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West Highland Way Day 8

Kinlochleven to Fort William  15 miles  1388 feet of elevation  We woke up early and SO well rested at the West Highland Lodge. And it was cold outside! Our first truly cold day! Honestly, today we had the Scottish weather I had prepared us for! We made coffee and tea in the kitchen and took …

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West Highland Way Day 7

Glencoe Mountain Resort to Kinlochleven  10 miles 1624 ft Did I say yesterday that we’d perhaps begun to get a little overconfident about finishing our last couple of days on the West Highland Way?  Maybe it was that I thought we’d mostly faced the variety of challenges that might arise on our hike that I …

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West Highland Way Day 6

Bridge of Orchy to Glencoe Mountain Resort 12 miles 1700 feet of elevation Any day that starts with coffee in a comfy bed staring out the window at the mountains is a dream day in my book.  Then later in the dining room at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel, the host gave us a table …

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West Highland Way Day 5

Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy 7 miles 383 ft of elevation I was determined to stay in these little Hobbit huts on this trip as they are adorable and cozy. And I would 100% stay in them again. (We are staying in something similar again in a couple of nights.) But it is noteworthy that …

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West Highland Way Day 4

Inverarnan to Tyndrum 12 miles 2313 feet Today was one of those days that could convert even the most confirmed city girl into a lover of hiking. The sun came out and stayed out. The paths were smooth. The views of the surrounding hills were gorgeous. It was an absolutely perfect day! Of course I …

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West Highland Way Day 3

Rowardennan to Inverarnan  14.5 miles 1430 feet of elevation  Day 3 started with a line for toast and coffee, a trip to the shed outside to put our bags for the transfer service and the most unreal blue sky over our heads.  Really. I haven’t seen a sky that clear in the UK in a …

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West Highland Way Day 2

Drymen to Rowardennan  15 miles 2204 ft of elevation  Breakfast started at 8am in The Drymen Inn, which we did good to make, even though we’d been drinking coffee in our room since 6:30am. It was just that we found it difficult to move from our beds.  But it wasn’t raining when we woke up …

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West Highland Way Day 1

Milngavie to Drymen 12 miles Elevation: 1358 ft  I fell asleep to the sound of rain coming down hard on the pavement. When I woke up it was still steadily coming down. I swirled a little instant coffee into some hot water and crawled back into bed with my mug.  I studied the maps and …

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Return to Scotland

I didn’t originally plan to hike the 95 mile long West Highland Way this year.  It’s one of those trips that evolved out of email exchanges and fellow hikers’ hopes and dreams. When a friend told me last Christmas that they wanted to do a through-hike in Scotland this year, I remembered that when I …

Mt Keen Scotland, Munro Bagging, Hillwalking in the UK

Climbing Mt Keen in Scotland

When you have lived somewhere for three years and you invite your friends along on what is to be your Final Walk In Scotland, apparently people feel obligated to come. Or maybe they just don’t want to miss a final opportunity to climb a munro with you. Or maybe lots of folks want to make …

Cruden Bay, Scotland, Aberdeen Coastal Cliff Walking

Visiting Aberdeen: Coastal Trails

Coastal Trails Near Aberdeen What follows is a photo series of the coastal cliff walking we’ve done while we’ve been in Aberdeen for the last three years. Coastal cliff scenery is other worldly to me. Partly because I did not grow up near the sea and partly because, similar to the sand dunes in Scotland, …

Craigievar Castle, Scotland, Aberdeenshire

Visiting Aberdeen: Castle Trail

Castles near Aberdeen and Beyond Oh Scotland, Land of Castles. Castles that are old estate homes. And castle ruins by the sea. Today I’m sharing a collection of photos of castles in Scotland. Like Dunnottar in Stonehaven, there are a few castles we return to with friends again and again because of their proximity to …

Aberdeen Beach

Visiting Aberdeen: Fun Beach

An Ode To Aberdeen Beach Oh, Aberdeen Beach. You are sometimes called “Fun Beach,” which makes us smile. You are the first place we visited when we came to Aberdeen. And you are the first place we bring our visitors. Usually as soon as they arrive. It’s the North Sea! I say to my family …

Balmedie Beach, Aberdeen, Scotland, #48walks

Visiting Aberdeen: Sand Dunes

Sand Dunes in Scotland I took this picture of Mary Polly in September 2013, less than a month after we moved here, and it pretty much captures how I feel about the Sand Dunes in Scotland. The wind is always blowing the grasses that grow on the sand dunes so that you feel like you’re …

Visiting Edinburgh, Red Phone Booths, UK, Scotland

Visiting Edinburgh: Red Phone Booths

My Favorite Red Phone Booths in Scotland The bright red phone booths across the UK are always catching my eye! I have about a gazillion photos of these booths from hikes and walks and travels in the last three years. This one is from the Coast to Coast walk in Grasmere with Diane. But there …