The GOHO's

Hello again all. Coming to you from lovely Inverness - the city of churches it definitely gives little old Adelaide a run for its money on that front. Today we had a slow start to the day....decided to not set an alarm so had bit of a lie in as we didn't have our walking tour booked until 1130. We finally got up and got ready and walked round to get a coffee and something to eat and then made our way to High street to meet our group. We went on a walking tour and the guide was a little eccentric she was a local English woman that turned up with a shopping jinker and a walking stick (I think she needed a gopher) as we were mostly waiting for her to walk between each stop.  She also used the walking stick to point around the place so you couldn't get too close or may have been wholloped. It definitely made for a different experience that's for sure.  It was an interesting walk and was great finally getting to link all the history together.  Some interesting facts about Inve...

Today we headed to Urquhart Castle from Fort William but first we made a pit stop to Costa Coffee for a caffeine hit and some breakfast. We arrived at Urquhart Castle, just in time for our booked entry time.  It was actually free parking which was very surprising as the motto here in the UK is 'Pay & Display' so we have a chuckle every time. You firstly walk into the gift shop/cafe and from here read about some of the history of the castle and some of its inhabitants.  We are then ushered into a theatre to view a 10 min re-enactment of the history of the castle.  The final scene is of the last owners of the castle (Clan Grant) and as they were about to be over run they filled the gate house with barrels of gun powder, lit the fuse and left. This was done as a sort of "if I can't have it, then neither can you." And as the 'film' finished the screen is raised and the curtains opened to reveal what the castle ruins look like today.  They were never rebuil...

Today we set off to the Fort William train station at 0730 to give us enough time to find parking, pay for said parking and make our way to the train terminal.  We managed all that and found our way onto ScotRail headed for Mallaig.  We initially wanted to book the Jacobite Steam Train (Harry Potter train) but we were too late in booking and it was sold out (peak season, we tried booking that well before we left, we didn't leave it to chance).  As it travels over the Glenfinnon Viaduct which is the famous bridge from Harry Potter films on the Hogwarts Express.  See below pictures. We arrived into Mallaig at approximately 0940.  Stepped into this picturesque fishing village  which was quiet and quaint.  From here Carrie was on a mission to find scones.  We finally located a little 'cafe'/tea house that had some.  So we ordered them but they tragically served them with jam and butter NOT cream.  Horrified Carrie just sucked it up and order...

A bit of a lazy day today.    We got up and checked out of Fawlty Towers after a quick breakfast (avoiding the mouldy bread at the toast station). We went and found a coffee after checkout at a nice little local coffee shop and then headed up the hill of winding streets to see the view from McCaigs tower.     From here you can see right across the bay and see the different islands that make up the Inner Hebrides. McCaigs Tower was built in 1897 by a local banker (McCaig) the aim of the tower was to provide work for the local stonemasons and a lasting monument to the McCaig Tower.     Obans very own colusseum. It was a nice morning up there and a good spot for a few photos. After McCaigs tower we headed north for Fort William.  This was only a short drive but a lot of beautiful scenery along the way.  Another tough day at the office for us.  I suspect there will be no shortage of nice scenery over the next week or so. We arrived...

We had a lovely slow start this morning. Another nice breakfast in the hotel and then back up to the room to pack up our stuff.  Our hotel room has been lovely in Glasgow but we have had washing drying everywhere for the last two nights. We did put it through the dryer for an hour the other night but it still wasn't quite dry.  So we have literally had clothes hanging off every surface including lamp shades. We went and grabbed Bonnie (the wee car) from the carpark around the corner and then drove back to hotel to throw Carrie out of the car to get the bags and then do a "blockie" and feigning innocence when cheating a turn somewhere. After a few wrong turns trying to get us back on the motorway, we did a U-turn in the Tesco carpark and we were on our way. Off on the road to Doune Castle (Castle Leoch for the Outlander fans). The castle also features in Monty Pyhton and the Holy Grail. After a very tiny little left turn which required a 3 point manoeuvre, we arrived at Do...