Day Nine,

just 185 miles to Fort William,

overnight there had been a brutal storm,

the good news was that the car was looking as good as new, 

every dead insect on the windscreen,

and every scrap of dirt/mud on the paintwork had been scoured off by the wind and rain!

and it was turning into a glorious day,

as we passed grazing cattle,

and sped along the coastal road

what a lovely day,

getting closer by the minute,

the coast rugged in the extreme,

and talk about bendy!

twists and turns all over the place,

over one of the bridges,

and continued our way to Loch Ness,

passing through many small towns,

we decided to stop at Urquhart Castle,

we both wanted to use a bathroom,

but it was not to be, the Scottish Tourist Board has a great scam here for travellers, no public toilets! unlike everywhere else we have visited in the UK, where there are toilets outside of the attraction to use, here you have to pay £12.00 to use a toilet! what a way to make money, the guide had obviously been asked where the nearest public toilet was before, as he knew they were 10 miles away, imagine the cost if a family of say 6 or 7 people who has visited here before like us, and did not wish to go into the castle again had stopped! but there it is, got to make a penny or two, actually I remember when you did spend a penny, how times have changed!

luckily Diana and myself were not desperate so out of the car park and on our way,

and here we were,

we booked into the Premier Inn £126.00 a night, and used the toilets, which were free,

we had a walk along the shoreline of Loch Linnhe,

the jetty leading to deep water,

and a small bridge,

looking towards the restaurant where we will be eating tonight,

a quick pose,

or two,

 I then decided to return to the room and pick up the infrared camera and meet Diana in a cafe, but it all went wrong, as I went back to meet Diana a rainstorm started, my anorak having been dry cleaned had lost all of its waterproofing, and soaked up the rain like a sponge, so I had to go back to the room and change clothes, also use a hairdryer to dry my anorak out, I then meet up with Diana once the storm had passed,

amazing one moment torrential rain, the next bright sunlight,

we meet up and had a walk through town,

looking at some of the buildings,

even the bank looked so impressive,

my anorak was still a little damp,

so Diana kindly bought me a Christmas present early, a new anorak, but not just water resistant, but fully waterproof, I had no idea there are different grades of waterproofing but here they are,

1. Waterproof Ratings

How waterproof a jacket is will depend on its waterproof rating. The higher a jacket’s waterproof rating, the longer the fabric will remain waterproof for.

Rating	Resistance	Weather
0 – 1,500mm	Water resistant / Snowproof	Very light  rain
1,500mm – 5,000mm	Waterproof	Light to average rain
5,000mm	Very Waterproof	Moderate to heavy rain
10,000mm	Highly Waterproof	Heavy rain

1500mm to 2000mm

Jackets with a rating of 1,500mm to 2,000mm are suitable for everyday use, whether it be around town or walking the dog. These jackets may also be suitable for walkers or hikers who aren’t likely to get caught out in heavy, sustained rain.

5000mm to 10,000mm

A rating of 5000mm to 10,000mm is suitable for just about all weather conditions but equally at home in lesser ones, great for walking the dog or a serious trek in bad conditions. These higher rated jackets will also be breathable.

all of the above courtesy of Mountain Warehouse, as it happens Diana bought one with the 10,000mm rating so I should be as dry as a bone the next time it rains,

rather bizarrely there was a bronze model T Ford on display,

that you could climb into and have you picture taken in, and why was it here? well in 1911 a model T Ford was taken to the summit of Ben Nevis,

what an achievement, I could not get myself up there, never mind carrying an engine block!

just the thought of it gave me a thirst,

we continued our walk,

in the High Street,

and then walked down to the restaurant where we had booked a table for our evening meal, and booking here is essential,

the Crannog seafood restaurant on the loch, a view from the side as you approach on the pathway by the loch,

looking back towards our room at the Primer Inn,

and the front of the restaurant,

I had to have a pose as well,

inside,

a sherry to start,

we had three shared starters, moules mariniere,

langoustine,

and smoked salmon,

'Cheers!',

for our main course, Diana chose smoked salmon wrapped in baked sea bass on risotto,

baked salmon for myself,

and white wine for a change,

cheese and biscuits rounded off the meal, which came to £126.00 and what a lovely meal it was,

as we left and started our walk back, 

looking along the loch, it looked like another rain storm was approaching,

but we still had time,

to take a few night time photographs,

of the restaurant, we made it back to the hotel dry, and watched a couple of shows on cable, then we were off to bed.