Europe adventures 2016 - Glasgow, United Kingdom
Glasgow, United Kingdom
May 18,2016 Today was the start of yet another great adventure in hiking and biking in the UK then on to Puglia, Italy. Even though our flight on Icelandair didn't leave until 3:40 we arrived at the airport in true Cameron fashion at 10:30. With all the national notoriety about our long TSA lines and people missing flights because of it, we had a hard time just sitting at home waiting to fight the lines later in the day. So we decided to cause even more personal stress by taking our first Uber ride to the airport. I called and 4 minutes later the nicest guy turned up in our driveway and charged us $22. Great start to our trip. All in all waiting for Icelandair to open so we could ship our bags, playing dumb in the TSA line and the guy taking pity on us older people and letting us pass through without the proper info on our boarding passes, and spending the afternoon in the first class lounge, it's been a pretty good start. Economy Plus gives us most of the benefits of first class without the huge price tag. Way more comfortable on the long flight and for those if us with a history of arriving at the airport a day early, it's nice to have the quiet comfortable lounge to sit in. We like using Icelandair because of the hour stop in Iceland which breaks up the long 9+ hour flight to Glasgow. It is now May 19 th in Iceland. This adventure is a far cry from how I spent this day 40 years ago in a hospital waiting for the first of our two wonderful boys to be born. Happy birthday Cam! 40 years ago. Yikes Tonight we meet three couples in our hiking group at a penthouse overlooking the Clyde River. We have rented this for six nights before we join up with another couple to start the West Highland Way hike from Glasgow to Fort William. Wish us luck, good weather and no pesky midge attacks. Glasgow So far the skies have been mostly Portlandesque, overcast, rain at times, windy, warm sun, and chilly. Hard to decide what to wear at any one time so we do a lot of " wardrobe changes" throughout the day. The first couple of days Dennis and I had trouble making it through the dinner hour without falling asleep. But today, our second full day here, we seem to be over the hump. We have walked all over the city to the Buchanan area and the cathedral and Necropolis. Just below the Necropolis we found a great brewpub Drygate Brewery. Funniest thing, the beer buyer knew Portland from Rogue brewery and loved voodoo donuts. Then to Kelvingrove Park, the Hunterian museum and to the Macintosh house to see furniture designed in the early 1900s that was very Art Deco and interesting. His wife was an artist also and I was fascinated by her art using gesso as the medium, squeezed through an icing bag to make thin lines in a design. After walking all morning we stopped for lunch at Mother India,across from the Kelvingrove art museum, for great Indian food. These last two days we have visited The peoples museum not a great museum but interesting display of tenement living before 1950s The cathedral and necropolis which had good views of Glasgow The Buchanan area Kelvingrove park and art museum Glasgow university and the Hunterian museum The Charles Macintosh house The botanical gardens with the beautiful glass houses. Pretty park We have stopped in at sports stores to arm ourselves against midge attacks. They have been sited in Glasgow although we haven't seen any yet. We now have spray bottles of a repellent called smidge and mosquito net hats. I sure hope this isn't like snipe hunting and we will be the laughing stock of Scotland. Apparently they are like no seeums and attack in swarms anytime you stop walking and moist weather. Everyone says they will drive us nuts if we aren't prepared. We have several more days here and think we have done Glasgow. So we are planning bus trips to Edinburgh and Stirling. Tonight is Saturday night and we are just above a popular bar. Could be difficult sleeping with the singing and yelling to each other. Today, Sunday, was crazy. Very nice leisurely start before leaving to see a weird mechanical show, a Sunday market that wasn't happening and a walk to the other side of the city to see the arts school which burned in 2012 and won't be open until 2018. Had a nice dinner at the Red Onion and came home to plot our next two days before the big hike. Now about that weird mechanical museum. It might be the highlight of the trip. Hysterical. Up a set of stairs to a dark locked room. The door was answered by an older Russian woman who let us in to see the exhibit her husband put together. A random mix of old wheels, spinning wheels, gears and wooden characters he had carved over the years. Aside from the tour around the room we were treated to the "show". We sat in plastic chairs in front of maybe ten different moveable features. The woman asked if we wanted binoculars so we could see the intricate parts as the show began. Sure we said and back she came with plastic kiddie binoculars the kind you buy at a dollar store. Many of us got the giggles uncontrollably and the lights went out. Each feature was presented with its own lighting and appropriate music (a combination of eerie, gothic, rag time, classic, jazzy etc). It was unique and creative and such fun compared to the numerous museums we walked through the past two days. Tomorrow we rise early for a day in Edinburgh. Weather cooperating and very pleasant. Got on the early train to Edinburgh and arrived at the castle a little more than an hour later. Many people but thank goodness we purchased our tickets ahead of time because there were so many visitors. Just inside the gate we hooked up with a tour guide who did a quick tour then left us to roam the castle on our own. We went in the war room and saw the names if many Camerons killed in the wars. On to the great hall with all the armour and swords and a huge barrel ceiling in dark Norwegian wood. Beautiful. But my favourite was the dungeon with the hammocks for the prisoners sleeping so close to each other. I really like rooms that are re constructed to give you a close look at the actual conditions. We also saw the destiny stone that will be moved to Westminister Abbey when William ( if not Charles) is crowned king of England some day. After leaving the castle we headed down the Royal Mile to the Holyrood palace which is the queen's residence while visiting Edinburgh. Unfortunately the minister of religion was staying there so we couldn't get a tour. Lunch in the st. Giles cafe. Great food in such a funny little back alley behind the church. Now fortified we started the steep hike ( since that is what we came here