Planes, Trains & Automobiles - Lufthansa 747-400 Upper Deck & A Drive around Scotland

[yflyer]

Breakfast at the Castle was no less impressive. First, a buffet selection of breakfast starters...



...and then your choice of breakfast main, served in the dining room.



This was breakfast with a view!


The breakfast menu...



While waiting for our mains, we helped ourselves to the buffet selection...



For my main, I opted for the full Scottish...



This was absolutely satisfying.

Mrs yflyer had the local kippers...



What an excellent breakfast, in a wonderful setting.

[yflyer]

It was now time to check out some of the activities available at the Castle. When we asked what guests did during their stay, the reply was that many went for walks around the grounds and around Fort William. Day trips to Mallaig to see the Jacobite Steam Train, which was featured in the Harry Potter movies, were also very popular. We simply didn't have time to fit in a day trip to see the train, but many other visitors considered it be a must-do activity.

There were also quite a few organised activities at the castle, among them clay pigeon shooting, archery and falconry.

I decided to try my hand at clay pigeon shooting. Miss yflyer no.2 opted for archery, as we felt that the clay pigeon shotguns might be too heavy for her.

As it turns out, our young and very expert shooting/archery coach that day would be conducting both the archery and clay pigeon sessions, so we could both try a little of each activity.

We headed to the rolling hills behind the Castle, where two clay pigeon catapults, and an archery target board, had already been set up.



To my surprise, there were cows right in front of the line of fire.



"Is it safe to be shooting with the cows right there?", I asked.

"Absolutely!", was the reply. "They aren't bothered at all".

Having spent time in the SAF serving my national service, I had expended my fair share of ammunition with an M16 and SAR21 at firing ranges on Pulau Tekong, SAFTI and elsewhere, but I would soon learn that clay pigeon shooting was a whole different thing. All my preconceived notions about shooting went out the window.

Our coach was very safety conscious and careful, however they sure did things differently around here.



There were 2 different shotguns today. One was a Beretta over and under shotgun, with barrels one above the other.



The other was a traditional double barrelled shotgun with barrels side by side.



The clay pigeons were small biodegradable discs, which would be launched into the air by the catapults.



"Have you shot before?", he asked.

"I did my national service in the Singapore Army, so I've used an M16", I replied.

So I knew some basics, but these shotguns were quite different. For one, there were no gunsights!

"You aim down the barrel and just use your instincts", our coach advised.



And then we were off...



The clay pigeons were small and very fast. You had to catch them at the apex of their flight path.

It definitely took a while to get the knack of it. The lack of a gunsight was definitely something to get used to.

I missed many, but managed to hit a few.

Yes it really was all about instinct! It was also a lot of fun!

Miss yflyer no.2 tried her hand at it too. This was her first time shooting a real firearm.



It was quite an experience for her.

The session came with a set number of shotgun cartridges, and by the time we shot them all, my shoulder was starting to feel slightly sore from the recoil. Those guns did kick.



I think it would take quite a few more sessions before I got the hang of it, before I would be able to hit the clay pigeons with confidence, especially if two pigeons were launched in quick succession from the two catapults.

Still, whether through luck or skill, I was on target for at least a few. It was a bit of a relief not to end the session with a duck (or pigeon) egg as the final tally.

[yflyer]

WIth all the shot ammunition expended, we turned to archery. At least with archery, we had unlimited shots, as we would be able to recover the arrows from the target and reuse them.



Miss yflyer no.2 had a great start, with a bulls eye on her very first shot, and very consistent hits after that.



It went without saying that there was a lot of skill, not to mention strength and stamina, involved in archery. The target was quite close, and yet, it was possible not just to miss the bulls eye, but to miss the entire target board all together, with the arrows sailing into the field behind us. We spent a fair bit of time hunting for arrows in the grass.

Thankfully none of the arrows went anywhere near the cows, who, as our coach had said, were not bothered in the least by either the arrows or the earlier shotgun blasts!

[yflyer]

Another couple staying at the Castle were doing falconry that morning, so after the archery, we headed to the castle lawn to watch.



These birds of prey were magnificent...



...not to mention simply huge.

They looked quite small when up in the air, and you only realized how large they were when they came in to land on the arm of the falconer.



