First, let us take a little tour around Inverness. First stop of the morning was to get some tea and pastries for breakfast. We walked into 2 bakeries and were underwhelmed by the choices. Then we tried XOKO Bakeshop and hit the jackpot. So many choices and everything is baked right there. Great service, and we could watch them busy in the kitchen while we ate and sipped our tea.

Then back to the hotel to pack up and check out of our room. Luckily, we were able to stow our bags in the luggage room until we were ready to head to the boat. Now it was time for another wander around the city. There are 2 pedestrian bridges crossing the river, so we went over one, walked along the river, stopping at the Inverness Cathedral, continuing along and crossing back on the second bridge. It was windy and a bit chilly, so another cup of tea in the hotel lobby. Lunch in the Victorian Market food court and then collecting bags and catching a cab ride to the boat. Our cab driver said he has picked many folks up after their tours and has only heard fantastic things about the boat, crews and experiences.

We were met by such a friendly crew who had tea, coffee and fresh baked scones set out for us. I think we’re going to like this! After a short meet and greet and safety review we set out on our walk. Since the boat was moored in the basin just inside the canal, we started by walking a bit east to officially start at the beginning of the canal. After all, we are here to walk from ocean to ocean! 

Our boat got a head start as we were doing our jaunt to the start, but we quickly caught up as she was navigating a set of 4 locks. These are much bigger locks than what we were going through in our narrowboat trips in England – no self-operating here. It takes a while to get through each lock, so we got ahead for a while, but the Fingal soon caught up and passed us by.

Our walk today was an easy 7 miles. It was a nice time to chat with others and start to get to know everyone. We found our boat docked at Dochgarroch Lock and did a bit of settling in before dinner. All meals are served family style on the boat, and the crew dines with us around a large table. Our chef, Darren, offers 2 choices for dinner, which we select before heading out in the morning. He also takes sandwich orders in the evening, so lunches are packed and ready to grab after breakfast. Tonight’s meal was either lasagna or gnocchi, served with garlic bread and salad, and strawberry trifle for dessert. There was more than enough to go around, so most of us had a bit of each selection. We are certainly getting spoiled on this trip!

After dinner our skipper, Chris, and guide, Cam, got out the big map and showed us the route for tomorrow and filled us in on logistics for the day. We have an adventure ahead of us!

After dinner John and I took a short walk over to the nearby pasture to see a few cows, and also a cute statue made from chains that is outside the dockside cafe. We hope to get some closer highland cow sightings this week.

Tomorrow is our first full day of walking, and we’ll report back later!