for) up Arthur's chair, an escarpment next to the palace. Great views when you got to the top. We were definitely the only OAPs ( old age pensioners) climbing today. In fact a twenty something was overheard telling his friend he hoped he could hike this when he was 70. Hnnn can't decide if that made me happy that he thought we were awesome or sad that he nearly guessed our age correctly. We like to think we look 50. After a walk through Newtown just below the castle we stopped at a pub for a pint and fish and chips. Back on the bus and home to plan our next adventure. Tuesday may24 Today, Tuesday, some of us caught the train to Stirling to visit another medieval town and castle. We left sunny Glasgow and traveled an hour east to cloudy, windy Stirling. Winding our way up to the top of the hill to the castle and great views, we were happy to see fewer tourists than at Edinburgh. The castle is under renovation outside so there is some scaffolding. Which hampers some photos but the inside was great. The chambers were all furnished with period pieces and tapestry. The wood ceiling medallions have been restored or re carved and on display. The chapel has been re- constructed. James V and Mary queen of scots son was born here and was crowned king at 18 months in the church of holyrood just down the street. The significance is that in Britain, all other coronations have been held at Westminister but this one. Lunch at a great little restaurant just down from the castle on a recommendation from our friends Dick and Diane Sandvik. We wound our way through town grabbing hot tea at a Neros Coffee, pulled up our hoods against the wind and cold, and quickly made our way back to the train with 20 seconds to spare before it pulled out. Another wonderful day and now we are back at happy hour on our warm deck overlooking the Clyde river. Tomorrow is moving day to the hotel that the walk organisation reserved for us signifying the start of the west highland way walk. Thursday we walk from Glasgow to the official start in Milngavie ( pronounced mull guy). Having a little trouble understanding all the words coming from the Scots mouths, but we're getting better. Today we walked a small portion of our 11 miles tomorrow. A portion that is out of the way from our current hotel. Now we only have 10 miles to walk tomorrow. Had a nice dinner at Piccolo Mundo an award winning Italian restaurants. Then tomorrow we are off and running. Thursday may 26 Day 0 of our hike. We have chosen to walk from Glasgow to Milngavie which is the official start of the west highland way. The weather much cooler today as we wound our way on the Kelvin way trail which followed the kelvin river and the Clyde. Soon got out of town and very rural along the rivers the entire time. As we approached Milngavie it became the allander river we were following. Very nice grassy track or in some cases an old railroad bed. Saw deer, a fox and a rare swan that by all accounts should have migrated to Russia and Greenland by now. But some locals we ran into on the trail said the swans have taken up residency for the past two years. They like it here and show no signs of wishing they were in Russia. As we approached Milngavie at noon we veered off the path to the tickled trout pub for lunch. Some of our group went inside for a bowl of soup but several if us hearty souls remained outside on the patio and made lunch from our breakfast booty collected at the premier inn. Tonight we are staying at yet another premier inn but our baggage hasn't arrived. We contacted the company and they didn't know we needed baggage transportation to the real start point. Huh? They had made our Glasgow hotel reservations and printed directions on how to get to Milngavie along the path. Did they think we were going to drag our suitcases with us? Oh well they will be here soon so it all worked out. Friday may 27 Now we are talking. After the requisite photos at the official starting point we were on our way. All day it was narrow woodsy paths following the Allander and Blaine waters or walking narrow country roads with sheep and lots of other hikers. Norwegians, Bostoians, Scots. The two women from Boston had landed at 7 in the morning and on the trail at 9. Always expected to find them asleep under a tree somewhere. At 7 miles we had lunch at the Beech Tree Inn, a little trail side place that served lunch but also had covered areas for a picnic. Nice break before the next 5 miles. Although we crossed several busy highways we felt as though we were away from civilisation the lunch spot was the only service available all day. To my friend Anne, we used the green door in fields of nettles after everyone had tea with lunch. The weather today and tomorrow are overcast and cooler, meaning about 60. Perfect for hiking Tonight we are staying at a cute B and B Braeside. Drymen is a very small but cute town that boasts the oldest pub in Scotland, the Clachlan. Funny how every town seems to think they have the market on the oldest pub. This one built in the 1700s. The boys made a bee line for the pub. The ladies resting, reading and later looking around town. Our wonderful hosts made dinner arrangements for us at Drymen inn and will pack us a lunch since there are absolutely no services on the route tomorrow. More green door stops in nettle fields like today. Dinner at the Drymen inn was great. We were in our own little sunroom so lots of light and just our group Saturday may 28 The next several days are short days mileage wise so we decided to take in a little local culture and attend the Drymen agricultural show which was down the road in a field. According to our hosts this is their least favourite day in Drymen, full of drunks and partiers all night long. So down the hill we went. Carnival rides, beautiful dressage horses and riders, local crafts and adorable best of animals. The highland cows with their hair in their eyes, beautiful Clydesdales, and sheep and cows if all shapes, colors and sizes. It was fun but time to move on. Back on the trail along a logging road mostly til we started winding our way up to conic hill, about 1100 feet. Stopped for lunch in a mossy area and got our first midge bites. But we are prepared and sprayed every inch of our bodies with smidge. Did the trick. Beautiful views of Loch Lomond and down to our next nights stay in Balmaha. Most everyone hiked up to the top but I chose to only go half way up the last part as the trail was crumbly and looked slippery coming down. As it was, it was very steep coming down the other side and my knees were wobbly at the bottom. It was virtually a highway of hikers. The car park below was full. We are staying at the