Backroads Days 5 and 6: Cows, Beaches, Ferries and Harry

On this last full day of our hiking trip through the Highlands, cows were the stars.   Cows, seriously?  Ah, but they are free-roaming Scottish faerie cows.

Our final hike, while just as beautiful as the ones before, was bittersweet.  You realize how much you will miss your daily routine of getting up early, greeting your fellow guests with whom you have totally bonded, having breakfast, pulling on unflattering rain pants, going for a drop-dead gorgeous hike with weather that changes every five seconds, heading to a beautiful hotel, engaging in some sort of educational, cultural or whisky-related activity, enjoying a gourmet dinner over interesting conversation, and then retiring to a comfy bed in a beautiful room.   It bears mentioning that for days you have exactly zero responsibilities because everything is all dialed for you. It’s a very civilized schedule, with just a touch of adventure, to which you quickly grow accustomed, like okay, this is my life now.  It’s surprisingly emotional when it comes to an end and you know you’ll soon be required to make decisions and do laundry. While most Backroads trips are only six days, because of the pace and the fact that you tend to live in and notice every moment, time passes slowly and the trip seems longer, in the best possible way.

This final day dawned unmistakably bright. Our hike took us from the edge of a village over some rolling hills toward the sea, and into the paths of the cutest, muddy-ankled cows who have ever walked the face of the earth. One sweet little face in particular.

Obviously my spirit animal.

After we bid farewell to our cows, we came across the most brilliant handmade sign ever, imparting a few gentle suggestions about how to behave as we hiked through the owner’s property.  Keep the faries safe.

Our path ended at the water’s edge and our first white sand beach, completely deserted.

After spending some time walking about and gazing out to sea, we reluctantly turned around and made our way back.  But there’s always time for a wee stop at a pop-up cafe.  We soon came upon Jenny, who had opened the Highland Cafe, stocking it with cookies, fruit, hot chocolate and Baileys and Cream – best ever. My pal Irwin declared his Baileys and hot chocolate to be the best drink he had ever tasted.  Again, we would have lingered, but alas, the rains came, a ferry awaited, and so we skedaddled.

I love ferries, I don’t know why. I’m not generally a huge fan of being on the water in some sort of tippy vessel, but I’m all about an hour ferry ride in the Scottish Highlands, especially when you can see your destination, Mallaig, across the water from the dock. It was sad to bid farewell to Skye, but we had Hogwarts in our future, and best not to keep Dumbledore waiting.

In Mallaig, a charming coastal town, we walked a few blocks to catch the Jacobite steam train to Fort William.  This train has been operating under various names and with different operators every summer since 1984 and its route is incredibly scenic and has always been popular with tourists.  The company running the show provided Warner Brothers with the train used as the Hogwarts Express in all the Harry Potter movies and allowed them use of the Jacobite’s route for filming, particularly the famous Glenfinnan viaduct.  So you’ve all seen it.   I mean, you should have if you are my friend.  Not to miss an opportunity, as if riding on an actual steam train in the Highlands were not enough, the train now completely traffics in Harry Potter.  There’s even a Potter-themed gift shop in one of the cars.  And there are children everywhere, in costume, having the time of their lives.  One German boy dressed as Harry ran up and down the aisle in our car, followed by a trotting, indulgent father wielding an iPad in front of his face to capture every moment on video.  We snagged the boy during one of his passes and invited him into our car.  He spoke no English but knew exactly what we were hankering for. He promptly sat down and wielded his wand for photos.

All along the route, tourists were standing about on country roads with cameras at the ready, to photograph the train as it rumbled past, belching steam.  Pretty remarkable.

After arriving in Fort William, we found the vans in the train station parking lot.  How they got there, I have no idea. We climbed aboard and headed to a private Island called Eriska, and the beautiful Isle of Eriska Hotel.  Maybe the swankiest hotel of our trip – I had a suite of rooms the size of many apartments I’ve lived in.  Goodness.

We convened for our final cocktail party and dinner, all dressed up and fancy-like.  We unanimously decided to forgo the planned hour-long walk around the grounds the following morning, advertised as being “probably really muddy,” in favor of enjoying the beautiful hotel and bidding a fond and leisurely farewell to one another.

Fittingly, our final sunset was a doozy.

We shared one last van ride as the leaders dropped me at my hotel in Fort William and took the rest of the guests to the Inverness Airport to continue their journeys away from this magical country.

Thanks, Backroads, and especially Jenny, Eileen and Keith.  You guys rock.