November 12, 2023
November 6 – In Transit then Arrochar, Scotland
Sidney and I met up in the morning to catch a train to Arrochar where we began our Highlands tour. It was rainy, but with hope that the forecasted sun would hold the next day, we headed to the Arrochar and Tarbet station, passing Loch Lomond on the way. The views from the train were really lovely, even in the rain.
When we arrives at the station, we were the only people to get off the train and step into the rain to head towards our hotel. It had been a long time since I was in a hotel rather than a hostel and it felt pretty strange at first. It quickly became clear we were not the typical hotel attendees as we straggled in with our wet clothes and big backpacks. Still, they were nice and let us drop our luggage while we waited for the check-in time to roll around. We explored the small cemetery and looked out at the water and the surrounding mountains.
That evening, we made dinner by heating soup with the electric kettle in our room. It was a pretty funny, but honestly very yummy meal. It was certainly the more economical way to eat and I think despite the strangeness of the meal, we felt pretty good about it.
November 7 – Arrochar, Scotland
In the morning we woke up to a brilliantly sunny day and started our hike up The Cobbler mountain. All along the way, the views of Loch Long, Arrochar, and just the surrounding landscape was gorgeous. It was slightly chilly and as we got higher up it got windy, but it was perfect weather for hiking.
For the first part, the path was in trees, but once we broke out from the tree line, the views really became spectacular. Despite the previous day’s rain, we somehow didn’t encounter much mud and the hiking was pretty easy for most of it. The final assent however became very scrambly. We were essentially climbing in a small stream bed that was nearly vertical. We stopped for lunch with a fantastic view. I think we both had a hard time believing that it was all real because the vistas were just so amazing and otherworldly. After lunch we decided to head back down rather than continuing the scramble up to the top where we had heard the winds were even more intense.
At the end of our wonderful day of hiking, we had another creative hotel room dinner and headed to bed. While it would have been nice to have made it to the top of The Cobbler, it was still a really amazing day and it was probably the right call to turn back when we did. Overall, we had a really nice stay in Arrochar.
November 8 – In Transit then Fort William, Scotland
We checked out of the hotel in the morning but had some time to kill before our train, so we sat in the lobby and appreciated the view of the mountain we had hiked the previous day.
We spent a good chunk of the rest of the day we spent on the train to Fort William. Again, it rained on a day when we were traveling. We arrived at the hostel a bit early, so I helped myself to a free hot chocolate to warm up. After checking in and relaxing for a bit, we grabbed some groceries for the next few days. This hostel had a very social atmosphere, more social than many of the others I had been in recently.
After dinner, some of the people working at the hostel decided to throw a bit of a party. I chatted with some people in the lounge area while a game of drunken Twister was going on around us. Unfortunately, this did mean that there was loud conversation and partying happening until about 2am, so it wasn’t the best night of sleep.
November 9 – Fort William, Scotland
The next morning, we tried to catch a bus to the Steall Waterfall in Glen Nevis, at the base of the UK’s tallest mountain, Ben Nevis. Unfortunately, after waiting about 15 minutes we realized that the bus we wanted to catch is a seasonal bus and had stopped operating about three weeks prior.
So, instead we decided to wander around Fort William and walk up to Old Inverlocky Castle and just see what we could see. It ended up being a really nice day for strolling and we basically just wandered around exploring. We went in a few cute stores. It was nice to just experience what the town is like and see the beautiful views.
We had a picnic lunch and then shared a dessert at a cafe inside of The Highland Soap Company building. When we got back to the hostel, we made dinner again and prepared to head out in the morning for Mallaig.
November 10 – In Transit then Mallaig, Scotland
The train ride from Fort William to Mallaig is supposedly one of the most beautiful train rides in the UK (some people say the world) and it did not disappoint. Unfortunately, as often happens, the photos cannot do justice to how beautiful the scenery was on this trip.
We went over the Glenfinnian Viaduct, which is featured in many of the Harry Potter films, along with other media. It was impressive to go over on the train, but I have a feeling that is a bit more spectacular from a vantage point other than on top of it. It was still very picturesque despite the pictures really not being able to do it justice at all.
When we arrived in Mallaig, we had a bit of time before we were able to go meet Sidney’s friend, Charlotte. We wandered around a small, second-hand bookstore for a little bit until the bookseller gently told us he had to head out and we realized we’d kept him 20 minutes after his posted closing time. While digging through the stacks I found some fun books including a small book of Scottish Folk songs from the early 20th century. Unfortunately, it was clearly a collectable and cost £30, which I wasn’t willing to pay.
