teller clairvoyant, Cara Hamilton and a tessomancy workshop with Avi Lago at Mackintosh at the Willow. With canapés and cocktails included! We were initially seated with a lovely local mother daughter duo, enjoying drinks and snackies, before being sequestered upstairs for the tea leaf reading to commence. My leaves showed a key, in a “near future” setting (6 months) which may of may not mean: unlocking of new opportunities, literally a potential move, deciding on who to trust, and decisions about the future. 

After our tea we headed back downstairs for a captivating night with Cara. She was entirely entertaining, mesmerizing and informative. From true stories to spirits, it was an evening well spent and definitely a highlight of the trip.

Cara called me up for the finale of the night, a tarot reading. From which I pulled two cards the 6 of cups and empress card, both of which were personally meaningful. Whether I connect with being blessed with a full cup, being able to rely on myself, the significance of a period of growth. The empress card is generally a positive omen, and I’ll take that for what it’s worth. Cara also saw a future life, 10 years,  of relocating internationally. Which sounds realistic. See ya Canada!

Twas a long day and we tucked in for the night at Crossbasket Castle, on the outskirts of Glasgow. I had a relaxing bubblebath before snuggling into a very cozy comfy bed with my book, tea and cookie, looking forward to a restful night and proper continental in the morning. Crossbasket Castle had been beautifully restored, being classified as derelict less than 20 years prior. It’s amazing what £9 million and 5 years of painstaking work can do. The castle was set to be developed into apartments in 2008, which fell through, leaving the building empty and at risk. It was then purchased by a local couple and was reopened as a 5 star hotel in 2016.

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Second Week Part II Coming Soon!