Not Mallaig

The plan was to drive into Fort William, jump on a train and head off on a leisurely jaunt over the West Highlands to Mallaig and back. But, after driving the 65 miles to the station we arrived to find the train just leaving the platform.

Doh!

I blame the potholes for slowing us down, and it had absolutely nothing to do with a certain young lady and her determination to apply enough warpaint before we left.

So, we ended up taking a walk around Fort William, grabbing some lunch, then heading up to the nearby 'Neptune's Staircase' on the Caledonian Canal, a set of 8 locks that transport boats 60 odd feet vertically over one and a half hours. We did it in 15 minutes, there and back, and I'm sure it would've been much more interesting if there had been some traffic on the waterway.

The rain came down, which turned to hailstones, then turned back to sunshine, but by that time we'd given up the ghost and started on the scenic route back to the cottage and some home-made steak pie and tatties.

Mallaig would've been nice, but it was still a good day out and about all the same.