A look around Fort William

Hello again, reader

Today I spent a full day in Fort William, and the weather remained pretty miserable throughout. It was grey and cold and there was persistent rain for most of the day, but it was still enjoyable to wander around the shops and take some photos.

The staff at the local library were really friendly and helpful (thanks Emma and Sally) and I was in there until nearly lunchtime. For lunch, I went to a vegan restaurant called The Wildcat on the main shopping street.

This place was so popular, you couldn't just walk in off the street. I had to give my phone number to the guy on the door and then look round the local shops until he rang to tell me a table had become free. I had the day's special, which was Spanish butternut stew with couscous, homemade flatbread, lime pickled onions and salad leaves. It was really hearty and warming.

This was also a chance to use the Wifi to call my son, Hugo, on Whatsapp for twenty minutes. Unfortunately, by the time I got out of there, the West Highlands museum was closing for the day. The lady on the door told me they have to close earlier now due to a lack of volunteers. Maybe I'll get a look around it tomorrow before I depart Fort William.

I found a book of tartans in a gift shop and looked up my family name. This is the Boyd tartan:

Also along the main street is one end of the West Highland Way hiking trail (154km/96 miles) in Gordon Square. It's marked by this statue.

Another interesting statue along the main street marks the starting point of a daring journey undertaken by Henry Alexander of Edinburgh. On the 9th of May 1911, Henry left this square to drive a Model T Ford motor car to the summit of Ben Nevis.

He returned triumphant 11 days later. What a feat!

In the evening, I returned to the same parking spot overlooking Fort William. The sky was a bit clearer and I had a lovely view. 

The evening was also notably chillier and I filled my hot water bottle again to keep warm while I watched The Darjeeling Limited. It's one of my favourite Wes Anderson films, and it always makes me want to visit India (although I read this morning that it wasn't actually filmed in India!)

https://youtu.be/aO1bYukdvLI (the trailer)

And that's about it for this post. A few people have messaged me with suggestions of places to visit before I get to the Isle of Skye. Thanks everybody who's messaged or commented (Dave, Humphrey, Jules, Gids, Yvonne, Russ, Andrew, Donna, Justin, Jerome, Nathan, Neil).

Thanks for reading. Stay safe.

Brian