Leaving Glencoe YHA with a belly full of beans, pitta bread and breakfast bars to mop away last nights beers with some new French Friends. Headed along the road to Fort William where we invested in some customary tea and cake. Roads were busy as everyone was off to see Ben Nevis, but the best views came later as you drove away from it. Carried on along the A82 still a busy road and climbed up from Spean Bridge which takes up high again with some great view back to Ben Nevis, dropped down the side of Loch Lochy.
Got overtaken by a pair of lycra clad head-down pedallers on the Caledonian canal, but caught and passed them as they (pretended) to buy stamps at a post office. This helped us keep up a good pace all the way to the Loch Ness 'backpackers' hostel as we didn't want to get passed again! Thank goodness we're not the competitive types....
That night we were treated to some truly depressing musical fare in the form of a father and daughter duo from Ireland. Arriving back from the pub we found them entertaining a group of 15 or so assembled international travellers with sombre renditions of 'Bonny bonny banks', 'Skye boat song' and the like. These were interspersed with vivid descriptions of how everything everywhere was pretty rosy until the English came and screwed it all up. Donald and daughter were on pretty safe ground here, as judging by opinions elicited by James from continental folk we met on the way, the English are regarded about as well as rabid bats. They did bring a tear to Mike's eye with a rendition of 'Wild mountain thyme' but only succeeded in making James cry with laughter, 2 rooms away in the kitchen.
Donald was a bit stand-offish and grumpy with James next morning, but was happy to share his excellent Irish butter with Mike. One nil to the English!
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