Sunday 23rd April, W8D3

 No disturbance at all last night from my neighbours across the cemetery wall, and no early dog walkers before 0900, so a good 'wild' night. Needing to find somewhere breakfast, Dr Google found some which were no longer working, but I had a good eggs Benedict at the Loch Ness Deli  back in Drum, and again made use of their WiFi to do my accommodation research. I booked a campsite at Bunroy, near Spean Bridge, towards the Fort William end of the Great Glen. The day was a patchwork of weak sunshine and light showers, and the Bens along Loch Ness were covered in cloud to a low altitude. I passed south through Fort Augustus, whose impressive staircase of Canal locks I remembered well from Cate and my passage in the northerly direction in 2007, heading for Inverness where Vega would over-winter while Cate's surgery etc was taking place in London. (Today I refuelled at Fort Augustus.) 

I was keen to revisit the Well of the Seven Heads en route, for nostalgic reasons. It's one of the gorier examples of inter-clan dispute. Several McConnells had murdered two McDonalds in the early 19th century, and as they had not been brought to justice, revenge was demanded by a kinsman to the victims, Iain Lom, Gaelic Poet Laureate of Scotland, and the privy council in Edinburgh issued letters of “fire and sword” against the killers. Seven of the criminals were caught and beheaded, and their heads taken to present to the Chief. But first they had to be wrapped in plaid and washed, in the well by the side of Loch Oich, and the present splendid obelisk was erected in 1812. 

Now Cate and I had sailed to this monument in 2007, and moored temporarily at the site. What was also an interesting memory for me was a small barge moored in the bay, decorated with an entire garden of flowers. We had no idea what it was doing there, but we photographed it, and it was recorded in our ship's log, and it's still there today, exactly as I remember it. 

Further down the road there was a sign for some Falls, and I was fortunate to manage a walk along the river to see them, between some heavy showers. The River flows under a lovely old bridge built by Telford, and follows a long sequence of rapids and falls, and gave me another very pleasant forest walk. 

Continuing southwards I found my Campsite, down a rather inconspicuous track, and was met by the Warden. It is a small independent site, well set out and with good facilties, and also a nice riverside walk (no falls), so once I'd settled in and had a cup of tea, I had my second forest walk of the day, in fine dry conditions. 

Heated up a shop-bought meat pie in the van with a glass of Syrah, and watched the first episode of an ITV medical drama Malpractice (full of inaccuracies) on my tablet before retiring earlier than midnight for once! Night night!