Fort William

We left our cozy park up early to make sure we had plenty of time to catch our ferry to Mallaig. It rained pretty much all night, and it was still raining when we headed out. Once we got back to the coast, we could see some pretty serious white caps, especially in open water areas. We drove by one of the ferry terminals and saw that the sailings were canceled. We checked online, but they weren't going to make a call on our ferry until an hour before sailing. The wind was crazy and the rain was coming sideways. It was twice as long to drive, but if we went to the ferry and it was canceled, it would add an extra hour of driving, so we decided to just do the drive. We were almost to our destination when we got a notice that the ferry was canceled. Good decision. The scenery was beautiful as always, and we were mostly on two lane roads, so you would think it was an easier drive for Randy, but that wasn't the case. More traffic and less sheep. Also, gale force winds pushed our little camper van around, so it was a physical drive. We stopped at a few lookout points but not a lot to see because of the weather. We arrived in Fort William about the time we would have been getting in line for our ferry. We found out later that the previous days sailings had also been canceled. We took care of a few housekeeping details, propane, diesel, water, waste, and groceries. To get groceries we parked near the rail station, what a lucky break. First, we were able to see the Jacobite Special, otherwise known as the Hogwarts Express, to leave the station, and secondly, we found our parking spot for the night. Once all was in order, we headed out of town to see the Glenfinnen Aqueduct and hopefully get some pictures of the steam train crossing the aqueduct. Wow, what an experience. On the drive out, we could see the tracks running alongside the road and along the shores of the loch. Once we reached Glenfinnen traffic was crazy, we managed to find a spot in the huge carpark and couldn't believe the number of tour buses. It was pouring rain but still there were people everywhere and the train wasn't due for an hour. There were several viewing places, and the paths were muddy and slippery. I guess a combination of all the rain and the hundreds of people walking them. We wandered around for a while; raincoats, rubber boots, umbrellas, and cell phone cameras, we were ready for anything. It really was a fun experience. Great people watching and we met some fellow travelers and shared our stories. We did get some good pictures. After the train went by, it was a mad rush to get out of the parking lot. My suggestion was we take our time, dry off, and leave after the rush. What was I thinking, Randy had strategically parked to get out ahead of the crowds. We were halfway back to Fort Williams before I even had my seat belt fastened. We settled into our parking spot for the night and sat back and watched other people pull in for the night. Someone backed in beside us, didn't see the sign, and crunched the back of his camper. Out came the duct tape, and all was as good as new. Since we were very close to the city center, we decided it was time to find a pub and have dinner out. Success on both counts. Another wonderful day in Scotland.Read more