Europe 2023 August 21st Day 18 - Aberlour to Fort William

 Awake at 4.40am this morning and then back to sleep after a short while before the alarm went off at seven. Up and ready for breakfast downstairs at 8am and a small breakfast this morning, only egg, bacon, sausage, beans, toast, black pudding and fried bread? , Lord help me I'll be the size of a truck by the end of this trip 😂 Jane just had the light pancakes as not feeling well again.

Went back upstairs to pack and damn 🤬 the zip on my peak design camera sling broke; no repairing this quickly. This is its third Overseas trip so been pretty good so far. Will have to check the lifetime warranty when I get back.

Off we headed in the Italian stallion towards Cullen as recommended by Andrew and as we drove out of town what should be a major employer in Aberlour other than Walkers shortbread. Cullen was a pretty seaside village with a small harbour, great cottages/buildings and a fantastic viaduct. We got there at low tide which was beautiful and well worth the visit if in the area.

 Then onto Inverness. Had to stop at Elgin on the way for water and hydralytes for Jane; still think it's the leftover effects from the Indian in London. After three goes trying to get into Tesco we finally made it and made our purchases ( including more jelly babies, god they are good) including a toilet brush for Andrews place in Larbert as in dire need of one at the moment. 😂😇

Of course the pack of six water bottles ended up being sparkling, not still as requested and then EVEN with the warning about the effervescent electrolyte tablets , an explosion occurred in the Italian stallion when said tablet was put into the sparkling water bottle and more than a few minutes was spent cleaning up the mess. 

From Elgin we continued towards Inverness passing the Baxter's factory and many fields of newly bailed hay, which has been a lovely sight in these northern parts of Scotland.

When we got to Inverness the first port of call was to find a cheap replacement camera bag for me . Got a reasonable one at Mountain Warehouse for £25 and then on to look around the city. Walked along the river front looking at all the gorgeous buildings and stopped for a coffee for me,  tea and icecream for Jane, who was feeling a bit better/ stable. Crossed the river on another old iron suspension bridge (seems to be the rage in Scotland if you need to cross a river ), had look around a whisky and fudge shops and into a beautiful old market building that had been resurrected and converted into an arcade of small shops and a food court. 

Left Inverness in the direction of our overnight destination Fort William. This took us alongside Loch Ness and via Fort Augustus. The weather was damp , grey and overcast ( as expected of a Scottish summer) and got few decent photos due to the conditions. 

Fort Augustus is unique for having a series of locks, part of the Caledonia Canal built in 1804 that is 60 miles long and connects the North and Irish seas. These locks at Fort Augustus link Loch Ness with the River Oich. 

Onward then to Fort William in wet conditions stopping at the Commando Point SAS monument at Spears Bridge and then arriving into a sodden Fort William around 5.30pm.

Staying overnight at the Mathu Fort William Hotel which was not bad at all ( and should be for the ##_$@$ price🤬). Had the local ale as usual with my Chicken Tikka Masala and Jane had the pan fried Sea bass with vegetables. Early night with a Talisker nightcap and hoping for improved weather conditions tomorrow, even though the forecast is not good. 🤞