only hotel in town, the oak tree inn. Great family run inn that was full of hikers enjoying a pint on the patio when we arrived. So we joined them. Our rooms are nice although we are over the kitchen so we are getting lots of pan banging which hopefully will settle down soon. Great weather today. Tomorrow and the next days look even better. Dinner tonight at the oak tree obviously since it's the only game in town. Sunday may 29 There are so many people on the trails this weekend because it's a bankers holiday, meaning three days off. Again we have a short hiking day so the island inchcailloch is calling us. We get on the ferry Margaret and in 15 minutes we start hiking the island. Beautiful fields of bluebells in the forest woodlands. Moss covered stairs take us up to the top where the ruins if an old church stand among an old burial ground. There is even an old Cameron grave from early 1800s. We run into a Cub Scout troop camping on the island and having a ball learning canoeing skills. We are picked up for our return trip one and a half hours later and we begin the real hike for the day to Rowardennan and our first "rest" day at the Rowardenan hotel. As we leave Balmaha we see that the ferry is very busy today taking large groups back and forth. Money making weekend for the.ferry Margaret. Our trail today is basically a trail along lake Lomond. Beautiful woodlands, Great Lake views,lots of steps to get us up and over the craggy headlands and ending with tiring undulating paths ( quote from guidebook). We arrive at our destination amidst a million other west highland way hikers and day trippers back from hiking to the top of Ben Lomond. The patio is full of packs and pint drinkers. We check' the not our rooms, one if which is a separate chalet. Which is deemed party central. The heck with being cooped up in a restaurant... We order take away and go back to the chalet to eat. We have a huge stone patio with views of the lake. Since we have a hotel room above the kitchen/bar we are worried about the live music tonight. But we need not worry as we are so tired we miss the whole scene below us. The hike today was very tiring because of all the steep ups and steep downs. More to come apparently. Did I mention the weather is incredible? I have never heard one friend who visited Scotland who didn't complain about the wet cold days their whole visit. We gave had sunny warm days since we started this trek and it is supposed to remain for the next week. Stay tuned. Monday may 30 Today is our rest day. Four of our group are going to hike to the summit of Ben Lomond. Dennis and Betsy hiked nearly to the top but stopped at the point where the trail just got crumbly. The trail is just steep up with no relief but all agreed the trip down was almost harder. Four of us stayed down and walked to the Ardess cottage and historical trail then back to the patio and pub to wait for the group to return and have lunch. So beautiful today sitting by the loch. Who would have guessed we'd have weather like this. Tonight we will eat in the chalet again in the quiet and privacy of the stone patio Tuesday may 31 st Gorgeous day! Best day yet ( Anne). Last night around dinner time we had a drenching rain storm. We were tucked in the Clansman pub waiting for our take away dinner. But there were lots of hikers taken by surprise still hiking in. They all came in smiling but drenched to the bone. But this morning not a cloud in the sky. Amazing for Scotland weather, but has definitely brought out the local and visiting hikers. The trail is a highway. We walked most of the morning with a couple from Australia who were working in England as speech pathologists for the next two years, comparing health care systems and quizzing us about our current political situation. After we stopped for lunch we were pretty much on the trail alone until we reached our destination, Inversnaid. Today was another short day walking along the shores of Loch Lomond on a gravel road or trail above the lake. Beautiful oak forests, waterfalls and rhododendrons blooming. However we are starting to see more pesky midges and our gentle easy walking trails are coming to an end from what I read. Tomorrow is supposedly the most difficult but scenic part of the Way. Our accommodations are interesting tonight. We arrived in Inversnaid but had to walk straight uphill for 800+ meters to arrive at the Bunkhouse. It is an old converted church with surrounding buildings with VERY small rooms, some with bunks and others with double beds. We have one of the better rooms and share a bathroom with Kathy and mark. But our suitcases are pretty much stacked on top of each other. Thank goodness this isn't our rest day stop. One night will be more than enough thank you. Wednesday June 1 Another absolutely great day. Last night we decided was barely one step above camping. So much for the Bunkhouse. We woke this morning and looked outside to see swarms of midges. It was frightening. So we packed up and ran to the cafeteria, ate as fast as we could and took off down the road by 7:45. Our goal today is keep moving. We are all smidged up and I have my ultra attractive midge hat in my pocket as a precaution. On the way to the little town we saw feral goats. Great big guys foraging along the roadside. Today is billed as the toughest part of the Way. The trail again follows the lake but today it is very rocky and big steps up and down. Very slow going but not terrible. Just tiring. But a BIG however....if it was cold and rainy and muddy this would be an awful day. Slippery and treacherous in spots, so we feel very lucky to be doing this is the best weather Scotland has ever seen. Early in the day we stopped to see the famous cave of Rob Roy. Unfortunately the only photos were of a toilet paper strewn cave and since we stopped walking we were also devoured by midges. Onward. More ups and downs til we get to the end of the lake and a beautiful grassy spot for lunch and NO midges. The beautiful grass and oak and bluebell fields have made hiking so beautiful. Time to move on, up the hill for our last views of Loch Lomond and into the hills toward Inverarnan and the Beinglas Farm, our inn for the night. Looks way better than last night. Rooms very comfortable with covered deck and we are the only ones in this section. Big groups do have an advantage. Our trail guru, Phil, says we have hiked 58.8 miles since Glasgow and our average distance is just under 10 miles a day. Since we are mostly walking short distances the restroom breaks aren't a problem. We just watch our tea and water intake carefully. On the long days the green doors are difficult to find. Thursday June 2 Argh. I miss