The next highlight of my trip took me to Fort William, a little highland town about an hour and a half away from Inverness. Located in the natural beauty of the highlands, and nestled in the wild mountains, it is a true adventurer’s dream. Though the surrounding mountain range is beautiful, the main attraction is Ben Nevis. Known as the tallest peak in the United Kingdom, Ben Nevis reaches an incredible, 4409ft ( 1344m). Mac and I naturally decided that we were just going to casually hike up to the top. No big deal, right?

We arrived at our Backpackers hostel late at night. I was disappointed in the hostel. Each room was stuffed with six-eight beds in a dusty Victorian building, and my room looked more like a fire-trap than the cozy room that I had pictured. To make matters worse, there were only two bathrooms, and one flooded the first night we were there.

As expected, our hostel was filled with mountain climbers. Most were British or Western European, and all of them were clearly well-experienced climbers and hikers. We met two British hikers, who were planning on conquering a nine hour hike around the mountain the next morning. Clearly, Mac and I were a bit out of our league, and it was intimidating. At the same time, meeting these people was inspiring, and it made me even more determined to take on the challenge of Ben Nevis.

The next morning we made the short drive to the base of the mountain. It was late December at this point and the mountain was capped with white snow. However, the sky was clear and icy blue, and the sun was shining brightly. The guide at the hostel had warned us about the “hip-level snow” on the mountain and he kept saying things like, “Um maybe you shouldn’t climb it if you don’t have your own equipment etc etc.” I suppose that we were feeling bold by this point in the trip, and we decided to hike up the mountain without winter coats, proper gloves or boots, ice picks or crampons.

The hike began from a pretty little trail along the river. Along the way we crossed a picturesque bridge, hopped over a couple fences, and met a nice old woman and her cute dog.

It was still early morning, and the view from base of the mountain was magnificent.

The hike up was treacherous. The path was very steep, and it was mainly composed of high steps of flat, slippery rock. Normally I am not afraid of heights but I quickly noticed that the path seemed to inch closer and closer to the edge of the mountainside.

We crossed a bridge that provided the perfect view of the valley below.

After crossing the bridge, we ate lunch on the mountainside to take in the view. There we made friends with some sure-footed sheep. Ah Scotland, where sheep are everywhere.

As we continued on, the path became even more daunting. The stones were covered in ice, and I had to carefully plan each step. Clouds started to creep in, and a chill wind began to blow.

As mentioned before, the winter sun sets in the highlands around 3:30. By this point we were almost at the end of our hike. I started to fear that we would be stuck on the mountain at night, which could mean a very tricky hike down.

However, the sunset from this view rates as one of my favorite memories from the trip. Once again the red, purple and green colors intensified in the falling light.

We carefully, and slowly hiked back down before nightfall. I was exhausted but exhilarated, and proud of myself for having achieved such a memorable goal.

The next day, we were ready to explore another famous landmark in Fort William. Glenfinnan is a small village just outside of Fort William. This was the birthplace of the Jacobite Uprising in 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie laid claim to the throne. A monument was erected in honor of the uprising. It was a freezing day, and the monument was enveloped by a heavy fog.

Across the street, stands a second famous monument that you may recognize right away. The Glenfinnan Viaduct is a beautifully designed bridge built in the late 19th century.
Yes, it is the bridge from the Harry Potter movies!

After three days in Fort William, we headed down to Glasgow for New Year’s Eve. Leaving the highlands was depressing. I could have spent ages there, just exploring and taking pictures. I’ll never forget this incredible road trip and the adventures I had exploring the land with Mac.