Cottage of the week – Kath’s diary at The Waterfront pt. 2
Our very own Kath Preston is currently enjoying a break at The Waterfront in Fort William and has very kindly agreed to share her experiences in a holiday diary. The second installment starts below. Please click here to read part one.
Sunday 25th September 2011
We decided that we would have a lazy Sunday and so didn’t set our alarm. We pottered and made fresh coffee and a cooked breakfast finished off with toast and Scottish marmalade. That’s the beauty of a cottage holiday and one of the main benefits for me … the fact that you can get up when you want and not have to dash around showering and dressing before rushing down for breakfast wondering if there would be any bacon left.
Late morning we decided that a cycle ride in to Fort William was in order as we needed to call in at the railway station. We intend to head out on the Jacobite Line later in the week but we wanted to check out the timings. With all info and timetables in our pannier we then headed out along the cycle path towards the Nevis Range.
The path took us along the foot of the absolutely huge Ben Nevis… not that we could see the top, it’s so gigantic it was in cloud and the day was dull and damp at best. The cycle path looked as though it has been recently formed and it was a welcome escape from the main A82 which is a very busy road. The path also took us right past the 13th century Inverlochy Castle – an important stronghold in its day within both the 1st and 2nd battles of Inverlochy. The castle is in ruins now but still worth a look so we ditched our cycles in what was once the moat and strolled round for closer look.
Carrying further along the cycle path lead us to a route through the dense pine forest up towards Nevis Range. The path was great and as we climbed gently upwards the fresh smell of pine was absolutely heavenly. The trees were also welcome protection from the now worsening weather. I’m actually ok with cycling in the rain… we have a dog back at home so we’re often out in the elements. Besides which we were soon at the Range. Deciding not to complete the tree top trail (a monkey I am not) we agreed that the ski gondola trip up the mountain was a better option. If the weather had allowed the views I’m sure would have been spectacular as we had climbed to over 2,150feet. The lack of them led us to the bar and a welcome beer… we paid premium prices for it mind as this is essentially the UK ski world in the winter! 
We returned home along the same route – downhill this time so a lot quicker. Cold and wet we were soon back at the cottage and after supper the comfy sofas and a bottle of wine seemed to be the cosy way forward.
If you’d like more info, or to make a booking, please visit the property’s listing on cottages4you. We’ll upload another installment from Kath tomorrow!