Adventuring on a Shoestring

People ask us how we can manage to spend a couple of months in Europe on limited means. It’s pretty simple – No magic, no tricks -… be flexible and self-reliant, plan way ahead, figure out your own transportation, take your time, do most of your own food prep, and take advantage of hostels. Speaking of hostels, here’s a nice one right on the shores of Loch Ness.

And when all else fails, turn back to the sage advice of the great philosophers: .M. Twain AKA S.Clement . “Adventure is something that while it’s happening you wish it wasn’t”.  And J. Buffett “Roll with the punches”.

The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish northeast coast at Inverness with the southwest coast near Fort William. It connects the 9 natural lakes and rivers that make up the Great Glen, a geological fault that extends 62 miles. The 60+ mile canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century. Only about 1/3 is man-made. Its 29 locks rise and fall to 106 feet above sea level. This amazing engineering feat saves countless lives and hardships for ships that would otherwise have to navigate the treacherous waters around the United Kingdom.