2018-10-01 Harry Potter

Today was another cold and rainy day.  Not a good day to hike.  So, they went for a drive. This created an opportunity for lots of educational moments.

Educational Moment:  Neptune’s Staircase – This is a staircase lock comprising eight locks on the Caledonian Canal. Built between 1803 and 1822, it is the longest staircase lock in Britain.  The group watched a couple of boats go through the locks.

Educational Moment:  Glenfinnan is a hamlet the Highlands of Scotland. In 1745 the Jacobite rising began here when Prince Charles Edward Stuart raised his flag on the shores of Loch Shiel.  This is where Bonnie Prince Charles came ashore in Scotland to begin the Jacobite Rebellion (French name for James who had a claim to the throne).   This park is very concerned about parking without paying.  They have people to check your parking sticker as you go out and they stand around the parking meter.  They also charge for the toilets and to walk up to the monument.  Les Cheap girls did not pay to walk up to the monument but circled it.  They felt Bonny Prince Charles would be pleased.

Excitingly, this location is also the location of the Harry Potter viaduct.  Debbie was now torn up about the Outlander or the Harry Potter train.  She tried to convince everyone to walk to the viaduct but failed.  You didn’t have to pay to look at the viaduct.  They could have stood under the viaduct with all the other people. Debbie says that the rest don’t feel the Harry Potter experience.

Next stop was the Ben Nevis Distillery which is one of the oldest licensed distilleries in Scotland. The distillery is nestled at the foot of Britain’s highest mountain.   Debbie just wants to point out that it was cold and they stood outside for quite a while when they could have stood inside.  She also polled the group after the tour and they all agreed that they could only understand about 50% of what the guide said because of his accent.

The flat had limited tv access and no internet.  That night Debbie convinced everyone to watch “39 Steps” from 1978 because it took place in Scotland.  It showed the star running around in gym shorts through the fields.  The group has not seen any of this so far.  Debbie hopes that Larry does not start running around in gym shorts.  Debbie is banned from picking any more movies on this trip.