Then we wandered around the docks and had lunch on a picnic bench. When we made our way up to Charlotte’s place we realized what a fantastic view of some of the isles of the Inner Hebrides, including the Isle of Skye she has from her place. It also made it clear how small of a place Mallaig is. Charlotte was lovely and we hit it off immediately. Sidney cooked dinner for us and I did the best I could to help. We chatted over dinner and eventually made a bit of a strange plan for the next day and headed to bed.
November 11 – Mallaig, Scotland
The next morning we grabbed the 8:40am ferry to the Isle of Skye. It was a crystal clear day, which once again showed that some sort of weather god was smiling down on us because the typical weather for mid-November, we were told, is rain, darkness, and cold. The ferry took about 30 minutes and was absolutely gorgeous. Charlotte had brought binoculars and while we didn’t see any whales or dolphins, it was still really cool to look at birds and the surrounding islands with them.
When we got to Armadale, our destination on Skye, we hopped off the ferry long enough to plant our feet firmly in the ferry terminal parking lot before hopping back onto the ferry. Because it is the winter season, the next ferry back to Mallaig from Skye would have been after sunset and without a car, we weren’t sure what we would have done on Skye all day. So, this was phase one of our crazy plan for the day, and it went off without a hitch. In fact, it went better than we could have imagined because while on the ferry, Charlotte started talking to someone who turned out to be the parent of one of her students who lives in a remote part of Knoydart, which was our intended next destination. He offered to take us in his boat to Doune to check out the workshop and facilities of the inn/B&B he and his family runs.
Before hopping on the boat, we grabbed pastries from a bakery Charlotte had been really excited about going to. So, with pastries (and unfortunately, coffee on my part) in hand, we boarded a tiny inflatable boat with Andrew and his partner, Rebecca. The boat ride was a bit bracing and my coffee ended up spilling quite a bit and what remained was really cold when we arrived, but it was amazing. Being so directly on the water, rather than riding high above it was really exciting. The views from the water were fantastic and despite my fear and the cramping in my hand from gripping on so tight, I hade a really amazing time.
When we arrived in Doune, a community of only about 7 people, a bunch of chickens, some dogs and cats, Andrew and Rebecca invited us in for coffee. We shared our pastries and chatted with them about their business operating an inn in such a remote part of world. They were lovely and we had a fantastic conversation. The entire time I kept having to remind myself that this was really happening because it felt like such an amazing turn of events that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.
After our drinks and chats we went for a tour of the grounds including their workshop, greenhouse, and the guesthouse which is undergoing some renovations. They kept mentioning that they have volunteers, so before we parted I got their contact information for potential future volunteering. It was fantastic, we even spotted a whale out in the water between Doune and Skye.
Once we finally pried ourselves from the conversation, we set off on the walk toward Inverie where we hoped to catch some live music and eventually a ferry back to Mallaig. We had spectacular views on the walk and lovely conversations as well. We had been walking for probably an hour when Rebecca and Andrew’s dog, Rua ran up to greet us. Thankfully we had Rebecca’s phone number and were able to call her to come pick the pup up in her van. While waiting for Rebecca, we ate the rest of the things we’d bought at the bakery for a late lunch.
When we arrived in Inverie, we went to The Old Forge Pub, a community owned and operated pub that claims to be the most remote pub in Britain. We were really excited that a jam session was happening. The music was great and we attempted to play pool with a group of guys from Fort William who had been biking in Knoydart. It was really cozy and nice. We watched the sunset with hot chocolate and then got some soup before heading out to look at the stars while we waited for our ferry.
Overall, it was a really fantastic and amazing day that felt like a dream the entire time. It turned out to be a pretty perfect day and made me fall even further in love with Scotland. I feel so lucky that we had such amazing weather and am conflicted about whether I want to keep reminding myself that it typically rains almost constantly during the winter, or if I just want to keep living in my blissful perfect memory of it.
November 12 – In Transit then Glasgow, Scotland
After such an amazing day, it was hard to leave Mallaig, but we boarded our bus at 10am and set off back to Fort William. Unfortunately, we were on a bus rather than a train because they were doing track work. I got a bit car sick on the bus to Fort William, which was unpleasant, but the second bus, from Fort William to the Arrochar and Tarbet train station , where we would finally get back on a train, was actually really beautiful. It was sort of funny to be retracing our steps from the previous week, but it also felt very symmetrical and lovely.
After a complicated string of travel, we finally arrived back in Glasgow and I checked into my hostel. I grabbed some groceries, ate dinner, and did some laundry before heading back out to meet Sidney at the Ben Nevis Pub for more live music as a final goodbye.
The music was a really nice final chance to chat with Sidney before we parted ways and was a really lovely way to end an absolutely amazing Highlands tour.