Today we will travel to Fort William by bus, which will take a couple of hours. The bus runs 3 times daily: 11:00, 1:00, and 5:00. We have no plans other than getting from here to there and enjoying what we can of Inverness before we leave and then Fort William when we arrive.
Since we had some time to kill before the bus left, we took an hour long walk, retracing some of the steps Jo Anne and I walked in 2016.
This is the hotel Jo Anne and I stayed in.
Instead of cows or horses, they have painted hearts. Notice Nessie.
The Inverness castle.
It was so incredibly beautiful and serene.
How would you like to live in this house.
Broom plant
The Ness islands feature several bench and tables sculpted into unusual shapes by local artists
and a highly decorative wrought-iron bridge linking the islands today
The common merganser or goosander is a large sea duck of rivers and lakes in Europe. It eats mainly fish and nests in holes in trees.
Rhododendron maximum
Anemone clematis
We’ve just boarded the bus to Fort William and there is a big sign on our window “emergency exit break glass with hammer”. Notice that the hammer is behind toughened glass. Hmmm. Wonder how we’re supposed to break that glass.
The following photos are taken from the bus so may have window glare.
Loch Ness and fells painted on this one.
And here we are in Fort William.
This statue is at the end of the West Highland Way.
Even though we aren’t doing that walk we decided it was a fun photo op.
Our inn for tonight is the Myrtle Bank House. The innkeeper isn’t very friendly. She’s not unfriendly really, just rather distant.
Cat mint
Celtic knots in the pavers
St Andrews church
With a cemetery in front.
Amazing pipes
Lovely stained glass and stonework.
After our walk around Fort William, we stopped off for a salad and panini before heading back to the Inn to prepare for tomorrow, the big day! The first day of our Great Glen Way Walk.
Stats:
Steps - 17,347
Miles - 7.34
Floors - 8
I thought this poem was appropriate for today’s ending.
“The little cares that fretted me,
I lost them yesterday
Among the fields above the sea,
Among the winds at play;
Among the lowing of the herds,
The rustling of the trees,
Among the singing of the birds,
The humming of the bees.
The foolish fears of what may happen,
I cast them all away
Among the clover-scented grass,
Among the new-mown hay;
Among the husking of the corn
Where drowsy poppies nod,
Where ill thoughts die and good are born
Out in the fields with God.”
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Well shoot. Was I supposed to have a meltdown when I read the poem?
ReplyDeleteThese pictures sure do bring back lots of memories. Some of them anyway. Y’all look so cute posing with William 😁 The photos of St Andrews are just WOW!! Where’s the food???? Sleep well. I just had my Mothers Day lunch of BBQ Shrimp and Grits, prepared by Daniel. Very delicious. Love, J
Gwr some rest ladies for tomorrow. Loving the blog
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful, love the stream with the arched bridge. And the poem, oh my, a solemn reminder to slow down and enjoy God's creation where ever we are.
ReplyDeleteI can just hear you two laughing during the photo op with William :) The wrought-iron bridge is beautiful. I had to go down the rabbit hole to figure out how one gets the hammer behind the glass. It is called toughened glass which breaks into small pieces that would not normally cut a person like shards of glass therefore, it would not take much force to break it. The bus would probably be on its side or even upside down in the event you needed the hammer behind the glass which would make access to the toughened glass accessible. Now I will file that away just in case. - CJ
ReplyDeleteThe wrought iron bridge looks like something out of a story book. And the church with stone walls, vibrant stained glass, and intricate wood ceiling is amazing!
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful views. Even the train ones with window glare on them. The wrought-iron bridge was so nice. That extra touch of artistry. I love the beauty and simplicity of St Andrews. It all looked very peaceful.
ReplyDelete