2/3 This second part is a tad photo heavy, so sorry for that!
Glencoe to Mallaig
My brother talked us into taking the train from Fort William to Mallaig as he said it is one of the best rail journeys in Scotland. We drove from Glencoe to Fort William with plenty of time to have a coffee and pastry at the Wildcat Cafe, a vegan cafe that has some delicious vegan pastries and very good coffee, highly recommend it, even for meat eaters like myself.
The train from Fort William to Mallaig Cost - £14.50 Sun 26 March, 12:12 - 13:38 - 1h 26mins
The route from Glencoe to Mallaig.
Fort William
Fort William
The Wildcat Cafe, Fort William.
Fort William
Fort William
I am glad we were talked into taking the train. We first set off past Loch Eil, with great views of Ben Nevis behind us. We then went over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, better known as the viaduct shown in the Harry Potter movies. They made an announcement about it about 2 minutes prior to going over it and then played some Harry Potter music as we went over the viaduct. We then progressed to the west coast of Scotland where we saw the Isle of Eigg for the first time. We got off at the station before Mallaig (Morar) so we could drive up the coast a little, and have a stop at Silversands Beaches. I've always loved Scotland's incredible scenery, so the train trip was well worth it.
Our train to Mallaig.
Our train to Mallaig.
We are off.
Ben Nevis
The Glenfinnan Viaduct
The view as we crossed the Glenfinnan Viaduct
The Glenfinnan Viaduct
The Glenfinnan Viaduct
Views from the train.
Views from the train.
Our first sighting of the Isle of Eigg from the train.
The path to Silversands Beach
Silversands Beach
Silversands Beach
Silversands Beach
Silversands Beach
At Mallaig we checked into The West Highland Hotel for one night as we were meeting Bruce and taking the ferry to Eigg the following morning. We ate at a local restaurant (The Cabin) which was pleasant, and then went back to the hotel lounge to watch England vs Ukraine in the UEFA Euro qualifiers with a couple more beers.
The West Highland Hotel
The West Highland Hotel
The West Highland Hotel
The view from the West Highland Hotel
The view from my hotel room.
The church next to the hotel.
The West Highland Hotel lounge area.
Mallaig to Eigg
We were up early for our ferry to Eigg, and it was a lovely morning to be on a ferry. The water was calm, and thankfully stayed that way for the crossing. We all met at the ferry terminal, and after introductions boarded the ferry to Eigg. The trip was uneventful, and the coffee on board was bad, really bad....
Eigg from the hotel on the morning of the ferry crossing.
Eigg from the hotel on the morning of the ferry crossing.
Eigg from the hotel on the morning of the ferry crossing.
Eigg from the hotel on the morning of the ferry crossing.
Meeting at the ferry terminal.
On board the ferry
Leaving Mallaig.
Mallaig
Views from the crossing.
Views from the crossing.
The Isle of Eigg
Views from the crossing.
After landing we got the island's only taxi, Charlie Galli. CBS did a bit on him a while ago and I think there are other YouTube videos on him. He was an interesting character and I could listen to his stories all day.
We were dropped off at our home for the next 5 days, the Lageorna Guest house and Self Catering cottage. Two of the group stayed in the guest house, and we 3 had the self catering cottage, which was used as the photo workshop base. There are 3 bedrooms there and we drew straws to see who got the en suite bedroom, the large bedroom downstairs and the kids bedroom. As usual, I got the kids' bedroom. We all ate at the restaurant, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food was very good, and they catered for vegetarians.
The view from my bedroom on Eigg
The Lageorna Guest house and Self Catering cottage.
The trip there was a photo trip, so every day we were up at 5am, and trekked down to the 2 main areas we were there to photograph, the beach at the Bay of Laig and Singing Sands Beach.
The road to the beach we took 3 times a day, everyday for 5 days.
We'd be back for lunch, then a lecture from Bruce and back down after dinner for the evening. Weather wise it was an okay week. We did get blue skies on a couple of days - we were hoping for more drama! But overall not a bad week. After 5 days it was time to leave. Charlie arrived to take us back to the ferry. It was a good 5 days.
Here are a few of my images from the 5 days. They are not your traditional landscapes, but this is what I enjoy doing.
