My Summer of 2023

Chapter 15, Saying Goodbye to the Scottish Highlands

Those darn persistent Scottish Mists.

Although the last day of our Highlands trip began as a bright sunny day, mists overtook it, reverting back to a usual heavy cloud filled day. From my point of view, however, that was not a bad thing when compared to what was happening back home in Phoenix, where the persistent sunshine of summer and incredibly hot temperatures were baking those who had not escaped the heat.

I was quite happy to be in Scotland. And knowing, that in mere days, I would be on my way back to that oven-baked environment allowed me to fully appreciate these last few days of cool relief in Scotland.

Leaving the Isle of Skye, we stopped to explore around and upon the old stone bridge crossing the River Sligachan on our way to the Eilean Donan Castle. This castle is intact and open to the public – for a fee, which none of cared to do. It was a lovely setting however where colorful kayaks were seen emerging from beneath the stone bridge that connected the castle to the mainland.

Before reaching Fort William for our lunch stop, we briefly stopped at the Commando Memorial, a place where the WWII British war commandos trained in the UK’s fight against the Nazis. Many other tributes have also been added by other soldiers’ families to commemorate their military service. In its pastural setting, the memorial is a fitting location.

Fort William was a quaint, peaceful place where many visitors strode about on its main brick paved pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants. A bite to eat there and it was on to our return to Edinburgh.

Along the way, Des filled us in with more of Scotland’s history, including feuding clans, wars and even massacres. It had to have been a tough life for those early Scots, eking out a living in a not so hospitable environment. Time and progress, however, have quelched the feuds and allowed everyone to live peacefully and productively on this land.

One more stop along the way, and we witnessed a helicopter fly in and land across the river from where we stood. Signs in the area forbid any entry to the other side of the river. Initially it appeared to be a rescue operation, as many hikers do go exploring in the surrounding mountains. However, in reading a sign more closely, I found the copter was being used to haul stone and other materials up onto some hiking trails for repairs. As we watched the copter take off it was soon dwarfed by the mountains, disappearing from sight into the mists, although its sound still reverberated long after it was out of sight.

Along our return to Edinburgh, Des and I chatted, he asking me about my plans. I told him that once back in Edinburgh, Graham and Maralyn were to meet me at a tram station several miles west of the city. When I told him they lived in Torrance, he informed me that we would be going nearby and that I should contact them to meet me at a fueling stop along the highway where we would be traveling. That offer was a major time saver for my hosts and me. I would not need to catch a tram to the designated stop, nor would they need to drive closer to Edinburgh to pick me up. And so, the plan was altered for everyone’s benefit and I was able to have a much shorter day as a result.

Exiting the highway into the fuel stop, Graham and Maralyn, were there awaiting my arrival. With some quick goodbyes to my fellow travelers, we were soon on our way back to my host’s home in Torrance, cutting off several additional hours of travel.

Click on photos below to enlarge:

This was August 23 and my departure from Scotland was on August 26. Allowing me two more days to further explore around Torrance and Glasgow.

We made the best of my remaining time over the next few days.