Cruising to Corpach

Woke up at 7.30 this morning to the inevitable sound of raindrops pattering against our porthole. Great. To add insult to injury, a quick look at our Ring doorbell footage showed us that it was bright and sunny back home in Durham. Typical! 🙁

However, it’s not as if it was unexpected. We’re in Scotland. It’s going to rain – it’s the law or something. We’d come prepared with all our wet weather gear (or “wetties” as we’d heard them referred to yesterday) and we were determined it wasn’t going to spoil our day. 🙂

We got washed and dressed in our compact cabin and made our way upstairs to the saloon, to the “good morning” and “did you sleep well?” of our fellow shipmates. We could smell the gorgeous aroma of freshly brewed coffee and tea, and we each helped ourselves to a pre-breakfast mug, taking it out on the rear deck to see if the weather was as bad as it looked. We didn’t stay out long; there was lots of low cloud hiding the tops of the mountains and making the outlines of everything hazy and blurry, the fine “mizzle” was coating everything in dampness and, over it all, was a nippy little cold wind.

One thing we definitely did look forward to though was breakfast. The food on Majestic Line vessels is out of this world, easily the best we’ve ever eaten on any cruise, and something that the line is well-known for. You’ll find this blog full of photos and descriptions of what we have had to eat and drink! 🙂

We all took our places around the big communal table, which was already laden with fruit, yogurt, bread and those little individual boxes of cereal, if that is your thing. Another large freshly-brewed pot of tea was brought out, as well as some coffee. Yaz, our steward, advised us what was on offer for breakfast, and Trevor and I opted to start with a bowl of traditional Scottish porridge. It was delicious; we topped it with chopped nuts and fruit and some fresh berries, and drizzled on some Lyle’s Golden Syrup. Then Dan the engineer came around and offered us a wee nip of Talisker on top of our porridge, which tends to be a Scottish tradition. Trevor and I said “oh, yes please!” to the whisky; it would have been rude not to. 😉

In any case, we had been advised by a Scotsman before we left for this trip that drinking whisky was a sure way of keeping the midges at bay. We didn’t know if this was true or not, but we were not averse to testing this theory. 😉

Our yummy bowl of porridge was followed by “eggie bread” (more commonly called French Toast) accompanied by slivers of fresh pineapple and pear, as well as crispy bacon. We washed it down with more coffee and orange juice, then we all sat around the table talking and swapping stories, as you do.

By now, I’d learned everyone’s names; there was Ian and Sue, Dave and Barbara, Peter and Dilys, and two solo ladies, Jen and Chris – and of course Trevor and me. That made up the 10 of us, and we all passed the time pleasantly as Skipper Iain weighed anchor and prepared for the Glen Massan to be underway once again, at 10 o’clock.

It was lovely and relaxing sitting in the saloon, watching the scenery gliding past; the cloud-swathed mountains, the little distant chocolate-box dwellings and, on one occasion, the Corran Point Lighthouse, which was worth going out on deck in the rain to photograph.

We’d been advised that the Glen Massan would be heading to Corpach Marina, near Fort William, for a boatbuilder to visit to make a minor repair; apparently Peter and Dilys had experienced a leak in their cabin last night! This would give us a chance to go ashore for a while if we wanted; hopefully the rain would have let up by then.

We decided to go and explore the boat. Yes, we can call the Glen Massan a boat without getting the usual frowns and headshakes that are prevalent when someone calls, for example, the Queen Mary 2 a “boat”. We headed up to the topmost deck and the wheelhouse, and spent some minutes talking with Skipper Iain as he guided the Glen Massan on her course to Corpach. On these types of cruises, the passengers can have a go at taking the helm if they wish; I intend to do this later on in the cruise. 🙂

After a delicious light lunch of saffron risotto with roasted butternut squash and fresh pea greens (which Trevor and I washed down with a local cold beer each), we had a half-hour power nap before donning our cagoules and wandering out on deck to watch the approach of the Glen Massan into Corpach Marina. There were lots of boats and yachts and little dockside dwellings, all of them looking quite different and individual. We had to stay here until the repair was carried out before heading to the Corpach Sea Loch where we would remain docked overnight.

We spent the rest of the afternoon pottering around the vessel, chatting, reading and (in my case) doing some of this blog. Then, when we felt the increase in vibrations that indicated the Glen Massan‘s engines had started, we went out on deck to watch her continue on her way; it wouldn’t take long to get to the Corpach Sea Lock.

Around 3.20pm we decided to go up to the bridge wing and watch the vessel entering the lock. There is always something fascinating about the ingenuity of canal locks, and we stood and watched as the Glen Massan rose up with the water which we could see cascading through the gates. Soon we were through and out the other side, and the Glen Massan was made fast. She would remain here until tomorrow morning.

