on tuesday we left the ayr-glasgow region and made our way to fort william. the drive took us past loch lomond (of ‘ye’ll take the high road’ fame) and through some of the spectacularly beautiful highlands. the weather was apparently typically scottish in that it was cool and misty with the occasional light drizzle, but it seemed mystical and fitting for the landscape. we stopped in at glencoe along the way, site of an infamous massacre, and made it to our lodgings by early afternoon.
we had realized a few days earlier that fort william lay only ~30 miles from the southern tip of loch ness, and had discussed a slight extension of the drive that afternoon depending on time and how we felt about each other’s company in the car by then. well, no one was exactly wild about more driving, but it seemed a shame not to take advantage of our proximity to britain’s largest and perhaps most famous body of fresh water, so we piled back in and set off. alas, no mythical beasts were in evidence, although a very good audiovisual exhibition offered a number of plausible explanations for the 1000+ recorded ‘sightings.’ we lunched and then wended our way back south, pausing briefly to crane our necks for a glimpse of the iconic (yet frustratingly shielded from the non-paying public’s view) ruins of urquhart castle, and spend the evening enjoying quaint fort william.
the (new) inkspot 