We woke up pretty early in the morning and headed cheerfully for a full Scottish breakfast. Haggis, beans and "carton" sausages lay in wait for us. A quick look out of the window and a sobering experience sent shivers down my spine: it was raining. Well, that was the least of it. The whole sky was covered with a thick layer of grey clouds preventing a single sunray from sneaking in; you almost believed the sun had been extinguished. Nonetheless, we were not to waste this well-deserved holiday. Optimistically, we headed for Ben Nevis Range hoping we would manage to get lifted up there in Britain's only mountain gondola. No way, not on that day. The winds were too strong. The gondola was closed, for safety reasons and much to our disappointment. Luckily enough, a cashier, seeing our devastation, lifted our spirits by giving us directions to the beautiful Steall Falls, just a short ride down the road. That was a good choice, indeed.
It took us approximately 20 minutes to get there. After parking our car, we began our ascent along a narrow rocky path. After passing by a few edible mushrooms, the same type that we so eagerly pick back in Poland, and jumping over a few lively streams, we made our way out of the forested area. What was once a violent river falling down the rocks throughout the valley was now the peacefully flowing Water of Nevis. The terrain grew less rugged and eventually turned into a vast plain with the Steall Falls to be admired just across the river. To get there, however, one had to use the rope bridge. Irek did the job. I chose to stay on the safe side of the river. Safe from the Water of Nevis, not from the water of the rain falling in increasing quantities from the clouded sky. That moment I realized that to have a waterproof jacket is a must in Scotland. Soaked, we returned to the hotel to plan our next trip, which would turn out to be to Glenfinnan.>>>
