Day 119 Malliag to Lochailort

 

 Date: Thursday 20^th September 2012   Distance: 18.72 Miles

 

We had an early breakfast at the Premier Inn Dumbarton to catch the train from Dunbarton Central to Mallaig. It would be a long journey of 5 hours. We’d left the car at the Inn after travelling up Wednesday night. Close to Glasgow, the place is near mud flats and huge plugs of rock ideal for hunting birds. Last time we were here we thought we had seen an eagle on the cycle path though this was some years ago. We have got quite blasé about Buzzards and know it wasn’t one.

 

We bought tasty baguettes from Greggs the bakers, noticing that a lot of shops were boarded up, then caught the 9.36 train without the usual panic. Though the driver advised us that most seats in the carriage were booked we found some there so we could keep an eye on the bike. Ours were booked for the other end of the train- a draw back when you buy tickets from home.

 

We were more interested in the view today which even in drizzle was beautiful and there were the occasional deer along the way. A chatty party from the Midlands got on for Fort William immediately replaced by another lot from down south. These had a rep who talked to the whole carriage pointing out the viaduct at Glenfinnan, which we saw and because of the winding route, we also crossed. He gave us some photo postcards. Perhaps they had missed the steam train which runs from Fort William to Mallaig.

 

There was a continual queue for the loos and the refreshment trolley continually blocked the aisle. This must have made it difficult for a larger number of us were quite elderly.

 

Our bakery products from Dunbarton were delicious and then we arrived just after 2 at a less lively Mallaig than last time, as it was a weekday. No harp music today!

We wasted time while I queued at the one ladies loo on the station then we were off on the old Fort William road alongside the sea waving to the steam train as it passed. A mile out and we could ride on the cycle path but traffic had seemed calm and patient anyway.

 

Morar was pretty with the river coming down to the sea loch like rapids. This is all that is left , after taming by hydro-electrics, of the once famous waterfall. There were plenty of dog walkers on the white sandy beach probably because there were places to park.

 

A lone lady golfer was playing on a small hilly course. Further on a small white house looked like it doubled as the golf club. Arisaig Hotel made us coffee and tea and we sat by a huge vase of lilies, taking care to position the cups away from the dropping pollen. It looked like the oldest member of staff had to run all the errands upstairs and down and I felt sorry for her and guilty for requiring her to wait on us!

 

A man who’d been staying there came in, in his Burberry walking gear, to retrieve his luggage. He complimented us on the tandem and said he was going home to London via the sleeper from Fort William, tossing up whether to get there by bus or the train ride that we took. “Haggis and a bottle of wine tonight,” he said.

On the road side as we left Arisaig a large section of vertebrae lay in the long grass. Too big for sheep and most likely deer ,they were picked clean and weathered white, unnoticed by the car drivers though probably killed by one.

 

At one of the viewpoints we stopped to half-heartedly help someone look for glasses lost 2 months before. Then we walked down to the Prince’s Cairn, a small monument commemorating an event on the same date as today- 20th September but in 1746.It is also our Wedding Anniversary.

 

The Cairn marks the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie and his companions embarked and sailed for France and exile. It was on this same loch, Loch nan Uamh, that they had arrived in July 1745. The views were lovely full of islets and promontories and we could see right out to sea for the first time since Mallaig.

 

Along the route we have noticed more fungus, the bright fly agaric, red and white perfect for illustrating children’s fairy stories, earth and puff balls and some that looked like flesh pink sherbert flying saucers. Others looked the texture and colour of suede while another spotted fungi had exploded to appear like a volcano exuding its black centre.

 

It was a very steep climb the last 3 miles but then we had only cycled 19 today at 8.2 miles an hour.

 

Lochailort Inn had a welcoming coal fire. Bob had bottled beer called Terror of Tobermory after the man who ran an anti submarine warfare school in the 2nd world War. I had an unusual lamb curry and broccoli that was very tasty and Bob had a steak reputed to be 8 ounces but was definitely much larger. This was followed by a bread and butter pudding, fairy cake sized, with a hazelnut ice-cream while Bob had a plate of cheese and biscuits to send cholesterol levels sky high and unusually spicy.  The food here is not boring and the chef seems to be a girl just out of school too.

 

A group of deer stalkers came in to warm themselves by the fire, steam rising from their trousers. They were mostly talking about killing squirrels but you could feel the adrenalin and the younger ones were congratulating the older woman for her fortitude. We hope they didn’t actually shoot anything though.