GGW Day 4

Invermoriston - Drumnadrochit (14 miles)

No easing into this day. A very steep climb up and up first thing to get the juices flowing. A great payoff as always though with a panorama of Loch Ness and the surrounding hills, complete with a natural stone seat to rest on.



After a quick decent, we joined a forest road for more climbing. Zigzagging to and fro up the hills proved to be a hell of a workout.



But at various points we treated ourselves to a wee rest and admired the view. Or posed for pictures.



After a stroll through woodland, we then hit mercifully flatter terrain through a series of old farmhouses then ruggedly beautiful moorland awash with heather.



A few miles on, we began the decent to the town of Drumnadrochit (on my Top Most Scottish-Sounding Places list, beaten only by Auchenshuggle). Had a great post-walk day here. Great dinner at Fiddlers (which was also our B&B, run by a bloke who knew his whisky), and pints at this pub off the beaten track with the locals. We were convinced to stay for the pub quiz, and were convincingly beaten by every other team. The quizmaster even gave us prizes for being so bad. All this, plus a pre-dinner visit to Castle Urquhart which was just down the road. Good times all around!

GGW Day 3

Fort Augustus - Invermoriston (8 miles)

Something a bit more leisurely on this day, walking along a forest road with some killer views of Loch Ness.





It took just over 4 hours to get to our destination of Invermoriston, so we had some time to explore the village that afternoon. An old bridge built by Thomas Telford in the early 1800's (he built over 120 in the Highlands alone) was especially picturesque.



Our accommodation was fabulous - Lann Dearg Studios - which provided studio apartments with great views (the photo below taken from our window). After three solid days of walking and eating from pubs, it was nice to have a simple meal of pasta and a couple of beers (I much enjoyed my Aviemore Sheepshaggers Gold).



On an unrelated note...
The Weezer show was great. A total love-in from a great crowd. The band might never produce another Blue Album, but the live experience shows they are still one of the best. They seemingly enjoyed it as well!

'Tis The Season

The concert season is finally heating up after a bit of a slow few months (with the notable exception of the Teenage Fanclub gig a few months ago - great tunes, love the harmonies, and great new album).

The line up for T in the Park is now complete. Can't say I was as excited about it as previous years at first, but looking at the line-up in its entirity I'm certainly excited now. Keane, The Killers, The Coral, Doves, James Brown (good gawd!), Super Furries, Travis, Athlete, Bloc Party, The Dears and Art Brut are my initial picks - but lots of potential wildcards.

Have also booked two shows for T on the Fringe, The Pixes with Teenage Fanclub and Idlewild as well as a great double-bill featuring Franz Ferdinand and Arcade Fire.

And this Friday marks my first time seeing the mighty Weezer in concert. But at what a cost! I had to give up seeing Buck 65 at King Tut's the same night....

GGW Day 2

Gairlochy - Fort Augustus (23 miles)

We started the day off with a walk along the banks of Loch Lochy. It was one of those Scottish mornings where the mist and fog hangs over the hills to create that quintessential celtic atmosphere. The vividness of colour in the forests, especially along the Kilfinnan Wood section, was something straight out of Tolkien.





Near the north end of the loch lies Kilfinnan Farm. Perched right on the loch-shore, under the towering hills, and surrounded by lush farmland, it was a pure delight to behold.



After crossing the Laggan Locks, we followed the stretch of canal which connects Loch Lochy to Oich. From here the path follows a dismantled railway line right along the banks of the loch. The weather earlier this year had been quite volatile, and could be witnessed along this stretch as many sections of the track had been covered by landslides. It was melancholic following the old railway line as we could see the bridges, tunnels and old houses train staff would have used now all abandoned and never to be used again. We never met a single person on this stretch.



We rejoined the canal at the north bank of Loch Oich, and finished the day at Fort Augustus located on the southern bank of Loch Ness.



A long day and very tiring, but entirely rewarding. Every imaginable bit of terrain over 9-10 hours. The pub that night, coal fire and home brew, was most enjoyable.

GGW Day 1

Fort William - Gairlochy (11 Miles)

The day began with a trip from Glasgow to Fort William on the always spectacular West Highland rail line. From the starting obelisk at Fort William, we quickly came to the 13th-century built Inverlochy Castle.



The first few miles weren't of much note, but did provide great views of Ben Nevis.



The majority of our first day followed the Caledonia Canal. The canal, completed in 1822, connects Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Loch Lochy thus permitting water travel from Fort William to Inverness. There are a total of 29 locks in all, and the first we came across was one of the more impressive. Neptune's Staircase - a series of eight locks in total, large enough to accommodate sea vessels.



We spent our first night in the town of Gairlochy, located right on the south bank of the magnificent Loch Lochy. We took it easy that night as our biggest day was to be the next!

Canadian Invasion

Amazing how fast 12 days flies by! Had a great visit with my Dad, brothers Ian and Cam and their girlfriends Amy and Britney. Everybody managed to cover an awful lot in a short space of time on their respective adventures. I personally managed a trip up to Loch Lomond, a few days on Mull and Iona with Dad, a day in the pubs of Glasgow and a brilliant wee BBQ chez the Scottish Wilson's. These were all great book-ends to the main event:



The Great Glen Way! Dad, Cam, Fiona and I covered the 74-mile journey over a five day period. Every type of conceivable weather was thrown at us, and the terrain was quite tough at times. But at all times the view was spectacular as were the pints at the end of the day. Shall post some pics from each of the days over the next little while.

