Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles at 1,345 metres above sea level and that makes it a big deal here. By comparison Mount Kosciuszko in Australia is 2,228 metres. It’s good to know we can beat England at more than just cricket, however both are just bumps on the ground compared to the worlds highest mountain, Mt Everest at 8,848 metres. Despite being “not so big” it seems every man and his dog is keen to climb Ben Nevis and this makes for a very busy place. The weather was normal (rain and mist with little chance of sun) so in the end we settled for the view from a bit short of halfway.

A little further up the old military road from Ben Nevis is the spectacular waterfall known variously as An Steall Bàn, Steall Waterfall or Steall Falls it is Scotland’s second highest waterfall with a single drop of 120 metres. Much prettier, less crowded and to add to it’s prestige it carries a “DANGER OF DEATH” warning sign.

The last visit for the day was Inverlochy Castle, built around 1270 by John “the Black” Comyn  Lord of Badenoch and chief of the Comyn Clan. When Robert the Bruce succeeded to the Scottish throne in 1306, the Comyns, his rivals for the crown, were dispossessed, and the castle was unoccupied for a time. In 1431, clansmen of Alexander MacDonald defeated Lord of the Isles King James the first’s larger army in the Battle of Inverloch and the castle came under the control of Clan Cameron. The Chalmers are part of the Cameron Clan so that’s as far as the history of Inverlaochy needs to go.