I didn’t sleep at all well last night, worried that the ferry would be cancelled due to the storm approaching from the Atlantic. I’ve been on Lewis the last few days and I’m ready to leave.

The storm is going to be fierce apparently, they have warnings out for most of Scotland and many of the ferry services have been cancelled up and down the coast. This was my only option. I was at the ferry terminal at 5:30 am hoping that all would be fine and then I saw the big beast of a ferry coming into view, so so happy.

Every time my phone pinged I looked at at it fearing the worst. I had no idea what I was going to do if I had been stranded. I need to be back in Glasgow on Wednesday and that might not have been possible if I hadn’t got on this morning.

Originally I was booked on the afternoon ferry, however I changed the booking a few weeks ago and I’m so glad I did.

After arriving in Ullapool I put in Aberdeen into the sat nav via a Neolithic site and off I went trying to stay in front of the storm.

The winds were fearce and debris was all over the road. Trees were down and roads were closed, the car was getting buffetted all the way there. I’ve never experienced driving in conditions like that before. It was mental.

But I made it to Aberdeen and very glad to get there in one piece.

It’s a fairly quiet place, hardly a soul on the street. I had a very lazy morning, not sure at this stage if the ferry will be running in the morning and also if it is I’ll be up at 5am. So today I’m going to do nothing of any note. Finding a place open to have food was a challenge and then I realised that the town slowly comes to life about noon.

I noticed the fairground is packing up, pity it was there at all. What a Fuckin racket.

I’ve come to a local hotel and I’ve just eaten at the carvery, one glass of wine and a double espresso to sober up. I was going to have dessert but I just couldn’t fit it in 😭

I drove an hour to get to Tarbert in the south of Harris. Now there is a shop about two minutes from where I’m staying and I had a quick look there yesterday. Now I was only in the store for a few minutes when I heard the shop assistant speak, a broad English accent once more. Everywhere I have been there are English running small businesses. I don’t dislike the English, however it feels as if they are taking our wee country by stealth. I’m not paranoid or racist but I want to hear my own tongue when I go through these wee places.

I walked out the store because I want to buy a Harris Tweed Bunnet from a Scot. It’s a Scottish product and I want the whole transaction to be done by Scots, not foreigners.

So my hour’s drive to Tarbert could have been a waste of time, however the young Scottish lassie was very helpful and friendly and helped me select my bunnet. The quality I think is better and the style unique to their on site factory. It was also £10 more than a similar hat in the other store which I was happy to spend.

With new bunnet on my head I went on a drive   to all the beautiful places in the Isle and lastly I checked out a few Neolithic sites before returning to Stornoway.

I went to the Stornoway Art Gallery and I saw this amazing exhibition with such haunting, dark and brilliant pieces.

I’m on board the good ship Calmac and heading over the sea to the Outer Hebridies, my first time and I’m really looking forward to it. This is the land of Harris Tweed and I’m going to buy myself a flat tweed bunnet.

This is also the home of first class black pudding and I shall sample that as much as is possible on such a short trip.

Since we left Ullapool we have had an escort of a squadron of Gannets and I’ve just seen a pod of dolphins.

It was a very smooth sailing and very pleasant sitting up at the front of the boat.

My Airbnb is near the the ferry terminal and it only took a few minutes to get within the vicinity. I am tired and there is a fairground nearby making a hell of a racket and my heart sinks as I finally see a landmark. I thought my stay in Stornoway was going to be peaceful but right now I’m regretting getting off the boat.

I find the key, I find the house and I find a parking place. Thankfully the house is old and the walls are thick and so the noise is dampened down a lot. The house is small and modern inside.

At 10 pm the fair falls silent, woohoo🤗

Having a cuppa, a snack and then a shower and bed and I shall begin my exploration on the morning..

I was going to get up at the crack of dawn and get the train to Mallaig, however when I woke up at 6:30 I decide to turn over and go back to sleep. To make it worth my while I needed to get the 8:15 train but I needed sleep and so I drove there instead.

