Breakfast at the hotel (we're starting a trend here) before heading over to the train station at Fort Williams, to board the Jacobite Steam train (aka the Harry Potter Train).

It was drizzly and rainy, so a great day to be inside on a train, but not so great a day to capture a photo of the infamous Glenfinnan Viaduct:
























The scenery was amazing nonetheless, and at our stop in Mallaig we hopped off to grab some lunch.  We ate at a small seafood restaurant overlooking the harbor, then browsed a few shops before getting back on board the train.  We were on a different side of the train for the return trip, so we saw new scenery despite the fact that we were travelling back to Ft. Williams the same way we had come.

Next, we left Ft. William and, back in our car, drove yet another scenic road to Stirling.  We checked into our quaint and beautifully furnished cottage and then went to get dinner.

Following the other theme of our trip, we arrived in town and almost missed the dinner hour - again.  Chris and Steven stopped at the market to get a few things before they closed (where they met a charming schoolboy named Connor), and Robin and I went into the Red Lion Inn to snag a table.

We arrived at 7:45 and they stopped serving at 8pm.  The cook had already started cleaning up, so we could only order entrees (no appetizers) but that was fine.  Our waitress was married to the cook, and the two of them were having a row, so he was none too pleased that his wife agreed to feed us.  She was smiling all the while.  We only hope he didn't spit in our food.

Afterwards, we moseyed over to the bar portion of the Inn, which was populated with a collection of colorful locals and one dog.  As the designated driver, I had my first experience driving on the left-hand side of the road getting us back to our cottage from the bar.  There may have been an incident involving our side-view mirror.  Also the grass.  And a couple of curbs.  But we arrived in one piece and with no (visible) damage, so let's just call it a win and leave it at that.

We built a fire in the backyard fire pit, and spent the remainder of the evening chatting over cheese, crackers, and wine.