My Journey in Scotland: Day 7 - Glen Nevis
Day #7 - Glen Nevis and Cow Hill
This was meant to be a “quiet day”, I like having them every now and then; just a day full of short strolls ’round town, nude sunbathing in the torrential rain, that sort of thing - so obviously I decided to go on a 25km hike up Glen Nevis!
Without doubt Glen Nevis is one of the most breath-taking examples of a Scottish Glen, and has over the years earned itself the award of “Addy’s most visited Scottish Glen” as I have lost count of the number of times I’ve been there.
My most memorable visit to the glen however was in mid 2001 when Lucy and I took a camping trip to Banavie and then into the glen on the way home. Now, the glen is notorious for it’s population of Highland Cows (i.e. hairy coos) and on this occasion we happened upon a field jam packed with these grass munching animals of exquisite cuteness. Venturing in for some photographs I started snapping away and then looked over to where Lucy was standing - the expression on her face being pure shock, extreme excitement or cack-yourself-with-fear terror. For standing less than a few centimeters from her was an only slightly hungry coo sniffing her. It must have been trying to decide if it should take a break from grass and chow down on something tastier instead. Fortunately for me it decided not to bite, which was unfortunate for him as he missed out on a rare morsel of tender tastiness. There is however a delightful photograph of this curious coo and a slightly befuddled looking Lucy.
This trip however, all the coos were elsewhere (possibly on a day trip to Rhum, who knows?) so I merely walked the glen to the falls and then began the trip back.
As I did I decided to return via an alternate route, which was up and over Cow Hill, which stands between the town and the Glen. It was a marvelous stroll and despite the grey damp weather offered fantastic views and made a change from the well worn paths I am used to trotting up and down the Glen.
Following this rather lengthy and utterly delightful hike I found myself watching what I can only assume is how the Fort Willians relax on a day-to-day basis…
…and I think more towns should adopt this strategy to entertain (and indeed exercise) it’s citizens!
