Still at Inverness

Just before I take you on the  trip we took on the Sunday, here are two/three pictures from Janet’s phone of the gig at Cromarty.  Thanks Janet!   Angie Palmer, from Preston I believe, but now living in France, is a singer/songwriter who puts a lot of effort and feeling into her songs.  She plays guitar, and was accompanied  last weekend by Billy Brockley, “whose mother calls him Steven”, on guitar and steel guitar. Bob Harris on Radio 2 rates her highly,so that was good enough for me.    Here, the stage is set!

 

And now,  here are Billy and Angie making use of the equipment thereon!  Fabulous!  If the place had been bigger I’m sure a lot of us would have been up dancing, but as it was, a good few people were jigging in their seats – including me! 

One more photo from the mobile phone and then we move on.

So, our trip on Sunday took us down the A9 again, to the highland village of Aviemore, where we had lunch,

 

 

and from there up the Coylumbridge road to the carpark for the ski lifts and funicular railway – the Funny Colour railway, as Janet and Ray have nicknamed it – on Cairngorm, the mountain.  We weren’t there to join all the skiers and snowboarders who were wrapped up in their winter gear, but we were bound for the Funicular all the same.  You can see the route from the carpark in the centre of the above shot going up to the horizon on the left of the photo.

A train was due to leave shortly so we bought our tickets and headed up the steps to board.  Soon we were off up the hill

 

 

 

looking out at the  skiers, and the ski tows as we climbed.   The highest point the railway reaches is the Ptarmigan restaurant, at 1097 metres, where we made for the hot chocolate, and the views! 

 

A ptarmigan, by the way, is a game bird  found in the hills here.

 

The view looking down the way we had come was pretty good!  Could have been clearer, but was still beautiful!  Just to the left of the central hillock is Loch Morlich, of which, more next time.  Then there were the skiers , and the snowboarders fixing their boards on,

 

 

 

and the caterpillar vehicle that cleaned and smoothed the slopes, probably shovelling snow on to the pistes, and what looked like a mountain rescue sledge.  Was there going to be a practice rescue?  There was no urgency so it can’t have been the real thing. 

The light was beginning to go as we caught the last train down the hill again.  It’s a very smooth ride!   At the half way point the track divides to allow the up-train to pass. 

 

This one wouldn’t be coming back down till the restaurant staff came down later.  Note there is no-one driving the up-train!  It was controlled by our driver, because of course when one goes down, the other has to go up. So, just before I finish off for today, just one last photo – Janet and Ray on the train coming down.  Soon we were back at the carpark, and with a last look around at all the skiers, ski-ing on into the evening, we jumped into the car and headed home  to Inverness , for a glass or two of wine and an evening of Scrabble.  Janet will no doubt comment here – but I did beat her in one game!

Talk again soon.