As we could see that the persistent drizzle had abated to a very light misty rain, Trevor and I decided to go and explore our immediate vicinity; it would also give us a chance to stretch our legs. I hoped there would be some shops nearby as I had forgotten to bring several things with me (it happens!) such as wet wipes and cotton buds. In addition, as we’d remain here overnight, we thought we’d check Google Maps to see if there were any pubs nearby. 😉

A quick look told us that there was a pub called “Tradewinds” a five-minute walk away. A strange name for a remote Scottish pub; it sounded as though it should have been in Barbados or Jamaica! As dinner was not for another couple of hours, we we thought we’d find the pub and have a pint, and decide if it was worth returning to tonight. 🙂

As we made our way along to the pub, we walked over a level crossing and, as we did so, heard the distant sound of a train horn! A couple of minutes later, the warning bells and lights started at the crossing gates, and soon a train rumbled over the crossing; it was just a short ScotRail local train.

Walking around the corner towards the pub, we spotted a blue and white “Co-Op” supermarket sign; hopefully it would be open this late on a Sunday afternoon so I could nip in and pick up the items I’d forgotten. Indeed it was: in fact, a sign said it didn’t close until 10.00pm, so we had plenty of time.

Entering the pub which was at the end of the row of shops, we divested ourselves of our wet cagoules and I took a seat on a barstool, while Trevor just opted to stand. A couple of TV screens were showing a football match, and about half a dozen regulars traded banter and beery witticisms among themselves. I ordered a pint of Guinness while Trevor decided on a Tennants, and we enjoyed our beers while taking in the atmosphere in the pub. We thought it would be fun to come back here around 10.00pm, for the last hour before closing time.

Once we’d left Tradewinds, we popped into the Co-op and I was able to get my cleansing wipes, cotton buds and some Sure antiperspirant before we headed back to the Glen Massan. On the way, we met Skipper Iain and Dan the engineer, and we told them we’d found a pub! They obviously knew it, because they told us there was a pool and darts room towards the back of the bar. 🙂

Back in cabin #3 (JURA), we got washed and changed in time for our pre-prandial drinks and canapés. I enjoyed a Scottish gin (I hadn’t even realised you could get Scottish gin!) called Misty Isle, mixed with a Fever Tree tonic and lots of ice. It went down a treat, and was accompanied by tasty little morsels of chilli prawns and mozzarella balls with basil infused oil, created by the culinary artistry of Helen the chef. 🙂

The dinging of the bar bell advised us once again that it was time to take our seats for dinner, and we didn’t need asking twice (eating again!). Our dinner consisted of roast chicken with pistachio stuffing, crispy roast potatoes and roasted root vegetable including carrot and beetroot and celery. It was absolutely delicious and melted in our mouths. It was washed down with a crisp, chilled house white wine.

After finishing our meal with the wonderful cheese board once again, we all sat around the table, drinking what was left of the wine and enjoying a freshly-brewed, aromatic coffee. At ten o’clock, Trevor and I decided to go back to the pub for the last hour, so we excused ourselves and returned below decks to cabin #3 to collect our cagoules and change into trainers. Disembarking the Glen Massan, we saw to our consternation that it was still raining a little. Where was the sun?

It only took five minutes to reach the pub and, when we went in, we were amazed to see that some of the customers we’d seen earlier on (around six o’clock) were still there, although they were a little louder than they’d been previously. 🙂

We each ordered a drink; Trevor had a pint of Tennants again and I had a rosé wine. The football on the TV had been replaced with golf, and we sat there enjoying our drinks and relaxing and trying not to eavesdrop on the drunken banter we heard from the regulars.

After another drink, we had to make our way back to the Glen Massan, as it seemed the Sunday licencing laws were slightly different in Scotland than those in England. For example “11.00pm closing” in England means that the last drink is served at 10.59pm and time is then called, and you have 20-30 minutes to drink up. In this pub, however, 11.00pm closing meant to had to be out of the pub at 11.00pm, so last orders were called at 10.30pm.

Once we’d finished our drinks then, we left Tradewinds and set off on the short walk back to Glen Massan, pleased to find that the rain had finally stopped. We arrived back at eleven o’clock to find the vessel in darkness; everyone had gone to bed. Obviously there were no night-owls on board apart from Trevor and me then.

Very quietly therefore, we descended to the lower deck and returned to cabin #3 (JURA). We got washed and changed into our ‘jamas, but it was too early for sleep so I read my Kindle for half an hour before turning off the light and settling down for our second night on board Glen Massan.

Once again, we slept very well, and looked forward to what tomorrow would bring. 🙂