Smillies in the Scottish Highlands!

Shania Rohr
Sep 27, 2019
2 min read

When we left Ireland we made a stop in Scotland to visit longtime friends Alan and Tricia Smillie who live in Fort William. Being in the highlands in May was incredible! Everything has come to life and there are so many lambs! The drive to their house from Glasgow was many narrow, winding roads with incredible views.

The day after we arrived in Fort William we attended the church (Lighthouse) that Al and Tricia started in Mallaig. That was a beautiful experience, probably the smallest church I've ever attended. There was likely only 10-15 people in the room when we arrived, by the time the service started there was over 30 - many of who had not attended the church before. The worship was done completely acapella by the congregation, no leader, which we very rarely would find here. It was an incredible experience. On the way up to church we made a stop at the Glenfinnan viaduct which is the bridge the Hogwarts Express goes over. In the same location there is the glen that Hogwarts is CGI'd into the landscape along the side.

Following church we went and discovered Scotland's white sand beaches - yes they have white sand beaches! We also took a drive down a single track road along the coast and ran into some of the church members enjoying the nice day. One of these gentleman treated us to some bagpipes and while he played seals made their way closer to us from the harbor! It was a real treat.

The next day we traveled to the Isle of Skye and drove around experiencing the ruralness of this country as well as the beauty. On the way up we stopped at Eilean Donan Castle, we didn't go in but the views of the castle on the loch was breathtaking.

The most surreal part of the Isle of Skye was the Fairy Glen of Uig. Walking around the hills made you feel like you were tiny in this massive world. We had a great time climbing around and exploring.

On our final day in Scotland, Sara and Alan climbed Ben Nevis - the highest mountain in the British Isles. While they did that, Mom, Tricia and I went to nearby Glencoe and visited a Glencoe Lochan which looked as if it was straight out of Canada. There we saw so many ducklings, they were adorable!