What a unique experience it must be to have a falcon swoop down from above land on your arm.

[yflyer]

That afternoon, we checked out of Inverlochy Castle, and headed to Fort William. We parked our rental car at the Fort William Train Station. This was the agreed car return location for the car that we had picked up a week earlier at Edinburgh Airport.



From the train station, it was just a short walk to the Fort William town centre.



This was a very pleasant town, by the shores of Loch Linnhe, and not far from Ben Nevis.



Many visitors used this town as a base to trek up Ben Nevis.



We strolled down High Street, lined with shops and eateries, in search of lunch.

[yflyer]

For lunch, we decided on The Ben Nevis Bar & Restaurant...



This restaurant had cosy indoor seating, as well as an outdoor deck with great views of the Loch Linnhe.



As it was quite cold outside, Miss yflyer no.2 warmed up with a hot chocolate.



For lunch, we had Cullen Skink, a popular Scottish specialty. This was thick fish soup made with smoked haddock, potato, leeks, fennel, cream and white wine.



We also shared a steak and ale pie...



...which was quite delicious.

[yflyer]

That evening, we caught the Caledonian Sleeper train from Fort William to London. This was a 12 hour train journey that departed Fort William at 7.50pm, and arrived at London Euston station at 8am the next morning.

There are many ways to get from Fort William to London. The flight from Edinburgh or Glasgow to London only takes 1.5 hrs. Of course one had to travel about 100km from Fort William to either of those airports first.

If we took the Caledonian Sleeper, we could have a leisurely dinner on the train, then sleep a full night's sleep in a comfortable private cabin, with ensuite bathoom, and then have breakfast before arriving in London. In this age of budget air travel, a sleeper train felt like a much more comfortable and uncomplicated way to get to London from Fort William.

While not the most luxurious train service out there, the Caledonian Sleeper was a very comfortable way to travel, and was featured in a recent CNN article as one of the best night trains in the world.

Before our train journey, we spent time in the Caledonian Sleeper Guest Lounge at Fort William Train Station.



This was a small but comfortable lounge with ample seating, good wifi, non-alcoholic refreshments, as well as bathrooms and a shower.



Coffee, tea, soft drinks and packs of potato crisps were on offer.

[yflyer]

At 7.20pm, thirty minutes prior to departure, the lounge staff invited us to proceed to the train platform to board the Caledonian Sleeper.


Our carriage layout resembled the sleeper carriages of trains from the past, but instead of the traditional ornate interiors of the grand old trains of the past, this carriage had been designed with a modern theme. There was a narrow corridor, with doors on one side, leading to the private cabins.



There was limited space in the cabin itself to store large suitcases or even rollaboards, so these were stored in a separate storage room in the carriage. We could bring smaller pieces of handluggage to the cabin, where there was a little space under the bed to store a few items.

Our cabin was equipped with a double decker bed...



...and an ensuite shower / WC.



The shower stall design was a marvel of industrial design. When showering, one could sit on the bench. The WC was concealed under the bench.



There was a window at one end of the cabin, along with a washbasin.



The double decker bed was very ergonomic.



I found the pillows and mattress very comfortable. The crisp white sheets looked to be of very high quality.



There was wifi, power and USB charging.



There were amenities and a room service menu.

[yflyer]

The onboard menu was quite impressive. You could dine in your room, or in the dining car.



Dinner selections...



An extensive selection of wines and spirits...



Breakfast was ordered from a room service card, and could be eaten in the room, or in the dining car.

[yflyer]

We decided to have dinner in the dining car.



This was a beautiful dining car, with large windows to enjoy the stunning views outside.



We began with wine...



The scenery along the way was simply stunning.



We saw hills, lochs and the occasional red deer...



For dinner, we had cream of butternut squash soup...



...and haggis with neeps, tatties and whisky sauce.



After dinner, we remained in the dining car a while longer to enjoy the views...



......while sipping Scotch and a G&T...

[yflyer]

Later, we returned to our cabins to turn in for the night.

I had a decent shower in the ensuite bathroom before climbing up to the upper bunk bed to sleep.



I slept very well during the night.

