Fort William

Thanks for all your contributions… we do appreciate and enjoy them. For the last three days we have had some company: Chris, Sarah and Sarah’s boyfriend Mike joined us in Glen Nevis. Chris drove the three of them up. Nigel created a useful meals shelter for us all with a tarp tied to two silver birches and walking poles.
Our last paddle was round the coast of Seil on Wednesday. It was like paddling through the Mists of the Dawn of Time: silent, heavy rain; eerie shapes of mountains looming through the mist and herons flapping slowly or making dreadful screechings in the trees. We set off and returned to the tiny eighteenth century Bridge Over the Atlantic.
Note to Sea Kayakers: Oban is a really good centre for this with so many islands around it. There is an excellent sea kayak store: Sea Kayak Oban.com. which runs courses too.
Our plans for the week ahead include 2 dayers: Loch Shiel from Glenfinnan and Loch Nevis from Mallaig.
Kathy

Me, Mike and Chris came up to see dad and Kath on Thursday and left on Sunday. We made really good time getting up here in Chris’s car; it only took just over eight hours to get up to Fort William from South Cave with about four or five stops along the way. Whilst driving we had some really heavy rain, and nearly had to pull over because the window wipers couldn’t move the water off the window fast enough. Thursday night and for most of Friday, it rained; basically none stop. Now though, on Saturday night I’m sat outside with dad’s tiny laptop without needing waterproofs because the weather’s that good. We went up Ben Nevis today. The weather forecast said that we would have light showers and 55mph winds, but it only rained once for less than an hour and the winds definitely weren’t as strong as 55mph. It was a really good day; first time up Ben Nevis for all of us apart from Kath. We talked to lots of people along the way, as we passed them and as they passed us. We kept bumping into some Irish people in particular who asked how Mike was doing with his asthma every time we saw them. Me and Mike were the last ones to get back to the camp site out of all of us (due to injuries and knackered-ness) but we were still within our am of doing it in 8 hours (just). Chris was first back, completing it in 6 hours; Dad and Kath were next back getting back after about 7 and a half hours. I’m getting kicked off here now. bye bye.
Sairah x


Mike here and frozen. Time spent in Scotland with Nigel, Kath, Chris and Sairah, has been a really brill experience, not been camping-camping (music festival don’t count) before and I have enjoy every minute of it. On Friday went to Mull on a ferry had a pint in pub, got wet seen as it only rains in Scotland. Today (Saturday) we all went up Ben Nevis, a hard treck for me not been a out door person, but got to the top and then on the way down got several injuries nothing serious, Me and Sairah were last, completing the treck in 8 hours which was our aim (so not to bad). Finishing now still cold bye bye.
Mike