12 Hours in the Scottish Highlands

As parenting without the built-in breaks of school and outside activities for the kids seemed like it would be a wee bit tiring, Jeremy and I made a plan that each of us will take one day a week “off”, in other words entirely by ourselves.  While we were staying in Achnacarry in the Scottish Highlands, I availed myself of this opportunity and left the clan behind.  36 hours would be too much to ask of Jeremy, so in this post I introduce the “12 hours” series, with apologies to the New York Times.

1. 6 a.m. Arkaig Lodge

Jeremy found a stunning Airbnb property on Loch Lochy, immediately across the street from the placarded site of WWII British Commando shore landing training.  The lakeside here reportedly figured prominently in the preparation for the D-Day landings, including “live fire” training, in which officers fire actual weapons (with ammunition) at the trainees while they are doing whatever it is they are supposed to be learning.  Here, marksmanship is put to an interesting test as the shooters’ goal is to miss the target. 

All of that history, however, does not get in the way of a peaceful morning view of the loch. Nothing like a home-made bowl of overnight oats (ahem, overnight Scottish porridge that is) to start a busy day.  And best to get out while the gettin’s good, i.e. before everybody else wakes up.  Perhaps more important, the road from Arkaig Lodge into town, a two-way road that is one car wide, will have very little traffic at this time of day.

• 7 a.m. Fort William

By some accounts the outdoors capital of the UK, Fort William is the takeoff point for the Great Glen Way, a 78-mile long distance trek along the shores of Loch Lochy and Loch Ness, as well as the assault on Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the UK, and other local “Munros” (Scottish peaks over 3000 feet, named for Sir Hugh Munro, who created the first catalog in 1891, ushering in the modern era of “peak bagging” according to Wikipedia) .  What it lacks in fine dining Fort William makes up for in outdoor gear stores, at least compared with the rest of the UK.

• 7:30 a.m. Glen Nevis visitor centre

It is highly recommended that the hiker stop at this outpost at the trailhead of the main routes up Ben Nevis prior to a summit attempt.  Everything I read on the topic of summiting was quite apocalyptic, with warnings about sudden changes in weather, falling into a gorge in dense fog, losing the path, death to the inexperienced, etc.  A brief chat with staff at the visitor centre, which sells maps, hiking poles, survival tarps, and the like will supposedly prevent any of these mishaps, however it doesn’t open until 9 a.m., so I’m out of luck.  There is a handy bathroom, however, that is open 24/7.

• 10:30 a.m. Ben Nevis

Dire warnings about the hike prove false, at least in picture-perfect sunny July weather. Weather seems to be the main concern here, as pea-soup fog can apparently roll in at a moment’s notice and make visibility very poor, but I must attribute at least some of the published anxiety about this trail to the writings of a country in which the highest peak is 4,413 feet.  That’s thousands of feet lower than our house in Truckee, for comparison. Reports of scree and the need for scrambling are unfounded.  However, the trailhead is essentially at sea level, so it makes for a lot of vertical in one day.  The summit features 360 degree views of the Scottish highlands along with a ruined observatory, meteorologic station, and erstwhile hotel/teahouse.

• 12:30 p.m. Glen Nevis visitor centre

I dodge the impulse to purchase an “I hiked Ben Nevis” t-shirt and peruse the array of safety equipment I no doubt would have been convinced to buy had the visitor centre been open prior to my assault on the peak.  After a picnic lunch, I relax in the trunk of our Mercedes van for a couple of hours of uninterrupted reading, truly a luxury.

• 3:30 p.m. Inverlochy Castle

What better way to celebrate a painless and quick ascent of the UK’s highest peak than afternoon tea? A quick Google search for “best afternoon tea in Fort William” pointed me in the direction of this lovely place, a typical case of a stately home that’s been turned into a boutique hotel, but I wasn’t prepared for just how beautiful and tranquil it is.

I later found out that the castle happens to be one of the entries in “1000 Places to See Before You Die”.  Tea did not disappoint, and I had a fruitful conversation with a very friendly couple from Melbourne about the best way to see Australia with a large family over the course of one month (coming Christmas 2020!).

• 6 p.m. Arkaig Lodge

Not that I really need dinner at this point, but I made it home in time to eat with the family, in this case leftovers.  No cooking on my day off!