Day: 010
Date: Friday, 10 June 2022
Start: Drumnadrochit
Finish: Fort Augustus
Daily Kilometres: 34
GPX Track: Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos
Total Kilometres: 308
Weather: Cool to mild, strong winds, some sun and some rain squalls
Accommodation: Hostel
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Half a ham & cheese sandwich each
Lunch: Cheddar & pickle sandwich/BLT sandwich
Dinner: Lasagne/Chicken & bacon pasta
Aches: Dave - feet still very sore. Julie - feet a bit sore by end.
Highlight: Lots of fantastic Scottish scenery, especially along the two “high route” options we took which gave expansive views over Loch Ness far below and to mountains far in the distance including Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK.
Lowlight: Soon after 6:00pm, with just 500 metres to our hostel for the night after another long day, we were passed by a tour bus and thought nothing of it until we arrived at the hostel to find the bus being parked in the carpark and about thirty American late teen girls, and a couple of guys, checking in individually at reception. Each had to decide what they wanted for dinner and breakfast and then pay for the meals. It was thirty minutes before we could check-in.
Pictures: Click here
Map and Position: Click here for Google Map
Journal:
We snuck out of the sleeping Lodge at 7:00am in doubtful weather and immediately began a steady climb up onto the mountain behind the lodge. We had wisely decided to put our pack covers on and wear our rain jackets and within an hour we were very wet as we walked along a high country lane in driving wind and rain. As soon as we stopped in the relative protection of an overhanging tree to put on our rain pants (and another layer for Julie) the sky cleared, the rain abated and we didn’t need to add the extra garments.
The day was bookended with another vicious rain squall, with about an hour to go to Fort Augustus, when we were high on treeless moors. We were both very wet with soaked shorts but, wiser now, we soldiered on and, sure enough, within half an hour there was sunshine and dried shorts.
The day in between the squalls was some of the best hiking you could imagine. The trail was well maintained and marked and, at lower elevations, passed through tall quiet mossy conifer forests, while on the “high route” options we took there were magnificent views along the length of Loch Ness and across the mountains in all directions. Lots of photos were taken. We met a number of hikers including two chatty guys who were nearing the end of their hike from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
Around 1:00pm, not having carried anything for lunch, we followed the trail down into the tiny hamlet of Invermoriston, famous for its falls. There was not much there and, of that, not much was open! The pub was shut until 3:00pm and the little store opposite, that boasted of food and snacks, was closed as well. Eventually, we followed signs and walked a few hundred metres up a side road to a small cafe that was, not surprisingly, doing a very brisk business. It took us a while to get a table and we discovered other tables were occupied by hikers who were killing time until they could get into their booked accommodation, most of which did not open until 3:00 or 4:00pm. The perils of finishing your day’s hiking too early, as we are beginning to discover.
At the end of our hiking day, which finished much later, and after we finally checked into our hostel (see above), Julie showered and then walked down to the village shop to buy some microwavable dinner which we ate in our room, as the hostel dining room was full of young Americans having their dinner! But, to be fair, they are quiet and well-behaved.
No comments:
Post a Comment