Caledonian Canal & Jacobite Express

Meals are lovely at hotel - breakfasts all set out to choose from hot & cold selection. 3 course dinners in separate room. Lots of other guests - lots of walkers. Group very friendly. Older unwell couple who are helped by Kate & other English couples. The Dutch couples keep very much to themselves & don't want to be included in group! Couples - Fran & Rick - from Denistone; Mary & Philip from Buderim & daughtet Anne from Toowoomba; Joy & Denis from Newcastle; Helen & Ross (R born West Ryde & worked at ANSTO just after W retired) from Melb; Angela & John from Harrow.
Another good day - coach trip to see Neptune's Staircase - set of 8 locks allowing boats to travel from one loch/part of canal to another. Canal 150 miles; 22 locks along it.
We saw Jacobite steam train go past - we on it tomorrow.



Time for wander around Fort William - lunch - then cruise on Loch Linhe to see small colony of seals on Black Rock. We sat outside for a while - freezing cold wind. We both later got a head colds from it!
Next day we rode the Jacobite (Hogwarts) Express. We sat with Joy & Denis in 7th carriage. Warren had perfect seat to get video of train & especially as it went over Glenfiddan Viaduct. 2hr 30 later arrived Mallaig little seaport town. HUGE seagulls!
On way back we stopped to see the 2 steam trains cross over the viaduct withing 4 mins of each other. Stoid in the rain - the things you do!!!
We later drove through the glens of Glencoe - just beautiful ( hills, dales sheep, lambs waterfalls ). We were lucky to be on the right side with sunshine all the way, we stopped briefly at their 1st ski field (1952) before driving back - rain, cold dull.
Later in day it fined up & sunshine till 9.30pm!






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