Today's excursion took us for a trip on the Jacobite train, an 84-mile round trip between Fort William and Mallaig in Scotland, famous as the real-life Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter films. As we left Port William, we were concerned that we'd miss a lot of the Highlands scenery because it was foggy and raining. In fact much of the journey to Mallaig was shrouded in rain and fog. But by the time we arrived there, the rain had stopped and the skies had brightened. We spent 2 hours in Mallaig browsing the shops
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| Glenfinnan aqueduct |
until the train started on its return trip to Fort William. That was much more rewarding. The moors and mountains of the Highlands now revealed themselves. We were able to get a better view of the Glenfinnan aqueduct over which we had traveled as well. And I learned what the copper colored plants were that covered the landscape: bracken. Bracken are ferns that
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| See the hiker on the knoll? |
spread aggressively. As fall advances, the ferns die back and take on that copper color. It's truly everywhere.
Back at Fort William, we retired to our (not crazy) hotel and then went to dinner at a local restaurant. It seems that every Scottish restaurant serves the same stuff: fish and chips, burgers and pizza. There are a few other choices, (I had sea bass for dinner) but those 3 are ubiquitous.
Another thing of note: pay toilets are popular here. God help you if you REALLY need to use a rest room and don't have change. (That happened to me. )
Photos here
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