Joining the Ranks Of Their Databanks

My last few days of work before my two-week holiday brought me an unexpected surprise. I was presented with my passport and at long last a full set of documentation allowing me to officially live and work in the UK.

I have to say that the whole experience was much more involved and time-consuming than I ever would have expected. Given the Commonwealth relationship between Canada and the UK, as well as the fact that the Scottish Parliament has repeatedly stated they are very keen to have people base themselves in Scotland (due to a diminishing population and skilled labour shortage), I would have thought getting the paperwork would be somewhat of a formality.

But there have been many tense moments where I thought it wasn't going to work out. There was some concern over whether or not I would qualify for a work visa. Legally, my employer had to repost my job to ensure there was nobody local that was qualified. After qualifying for a work visa, the system was changed so that a working visa no longer automatically meant you had the right to stay or even enter the country (leave to remain) thus requiring another application. I had to really make my case to get back into the country after my Christmas return to Canada. There was a good month where both myself and my employer determined that it would be necessary for me to sit at home, not legally allowed to work despite a work visa, pending my leave to remain application (luckily we found an exception for my particular visa). At all times, the spectre of being rejected by the Home Office lurked. I had heard many stories where an applicant would be rejected and forced to leave, regardless of how settled they were. And of course, I've been without a passport for months now, already having to pass on two trips outwith the UK.

But it worked out, and I'm incredibly grateful for it. While I still don't have all the same rights as a full British citizen, I can now live my life without a latent fear that it will all suddenly disappear before my very eyes.

I've also put things in perspective. One of my friends is trying to arrange for his Filipino girlfriend to come to the UK, but it has so far proven absolutely impossible. He laments that if it took this much carry-on for a Canadian to work in the UK, what chance do people from Third World nations have? Is it any wonder that people try to buck the system completely and work illegally? When I think about it in these terms, my personal situation really doesn't seem like a bother at all.

Though I can't help but think what comes next? My paperwork is only good for 18 months. If I choose to stay, I'll have to start the process again this time next year...

Anyway, I better get on with things! I have a mini-Canadian invasion coming my way as my Dad, brothers Cam and Ian, and Ian's girlfriend arrive tomorrow morning. A wee tour of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and then the Great Glen Way for five days, then a road trip. Shall be busy but will absolutely brilliant. Many stories and pics to come no doubt.

Hello Sunshine

This past week at work was pretty tough, so this particular weekend was one I was especially looking forward to. Caught a brilliant movie on Friday (The Station Agent), and attended a wedding reception for Alison's sister in a hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond (we took both the High Road and the Low Road in order to get there). Today was a great opportunity to just chill out and enjoy the weather. We've had some gorgeous sunshine the last few days, and you really get the sense that Glaswegians come to life when the weather is good. After all, we don't get the good stuff all the time! The streets and pubs were absolutely heaving full, and everybody seemed to be in an especially good mood.

While the beer gardens were a tempation, I thought the best decision would be to go for a nice long walk through my all-time favourite park: Pollok Park. Home of Pollok House, the Burrell Collection, and a wonderful mix of landscape. And of course, an award winning herd of Heilan Coos!


Through the forests of Pollok


The old mill by the Whitecart


A coo taking it easy

Hadrian's Wall

The 73-mile long Wall was built by the Roman Army back in 122 A.D., nearly 2000 years ago. It was commissioned by Emperor Hadrian to help control movement of people in the British frontier, as well as prevent raids by those ever pesky Scots.

First stop for us was Vindolanda, a Roman fort that has been excavated over the last few decades. You are able to walk amongst the foundations of the buildings and alongside the fort wall. The museum houses many of the fascinating relics found here, including leather shoes, armour and swords, as well as writing tablets containing letters written by soldiers and their families which really brings to life what it was like living in Roman controlled Britian.


Next was a walk alongside the Wall itself. Many stretches of the Wall have disappeared or are seriously damaged after years of erosion and from people who in centuries past would take the stone for their farmhouses and castles (such as Thirlwall). However, in this particular strech, the wall was fully intact and in all its glory. Honestly, it was incredibly thrilling to be able to touch something that was built by the Romans so many years ago. To think how they were able to quarry this much stone, transport it to such a remote place, and still build a wall with such craftsmanship that has been able to stand the test of time. Powerful stuff, and highly recommended.

Thirlwall Castle

I've always been fascinated by medieval history, and one of the joys of living in the UK is that remnants of this era are everywhere. We drove down to Northumberland in Northern England last weekend primarily to see Hadrian's Wall and the Roman settlements. However, during our explorations we saw a sign that directed us towards the town of Greenhead where nearby was to be found a castle built in 1330. Though now a ruin, Thirlwall Castle is a reminder of the unstable period in British history between 1300-1600 (before the Union of the Scottish and English Crowns). The Thirlwall family built their home (from stone found in Hadrian's Wall no less!) to ensure they could fortify themselves against Scottish attacks and to safeguard their possessions against thieves.

This particular day was quite gloomy and sombre, and if nothing else added to the atmosphere of the place. As we approached, a flock of crows burst from the trees and flew directly over the ruin. So very Castlevania!


Approaching Thirlwall Castle


Outside the walls


Inside