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  • Day 22

    Fairy Glenns and Fairy Pools

    September 28, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    We have a reservation on the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig for Friday mid day. The reason we want to take the ferry is that the steam train travels from Fort William to Mallaig. Just outside Mallaig is the Glenfinnen Aqueduct. We are hoping to arrive at the aqueduct in time to get pictures of the train going across it. Think Harry Potter. We started our day at the Fairy Glen. What a beautiful spot. There were plenty of people there, but it was early enough that we had no problem finding a parking spot. The weather forecast for today made us laugh 100% chance of rain all day. The funny thing was we woke up to no rain. When we wandered around Fairy Glen, no rain. We stopped at a very small grocery store for a few supplies, and at first, I was so disappointed because I couldn't find anything. I noticed a sign that said "more this way," and there was another little room. More groceries and another sign leading to another little room with more groceries. It seemed like shopping in a convenience store back home, but I was able to get everything I needed, and when they rang up my purchases, it was less than half of what I expected. We went into the Skye Island Brewery looking for a t-shirt for Randy, but no luck. Plenty of every size but what he needed. We came out without a t-shirt, but I had a bag full of little gifts for the grandkids. Gifts for the grandkids at a brewery. What a bad grandma. Honestly, they really are great little souvenirs. We decided to check Dunvegan out. First we went to the castle but you couldn't see anything from the road and we didn't want to go inside so we went to the village. We found a great spot to park and took a stroll checking out the sights. We had a really nice lunch at the Dunvegan Cafe and met a cute little guy from Germany named Tom. He and his parents were traveling in a van with their two dogs. All five of them were beside us in the restaurant, and they were quite entertaining. Tom turned one on September 18. He is quite the little traveler. The next stop on our tour was the Talisker Distillery. This place has been making whiskey since 1830. It's a beautiful spot and the visitors center is really well done. They are very committed to caring for our oceans. There was some great information on work that is being done to mitigate the damage we continue to do. Unfortunately, neither of us liked their whiskey. Did I mention we still haven't had any rain today. Unbelievable we have been outside all day and haven't been rained on yet. After the distillery, we headed to The Fairy Pools. This is a very popular spot, so the Highland Council has invested in a very large parking lot with beautiful washrooms. It was £8 to park there but so worth it. I was really looking forward to this walk and I wasn't disappointed, it was so beautiful. Towering hills and beautiful small waterfalls and rushing water. Crazy winds but no rain, we really enjoyed our walk along the pools. The pictures don't do it justice. On the drive to the falls we noticed a hidden parking area with a campervan in it, so we decided to see if it would be a good place to spend the night. It was. It's a trailhead for the Glenbrittle forest walk, and there were no signs saying you can't park overnight. When we first arrived, there were three of us. I think there may be about 11 for the night. It's very quiet and very dark. We could hear the wind, but we didn't really feel it. While we were making dinner, the rain started. It's pored all night, but we were so grateful it held off all day.Read more