Day 4 Fort Augustus to Invermorrison

Day4 pictures
This was to be our day of terrible weather, gale force winds and up to 50mm rain in northern Scotland, clearing tomorrow.

The day was certainly dull, with leaden skies and very, very slight drizzle.

Breakfast completed with the usual cereal, bacon and eggs or Eggs and beans or full breakfast. After the success of Roberts coffee at Forest Lodge, see previous days blog, we have set up a new system of scoring coffee.

It is called the Scot Rail Coffee Index (SRCI) with zero being the score for Scot Rail and 10 being Robert’s effort.

Peter on the first climb

Coffee this morning had an SRCI of 3, too weak and watery.

We set off at 8.30AM our earliest star yet, to beat the weather. We only had 13km for the day so should be short and miss most of the weather.

Quite a lot of up and down through forest, with too few views of Loch Ness.

The weather deteriorated, and pack covers came out, yet we managed to walk without jackets.

Morning tea, as has been the norm, was on the trot. In fact we don’t usually stop until lunch. By that time I am famished.

Finally, it drizzles to the point that the jackets come out. Of course it’s then rather hot.

We make good progress until we reach a diversion sign that says there are branches across the track, and that we should take the 3.2km extra diversion. We debate this for a while, then decide, as we have plenty of time we will take the diversion. It’s tempting to just use the normal path and take our luck.

Oh crap

After 45 minutes we reach the other end of the diversion and see why! They weren’t branches, they were full sized trees just wiping out the path for as far back as we can see.

Telford Bridge, Invermorrison

Then quite suddenly, at 11.45AM we arrive at Invermorrison.

Arrienne is not hungry enough for lunch yet, however would like a cup of coffee, so we repair to a cafe that Jerry Foster has recommended. We sit, Peter and I order coffee and Arrienne orders soup!! Go figure!!.

We find a spot for Peter and I to have lunch and as a concession Arrienne buys us a beer from the local Post Office/shop. The owner of the shop has a brother-in-law in Adelaide, of course.

I get out the lunch I bought last night, a roast chicken Panini with pesto sauce, to find it needs to be heated with a microwave. Crap.

Our B and B is run by Sandy and Isabelle, he is the uncle of our previous B and B’s owners. We have quite a small room for the three of us, however Sandy lets drop the information they have one spare room, so for 5 pounds I am on my own. Yippee!

Dinner is at the local inn, the Glen Morrison and i elect to have the very popular Haddock and chips. Half a whale is duly delivered on a bed of chips with peas, for god's sake.

I now know why Scottish men have so many heart attacks.

Home and some TV and to bed