2nd day: Sun 3/10/10 Glencoe & Fort William

Glencoe Lochan, the jaw dropping view, it was heart stopping beauty

          
                                             Around the Glencoe Lochan. Lochan means small lake, but it is not small at all.

                                         Quaint Glencoe Village

On top of Aonach Mor mountain, overlook Loch Eil and Loch Linhe

Northern shoulder of Ben Nevis

It was raining of course. Got a cab instead of walking. Hop into the earliest bus to Glencoe. I have bought an Explorer pass for GBP35 which allows me to travel 3 out of 5 days free. It saved me a lot of money. I overslept and I got off at Ballachulish instead. Despite telling the driver to give me a shout when arrived at destination, he forgot to alert me. Is really a nightmare to get off at a small town. The tourist office is not open and as I fumbled through the bus schedule, another bus from opposite direction just passed by. That was the bus I supposed to catch to go to Glencoe. The next bus would be an hour later. So I walked in the rain with an umbrella and my backpack. The scenery was great and because of my winter jacket and good gloves, I could tolerate the cold. My initial destination was Glencoe Tourist Information office but once I reached Glencoe Village, I was too lazy to walk further to the office which is probably a mile away. Instead, I explored the Glencoe Village and found much joy and unexpected beauty awaiting. I did not have much time to survey the Highlands but the West Highlands are full of surprises and beautiful landscape 360 degree. The village is lined alongside the road by scenic cottages and B&B. There is a folk museum but was closed. This is also the site of Massacre of Glencoe whereby the Macdonald clan was murdered. Found the monument that was erected for memory of the victims. Across the bridge is lovely trails to track along the River Coe. I tried one of the easiest trail that brought me to the pristine beauty of Glencoe Lochan. It is such a beautiful sight that simply took my breath away. The first thing I thought of is OMG. I walked around the lake while munching my lunch. The view is simply beyond words. Later I found out that this view was used as a background for Hagrid's hut in Harry Potter. This lake was built by Donald Smith for his wife Isabella, a native Canadian to help to curb her homesickness.


After Glencoe, I tried to catch a bus to Fort William. I was ambitious and wanted to visit Aonach Mor in Fort William. However, the funny part about Fort William is there is not bus counter and the tourist information is in the town center so one has to walk to the town just to get some information about the bus. I circled the bus stop and Morrison's shopping centre 2-3 x just to find out that piece of information. But with God's grace, I managed to hop into a 1pm bus to Nevis range in Aonach Mor (8th highest mountain in UK, 4006 ft). Paid GBP10.50 for entrance and gondola ride . The view on top is another heart stopping experience. Although cold and very windy, I hiked for 1 hour with my good rucksack on my back. Each hiking trail was rewarding with a breathtaking view especially the 40minute hike that presents the northern shoulder of Ben Nevis (highest mountain in UK, 4406 ft) and expansive view of Loch Eil and Loch Linhe. Ben means mountain and Loch means lake. Met a lot of Indian tourists here, probably from the same tour group. I timed my hiking so that I can catch the last bus back to Fort William. Shopped in Morrisons for food and ate a sumptuous dinner. Stayed in Fort William Backpackers Hostel which is uphill. I was quite out of breath due to steep climb. It is one of the top ten hostels in UK with free flow of milk, cocoa, tea and coffee. But internet is 80 p per half hour :( 
It is not the cheapest hostel though I am glad to meet a new friend here the next day. Veronica, from Poland is a very nice girl who was working in a remote part in northern Scotland and is going back to her hometown for good next week. The same night, I attended a Baptist church just a minute walk from the hostel. The sermon was inspiring and I did not day dream as much as I usually do. I met Jean, Martha and Tony. The folks are warm and friendly. Tony worked in Malaysia in the 90s for a couple of years and able to converse in simple Malay. And he loves the people and food in Malaysia. He particularly like Bak Kut Teh and cili padi. It was an amazing experience and I felt so blessed to have meet new friends along the way.