Scotland 2025
October 3-19, 2025

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday

Sunday – Inveroran to Kingshouse
10 miles / 16 km

Today’s breakfast was good – much better than yesterday’s bagged meal. The bags were dropped off by reception and we were soon on our way, under the filtered light of a misty sunrise.

The heavy mist and dew made for a startling scene: hundreds, possibly thousands, of spiderwebs were highlighted in the faint morning light. I was fascinated and tried to capture the magical effect with my phone, but of course, it didn’t even come close.

The trail was the old military road again, climbing slowly up and down the landscape. Dan and I were walking together today, enjoying the warming temperature as the sun eventually came out. We passed a couple of our “trail buddies”, sunning themselves on some rocks near a small lake. Pond? Loch?

And finally I saw my first real wildlife – a deer! I was surprised by how close it let us get to it, and it was amazing just how well it blended into the grasses of the hills.

The day was bright and sunny and, to be perfectly honest, the scenery wasn’t what I had been hoping for. The hillsides were barren-looking, with very little variation or visual interest. Yes, it was nice, but it was not fitting into the box I had created for this day. Especially when last night’s hostess said that this was one of her favorite stretches of the entire trail!

In the distance Dan and I could see the Kingshouse, our night’s lodgings. The name, “The Kings House” evoked such a beautiful, historic, image in my head but this was anything but. The original building was still there, used as a barracks for the army (and not the King himself), but the additional buildings that had sprang up in the 1960s to take in the increased number of guests had been demolished and completely rebuilt into what I saw today: a tasteful and very modern set that overwhelmed the original structure.

Dan and I had arrived early in the afternoon, the walking having been easy and fast. I wondered about the tour length: Some people complete the trail in six or seven days, but it was not uncommon to take eight days, like we were. I was of a mixed mind on this: on one hand, I liked having the afternoon to relax and enjoy the setting at the end of the day. But on the other hand, it also seemed silly to essentially waste a couple of hours of walking time just to keep the mileage lower. If I were to do it again, I think that I’d opt for a slightly shorter overall time and slightly longer days. Maybe!

Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we grabbed a table outside in the sunshine and watched for Petra’s arrival. She wasn’t far behind and she joined us as we people-watched. We were in the famous Glencoe region, it was the weekend, and there were plenty of non-hikers around to provide some entertainment.

Despite my grumblings about the newness of the hotel, I really did appreciate finally having a functional shower in our room! The previous showers managed to produce some sense of a shower, but only barely. But here, the water flowed well, the temperature could be regulated, and the floor stayed dry. Civilization!

We met up with our Dutch friends again and enjoyed a drink together while waiting for our dinner reservation to come. Speaking of which: our tour company had given notes on each night’s accommodations and which ones offered meals on site, versus eating locally, and which places where it was highly recommended to make reservations the night before. This was one such place for the reservations. I had sent an email, telling them which room we were in, how many for dinner, and an approximate time for dinner. And then I left it at that, knowing that I could just check when I arrived on the day of.

Except when I got back on wi-fi at the Kingshouse, I saw the email response: “We do not monitor this email address over the weekend. We will get back to you on Monday.” Well, that wasn’t very useful for a weekend reservation. When we checked in at the front desk, she asked if we had a dinner reservation. I said that I had sent in my request, but she didn’t see it. Fortunately she was able to get us a spot in the restaurant.

The restaurant was large and rather soulless. I felt like I was in some fancy ski resort, rather than in the Scottish Highlands. But the maitre de was good, and doing his best on what was clearly the first night of service for the majority of the restaurant staff. Watching his face fluctuate between the keen frustration of training the staff, and then change to a professional beatific smile for the customers, was amusing. I felt for him.

There was no haggis on the menu, but I did enjoy the mushroom risotto. Dan had the venison and after trying his meal, I slightly regretted not ordering it for myself. It was really tender and had a great flavor.

Monday