Day 60 - my last holiday.....
Had a great evening yesterday as I did meet up with George who I'd run with for a while whilst he was competing in the WHW race (and he did successfully complete in a fab time of just over 27 hours) and his support team of Simon and Lizzy. All of them are completely into the ultra-marathons / long distance races and Simon and Lizzy have also finished some of the events I've either taken part in (eg The Terminator) or contemplated (eg Tough Guy). It was great to be able to talk to others on my amazing journey who totally understood the running game. We were still in the pub at chucking out time so this was probably the latest I've got to bed during my whole trip! Raised a total of £60 today.
Decided to have a jog up to the summit of Ben Nevis this morning.....only kidding! Gonna take it easy today and planned to take the scenic journey on The Jocobite Steam Train through the Highlands from Fort William to Mallaig. Unfortunately there was only one bus from the YH down to the town and that had already left so had no choice but to walk the 2 miles. But fortunately, I got the very last train ticket....in first class! The journey was spectacular : past lochs and dramatic mountains. As the train only runs once a day, there were quite a few spectators dotted along the route obviously waiting the arrival. I don't think there is anything quite like the sound, smell and sight of a steam train puffing around the corner. This time I'd remembered to bring my sunnies so that I could hang out the window and get the best views - no worries about getting soot in the eyes, just a bit of a blackened face! The 'highlight' of the trip is the Glenfinnan viaduct - those who have seen the Harry Potter films will recognise it instantly! It's a massive 416 yards long with 21 huge arches 100' off the ground. On the return journey the engine driver kindly slowed down to give everyone the opportunity to hang their cameras out of the window for a snap of the train on the bridge. Beneath was Loch Sheil and the Glenfinnan Monument (this marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard) : the views here are brilliant.
Did you know that 'Nessie' has a cousin? She's called Morag and lives in Loch Morar (the village of Morar incidentally was where Highlander was filmed!).
Approaching Mallaig, the islands of Rhum, Eigg and Skye could easily be seen. Unfortunately it started to rain when we pulled into Mallaig and to be honest, there's not much there. Whilst it is the terminal for the ferry to Skye, all the tourism is centered around the fishing industry so virtually all the shops are fish restaurants....you're fine if you like fish! So I had take-away scampi and chips and loads of it!
On the wildlife front, I saw quite a bit....clearly a noisy clanking train journey is the best way to see it rather than running quietly in the open air! There were baby herring gulls at the railway station, a seal sunning itself on the banks of one of the lochs and in total I spotted 8 red deer including 2 fantastic stags with full sets of antlers just watching the train go by!
After walking back the 2 miles to the YH it was a DIY chilli for tea followed by a full tin of rice pudding....carbo loading in earnest!
The school party has just turned up having all but completed the WHW (they're doing the remaining 2 miles tomorrow like me so I'll have to beat them to the finish sign down in the town centre!) - they're a nice bunch and all credit to them for completing it.
Just 11 days to go until I reach my goal - can't believe it's almost over.