Victoria's Voyage

Today we had a nice slow morning, a refreshing change from our usual hectic lifestyles. After a hearty breakfast and another long chat, we finally departed Edinburgh and hit the road for our cottage in the highlands.

Despite taking up a good chunk of our day, the cross-country drive was a spectacle in itself. We cranked up the music and took in the breathtaking scenery, watching the stark change from English-style fields to thick pine forests, large lakes and towering mountains.

We stopped at a few viewpoints along the way for some much-needed photo ops, but nothing on camera can do the look and feel of being here in real life justice. We refused to be deterred by the rain showers and brisk winds, taking everything in. Our main stop was nearby Glencoe, which offered impressive viewpoints and a decent visitor centre to grab a drink and a toilet break. I can definitely see us heading back that way!

Finally, we reached Strontian and located our cottage, an adorable log cabin with a spacious yet cosy feel and views of the surrounding wild plants and the glistening loch at the bottom of the hill. We settled into our new temporary home and cooked a gravy dinner together, before the others went out for a little wander down the hill. Tonight I opted to stay inside in the warm – there’ll be plenty of opportunity to see the loch as the week goes on! – and when they got back we were finally settled in for the evening, fire burning.