Thursday 25th May 2017

Another day long in the planning. It involved two ferry trips, one rail journey by national rail, and one by preserved steam. And a good two drives on the road between Mallaig and Fort William in the Audi. And then there was Glenfinnan.

So, up even earlier at half six, make coffee, have a shower, get dressed and have breakfast to be on the road at quarter to eight for the four mile drive to the port to board the half past eight ferry to Mallaig.

We joined the queue at the offices at the port just as the ferry arrived, it was a smaller roll on/roll off one to what we rode on on Saturday, but as we had a reserved ticket, our place was spoken for.

We get on the ferry, but with passenger space limited, Jools and I take up a place in the main stairway and wait for casting off. Top deck was full of people crowding at the railings, we were happy looking onto the sound as we pulled away and the mainland got closer. The sea was almost dead calm, and we could see jellyfish floating along as we steamed east.

It was cool, but warming up, so I had just the t shirt on, so was bracing to say the least. We decided to go inside to let others have the view and space we had taken up, and so were privy to a conversation between a dozen excited Italians who were heading home, or somewhere, hard to say really as I don’t speak Italian.

There was no announcement to go back to our cars and coaches, so as we neared the shore, people went down, many itching to be first in their cars, even though we all had to wait in line to get off.

The plan was to rave to Glenfinnan to get a parking place and to snap the Jacobite heading over it before going to Fort William to get our tickets for the return trip, then race back to Mallaig for lunch and onto the train at two.

Jools drove to Glenfinnan, and soon had mastered the many horses under the bonnet in getting past slow cars and buses on the few short stretches of road as we cruised through just stunning scenery.

I mean, words cannot describe how beautiful it is, but in bright sunine it seemed like the technicolour of Oz compared to the grey fog of Wednesday.

We arrive at Glenfinnan and find a parking space with no problems, pay the two quid for all day, then get out to explore. The bis load of Italians arrive, and are queueing to get in the shop to buy souvenirs at ten, almost banging the door down.

We walk over to the monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie, marvel at the colours and light on the loch, then with my thoughts turning to the steam train the THE shot, I walk back to the visitor’s centre then up the steep path to the viewing point, and after surveying the area, decide to venture onto the boggy hillside to a rocky outcrop and wait.

Wait for 46 minutes, no other trains came past, but others came to wait and prepare to take shots. Jools joins me, and so we stand together until at ten to eleven, the first smoke could be seen as the Black 5 puffed over the viaduct.

Glenfinnan is best known now from the flying car scene in Harry Potter, but is well know befre that to railway snappers, and it was something I wanted to take. Instead of using a xoom, I use the 50mm, this getting all the viaduct in as well as the foreground and mountains behind.

And in 30 seconds it was gone, and people begin to drift away too.

We walk back down to the car, me helping an old lady abandoned by her family as they rush up to get their shots. SHe had had a stroke and was quite inform, but Jools and I get her down OK.

Whilst waiting for Tony, we have an ice cream, and how lucky we are to be doing this stuff. Tony comes back, and it is me in the driving seat as we fly to Fort William, passing cars and truck using more horses. Oh my, this is fun. We have an Audi A4 S line, and it is fast. And fun.

Fort William is a proper town and has proper traffic, so it comes as a shock to have to queue at junctions and other places, and all we wanted to do was get to the station and get back to Mallaig.

Twelve fifty each for the tickets, a real bargain, and back to the batmobile, engage all horses and fly back to the coast, again passing slow cars when I could, doing the 43 miles in just over 40 minutes,. Happy with that, but the drive was great.

We park somewhere near the harbour and find a bakery to get some lunch; so focaccia bread and a sausage roll. Not as good as either looked, sadly, but much better was the int in the beer garden at the Steam Inn, and it was hot in the sunshine, not warm. In fact, I think I have caught the sun today.

At two we walk to the station, take up our seats on the train, we have seats on the right side of the train, but in direct sunlight, and it was only the need to keep snapping that kep me there. Jools got too hot and waited in a vestibule where it was cooler.

The line is stunning, and for 30 quid each we got to ride behind a black 5 working hard upo Glenfinnan, then coasting downhill into Fort William, but now with endless blue skies and warm sunshine, it was too much, really.

I get shots out of the window as we cross the viaduct, which is what I wanted, then as we came into Fort William, Ben Nevis was clear of cloud, and its peak glistening with snow.

Most people getting off the train were getting on buses taking them to their next Scottish experience, we, however, we to wait 20 minutes and get the next scheduled service back to Mallaig.

It was cooler, maybe because it was later in the day, but even still we spread out in the carriage, one seat each, in order to cool down and be comfortable.

The ride was quicker, even if it did stop at every station on the way, many must see a handful of passengers a year, but someone must use them.

The tain paused on the viaduct to allow people to take shots, then motors on, passing another DMU going in the other direction, then reaching the summit of the line and coasting to the coast and Mallaig.

I thought we had time to get to the ferry, but the 5 minute walk to the car and then the 2 minute drive to the port elicited the statement from the staff on duty, cutting it fine, aren’t we? I thought not, but we were allowed to take our place in line, and a few minutes later, boarding began.

It was a glorious crossing, with Jools and I in the same place as before, the cool early evening air bringing some relief after the heat of the day.

Back on the island we drive to a hotel by the harbour we had visited a couple of days ago, buy three drinks then sit at a picnic table next to the loch, and supped as the sun began to sink in the west. There was a party of loud upper class toffs nearby, talking about snails, but they leave, and some peace is restored.

Back in the cottage i cook corn on the cub and asparagus to go with the pasta salad and cold aubergine left over from the previous night. We sit in the kitchen eating, with every windown in the building open so to cool down.

Sadly, this was to be the last evening here, as tomorrow we are to drive south, but for now, sitting in the living room watching the sun set and the mountains on the mainland turn pink in the evening light, this is the perfect end to a perfect day.