Robert Hampton

Another visitor! Stay a while… stay forever!

18th September 2013

The Restaurants at the End of The Universe (Part 1)
Posted by at 10.15pm | Out and About | 4 responses

The next morning Ian and I found ourselves on yet another train. ScotRail (bless their thermal socks) offer a Highland Rover ticket, providing unlimited travel on the lines around Fort William and Inverness for 4 days in any consecutive 8, and it’s a bargain at just £81.50. You can even buy it online. We weren’t actually going to get 4 days’ worth of use out of it, but we managed to get great value from the ticket regardless.

Head north from Fort William and you will eventually reach Mallaig. It isn’t a long journey (about 1 hour 20 minutes) and there’s plenty of views to be seen from the window:

View from the train

Ah, right. On Wednesday the weather took a turn for the inclement, a shame as the scenery on this section is perhaps even more spectacular than that south of Fort William. Ian and I were, in any event, distracted by a man sitting near us, who spent a significant chunk of the journey with his right hand firmly inside the waistband of his tracksuit bottoms. Never quite understood why men feel the need to do that – actually, I can well understand the need, but in public?

Mallaig station

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12th June 2010

The Englishman who went up a mountain and came down a mountain
Posted by at 4.46pm | Out and About | 1 response
Ordance Survey Map of Knoydart
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.

Before visiting Knoydart, the idea of heading straight up a mountain would have horrified me. Check out that map! Look how close together the contour lines are! I remember school geography lessons – that means it’s steep.

When Nuno first suggested ascending Sgurr Coire Choinnichean, I will admit I felt a small shiver of anticipation. However, three days into my Scottish adventure, I was in the mood to try just about anything. We’d walked to Folach falls the day before, and I felt fully ready for something more challenging.

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9th June 2010

Pride Comes Before the Falls
Posted by at 8.05pm | Out and About | No responses

Walks around Knoydart

Knoydart is an excellent place for walkers, hikers and Munro baggers to explore. Once the confines of Inverie are left behind, you are soon in wild country with the only signs of civilisation being a few dirt tracks used by the rangers, and the occasional deer control fence.

Deer Control Point

The Knoydart Foundation had helpfully supplied a leaflet showing some of the walks available from Inverie. The Folach Waterfalls, at a “moderate” seven and a half miles return, seemed like a decent way to spend an afternoon (i.e. the picture in the leaflet looked good) so Nuno and I set off, armed with sandwiches, water and sundry snacks.

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4th June 2010

Inverie good condition
Posted by at 7.57pm | Out and About | No responses

For someone like me, used to the Mersey Ferry, the Knoydart Ferry is something of a contrast. I’d guess it has a capacity of about 40 or so, and we climbed aboard via a flight of steps from the pier at Mallaig.

"MV Western Isles" ferry

We had to travel in by ferry as the peninsula of Knoydart is completely inaccessible by road. The only way to reach it is by boat or, for the brave, a 16 mile walk. Perhaps that’s why it is described as “Britain’s last wilderness”.

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