Ambleside to Cluanie

Written Saturday night at Cluanie Inn

A few weeks ago I was due to go to Glasgow and the A9 was closed due to an accident so I went down the A82 West Coast route instead. Today instead of sailing from Skye on Monday we decided to bring the sailing forward to Sunday and after a walk round Keswick we set off for a hotel in Spean Bridge. Unfortunately there were no rooms available so we just carried on and ended up here at the Cluanie Inn in the middle of absolutely nowhere but only 90 miles from the ferry on Skye giving us an easy day tomorrow. 

When we were on the M8 coming out of Glasgow three very large ambulances (much larger than normal emergency ambulances) came past us in convoy and went over the Erskine Bridge and up the Dumbarton Road. It looked ominous because that was our route. When got to Balloch on the A82 we saw an overhead road sign saying that the A82 was closed at Luss and advising the use of an alternative route. We decided that this could be a very long closure if those ambulances were indeed headed that way so decided to take a detour via Helensburgh and Arrochar to Tarbert. From Arrochar to Tarbert is 2 miles but despite all the traffic in from of us going that way the Police officer directed me the other way. So we arrived here via Inverery and a total of 2 hour detour. Instead of 360 miles today I’ve driven about 415 on top of the 350 yesterday. The difference was the quality of the roads and the speed we were able to travel.  The odd thing is that I don’t feel tired. 

What is even more odd is that we’ve not been able to pick up any traffic reports on Radio Scotland this afternoon and there’s been no mention of the road closure on the News (the A9 closure made the national radio and TV news). We have no internet and no phone signal sufficient to get the internet. We are in an information desert. 

PS This morning (Sunday) my phone did have a signal (thus creating a wifi hotspot for the laptop) and the draft I had done was accidentally put onto  the blog - hence Monica's comment. 

Ambleside to Cluanie

DRAFT

Written Saturday night at Cluanie Inn

A few weeks ago I was due to go to Glasgow and the A9 was closed due to an accident so I went down the A82 West Coast route instead.  Today instead of sailing from Skye on Monday we decided to bring the sailing forward to Sunday and after a walk round Keswick we set off for a hotel in Spean Bridge.  Unfortunately there were no rooms available so we just carried on and ended up here at the Cluanie Inn in the middle of absolutely nowhere but only XXX miles from the ferry on Skye giving us an easy day tomorrow.

When we were on the M8 coming out of Glasgow three very large ambulances (much larger than normal emergency ambulances) came past us in convoy and went over the Erskine Bridge and up the Dumbarton Road.  It looked ominous because that was our route.  When got to Balloch on the A82 we saw an overhead road sign saying that the A82 was closed at Luss and advising the use of an alternative route.  We decided that this could be a very long closure if those ambulances were indeed headed that way so decided to take a detour via Helensburgh and ArdXXXX to Tarbert.  From ArdXXX to Tarbert is 2 miles but despite all the traffic in from of us going that way the Police officer directed me the other way.  So we arrived here via Inverery and a total of 2 hour detour.   Instead of 260 miles today I’ve driven  XXX on top of the XXX yesterday. The odd thing is that I don’t feel tired.  

What is even more odd is that we’ve not been able to pick up any traffic reports on Radio Scotland this afternoon and there’s been no mention of the road closure on the News (the A9 closure made the national radio and TV news).   We have no internet and no phone signal sufficient to get the internet.  We are in an information desert. 

Exeter to Ambleside

It's been quite a day:  350 miles or thereabouts of mostly hellish driving in pouring rain and, when we were on the motorway, crawling traffic.  We arrived in Ambleside about 1830 and eventually located the Lakes Lodge hotel CJ booked this morning on line which has turned out to be excellent even if reception and breakfast room's predominantly purple is not quite to my taste.  Bedroom beautiful.  Wi-fi free!  We had decided that our 'usual' hotel, The Queens, was now off our list because of the service and terrible meal we had last time.

After dinner at a very pleasant restaurant CJ retired to the hotel and I went for a walk.  We spent many holidays in and around Ambleside and I never cease to be surprised at the changes which have taken place.  Of course I shouldn't be surprised because around half a century has lapsed since those days.  Now there are lots of art galleries (there used to be Heaton Cooper and he was all I can recall) and more outdoor clothing shops than you can shake a stick at and I couldn't begin to count the restaurants and coffee shops.  Surprisingly there are a lot of secondhand (or whatever the current PC term for such emporia is) book shops at a time when such places are closing down left right and centre because of charity (goodwill/op shops) and Amazon and eBay not to mention Kindle and other ebooks.

Perhaps the main thing though is travel.  It used too be a major journey to get to the Lake District from the conurbations.  Now its reachable from the North of Scotland or the South of England in a day and Liverpool in a couple of hours.  One can 'do' Ambleside as a day trip from Liverpool. How things change.

Some Westfield enthusiasts are staying.  The Nighthawk is the centre of the three staid cars parked against the hedge.

The Lakes Lodge

Grey Wagtail

Today we went to Buckfast Butterfly and Otter Centre.  I shall doubtless post some photos but the real bonus for me was neither a butterfly nor an otter.  It was a Grey Wagtail.  I thought that it was the first time I had photographed one but, in fact I posted about one here.