Feeling a little stronger after lunch, we decided to go out for a bit of fresh air. It started as a simple stroll around the grounds at Lochanhully, but then stretched to a walk up to the viewpoint at the top of the golf course:
Feeling invigorated by this, we then did the Riverside trail, followed by a bit of one of the many woodland walks and then the walk back to our resort. In the end, what started as a gentle stroll ended in a decent afternoon's walk - 12,500 steps in all.
First thing Wednesday, I checked again the conditions on Cairngorm mountain. Visibility was so-so, but the main thing we had been planning all week was a ride on the Funicular, and, yet again, it was closed. Not quite sure why - maybe high winds, maybe technical issues, or perhaps they're just approaching the end of the season. Very frustrating, particularly when you have already bought a couple of vouchers for the ride.
We opted to do another ride instead - the steam train from Aviemore to Boat of Garten. After another pool/sauna session, we walked in to the village and caught the bus down to Aviemore to catch the 12:30 train. The carriage we were in was definitely 50's/60's vintage - the springs in the seats were well worn:
All the steam enthusiasts were salivating when the locomotive hooked up to our carriages:
It's all very well done and Boat of Garten station was very pretty too:
Lunch was booked in the adjacent Boat Country Inn, but there was another photo opportunity first of all:
Lovely lunch - especially the starters of scallops, black pudding and bacon. I know - every restaurant does this nowadays, but it's still hard to beat. We had coffee in the lovely nearby 1896 Gallery and then set about walking back to Carrbridge. There was a little bit of climbing involved - not Jo's favourite exercise - but we eventually got down over the hill to rejoin the Carr Plantation walk that we'd done on Sunday and Jo decided it was time to rest on the bench that I'd posed on 3 days prior:
Still not feeling quite 100% on Thursday morning, and with a wet weather forecast, we decided another easy morning after our usual early morning pool/sauna trip would be appropriate. Things brightened a little in the afternoon and we took the car over to Ballindalloch Castle and Estate - a lovely place to visit, although unfortunately not a National Trust property, hence pretty expensive. The walled gardens were our first stop:
A heavy - not forecast - shower forced us to head for shelter within the castle itself and we did the standard tour before heading out again to do the riverside walk down past where the rivers Avon and Spey merge. The grounds of the estate are immaculate:
So that was Thursday. We're now planning to return home tomorrow (Friday) - one day earlier than originally planned, having given up on the Cairngorm Funicular rail being open this week. Back to a busy weekend, with Brian and Mary coming up on Saturday and then more golf on Sunday with our annual Challenge match - and, of course, there's the Ryder Cup too!
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