Inverness to Luss

An action packed day. Up very early as had to pack up and leave for the drive down the side of Loch Ness and over to Fort William which was about 2 hours. Once there we caught the Harry Potter steam train for Mallaig at 10 15. Everyone boarding was excited and the train was full. The trip to Malaig was 2 hours and just so relaxing and full of atmosphere, mainly steam! The line travelled along the coast, through bush and around lochs. The highlight was going over the Glenfinnan Viaduct from the movie, although tricky to get a good photo as everyone trying to do the same. We left the train in Mallaig for a lovely lunch in typical Scottish hotel before wandering around the village and fishing wharf. Got back on the train at 2 10 for the return journey. Our trip was made even more pleasant by the young couple sitting opposite who were from Austria and on their honey moon. They spoke excellent English and were very interesting to chat to especially as the girl had been a Bosnian refugee as a child. She had a fascinating life story. We arrived back at Fort William for our two hour trip to Luss at the bottom of Loch Lomond. The journey began with the most beautiful views as we headed up over the highlands. There were many lochs, waterfalls and interesting road features. However a road accident meant a diversion and very frustratingly our 2 hour journey became 4 hours so arrived in Luss tired and hungry at 8. On the plus side we saw many beautiful sights including gorgeous farmland and villages we would not have otherwise seen. In the dark Luss which is rated as the most beautiful village in Scotland seems to be in the middle of a forest but right beside the lake. On finally finding our accommodation which is a cabin right beside the lake we wandered 500 metres up the road to a beautiful big Scottish hotel for dinner. It was basically empty but we had the undivided attention of 4 lovely staff and a beautiful meal. It finished with a mini whiskey tasting (just to say we had had some) given to us by a nice young guy who knew so much about it. Can’t wait to explore here tomorrow as even in the dark we could tell that Luss is stunning.Read more