We crossed on the 3 hour ferry from Lochboisidale to Mallaig

Mallaig is a lovely little town with lots of shops and cafes and a railway line that ends right in the centre of town.

The famous Jacobite train runs between here and Fort William and it would be great to fi it. We have trusty black hire car.

The drive to Fort William is magnificent. Seeing so many trees after being on fairly tree less Hebrides.

We stopped to view the viaduct – made quite famous through Harry Potter.

The afternoon light is beautiful.

View from our window

We arrived into Fort William and to our BnB Myrtle Bank. Run by a very friendly Dora the place is beautiful. Opposite the loch it’s a mass of flowers. Quite a standout amongst the other BnBs. Our room on the ground floor is big and beautiful. Dora is a character. During our several emails to secure a booking she said no credit card needed. She just took the booking and when we got there said we could pay by PayPal or cash.

We went for a walk through the town and chose somewhere for dinner.

Breakfast is as good as expected. And then we were away driving alongside the sparkling loch. We stopped at Glencoe which was much smaller than I thought. It has such a reputation for being the centre of the battles.

Continuing on, the area is so stunning. And the gorgeous weather certainly helps.

Arriving at Stirling it is the castle and the William Wallace memorial that dominates the skyline. Sitting a top the hill the castle in imposing.

We took the audio guide self guided tour. These are so good these days. They bring history alive as you walk area the rooms of the castle. It is a very special Castle. It was added to over the years but it was the Mary of Guise the French wife of James V who made some significant changes.

Theres got to be an advantage to having a sore knee, and with my crutch which I only use now if we’re doing lots of walking on cobbles, I get special access to lifts to avoid all the stairs. Very helpful.

William Wallace was a knight and a leader in the first Scottish war of independence. he was nicknamed Braveheart.

We drive to St Andrews. famous for its golf courses and the fact Prince William went yo University there.

It’s a lovely lively student town fairly overrun this week with golfers. There’s a big tournament on.

The students were all wandering around looking handsome and wealthy. And we watched as quite a few headed down to one of the ocean pools for an afternoon dip. Very brave I’d say.

We continued on along the coast – it’s a great area for holidaying. There are lots of holiday parks. Little cottages all lined up. They do have caravan parks but they also have many little cabin type places.

We arrived at Anstruther in the late afternoon when the sun was dipping before setting.

The theme in these little coastal town is the decorated dog.

And ice cream shops. And after our fish ‘n chips dinner we had our first ice cream.