- North Britain
- 30th August - 6th September 1998
The Roof of Britain -- This trip reunited me to the sight of UK's three tallest peaks after nine years: Scafell Pike in Cumbria, England, Snowdon of Cymru (Wales), and Ben Nevis of Scotland. A respectable Ford Mondeo was my trusty steed for a little over 1,000 miles, between Manchester and the village of Flodigarry at the northern tip of Skye, a rugged region known as the Trotternish.
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Repast along the way was classic British fare: bacon, toast and tea for breakfast, fish-n-chips for lunch and tandoori for dinner, give or take a few servings of foie gras at an upscale inn in Cumbria, and the hearty haggis at several a Scottish road stop. Unthinkable luck prevailed: sunshine and no rain over the Cuillins of Skye. Three impressions I shall not forget. There were the coy "you again" from the maître d'hôtel at the Wild Boar Inn, Crook-at-Windermere; the bagpipe serenades at the Flodigarry Guest House as I tried to digest beef, pork, lamb and game; and the Punjabi take-away at Altricham, where the owners and I watched what was apparently an exotic television programme for my hosts -- a documentary on Joshua Tree National Park, just two hours away from my home in San Gabriel, California. The narrow, winding roads, the green rolling hills, the rocky crags, the gray pall -- they felt heartwarmingly familiar. |
 | Coniston Water, Cumbria |
| Loch Creran |
| Eilean Donan Castle |
| The Cuillins at Camasunary, Isle of Skye |
| Highlands Cattle at Torrin, Isle of Skye |
| Wast Water, Cumbria |
- Gear - Kodak DC205 Digital, Nikon N90 with f/2.8 35-70mm zoom.
- Bases - Altricham (near Manchester), Crook-at-Windermere, Flodigarry (Skye)
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