We were due to go to Inverness (Scotland) on the sleeper train then be picked up a friend on Friday morning. This plan was spoilt when a train strike was announced. Our train was not directly affected but there were knock-on effects that resulted in the sleeper train being cancelled.
When I learnt this, I tried to re-book the train for two days earlier in the week. I succeeded but only in getting us to Kingussie — two stops from Inverness. Fortunately, I found a good hotel, The Osprey Hotel.
It was lovely to go to sleep in London and wake up in Scotland. We arrived at about 7.15am in Kingussie. After breakfast, whilst Helene was working remotely, I headed for the hills — Creag Bheag.
The walk I was going to do was similar but Sinead, one of my hotel hosts, suggested going to the summit. From the top, there were some panoramic views and on the way up, Lock Gynack was a good sight.
Once on the summit, I couldn’t see the path to Newtonmore. After consulting my compass, I headed in the right general direction, going on the heather when the path became indistinct. When I reached the Loch, the path was straightforward.
The walk was a wonderful example of how you can quickly go from being in a city to a complete change of scenery.
A postscript to our cancelled train: before the train strike could go ahead, the Queen died. The train strike was cancelled and we could have gone on our original train — if we hadn’t cancelled our booking! As it happens, I was glad to have had two extra days in Scotland.
