Day 78 79 - Changing Rooms
Trip Start
May 01, 2010
1
84
101
Trip End
Jul 31, 2010
Fort William, Scotland, United Kingdom
Friday, July 30, 2010
Went directly after breakfast (raining again) to the Post Office and picked up a new set of maps, my troublesome new boots forwarded from Peebles and the camera charger. Speedily signed for everything and then back to the hotel to review my planned route in detail on the new maps.
After an hour or so of reviewing the route, with the amount of rain that had come down in the last week, I decided to take an alternative way up north. This would mean another trip in to town to buy more maps, as my new route was further east. My original route would have involved some very tough days, crossing small rivers and punchy little steams, which when in spate would be hard to cross. It was for this reason my plans now changed.
Lunch via Tesco's chiller cabinet and tried my new boots again during the walk into town. The high street was busy again with a real mix of trekkers and driving holiday types, mainly from overseas.
Something I had not noticed on my previous trips here, was the use of Scots Gaelic on all road signs, alongside the english. In fact everywhere you looked, the language was high profile. Maybe I missed it before? I even heard for the first time someone on the street speaking it. Is there a resurgance here, possibly linked to the powers of the Scottish parliament?
Met Darren for a beer and dinner and we chewed the fat once more. Then back to the room and an early night.
Up and the last person at breakfast, back to the room and packed up, leaving the bag at reception while I headed in to the centre to buy the new maps. Spent an hour or so determining the exact route, before compiling accomodation options and then checked into the new B&B round the corner from my old hotel.
Ran by Mrs.Morrison, the new B&B is your stereotypical sitcom establishment, but quite acceptable for the £25 a night I was paying.
Fixed final details for the route and booked several nights acommodation for myself and Andy from North Wales (who would join tomorrow) and also Kris my flat mate from London, heading up a day after Andy.
Took the opportunity also to run through my kit again, and strip out more weight. You continually have to do this, as you add to the pack weight without even realising it. Some coffee here, a larger tube of toothpaste than you normally buy, anti inflammatory tablets, the detergent for washing clothes....a few grammes here and there, until the bag keeps on gaining weight. Running through periodically simply helps you to limit this 'bag creep' as I call it.
Enough shop talk. Tomorrow afternoon Andy arrives and I need to update the blog as far as possible in the local library, in the morning. All work and no play.
I spent a year in that town, one Sunday.
George Burns-Rogers