the bonnie bonnie banks. Today, another gorgeous day by the way, was on a gravel road, across a busy highway and under power lines. There was one redeeming site, the falls of falloch. This is another short day. Ridiculous. In this weather we should be doing 10-12 miles a day. We arrive in the next towns at noon and our rooms not ready til 3. So we spend th se long afternoons on a pub porch. It's almost embarrassing to tell people how far we are going since they are walking 14-22 a day. We just tell them we are on the old persons route and they chuckle. Tonight we are in an inn right on a busy highway. I long for our peaceful out of the way inns. More pub food for dinner. Getting tired of goat cheese salad or fish and chips or creamy pasta. Today really seems way too slow. But at least it's beautiful weather We have spread our US dollars evenly around the town if Crainlaich today. Spent the afternoon at the Rod and Reel pub, happy hour at Ben Moore pub ( with the kilts hanging off the backs of bar stools) and dinner at the Crainlaich Hotel which was very good with a darling waitress. Carolyn treated us to three scotch tastings at the Ben Moore. The finest smelled and tasted like a hospital surgical tool disinfectant, the second was better although the real scotch drinkers said it had no taste and the third wasn't drinkable in my estimation. I'm probably not the best judge since it all tastes like gasoline to me. Weather feels like rain but weather report says we are good for 5 more days. That means our last two long days we'll be walking in rain. I guess we really should experience the Way as it truly is...muddy and rainy. Friday June 3 And another beautiful day. This is crazy. Much better day scenic wise. We left Crainlaich and hiked straight uphill through a conifer plantation which got us up high enough for great views of the "monroes" everyone wants to climb. Monroes are mountains 3000 ft high. Then we dropped down to the valley floor under an old stone railroad with beautiful arches before we crossed another high traffic highway. Drivers here have absolutely no regard for pedestrians and it's very unsettling to cross highways as they drive on the "wrong" side of the street. So you never know where to look for oncoming traffic and no confidence in your decision to cross. I always expect to be hit by a car. Creepy. Thankfully we all made it across to farmland and a priory ruins and burial ground dating to the 7-8 th century. This area is controlled by the Scottish university system so there were many very informative signs in this area. We bid adieu to Ron Jan and Kathy who decided to take off and hike some of the surrounding hills instead of the flat hiking we were on. We followed the pretty River Fillan all the way to Tyndrum, our next stop and rest day. Just another 6 mile day. We stopped at a wayside strathfillan where there was a small store and picnic benches for a picnic lunch. There we met an English couple who lives in the Lake District so we had lots to talk about since we had hiked all through there on the Coast to Coast hike in 2013. Of course politics came up and they laughed about our Trump predicament. The landscape, at least at this point, has changed from lush grassy forest to more scrubby low bushes and leafy trees in the distance. Lots of what we call scotch broom which adds a nice bit of yellow colour to a pretty brown/ green landscape. What's lacking in bright colors that we have become used to has been replaced with lots of textures. It starts to grow on you after lamenting the loss is Loch Lomond and the pretty bluebells. However as I sit in the pub looking across the river and up the hill I see the hillside is covered with pine trees so I might be wrong about the change in vegetation. We are staying at the Tyndrum inn. Sounds fabulous? The book describes Tyndrum as once a tiny little town that has turned into a giant car park. We are right next to the Green Welly which is a tourist trap if I've ever seen one. Another afternoon of clothes washing and ...pub dinner. Argh. Saturday June 4 Today is a rest day which means we'll probably walk 8 miles anyway. We are off to catch the train to Oban. Our last rest day was so our mountain climbers could do Ben Lomond. Today we are satisfying the thirsty scotch drinkers and tasting in Oban. Well some of us will stick to Diet Pepsi. Scotch is definitely medicinal...smells like a hospital and tastes like the solution they sterilise their instruments in. J' Today is starting out warm but cloudy. Hmm hope the weather isn't changingk. Nope, turned into a beautiful but humid day The train to Oban was very crowded which meant we had to split up and all sat with locals or other tourists. We sat with some people from Glasgow and had a nice conversation. Across the aisle two young college students were on the phone to friends. Apparently one friend had gone to the bathroom and not heeded the warning not to go beyond the 2nd car. But she didn't get the significance, the car was uncoupled and she was now on her way in another direction having left her purse and cell phone. One of the friends had gone to check on her and also was ion her way in the wrong direction. All was well after a few calls back and firth but made for a funny story. They gave us a great tip in where to get great seafood, the seafood shack. So we all made a beeline first thing. We separated from the group and found our way around the city. Cute city with a nice little harbour. Up the hills is a coliseum looking building which we had to investigate. It was built by a banker using out of work masons to give them employment and a nice park to honour his family.. Went to the Ivan distillery but no tour as we really aren't that interested. We walked along nag the harbour and ran into a castle.ruin from the 7-8 century which is being restored. Not a huge castle but very old ruin belonging to the mcdougall family. A house built in 1875 was open with Lucy Mcdougal's personal collection of stuff from different periods. She found an old broken down loom which she rebuilt, learned to weave, and wove a beautiful plaid voice which she made into a pleated skirt which is on display More fascinating to me were the artifices that were uncovered in the excavation around the castle in 2011, one of which was the key and lock to the castle. Sunday June 5 Today another short day to the bridge of orchy. The guidebook makes it sound very straightforward on a gravel road most of the time. But we are headed to a day off soon and the Glencoe valley which is supposed to be beautiful As desc imbed, the trail followed a gravel path the entire way. These aren't just old roads. They are old drover