We did encounter an issue during the night, where midway during the journey, the water tap (and flush (!)) stopped working. Mrs yflyer called the train staff who determined that there was an issue with the water tank for our particular cabin -- the tank had run dry and was completely empty! The staff were of course very apologetic, but there wasn't anything that could be done during the journey. The issue affected our cabin and the one next to us on our right, as two cabins shared one water tank. It wasn't a huge issue as by then, I had already taken my shower, but it was slightly inconvenient to have to head to the toilets outside our cabin rather than use the ensuite, as the flush was no longer working. In any case, we received a partial refund for our journey as compensation, which we found very generous. Full marks for service recovery.

Miss yflyer no.2 had a cabin all to herself, to our left, and her water supply was fine throughout.

[yflyer]

The next morning, Mrs yflyer and Miss yflyer no.2 headed back to the dining car for breakfast there, while I remained in my cabin to try the room service breakfast, just to see what it was like.

In the event, the room service breakfast was not like a hotel breakfast served on a tray -- this was a train after all.

The room service breakfast came in a paper bag and cardboard box, similar in some ways to an airline meal.



You flipped open the cardboard box to form a sturdy tray...



...then assembled the breakfast components on the tray, before dining on the bed.



I found breakfast reasonably tasty, but I didn't quite enjoy eating breakfast while sitting on the bed. Next time, I would probably head to the dining car.



Overall, I would say that the Caledonian Sleeper was a wonderful way to get from Fort William to London, and I would not hesitate to do this journey again. The cabin was very comfortable, and the F&B and service in the dining car were great.

We arrived at London Euston Station on time, at 8am in the morning, and we were soon in a London Cab to our hotel.

[yflyer]

Our hotel was the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green in East London.

Bethnal Green was a bustling neighbourhood with traditional working class roots and a sizeable immigrant community, that has become increaslngly gentrified and trendy over the years. Bethnal Green tube station was nearby, as well as Victoria Park, large and very beautiful park.

Town Hall Hotel, a property that under Marriott Bonvoy's Design Hotels, was a little further from central London's attractions than other popular hotels. We were about 20 minutes away by tube from Oxford Street and other attractions.



That said, the benefit of staying in this hotel was that for the same room rate, one could get rooms and suites here that were far larger than the rooms at more centrally located properties. The 20 minute commute to the city was very straightforward, and Bethnal Green itself had many good eateries and bars.

As the name implied, the hotel was restored and converted from a former town hall building.



First built in 1910 as an government administrative building, the property was extensively renovated in the art deco style in the 1930's and for much of the 1960's served as an office for the local government.



The building was restored and refurbished to become a hotel and serviced apartment complex from 2010.

[yflyer]

For our stay, we booked a Deluxe One-Bedoom Executive Suite.



This was a very spacious suite, with high ceilings...



...and lovely mid-century furniture pieces.



There was a full kitchenette.



The main bedroom...



Large bathroom...



...with combined tub/shower.



The kitchenette was very well equipped.





It was great to have an in-room washing machine.



This was by far the largest hotel room I had ever stayed in while in London, and we really appreciated all the space we had. We were there for 4 nights, and it was nice to have enough room such that the 3 of us were not tripping over each other during our stay there.

[yflyer]

The weather in London on our first day there was warm and sunny.



It was impossible not to miss the many bright red phone booths that still dotted the city. Who used phone booths these days?



It turned out there weren't pay phones in these any more. They were being preserved for future generations.



London's West End was busy as usual...



We headed to the Temple area of London, which was the legal district in London, in between Fleet Street and the River Thames.



We were there for lunch at a unique venue: The Middle Temple Hall.



This was a banquet hall built some time between 1562 and 1573, and was part of the London legal establishment, where the Middle Temple was one of several Inns of Court entitled to call their members to the English Bar.



While the venue was primarily used by members of the legal profession, and not open to the public it was possible to reserve seats at a communal tables in the banquet hall, where a sumptuous weekday lunch was served.



The food was delicious, but the highlight was really the large banquet hall itself, with its stunning wooden double hammerbeam roof which dates from 1573.

The Hall had a strict no photo/video policy, so it was not possible to take pictures within the hall itself, but there are several Instagram posts and youtube videos that show the interior of this unique banquet hall, and the atmosphere there.

Reservations well in advance are mandatory, and I would highly recommend this place as a unique dining venue when visiting London.