Having walked for the past several days, riding on the Jacobite Steam Train was a nice change in mode of travel. The train was full of people of all ages and nationalities; we were seated with a couple from London. The kids on board were especially excited about the Harry Potter aspect. The train chugged along, sending bits of cinder in through the open windows, as we crossed the Caledonian Canal and then travelled through pretty countryside. Soon, we approached the Glenfinnan Aqueduct and everyone rushed to one side of the car to see it and take pictures. On we rode, past beautiful lochs and mountains, until to the West, we saw the silhouettes of islands of the Inner Hebrides. The end of the line is the picturesque port town of Mallaig, where we stopped for two hours to wander about, watch fishing boats unload their catch at the harbour, and eat supper (fish and chips, of course!) On the return trip back to Fort William, we were fortunate to see two deer grazing not far from the tracks. We walked from the station back to Myrtlebank Guesthouse and toasted our completion of the West Highland Way. We felt good and it reminded us of completing the Camino de Santiago with Betty.
We awoke on June 27 realizing that we did not have to hike anywhere today if we didn't want to. Back in Canada, when we planned this trek, we thought we would like to climb Ben Nevis on our rest day. But as we lay in bed drinking our first cups of coffee and looking out over the glassy Loch Linnhe, we both knew that was not going to happen. I think we knew it yesterday when we stopped at the Ben Nevis trailhead for a cold drink and saw the hikers returning from their sweaty trek up and down the treeless mountain in the blazing sun.
Today would be a day for laundry, exploring, shopping, reading, and picnics in The Parade (Fort William's Central Park). Even so we still managed to clock more than 14 kms.
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