roads from 17 th century used to move huge numbers of sheep and cattle north. At tfirst we were sandwiched between the A82 and the fort William railroad line. Then the trail split and we were spared the highway noise although we kept it in our sights most of the way. The trail went down a beautiful valley between the Beinn Bheg, Beinn Oldham and the big Beinn Dorian at 1046 meters so the scenic meter was pretty high. The only down side was that there was absolutely no relief from the hot sun. I'm not complaining because the book only mentions how horrible this stretch can be in bad weather.. Because there was no way for anyone to make a wrong turn, our group really got spread out. So for the first time I put on my earphones, my floppy sun hat and had a very pleasant peaceful walk, but arrived very hot. We arrived at 11:30 which meant another afternoon in the bar til our rooms were ready at 3:00. Thank goodness this bridge of f orchy hotel has nice green lawn along the banks of the river kinglass. So we could either go to the bar or sleep and read under a tree in the shade. Pleasant afternoon. Our rooms are great. Modern, our own little decks and green grass out front with sliding doors so we finally get air in our room. The "town" of Bridge of orchy is basically our hotel which has a modern restaurant and bar. I don't think there are a lot of hikers who stop here. We are definitely on the scenic old peoples tour. But what the heck. We are retired and in no hurry, obviously. Monday June 6 For a place in the middle of nowhere this last accommodation was a great surprise. Dinner was delicious and breakfast was the best so far. Fresh fruit, smoothies and meats in addition to the regular porridge and full breakfast. Today our hike took us up through a little forest and then the trail was sandwiched between several looming bens as we continued to climb all morning. Beautiful first part of the trip on a gravel path. At the 5 mile mark we continued on the Way over a "drover" road built centuries ago to move thousands of cattle and sheep. It was literally paved with stones that we felt under our feet for the last 7 mikes. In addition to the rugged road, the path crossed an open moor meaning not a tree in sight and no shade. And it was sunny, hot and humid. We passed little lochs and stone bridges and just about the time we were dying of the heat we found a great stream where we could dunk our scarves, shirts and hats to keep cool til lunch. Lunch was at the highest point on the trail today. Everyone else hiking decided to make it their lunch stop too including a huge group of German hikers. As we sat there the skies started clouding up and the temperature dropped a little providing some respite for the last three miles down to kings bridge. Our inn tonight, the kinghouse inn, is quite pleasant and kind of pub looking. Everyone is tired and foot sore and have taken to the soothing showers. We arrived around 1:00 and not an hour later we heard thunder and the drenching rains started. We missed it again. Whew. Are we lucky! Tuesday June 7 From the beginning, we have been apologising to all we meet for our old age person pace in completing the Way hike. Most people we meet are taking no rest days and are hiking over 15 miles a day, completing the hike in 6 days. We on the other hand have had three rest days and are taking 12 hiking days to complete the same mileage. But we have changed our view. We are no longer on the " geriatric tour" but a group of retirees with time to really sightsee along the way. Our first rest day in Rowardenann was so people could hike the first munro, Ben Lomond. Our second rest day was so we could make a side trip to Oban and scotch tasting. But today our third rest stop was so we could see Glencoe, the mountaineering centre of Scotland and the beautiful Glencoe valley. Ron and Jan are staying at an inn in Glencoe while we are staying at kinghouse inn, 20 minutes away. This made it a natural reason for us to take a taxi to Glencoe today to meet up with them. They of course found the highest peak to climb, pann of Glencoe, so we took the taxi in to explore the town and meet them for dinner. Our taxi driver was a great scenic drive guide, stopping at interesting turnouts and telling us local stories like the Bond movie Skyfall was filmed in the beautiful lost valley which he pointed out on the ride to Glencoe. Showed us where to pick up the trail to Glencoe lochen and gave us a great tip in a dinner place. We walked a very short distance up to the lochen, a beautiful little lake with several islands for the many ducks to build nests. Saw lots if very young ducks learning to swim and moms trying to keep track of all 8+ in the family. On our return to the town we decided to go to the next town on advice of our taxi driver and make dinner arrangements at restaurant, Laroch in the town of Ballachulish ( balla shu loosh). It was a mile walk down the bike lane. The waitress was most accommodating and got us in at 6:00 so we could catch the last bus back to kinghouse at 7:30. Great we were all set. But...to get on the last bus we would need a reservation and it was too late to make a reservation. Our taxi driver had already told us he couldn't take us back cause he was busy. Now what. The information centre gave us another taxi to call and he was commissioned to pick us up after dinner. Now our evening plans are complete. We can relax. We took a walk around the town, walked through an old slate quarry which was interesting and spent the remainder of the afternoon in the Laroch pub meeting locals and other tourists. The dinner was outstanding. Probably the best dinner yet. So good that we are thinking if getting another taxi tomorrow night from kinlochleven and returning. The menu had something for everyone and the dishes so delicious that everyone tasted everyone else's dinner. While in the restaurant the skies turned gray, the surrounding mountains disappeared in clouds and the rains started. Looks like we will be hiking the next two days in rain. The river next to our inn has swollen remarkably since we left this morning. The little bitty streams we will cross tomorrow may not be little bitty anymore. I think we will get a taste if what we could and should have been experiencing this whole time... REAL Scottish weather. Wednesdayjune 8 First thing..put the rain gear away. Foggy up on the mtns but will be a good day again. Today we hiked up the Devils staircase between two beautiful glaciated valleys. Looks like the lauderbruen valley in Switzerland. Then it was a long rocky walk down to the valley floor to kinlochleven. The walk up Devils staircase took us winding up from the