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Scotland - May 2025
  • Ceri Chaplin
mayo 2025

Scotland - May 2025

A trip to Scotland to celebrate Ed's 50th Leer más
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  • Inicio del viaje
    5 de mayo de 2025
    Ceri ChaplinScotland - May 2025Viajero
    16 carriages and one 350m long
    CompactClub car1

    The Caledonian Sleeper

    5 de mayo, Escocia ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    After a slow and lazy day recovering from the exertions of the weekend we had a lift to the station in Stroud from Ed's mum and dad to catch the 4.30 pm train to London. We deposited mum at Swindon station and our train strikes a few minutes late into London Paddington just after 6.

    We caught the underground to King's Cross St. Pancras where the Caledonian Sleeper was due to depart late that evening. The usual station, Euston was closed due to engineering works.

    We had a quick stop at the LINER lounge before deciding to go for some food outside if the station as we had almost 3 hours to kill. After refueling at the Water Rats we walked back to the station and played some cards and had a drink at the Great North Hotel at King's Cross station before Guildford being able to board at 9.15pm.

    The train is huge! 16 carriages and over 350m long. The train splits during the night with half of the rain going to Fort William and half you Inverness. Our carriage was towards the front of the train and so we walked all along the platform before getting on.

    The corridors in the sleeper compartments are very very narrow (you can't wheel a suitcase down them!). We found our room (J4) - very compact and bijou. Enough room for our three cabin bags and for two people to just about stand up at the same time. A very small wet room serves as the toilet and shower with a sink in the room.

    While Ed sorted some things, I walked along to the next carriage which holds the Club Car and found us a seat by the window. Ed joined me and by the time the train was pulling out of the station at 9.45pm we both had a drink.

    We ordered some food (Ed had a cheese board and I had some chicken bites with chilli jam) while the train rattled along through North London.

    By just after 11 we had finished our drinks and after the excitement if the weekend we were both tired. We turned to the room and turned in while the train continued it's journey north!    Leer más

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  • Ceri ChaplinScotland - May 2025Viajero
    ArrivalWho knows!!1

    Inverness and Loch Ness

    6 de mayo, Escocia ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    We woke at around 6:30 a.m. having had a decent night's sleep. I awoke a few times in the night but the gentle rocking of the train sent me back to sleep.

    Somewhere in the middle of the night we split from half of the train. After we had both showered and changed we walked to the next carriage for our breakfast. We had both selected the 'full Scottish' which was served with some decent coffee and orange juice. Meanwhile we took in the fuse of the Highlands as the train slowly trundled along towards Inverness, stopping every so often to allow another train to pass.

    The sky was bright blue and we enjoyed taking in the views. The train arrived into Inverness on time at 8:35 a.m. and after disembarking we purchase tickets for the shorts journey to Inverness airport where we were going to pick up a car.

    By 9:30 a.m. we were in our hire car and heading towards our first stop Cawdor Castle, northeast of Inverness. We decided not to pay to enter and instead headed back West to Fort George, an 18th century fortification built to suppress the Scots after the Jacobite Rebellion by King George.

    We spent a couple of hours exploring the fort and even managed to see some dolphins in the Moray Firth and a seal moseying about just beyond the shore.

    From here we drove around the coast to Chanonry Point, supposedly the best place to see dolphins in the world! We were not successful but we did spend a short amount of time taking in the views.

    After grabbing a sandwich for lunch and eating it on some picnic benches overlooking the firth, we drove along towards Loch Ness. We stopped near Drumnadrochit, hoping to be able to see Urquhart castle, but as you weren't able to see it from the road we carried on because all of the tickets were sold.

    We carried on along the loch until we reached Fort Augustus where the loch ends and there is a series of lock gates taking vessels between loch Ness and the Caledonian canal.

    Having spent a bit of time watching the locks in action we continued our journey back North along the east side of the lock towards Foyers, where our accommodation for the next three nights is.

    The east side of the lock is much quieter than the West and we soon arrived in Foyers having driven through some beautiful landscape.

    We were a little bit early and couldn't check in until 4:30 p.m. after which we dropped our things in our room and wondered down the hill to another hotel where we had a drink overlooking the loch from our position high on the hillside.

    We returned up the hill to our guest house where we had another drink on the balcony and then food in the bar.

    We were back in our room before 9:00 and both feeling very tired so we had an early night ready for another day exploring on Wednesday.    Leer más

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  • Ceri ChaplinScotland - May 2025Viajero
    1Harry meets his cousin

    Loch Ness

    7 de mayo, Escocia ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    We woke to a beautiful scene across the lock with high cloud and the promise of a sunny day.

    After having breakfast we headed out and drove North along the lock back towards Inverness skirting around the top and then back down the west side to the Clansman harbour where we bought tickets for a cruise on the lock and entry to Urquhart Castle.

