Fort William

I'm back from my holiday in the Highlands and it was great! Except for the fact that the car broke down on the way back and I needed to get towed for the remaining fifty miles back home. But ah well. Waiting for one and a half hours on the M9 is a lot less interesting than some people think.

The scenery was beautiful. When I looked at Ben Nevis (which I've been to the top of before, actually), I was fully aware that this was the biggest thing I'd ever seen, excepting obvious technicalites like the Earth, stars, and Michael Winner's nose. Mount Everest is approximately seven times taller and when I tried to imagine that, my brain just waved a little white flag and made me notice that there was a cloud that looked exactly like a platypus (I swear).

I stayed at the Ben Nevis hotel and Leisure Centre. It was OK, but there was no shower, the wardrobe wouldn't open, the Games room was 'out of order' (or so the sign claimed), and the other tenants looked like shuffling zombies at breakfast time. But I expect that couldn't be helped.

The real point of the trip was to the scenery. Look at the mountains. Breathe that clean air (which was remarkably short of midgies to my delight). I went on a steam train ride from Fort William to Mallaig, rode over the Glenfinnian Viaduct (which Harry Potter fans will know was a filming location for at least two of the films. The train I was in was actually the one used for the 'Hogwarts Express' too.) and went on a boat cruise to see a small rocky island covered in seals. I also went to an Indian restaurant in Aberfeldy which I must recommend!

Anyway, I'm back now, and I'm going to be getting on with the new code as soon as possible. Ciao!