valley floor straight up 1590 feet. It wasn't bad but humid. The walk down was long but had beautiful sights in front of us. The town of kinlochleven is an old company town surviving now on the hiker trade. Everyone spends the night here on the way out from the Way as fort William is 16 miles away. Once a huge aluminium plant that is now abandoned, some of the company housing is used as B and Bs for the incoming hikers, bikers and climbers. We are staying in an old house up the hill which is very nice and the breakfast was lots of fresh fruit ( strawberries, blueberries, raspberries). Several other hikers we have met on the trail are also staying here. In town at the only good pub, we ran in to more recent hiker friends which was fun. Ate dinner appt the pub which was unremarkable Thursday June 9 Big day. The last day of our hike. We started right away straight uphill. You don't walk down to the valley floor like the previous day, and not have to go back up. The first part of this 16 mile day was in a forest but still on the rocky military road. Again the day promises to be humid and sunny. After climbing uphill the military road loomed ahead of us with views behind of the beautiful glaciated valleys we were leaving behind. What Lay ahead of us for most of the day was open and clear cut forests. This went on and on in an unrelenting rocky undulating road. Our lunch stop as voted best on the hike. A grassy knoll overlooking a sheep pasture and behind us... Our first views of Ben Nevis standing tall at 4400 feet. Beautiful and massive. With about 4 miles to go we left the clear cut forests and followed a gravel road to Fort William, the end of our journey. BUT... The original terminus has been moved to the opposite end if town, through closed shopping mall/street. We were exhausted and feet were weary. All we wanted was to sit and take our boots off. But on we pushed to the very end where pictures were taken at the official terminus, a courtyard showing the whole Way trail and a line for hikers to cross over. An additional bonus was a sculpture of a tired hiker sitting on a bench. We all gathered around for a group picture. We ran into more hiker friends who arrived to do the same thing which was fun way to end the walk. Off we went for ice cold water and beer to celebrate. After retracing part of our steps we found our inn for the night, an old home/ B and B in the middle of town. Very comfortable and offered to do our terrible wash for us while we went to Cranaog for dinner to celebrate our accomplishment and Carolyn and Ron's birthdays. Great seafood dinner on the water. We are all so tired and achy that we slowly made our way back to the inn and jumped into bed. Long day Friday June 10 Early this morning Kathy ron and Jan headed out to tackle Ben Nevis. They were hoping to get a jump on the forecasted rain in the afternoon but we woke up to rain and cloudy skies and no Ben Nevis in view. They did the hike anyway and had a great time. They said the trail was crumbly the entire way and lots of hikers. Rain apparently doesn't deter mountain climbers Carolyn and Tom took off to do a road trip to the isle of Skye and other islands The Thors and osters had the most fun of all. We spent the morning in the post office mailing hiking clothes to the United States to lighten our load. Yep we really know how to enjoy our last days in Scotland. But in the afternoon we caught a cab to the clan Cameron home at Achnacarry. Our cab driver was a kick and really played up the fact that I was a Cameron, telling me when we had arrived at my land etc. While we were visiting the Cameron museum which us across the road from the Manor House, sir Cameron actually came to the museum to drop off some paperwork! And we were deep in the museum and missed it! The receptionist told us and then when we went out to the cab, our driver said he saw him go in. It's probably for the best I didn't see him or I would have embarrassed myself with my whole typical " famous person seen" reaction. We saw the words to the March of the Cameron men that Bonkey used to recite and a quote that explained to Dennis why we Cameron's are so stubborn..,A Cameron never can yield. A fun day. The weather has remained wet and dreary all day which makes us eternally grateful that we hiked for 12 days in beautiful sunshine Saturday Today for entertainment we went on a beautiful train ride to Mallaig. We followed numerous lochs and old arched bridges. Islands on lochs with beautiful Scottish pines. The town of Mallaig was really nothing but a jump off point to the various islands. Had lunch in a little nothing restaurant and did a quick circular walk up to get views of the harbour and back on the train Sunday Move on day. Caught the 7:00am ciitybus to glasgow, a shuttle to the airport and now we sit and wait for our 3:30 flight to Rome for the next 5 hours. Argh. Double argh. Our flight is delayed 20 minutes. This will make a tight connection to Rome. Then it all went south. Twenty minutes turned in to 45, then as we were lining up to board the airport decided to have a fire drill. For REAL! A freaking fire drill on an already delayed flight. 20 minutes more and we finally boarded. Then they announced a further delay due to a baggage snaffu followed by a weather alert that would keep us on the ground 10 more minutes? I started looking for a new flight in case we missed our scheduled flight which was a pretty sure bet. . One more at 7:30 so we can still get there. We arrive at Heathrow as the gate is scheduled to close. Someone told us to go left, that person said no way, the gate had closed, the next person said go right, next person said no way, we were issued new passes for the next flight. When we looked up our new flash we saw that our original flight was delayed ( no one apparently told the flight people). We made a mad dash for that gate, explained our problem, got new seats and new passes and boarded our original flight. Who knows where our bags will end up. Stay tuned So....no bags and they can't be delivered til tomorrow at 10:30 and we will be on a train to Monopoli. Hmm. They say they can deliver to Monopoli but not til.. Whenever. Any bets on whenever will be? So we were going to take a later train and try to track down our baggage but that sounded horrible. So we are now on the train to Monopoli after a short but great night at hotel Oceania. We are going to give them until 11:30 tomorrow to deliver, then we are going shopping to buy bicycle clothes on British air's dime. But right now we are taking a well deserved slow breath. Our first purchase will be deodorant and toothpaste. Can hardly wait Wednesday June 15 Oh brother. Lots