    The journey down towards the castle took in some breathtaking views and the loch was still with lovely reflections in the water.

    The approach into the jetty by the castle took in the views. We spent about an hour exploring the castle and its grounds and learning a bit about the history before catching the return boat back to our starting point.

    Doing the trip we learnt that loch Ness is the largest body of water in Great Britain and has more water in the loch then all of the lakes in England and Wales combined. This is mainly due to its length of around 23 mi and its depths at its deepest point of more than 700ft.

    After disembarking we had a quick drink at the hotel next to the harbour overlooking the water before driving the short distance along the road to the small village of Drumnadrochit.

    We visiting the local tourist information centre and then had some food overlooking the green where there was a bagpiper doing his stuff. After this we had a 4-mile walk around the town in the sun.

    That's later on from here we drove South again and stopped again at Fort Augustus where we had a drink overlooking the locks.

    Back to our hotel and after a drink on the balcony we walked about 15 minutes down the road to a beautiful hotel which also has a small restaurant. We ate at the Foyers Lodge with some delicious food and then made our way back up to our hotel for a final night cap.    Leer más

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  • Ceri ChaplinScotland - May 2025Viajero
    Bridge of Oich
    Invergarry castleCommando memorialAfternoon tea anyone?MallaigSkyeStunning viewsGlenfinnan viaduct1

    Fort William & The Jacobite

    8 de mayo, Escocia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We woke to another clear but chilly morning and after breakfast headed out on a magical mystery tour, still a surprise for Ed on his 50th.

    Our journey took us along the main road back towards Fort Augustus and then on to Fort William.

    On the way we stopped at Bridge of Oich, an old suspension bridge and Invergarry castle. We'll set up time to visit the commando memorial adjust north of Spean Bridge. It was particularly poignant on VE day.

    We drove on to Fort William and parked up. By now it was just before midday and I had told Ed that the activity started at 12:30. We had a quick drink while Ed ponded or what it might be. (He said afterwards that he was worried that it might be the downhill biking that is in Fort William, the longest downhill in the UK)

    Just before 12:30 we walked back to the station and onto the platform for Ed's birthday afternoon treat, a trip on the Jacobite. This train runs 42 miles through the Highlands from Fort William to Mallaig.

    The scenery on route was stunning and the weather definitely played its part. We carried on cross the Glennfinnan viaduct where the crowds of hundreds watching from the hills and in the valley as the steam train crossed.

    Another 45 minutes in to Mallaig well we had a couple of hours to look around the town, which is mainly a fishing port.

    We then made the return trip and as we had swapped sides, you had fantastic views across the Glenfinnan viaduct as the train turned the corner.

    Once again we were treated to fantastic views of the islands and mountains that the route traverses.

    We arrived back into Fort William at around 7:00 p.m. And then drove back to our hotel which took just over an hour. We finished the day with a couple of drinks in the bar watching the sunset and the sky turn pink over the mountains on the other side of Loch Ness.    Leer más

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  • Ceri ChaplinScotland - May 2025Viajero

    The journey home

    9 de mayo, Escocia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    The day started just like the others with wall-to-wall blue sky and sunshine. After breakfast and checking out our first stop was to have a ride on a rib boats on Loch Ness with Beastie boats.

    We spent fantastic 90 minutes going up and down the loch seeing an osprey nest, more views of Urquhart Castle And the place where the John Cobb tried and failed to beat the water speed record, managing to kill himself in the process.

    From here we went back up the hill to Foyers where we went to see the waterfalls. Sadly because of the dry weather they were not that impressive. It wasn't hard to imagine what they would be like in Spring when the snow melts.

    We made our way then to Inverness where the plan was to drop the car off at the airport and then spend the time exploring. Sadly one of the things that the Caledonian sleeper service doesn't do well is cater for any luggage.

    So after dropping the car off and catching the train back into the town but most of the afternoon enjoying sun and blue skies before it was time to check in at 8:00 p.m.

    The crew on this return leg weren't really as good as the ones on the way up and service was rather perfunctory. However we had some food and enjoyed the last of the views as the train trundled South.

    We slept well and woke early for breakfast seven. This seemed particularly early given that the train was not due to arrive until 8:30 and in addition was running almost half an hour late because of problems with a carriage on part of the train that joined us earlier in the night.

    We arrived into Euston having had a rather circuitous route, at just before 9:00 a.m..

    We played some cards and had a drink to kill some time before the final leg of our journey from Paddington to Stroud which sadly also included rail replacement service from Swindon. Even that couldn't dampen the enjoyment that we'd had. I'd definitely recommend the Caledonian sleeper service as a treat!    Leer más

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    Fin del viaje
    10 de mayo de 2025