Rob-n-Hild Take the High Road!

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Aberdeen - Loch Lomond 428 km (Hild 215, Rob 213) at 6:58 hours. Maximum altitude 647 and average speed 61 km/h.

We got up early in Aberdeen, had breakfast, packed up Percy and went on our way toward Loch Lomond. Well, we decided to take the long route through Inverness, along Loch Ness, and then down to our campsite on Loch Lomond.

It didn't take too long before we (Percy) started climbing into the proper Highlands. We got into the Cairngorms and it was miserable rain and wind. Percy didn't mind. It was spooky with fog on the hillsides.

As we got toward the other side of the Cairngorms, we realized we were happy to be here in the summer. They have proper "brøytestikker" as we call them in Norway: the poles to mark where the road goes when there is too much snow. Of course they need snow here because we also drove past Lecht Ski Centre with multiple downhill ski slopes.

We skipped going into Inverness, and set off driving along Loch Ness instead. There were many places to stop to enjoy the view - and look for Nessie. There were also many places where they had not kept up with the bush-growth so the views were often obstructed.

After a few missed opportunities (picnic spots that flew by), Hild threw Percy into one that was perfect. We could reverse into a space near Loch Ness. We enjoyed a sandwich and a cup of tea.

No matter how hard we tried, Nessie was nowhere to be seen. We figure she is shy and probably only makes an appearance on days with poor weather.

We made a point of stopping in Fort William for a photo-opportunity in honour of Donna and Craig. If we got it right, Craig's family is from Fort William, Scotland - and Donna and Craig used to live in Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada. Thunder Bay used to be split into Port Arthur and, you guessed it, Fort William. What fun. At least an excuse for a stop and a shop for milk.

Fort William is located at the base of Ben Nevis, and along the road to Loch Lomond we saw many dramatic views. It made us think about whether our hike up Ben Lomond tomorrow would look anything like this...

We reached our campsite at Milarrochy Bay. A nice gentleman showed us our pitch - and gave us a couple of options to choose from. It took some time to get the tent up today due to adjustments after Shetland winds... say no more...

Still, there was time for noodle soup dinner with crackers followed by pancakes for dessert. Now time for some work + web page writing. Got to get some sleep before tomorrow's hike up Ben Lomond.

Coming up: Ben Lomond

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