has happened since we arrived in Rome on Sunday. First of all we still have no baggage. Everyday they say it will be delivered the next day. Tomorrow is another morning it's supposed to be delivered but we move to the next hotel so what happens to our bags when they are delivered here and we aren't here? God forbid the little courier returns to Rome with them. We are hoping this hotel keeps them then we'll take a cab back to retrieve them. Once we arrived at the beautiful Masseria Donnaloia we jumped in to an expensive hotel shuttle back to town to purchase sunscreen deodorant and toothpaste/brushes. Never bought bike shorts hoping ours would arrive the next day. Yesterday we rode 11 miles and today 35 miles in shorts we have worn for 4 days straight. The bike shop loaned us helmets and I borrowed shoes from Kathy. Not the trip we were planning Anyway. The hotel is great. Has a wonderful infinity pool which Dennis uses in his 5 Euro trunks purchased. There was no way I was purchasing a 5 euro bikini so I watch. This place has so many great happy hour patios which we take advantage if each afternoon. Breakfasts are amazing. So many kinds if croissants, fresh fruits. A far cry from the full Scottish breakfast with tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs if all kinds and of course the national favourite, haggis. There are several biking groups here and many vacationers. Fun talking to everyone. Accommodations with Randonnee are way more glamorous than with Absolute Escapes on the Way trip. Yesterday we met with our coordinator with questions we had before going to the bike shop for bike fittings. Then we had a short ride back to our hotel. Right out of the parking lot we found our way through a round about. Yikes. Then on busy traffic streets. Yikes. Then finally turned off to our quiet street along the ocean. Then we started our short ride out to the old roman ruins, Egnazia. The site covered from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. The museum had lots of information and artefacts. A huge mosaic piece from the Basilica floor and original paintings. From there we visited the necropolis that had been excavated and in tact which was fascinating. From there to the town itself with the market area, basilica walls standing, a forum and an in tact cobbled road which still had the ruts made by chariots. The curbs were even in place still along the edges of the road. This road was built between Benevento and Brindisi. Amazing. Huge cobbled stones all hand carved. From here we walked over to the Roman bath area which is totally in tact. It still has the walls, the heating system is exposed, the cold bath area and medium bath area. Huge furnace for the hottest temperature was visible. This area is walled off and walkways above so you can view all sides from above. They have covered it with a roof to keep the weather out for preservation. Very interesting because you don't need to imagine what it might have looked like. It is still standing. We also rode through olive groves that are 200 years old. The trunks are huge and gnarled in fascinating shapes and growths. Good first bike ride Today we had our first REAL ride. We left after breakfast along the coastline to old town Monopoli. We walked our bikes through the winding streets with laundry hanging, Bougainvilla climbing up walls, great doors and balconies. Lots of picture taking. On to Polignano. A bustling town, riding between cars coming and going. Stopped in the town square as a band was performing music from Tosca. Filled with men on benches under the trees lining the sides. We found a bench in front if the cafe Bar Masi where we were supposed to order the local drink only available in Polignanao, Cafe Especiale. Even for a non coffee drinker like myself it was delicious. It has a lemon slice, coffee, ice cream, and liqueur then steamed. What's not to like about that! I don't know if it was the small amount of liqueur that made finding our way out if town impossible but we spent about 45 minutes trying to understand the directions before turning to Phils Motion X gps system to get us out of that town. We finally caught up with the directions after a couple of turns that looked like they were taking us in to a freeway. Kind if daunting. On our way again headed to the town of Conversano. It is very hot today and to get to Conversano we had to do some climbing which was difficult in the hot temperatures. We finally reached the top and the old part of town. There is no way to carry enough water for these hot days but there are brass taps ( fountains along the roads and in piazzas) with delicious cold water to drink and dunk your head under. I also have to say their roads are very smooth and easy to ride. Although later this afternoon we did encounter pothole areas and bad paving areas that need to be avoided at all costs. We had a picnic lunch on the steps if the church in the shade if the bell tower overlooking the town. Very pleasant with a little breeze to keep us cool. After lunch Dennis got two flat tires which slowed us down a little but we were in shade so not so bad. After another short climb we started our decent back to Monopoli. I usually don't like downhill but this was fun because the streets are so smooth. A very hot day of riding. After ranting and raving that we still didn't get a baggage delivery today, we had happy hour and rehashed the day. Since I took a shower and washed my only pants, I'm in for the night early. Thursday June 16 Today was a very hard day. It was very windy which kept the heat down but the wind was in our face or blasting us from the sides no matter which direction we headed. First off was a 7.5 km ride uphill. We could see the road as we approached it so it was terrifying. It was a gradual uphill so not terrible. But as we neared the top we got the headwind full force. Nearly knocking us off the bikes at some rimes. The top of the pass was fierce winds and they stayed with us the entire day which made for difficult riding. Lots of ups and a few downs. We rode into the small village of Corregia which is an authentic town of trulios. Trulios are round stone huts with conical stone ( thick slate type) roofs. They used to be farm houses but are now inhabited by townspeople and it appears they are still being built. Since it is so windy here all rather time, this must be their only defence of the wind. We stopped here for coffee and bought lunch items. Onward toward Alberobello, a white town ( all buildings painted white) and a city full of trulios. Lots of ups and downs and win to get there. Lots of traffic on the roads today mostly because we weren't on cute side roads much of the