Day 5 – Portree – Fort William – Inveraray
We left Portree early in the morning and bid adieu to Skye, as we made our way into the Lowlands of the Trossachs; a nature reserve complete with wooded-glens and pristine lochs within. The drive down to Fort William is very picturesque as you wind down the Highlands and into the Glens.
Our next stop was Fort William for a short lunch halt, before we planned a detour to visit the Glenfinnan Viaduct. Potter-heads will realise this as the railway viaduct used to shoot the scenes involving the Hogwart’s Express.
While having lunch at Fort William, we were checking up about the Viaduct when we found out that an actual steam engine runs on the viaduct twice a day. The train leaves Fort William at 10.45 am and 3.00 pm daily, taking about 30 mins to reach the viaduct. It was just approaching 2.00 pm and we rushed out towards the Viaduct in hope of catching a glimpse of the train passing on it. It was a good decision because it was a 20 min hike from the car park at the Viaduct to the actual hill from where you can view the viaduct and the train passing.
An iconic picture for sure. 10 points to Gryffindor for that, I suppose.
The rest of the afternoon was reserved for one of the best drives of our trip as we made our way through the infamous Glen Coe and towards the Trossachs. The scenery is fantastic and if you are from the secret service then you would want to take a detour to Glen Etive, the filming location in Skyfall. The scenery and greenery continued to amaze us as we made our way toward Inveraray for our overnight halt.
Stay – The GEORGE hotel, famous for its spacious rooms and an in-house bar with more than 100 single malts in the list and on display!
If you visit Inveraray, make sure you grab the steak here; you will not be disappointed.