Conquering the Pap of Glen Coe

It's Groundhog Day, and I'm not happy with Punxsutawney Phil. I really could have used an early spring. But I don't really have anything else to complain about because I just had a wonderful three-day adventure in the Scottish Highands. So I'll give Phil a break. I like the snow anyway.

On Friday morning, twelve of us met at the Edinburgh train station at an ungodly early hour. But any tiredness was replaced with excitement, at least for me, because this was the Harry Potter train! In reality it's called the West Highland Railway, but I know it because it was filmed for the Hogwarts Express scenes in the movies. The Rough Guide calls it one of the great railway journeys of the world, and it did not disappoint.

After a stopover in Glasgow, the train made its way up Scotland's western coast. We passed through beautiful lochs, mountain ranges, sheep herds (only in Scotland), and by train stops that didn't seem to be in any sort of town at all. The whole group got up to gawk and take pictures as we passed over the Glennfinnan Viaduct - If you're a Harry Potter fan you'll definitely recognize it. 

Our first stop was Morar, a completely deserted town overlooking a stunning white sand beach. The wind was absolutely insane as we made our way down to the beach and stopped to take pictures. Any hopes of getting a hot drink were thwarted when we returned back to the teeny town and found that nothing was open; Many places in Scotland shut down for the winter months when it's not tourist season. 

[caption id="attachment_169" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Battling the wind on the beach at Morar."][/caption]

With two hours to kill we asked for suggestions at a gas station down the road, and the attendant told us to hike to Mallaig, which she described as a "bustling port city." After a scenically impressive hour-long trek by the coast, we arrived in not-so-bustling Mallaig, which I would not describe as a city.  But it was nice to see nonetheless, and we pretty quickly caught our train to Fort William.

In Fort William we made our way to our hostel, checked into themed rooms (I was in the Scottish actors room and slept in the Ewan McGregor bed), and ventured into town for dinner and a pub crawl. Fort William isn't so hopping with the 25 and under crowd: Most of the people we saw were at least in their forties.  But that's not to say they didn't know how to have fun;  We watched many Fort Williamites drink to excess and get their groove on on the dance floor.  Age aside, they were like any other college students I know. I even joined them dancing for a bit while the DJ played some of my favorite songs (Who would have known they'd actually play "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" at a Scottish pub?).

[caption id="attachment_170" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="View of Fort William from the hostel."][/caption]

On Saturday morning we took a bus into Glen Coe, a picturesque village on a loch surrounded by a mountain range that is known as one of the most beautiful places in Scotland. Our rustic hostel was nestled into the mountains on a one-lane road that didn't have anything going on except incredible scenery.

[caption id="attachment_172" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Glen Coe hostel."][/caption]

The group set out for a hike up a mountain called the "Pap" of Glen Coe (translates into the boob of Glen Coe) across the street, pledging to turn back with enough time to come down before dark. It was a poorly marked trail full of loose rocks and thick plots of mud but with stunning views of the range and the loch. Others began trickling off, but five of us decided to continue on to the top even as the time we said we would head back passed. One of the other interns is a certified wilderness first responder and commented that what we were about to do went against everything he had been taught, but we still did it, knowing we would probably regret it if we turned back. So we made our way through foot-deep patches of snow and up the final summit which was basically a huge pile of rocks.  Other climbers were decked out in boots, poles, and other complicated-looking climbing gear; I was wearing tennis shoes and a sweatshirt. 

[caption id="attachment_174" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="View from the lower part of the hike."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_175" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Trekking through the snow."][/caption]

The view from the top was indescribably thrilling and beautiful, but I didn't get to enjoy it very long as we had to move out pronto. The wind at the top was dangerously fast, and the sun was beginning to set. I fell on the snow numerous times on the way down, but thankfully we made it back unharmed just as the sky turned completely dark. We were darn lucky. Definitely not the safest decision I've ever made but worth it in the end.

[caption id="attachment_176" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="The final challenge."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_178" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="I made it alive!"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_179" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="The survivors."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_180" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="View of the "Pap" of Glen Coe from town."][/caption]

The Clachaig Inn a mile up the road was probably the only place in Glen Coe we could have gotten dinner that night even if we had wanted to go somewhere else, but it was a nice place for a warm meal. The pub next to the restaurant had live music, so we went there after we finished eating and watched "The Shenanigans" play such Scottish classics as "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Sweet Home Alabama." Butchered is probably a better word to use, because as the self-described short men got drunker, the songs started making less and less sense. It was a fun crowd with the same demographic as the night before. One of the interns commented that he felt as though he were watching his mom and her friends dancing.

On Sunday morning some of us hiked back to the inn to see where the scenes for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban had been shot and were able to locate the spot of Hagrid's Hut. Success! I was a little embarrassed asking the woman at the hotel to tell me exactly where the filming took place, but I fly my Harry Potter flag proudly. 

[caption id="attachment_182" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Location of Hagrid's cottage in Azkaban - but no Daniel Radcliffe sightings :("][/caption]

After walking back to town we boarded a bus back to Fort William and hung out in a grocery store for a few hours before catching the train back to Edinburgh. I managed to find a package of brie for 60 pence, so I was content in my waiting. 

It was a great weekend, and now I'm back to the routine of class and excursions. In exciting news, some of the London snow made its way here today. I'm hoping to wake up tomorrow to a blanket of white, so let it snow!