We did get to Kintail. Glen Shiel in the rain is dramatic and atmospheric, the river throws itself over the rocks towards Loch Duich while the slopes of the Five Sisters seem to rise vertically into the 200m cloud base. Dammit.
Still, got what I needed and then we had the rest of the day to fanny about and fannying about up there in the rain means heading for shelter, Eilean Donan Castle has plenty of shelter.
I hadn’t been inside the castle for years, but remembered it as being good, turns out it was gooder than that. Holly was in her element, into instant Disney Princess mode with every room full of stuff to fuel the dream.
There was a young fella on duty inside, he had a great manner helping folks with the displays and explanations without being intrusive at all (he should be cloned and spread around all Scottish tourist destinations), he also had a spider glove to scare the kids for Halloween so he and Holly hit it off right away and the wee charmer got us into a closed off area up a flight of spiral stairs to see a little princess bedroom with a window high above the loch, all very Rapunzel.
The old kitchens were great, Joycee took great interest in the old recipe books and by the time we left it was dinner time. The cafe was shut, the Kintail Lodge didn’t have a chef for an hour and the Cluanie, ach, couldn’t be arsed. Hmm, I’ll have a mountain McDonalds said the voice from the back, all that way and we ended up under the golden arches of doom in Ft Bill.
I have been singing the same old song since I got back though, this week I’ve been reverting to type, it’s early winter, I’m needing to get stuff done so of course it’s yet another delve into the fun world of coughs, sneezes, chest infections and temperatures. Four days on the couch and I’m not even frustrated by it, just burst.
Have discovered the joys of online gaming though, racing with either local insomniacs or folk of foreign time zones. Turns out that competing against real people is mostly about being knocked out of the way rather than employing any actual handling skill so it’s a bit shite.
The view oot the windae is the same with the new camera. Yay.
I’ve abandoned playing Forza 4 online for that very same reason – I’d rather race intelligent AI!!
Aye, every smooth overtake is rewarded by t-bone collision at the next turn.
Winning by just driving seems to really rile folk too, after any win it’s like you’ve had a price put on your head.
Ah the good old Cluanie curtain. I remember it well. That’s one trip I’m not jealous of. :o)
Kintail in the rain aint my idea of fun. Wus thinking of the Kintail Lodge for a few days as they have some deals on. Not many walks for the husk though & I’d just get rat a**ed in the bar if it was tipping down.
The Kintail Lodge always seem like a friendly bunch, not a bad place to weather the storm.
Not many walks that aren’t lung busters around there, the Falls of Glomach maybe? I did a trip into the small hills above Dornie a couple of years back and it was brilliant, nice track a lot of the way and although I did a loop back over some tops it’s possible to a big loop back to Dornie and I’ve always wanted to go back and do that.
I should have rememberd that while I was up there. Ach.