2117: Highlands and Islands

The solutions to numbered lights are the words missing from the story. The unclued lights are the names of twenty-two Scottish lochs.  However, forty-four names of lochs appear in the story, all of which are hidden or appear in jumbled form in the story. Solvers are not required to list the ‘discarded’ lochs.
 
I was glad to receive the 26 (hyphened) from both my surgeons who told me that no 5 had 22 following the operation on my knee which I had injured falling off a 41.
 
They told me, ‘Watch how far you 38 though. You can try one or two miles without any effect. Remember another strain keeps you off the road again.’ ‘So I reckon my plans for my 44 bike trip to the 23 of France have to be 25 short,’ I pensively replied.
 
So I just rang up Aunt 17 to ask if I could visit again. She consented to my plea. ‘Uncle Ivor will be delighted. Come when you like. There’s no hurry,’ she enthused. My sullen mood lightened immediately with the prospect of seeing Ivor again. He is 31 whose natural bonhomie always 30 any pretentious, nasty or 13 situation, and so had gained the 36 ‘Ivor Dream’!
 
Early the next week I booked my tickets to travel from the capital’s 43 (hyphened) streets and heavy traffic to 29 Scotland. So, a few days later I left 2 taking the Euston-Glasgow Pendolino, then linking at Queen Street with the train to Inverness, where their elder son, Paul, met me. Because I was to 32D quite late, they wouldn’t 6 (two words) me taking the bus to their home near 24 on the 11 7.
 
My hosts were 12 to keep me entertained. ‘Time will 20 by,’ the 34 of the house promised. ‘All your 16 8 will be met, and you won’t have grounds to complain — and you’ll have your usual 39 to stay in.’
 
The next morning’s weather forecast proved to be the 45 of 14-force winds and 18 in the 27 for the next few days. ‘We think the royal castle at 9 is far too far. Balmoral is too — practically impossible,’ they said, ‘we wouldn’t manage it reasonably in a 1D. A trip like that usually means an overnighter. It is 1A (two words) 33 4.’
 
‘However, it isn’t very far to 10,’ they went on. ‘En route we can show you our new station at 19 Bridge and then visit Dingwall or Tain on our 42D, followed by a 40 at our favourite restaurant, once a traditional dairy. You’ll 28 the 3A sourced from around the area. Their 15 mullet — the 21 of the day — is to die for.’ Once arrangements for the day had been made, we set off. Their sons, Paul and John, joined us for the outing. We 37 (two words) an excellent lunch to which I treated the family.
 
After lunch, (‘No arguing!’ he said), Ivor assumed the 35 of navigator as we drove around Easter Ross, covering Portmahomack, Hill of Fearn and Invergordon. The only proviso was to find an 32A studio where I could buy a Scottish landscape. ‘You’ll never forget your holiday now,’ John said.
 
A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 1 July. There are two runners-up prizes of £20 (or, for UK solvers, the latest edition of the Chambers Dictionary — ring the word ‘Dictionary’). Entries to: Crossword 2117, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP. Please allow six weeks for prize delivery.