time. However I will say the drivers are cautious and courteous to bikers most of the time. Alberobello was a very busy tourist town. Every trulio had trinkets to sell And it was hard to get a photo without some unknown person in it. By now my legs are growling at me and I'm getting tired of the wind and traffic. Only a little farther and we arrive in Locorotondo, a large hill city with many services and shops. We wind around the outside wall til we find the office to check in to Sotto Le Cummerse. We each have our own apartment #44 in the old town but we got the best room. So cute. The door opens up below the window in a grid to let air in. The windows are shuttered from inside but unlatch to open up for light. We have a private terrace too which is great. It will definitely be party central located between the other two apartments and the cutest for sure. AND our suitcases arrived at the previous hotel today! However we haven't seen them yet. Our tour coordinator is supposedly bring them by at 5 tonight. I can hardly wait to have my own clothes back again and some real bike shorts. My bum couldn't take another day. Hooray I'm back in business with my own clothes. Went to dinner at a recommended restaurant, Curdunn In a cave like setting. It was blowing a gale outside and we felt very protected from the weather having a great dinner. Friday June 17 Dennis read that yesterday the winds were sustained at 28 mph with gusts of 48! No kidding. This morning after breakfast we walked over to the market to buy vegetables and pasta so we could take advantage of our own kitchen and make dinner tonight. Happy hour and dinner on our private terrace. Can't get much better than that. Today we are going to do the short ride to Martina-Franca, a neighbouring hill town. Hot today but less windy thank goodness.. The old town was great with the white stone buildings and huge stone piazzas. We rode through there encountering lots of traffic to get to the surrounding countryside and quieter streets. This was a great ride. Just rollers not the big long uphill pulls from yesterday. So much jasmine growing on stone walls and on buildings. This whole area smells like a perfumery. Made our way back to Locorotondo to tour the town before gathering to make our own pasta dinner with all our market vegetables and pastas. Saturday June 18 Locorotondo to Ostuni today Lots of trying to figure out the route today. Following our directions took us back up to the horrible traffic if Martina-Franca. We finally figured out how to get out of that town and on to some country roads which was very pleasant. We visited the hill town of San paulo and had drinks and bought lunch meat and a few paninis for a picnic later. Cute town. The store was just down from the centre of town and the lady was so nice making sure we had enough for everyone. Entering this city was a long very steep climb up...so we walked down again to bike through vineyards and farming country to a very small village, Castellini, which glad a pint size piazza just big enough for us to spread out our picnic and fill up our bottles from the brass tap. Then on to the hill town of Ostuni with its cobbled streets, great piazza and steep winding streets. Our hotel is Le terra hotel. Nothing special but centrally located. When we arrived the church was decorated for a wedding so we waited to see the bride arrive among garbage trucks and tourists walking through the photos of a lifetime. Tonight we had our cooking class at a local restaurant followed by dinner afterward. We were taught him to make orecchiette and all failed the technic miserably I'm afraid. It as quite fun and the dinner was wonderful. Sunday June 19 Today Ostuni down to the train station for a ride to Squnzano then bike to Otranto. Getting out if town was hair raising. So much traffic, narrow roads. It felt like 2/3 of the day we were on two lane freeways. After finally getting out of town we biked on less busy roads heading for the coast. We stopped in a tiny town, frigole, to buy lunch items just as they were closing for siesta time. Back on our bikes on back roads until we finally got to the coastal town of Santa focal where we ate lunch on the promonade. Beautiful water here. On our way again for the fun part of the trip. No navigating, traffic busy but slower, and a long straight shot all the way to Otranto. Just nice fast biking. It was like riding hwy 101 but on much nicer pavement and no RVs. Great riding. Stopped only a couple of times for photo taking and again for a cold drink before entering Otranto.. We were all getting tired and disheartened when we rode through Otranto and up a short hill then saw the " leaving Otranto" sign. 2 more kilometres out if town we arrived at Masseria montelauro. Oh my goodness this place us amazing. A beautiful pool, unbelievable grounds, very helpful friendly people, a happy hour around the pool and great full Italian dinner under a grape arbor. We reconnected with our new friends bob and Sylvia from Austin Texas which was fun and they joined us after dinner to re hash the trip. They are leaving tomorrow but might be visiting Portland in November. The weather today was perfect. A little cooler and a...tailwind finally. Made biking a real pleasure Monday June 20 Beautiful morning in a beautiful place. Some of the group are riding on down the coast which is supposed to be lovely. Dennis and I are opting to stay here today and see where that takes us. Why not take advantage of this amazing place. . The other four in our group took off this morning to ride the suggested route. Dennis and I went in to Otronto to look around, wearing our swim suits just in case. Found our way to the beautiful stone promenade that goes around the port with beaches and umbrellas for rent. So we found one and plopped down. After a nap we walked up to the old town and found our way to the castle where they had a photo exhibit by Steve McCurry, a national geographic photographer among other publications. It was a very haunting exit called Steve McCurrys Icons, 100 of his most famous photos. You are drawn deep in to these photos seeing into the soul of his subjects. Shows the devastation of war and poverty and how it affects children and adults alike. My favourites were a young girl with kohl under her huge eyes staring directly at you, another in India of an old man talking to two young children and the pet camel standing close by the youngest child. The older child listening and learning. So many more photos to stare at. It as an exhibit we just fell in to by accident and came out astounded by the poignant photos. Back on our bikes to our pool and the rest of a relaxing day in Italia.