It’s a great road which is constantly ruined by these Fucking motor homes. Most of them are unable to navigate the Scottish roads and so they spoil it for everyone else. 30mph for mile after mile and when a vehicle came the other way they panic and hit the brakes. They are a bloody hazard. All they do is cause frustration and they don’t have the decency to pull into a layby to let the huge line of cars and tourist buses through. Most of them are not competent to drive anything bigger than a mini.

Anyway, I decided to blast out some Black Sabbath to calm down and also to pay homage to Ozzy Osborne who was buried today.

And on a side note, best coffee so far at the tea cafe near the pier in Mallaig. 10 out of 10.

Oh and I saw the Steam Train again.

Another amazing industrial revolution engineering masterpiece which was designed by Thomas Telford and built between 1803 to 1822 and it was built by hand. There were no machines, it was mainly Scottish Highlanders and Irish Navvies.

Neptune’s Staircase is the longest staircase lock in Britain. It consists of eight locks that lift boats a total of 19.5 metres (64 feet) over a distance of about 500 metres (1⁄3 mile).

Where is it?

Banavie, near Fort William, Highland, Scotland

On the Caledonian Canal, which connects the east and west coasts of Scotland through the Great Glen (from Inverness to Corpach).

The only real change that’s been made to the staircase is that the gates have been automated and it takes a lock keeper to operate when you traverse.

The water used to raise and lower the lock levels is recycled and prevents loss from the canal.

It costs £26 a metre of vessel length to use the locks but it’s also a lot quicker, cheaper and safer than going around the top of Scotland.

At Fort Augustus there are a series of similar locks that lead you into Loch Ness.

I got here at 9:30 and the main car park was already full. Thankfully there was another one and I got a park. So many people. I knew it would be busy but not this busy. Most folk came to see the Steam Train and a few actually took time to look at the viaduct, which was built by Robert McAlpine & Sons, with Simpson & Wilson as the engineers, and it cost £18,904. This equates to roughly £2 million in today’s money.

It’s A beautiful piece of Victorian engineering which opened in 1901 taking less than 10 years to build. It’s absolutely marvelous and stunning to look at and it looks even better when the stream train thunders down the track.

There were hundreds of people crammed into the hillside waiting to get a glimpse of the “Harry Potter Train” including an Indian family that lived in America….. How do I know this? Well the runt of a child would not shut up or stand still. It began to throw small stones and all the while in this fucking American drawl asking for water or anything else that came to mind. Eventually I turned to him and said, “Hey wee man, you are a pain in the arse… Can you just shut up?”

The mother was horrified and the father grabbed his son and told him to behave. Hundreds of folk on the hill and this wee prick was noisier than them all.

Anyway I got a few good shots and took some video on my camera which I will chuck out later. I continued on the path and did the circuit which led you to stunning views across the Loch.

I woke up at 5am, wide awake and the sky was getting light. I got up and had breakfast and then went back to bed for two hours. No need to leave too early.

I eventually left the back of nine and headed for Luss, every man and their dog was there. Tourists from every corner of the globe and the most annoying ones, four women who smoked near the takeaway hatch. So Fucking inconsiderate to everyone. They were Eastern European that’s all I can say, sounded like Russian. Two of them chain smoked as I stood up wind from them and even then the smoke came my way. Not one of the staff said a thing. I only stopped here because the old dear that was sitting beside me on the bus the other day recommended it, however I should have known not to trust her because she was from the Edinburgh and they don’t like Glaswegians🤔

The traffic was slow, mainly due to getting caught behind large lorries. Quite a skill to navigate an artic up the Lomond side. But it was a good drive nonetheless.

I stopped in Oban for an hour and wandered about, it was hoachin’. Then continued onto Fort William pausing briefly at Ballachulish. Used to go oot way a lassie from here back in about 1985 I think and there are a few stories to tell from that time in life. She used to be a nurse at the Southern and I use to sneak in to the nurse’s quarters 😁 Nearly got caught by the Matron on more than one occasion.

Arrived in Fort William and checked into my Airbnb, it’s up on a hill about a mile from the main street and it’s quite the workout heading back. So I’m not sure that climbing the Ben is going to happen because I don’t think I’m fit enough 🙄

I went for a wander in to Paisley and took a few pics..