Plotting - The Trip
In early January I found out that I had a couple of extra annual leave days, so decided to book a solo trip for during the Spring.
I have been hankering for an adventure holiday, and have close ties with Scotland (my dad being from Glasgow, so my granny lives there, and my best friend too). It is only a short hop over the water from my base (Dublin), and with unbelievable January deals available from Ryanair at just €35, I had booked my 5-day (Friday to Tuesday) getaway without much hesitation.
The Highlands of Scotland are spectacular, often breathtaking and very rugged. I have been camping in Glencoe with my dad as a child and remember it vividly (mostly the midges!). The air is cold and clean, the landscapes endlessly beautiful (Hidden Scotland) and ripe for adventures (I may have fallen, fully-clothed into a stream). I knew a walking holiday would be uplifting, restorative, challenging and really rewarding.
I did some research, bought the Rough Guide to the Highlands and enjoyed a few days of planning my escape from city life. I looked into the charming Aviemore, but found the accommodation was pricey for April (I’m endlessly saving and therefore on a budget) and when I considered the walking routes, it became clear that Fort William would be a great base (although, there are many other fantastic walking spots and Highland trails too).
Fort William is situated in the Western Scottish Highlands, on the shores of Loch Linnhe and is known as a gateway to Ben Nevis. It will be my base to walk out from, but I do plan on visiting the West Highland Museum or Ben Nevis Distillery before I leave the Highlands on Monday evening.
I am staying in a lovely local hotel - The Alexandra which I booked through Booking.com and got a decent single-occupancy deal, including breakfast, but no WIFI (a blessing, I think) for €200 (3 nts.).
Getting from Glasgow to Fort William by train - an epic journey (West Highland Line) was easily planned via Scotrail. You can only book so far in advance (3 mths), so made sure to check as early as possible and get the best rate at the optimum time for my travel arrangements. My fare worked out at £28.40 rtn. I love train journeys, and have traveled around two sides of America by train - so I will relish this experience.
Packing - The Gear
I found many websites that gave lists for packing (Macs Adventure), but I compiled my list from a few of them to suit my needs: My Ethos: Pack Light, but be prepared!
Reading List
Without wanting to weigh myself down, I am bring just one book (ah, the decision to be made!) However, this is a great excuse to read all those articles I save in Pocket and never get around to. My tablet is coming (sort if the antithesis of a nature break, but my travel light policy wins on this one), with the articles downloaded to read offline.
Along my travels I am aiming to, “Leave No Trace” and so have packed and plan on using:
- Keep Cup (The Papercup Cafe - Ironic, I know, do great coffee in the Westend)
- Rresuable Water Bottle & Charcoal Filter - Essential
- Hankies - Also, essential
Planning - The Activities
[Fri: Glasgow Sat: Fort William/ Mallaig Sun & Mon: Fort William Tues: Glasgow/Dublin]
City Day
I am spending Friday in Glasgow and want to make the most of it, without overloading myself with places to see, or things to do. I will check out the recently reopened People’s Palace. It is a must-do for me every time I visit Glasgow, as is Kimbles Chocolate Shop princess square - heaven! I will dander around the city centre before meeting my Granny for a long lunch - with cocktails, location tbc (these are a few of my favourite spots in Glasgow - HillHead Book Club, Brel, Urban Grill.
Then I plan on hitting a few galleries and reading my book somewhere quiet. I will see where the rest of the day takes me. The train to Fort William leaves Glasgow Queen St at 6:20pm, so I will pick up something to eat on the train, and a few perishables (apples & nut butter) for my walking days before getting there in plenty of time.
The sun sets at about 8:15 pm, so I’ll have a couple of hours watching the world outside and enjoying the scenery before it gets dark. I arrive in Fort William at 10:10pm - so plenty of book reading(I have an endless list, but right now I’m reading an epic book on Rivers and podcast-listening - The High Low and Desert Island Discs are steady favourites) time between sunset and arrival.
Walking Days
As for planning my walking routes (I am not an experienced hiker/walker), I looked at different websites (walkinghighlands wildaboutlochaber forestryandlandscotland) - there are soooooo many - but I kept being advertised the AllTrails App and decided to download and see if it was all it cracked up to be. I was quickly able to filter the results based on difficulty, proximity to starting point, length and elevation. There are lots of other tags too (rating, traffic, what to see etc…), but I just stuck to the basics. Here is a useful converter guide.
These are the routes I am considering (websites & the App):
- Neptune’s Staircase and the Canal, Banavie
- River Nevis short walk
- Nevis Range Gondola viewpoint walks
- River Lundie walk, Leanachan Forest
- Crofters Wood (get there by ferry)
- Cow Hill Loop
- Dun Deardail Trail
Mallaig & Glenfinnan Viaduct Train Journey
Mallaig is a picturesque fishing village North-West of Fort William - and to my delight, across the Glenfinnan Viaduct! I have booked my train for 12:15 pm on Saturday afternoon (£14.80 rtn) and plan on spending the day enjoying the sea air, walking around the harbour and village (there is a small heritage centre) and eating some seafood at the Cornerstone restaurant. I might go on the Mallaig Circuit walk, as it is only an hour and a half, to be sure I make my train back to Fort William by 4pm.
Food
Out and About
Nutrition advice for walking/hiking is pretty straight forward - lots of calories, stay hydrated and don’t carry heavy items if you can avoid it (Outdoor Herbivore).
I am taking these items with me:
- Nuts, seeds & dried fruit
- Homemade ‘energy’ bars
- Dark chocolate
- Apples & Nut butter pouch
- Oat biscuits
Dining Out
On the Saturday I will either dine in the Bistro Restaurant at the hotel, or Stables Grill in Fort William. I am treating myself to a good lunch on Saturday (see above), and don’t want to go overboard on the budget for dinner too.
As a really special treat I booked a table at the Lime Tree, Fort William in January. A lovely woman called Vanessa got back to me (turns they will just be opening after the Winter months). I have booked in for Sunday night and was glad to get in early as she said it was one of their busiest time. It is comes highly reviewed and has been described as putting the Outdoor Capital of Scotland on the gastronomic map Lonely Planet Guide - I can’t wait!
I look forward to reporting back on how the trip goes at the end of April!
|
TOTAL COSTS |
|
|
ACCOMMODATION |
€200 |
|
TRANSPORT |
€75 & £57 |
|
GEAR & SUPPLIES |
€130 [I had to buy walking boots etc…] |
|
SPENDS |
€170 |
|
COMBINED |
€505 & £57 |
Over budget by €40 - snacks and extra clothing