Our first day of proper cycling today. Pausing only to stop off at Fort William to visit its small clone high street we set off westward on the road to Mallaig and the Isle of Skye ferry, hot on the heels of the Jacobite steam train, which we'd just seen leaving Fort William station.
The road and railway follow a very similar route along the banks of a Loch and then up over a low pass. We were happy; the road was well surfaced and the gradients were gentle, the traffic was light, and we had but scratched the surface of our Kendal mint cake supply.
It didn't even bother us when it started to rain; it was a nice temperature.
Our first stop was Glenfinnan, where we found a car park and a small visitors centre and received funny looks in our short sleeved jerseys off the multitude of tourists wrapped up in their anoraks against the incessant drizzle.
Glenfinnan viaduct, which we could see from where we'd stopped, is in fact the one regularly featured in the Harry Potter films. Glenfinnan station, which we also passed, features in the films too, as Hogsmeade station. It's easy to see why; I think if Hogwarts did really exist this is definitely where it would be found.
West of Glenfinnan the scenery changed from beautiful to stunning. The rain got heavier but we really didn't care, we were enjoying the ride too much. High peaks on either side were hidden in cloud, and we could go 5 miles without seeing so much as a house.
Eventually as we turned northward the undulations of the road started to tire us out, but the route had one more treat in store for us. About two miles from Mallaig we stopped to watch the Jacobite chuffing past on its way back to Fort William. The enthusiasm of the train crew waving to us from the footplate making up for that of their passengers.
Mallaig itself is a small fishing village complimented by the end of the railway and a pint-sized ferry terminal. The rain had stopped by now and we found plenty of options for dinner; most of them fish. We found a nice pub and chose which aquatic species we'd like on our plates. I couldn't choose, so I went for the fish pie. It was delicious!
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