Sep 6: Along the Caladonian Canal
SuperTrip2_2026 Blog Post
2026_2 BLOG
9/8/20262 min read
Today was an easy introduction for our summer-lazy legs. It was plenty long enough at 29km, but was also easy and flat, following the tow path of the Caledonia Canal for most of the way. This is also the general path of the railway line, which, twice a day, is graced by the Harry Potter train – a steam engine that does actually appear in the film. Those beautiful glens are real. It passed us mid-morning.
The rain was persistent, but not often heavy. Our rain gear was more than a match for it and we stayed dry. We both deployed our baseball caps, which is a brilliant hack I have shamelessly copied from Carey. The sturdy brim keeps the drizzle off my glasses and provides a ledge for the front of my hood to sit on, keeping my face from getting sweaty, smeary from saggy material. It worked a charm and really made the day so much more pleasant. It’s the little things…
The fog/rain/cloud finally cleared for an hour in the early afternoon, proving that the mountains actually have peaks and offering a few, truly lovely, views before closing back in again. Then again, the misty mountain is an atmospheric Scottish trope.
We arrived at Spean Bridge (our overnight stop) around 2pm, well before check-in. Fortunately, we found our way to the Old Station House restaurant (one of two in the village). They drew us a couple of pints of Snowgoose, the locally made lager, and allowed us to drip quietly in their snug for a solid hour. It was most welcome.
Channel 4 hosts a guilty-pleasures reality show called “4 in a Bed”, in which 4 couples with B&Bs or small hotels stay at each other’s establishments and mark them out of ten. The show is rife with tactical complaints, pettiness and creative mismatches (I remember an episode where a posh older couple were forced to spend a night in a “luxury yurt”. Suffice it to say, they did not mark highly…). The crux of the competition comes when each couple decides how much they would pay for the room/breakfast, showily peeling off the notes with either generosity, or performative smallness, depending upon their particular edit. Feelings are hurt. Throw in a classically-British, snarky running commentary via voice over and you have top afternoon telly!
I mention this because (I) it says a lot about the British psyche and (II) our B&B tonight proudly displays their “4 in a Bed Winner” trophy in the entry hall. It is a lovely place and our charming hosts, Dani and Cameron, in matching, named pinnies, are VERY media ready – all teeth and eye contact.
As Spean Bridge has most of the accommodation available in the area, we were advised to book ahead for dinner, so we wandered down the road to the Old Station House (again), had a tasty, filling meal with pudding and were in bed by 9.
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Inspired by our 2024 Camino Francais, Karen has a periodic podcast called "I sent you a bloody boat", personal thoughts on faith by a person who believes in thinking. Also, known as "The Reluctant Christian". You can listen to it on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts at: