| Our plan was simple - get up early, grab breakfast, fill the rental car with gas and head out to Fort
William. It was all going according to plan until we wanted to fill the car. The first two gas stations that the GPS pointed us to did not exist.
We found one on the third try. Getting out of Edinburgh proved to be a much harder task. With all the construction and roads being closed, we
completely flustered the GPS and got very frustrated ourselves. Only by some lucky, unplanned turns were we able to make it out.
Our first destination
was Stirling Castle. It is about an hour
from Edinburgh and was built by the Stewarts.
King James made the largest number of improvements
and it remained the heart of Stewart power
for decades. This is a smaller castle than
Edinburgh but still has very impressive
fore works and a dominating view of the
valley. We couldn't go into the palace apartments
because they were under restoration. We
were able to see the massive great hall
with it's hammered beams and the simple
chapel with richly embroidered tapestries
hanging on the walls. We ate lunch there
and then continued on our way.
The GPS pointed us north
and we next stopped at the visitor center
at the southern tip of Loch Lomond. Loch
Lomond and the Trossachs are part of the
national park system and provided our first
introduction to the glens and mountains
of the Scottish Highlands. We drove along
Loch Lomond for a while and then turned
into the rolling countryside. It was raining
by that time and the clouds dropped low
on the mountains. It was a beautiful drive
and the greenery was vivid and alive all
around us.
On we drove rolling through
the glens. At times, the road paralleled
the Great Glen walk which is one of the
national trails that run for hundreds of
miles. Finally we arrived at Fort William
alongside Loch Linnhe. It's a small town
with a hiking and biking pedigree. A perfect
base camp for the next few days.
Hotel: Alexandra Hotel
Restaurant(s): Indian Garden (Indian)
Attractions: Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond
and the Trossachs National Park, Glencoe
area
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