TRAVEL
A few days in the
Scottish Highlands
PETER GOODING recalls highlights of when he took an impromptu detour through the Scottish high country, well away from the popular tourist haunts.
M
ESCORTED GROUP TOURS
Weekend Getaway to the Chateau Auckland to National Park by train, overnight at Chateau Tongariro
11th & 12th May 2013
Adelaide & Murray River E10 days includes 4 night river cruise on the Murray Princess
20th September 2013
Taranaki Rhododendron Festival 5 & 6 day itineraries visiting Taranaki’s Garden Festival
November 2013
Tasmania Discover the best Tasmania has to offer on this comprehensive tour
November 2013 Phone Shavourn for further information.
Twilight Travel & Tours 0800 999 887 www.twilighttravel.co.nz
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4 Best of Times
MOTHERS DAY
TREAT
y wife spent the Second World War years as a child in Scotland. On a trip to Britain, we had few days up our sleeve before needing to return home. After visiting her former home, we found ourselves at Fort William, the main town of the western highlands of Scotland. Fort William, with a population of about 12,000, is a town with somewhat of a frontier look about it. Accommodation is well catered for, with a dozen hotels and a wide variety of bed and breakfast venues. It was September, and the starkness of the place was noticeable, but there seemed plenty of people around in tramping gear as well as many mountain bikers. The 1,344 metre Ben Nevis mountain, highest in the British Isles, was just up the road and was the obvious attraction. Not being climbers or mountain bikers, we looked for other pursuits. The Jacobite Railway steam train provides a 135km (84 mile) westward round trip to Mallaig – a busy fishing port with ferry services to Skye and the Small Isles. West Coast Railways, which operates this service, provided the steam engine and carriages for the Harry Potter films. The journey is notorious for its gradient and tight curves, which contribute to the fabulous scenery, as well as crossing the twenty-one-arch Glenfinnan viaduct. There is a daily morning service from mid-May to late October leaving Fort William at 10.15am, which returns at 4pm after a 1 hour and 45 minute stopover at Mallaig for a leisurely walk around. From early June until late August, there is an afternoon service leaving at 2.30pm and returning at 8.24pm. The standard fare in 2013 is NZD$33, with a first class fare of NZD$56 available. We drove out of Fort William and came to Spean Bridge, a pleasant small village where a sign directed us to a Commando War Memorial 2kms away. We have seen some magnificent war memorials in various parts of the world but this resolute 5.2 metre tall and proud-looking monument of three figures in commando uniforms made an unwavering statement. The memorial was located in moorland, brightened by adjacent areas of knee-high purple heather seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It was a solitary sight 13kms from Fort William, with just an accompanying car park. In the summer of 1940 when Britain’s fortunes were at their lowest ebb and the country was under threat of invasion from Germany, Winston Churchill ordered the raising of an elite force to make surprise raids on enemy held coast lines of occupied Europe. In 1942, the Commando Basic Training Unit was established in the Scottish Highlands near Achnacarry. Commando soldiers from the British Army, Royal Marines, and Allied armies underwent their tough training in this area. The Commando motto of “United We Conquer” exemplified their high standard of military training, self discipline, physical endeavour, initiative, bravery, and courage. Their exploits were legendary, but many made the ultimate sacrifice. Winston Churchill said “We may feel sure that