Thursday, August 23, 2012

Climbing Ben Nevis

How to get there: drive to Edinburgh and then take the ring road towards Glasgow. On the M9 exit at junction 10 to Stirling (good services with free WiFi). Take the A85, then A84 and then A82 to Fort William.
How long: four and a half hours
How about the hike: it took 3 hours to the top with some rests. The bottom is most challenging as the path is not even. the upper part of the path is good and well marked, although the part across the scree at the top is less distinctive.
At the top: the views must be magnificent on a clear day
On the way down: there is a nice pub at the bottom called the Ben Nevis Inn
Overall: would be great to do again on a clear day and could easily be a whole day activity.











Extra: saw the attempted lighting of the Para Olympic flame at the top - the scouts were having some difficulty...
The drive along the A82 is magnificent - see the last three photos.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Visiting Aunty Jean

We set off at 10am and arrived about 11:15am. Andrew was doing a bit of gardening, and after a cup of coffee we went out for lunch at a nice Italian restaurant at the Marina.

Andrew went off the the Hartlepool vs Swindon (0-0) and I went back to the Marina to have a look around.

The area has been redeveloped and there is a large Marina and various apartments that have good sea views.










We left at about 4:30 and enjoyed a nice drive home in the a beautiful summer evening. 

Sunday, August 05, 2012