Category Archives: Britain

Inverness

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We were hoping to find accommodation on the banks of Loch Ness but it seemed there was none to be had. We were very happy with the compromise of a lovely hotel overlooking the River Ness, only a short walk into town.

1.River Ness2.River Ness

A succession of castles has stood guard over the river since 1057. Built in 1836, the magnificent red sandstone of Inverness Castle shone in the afternoon sunshine. It is now the Court house and not open to the public.

3.Inverness Castle

We had planned on a Loch Ness cruise for the next day but the weather was threatening inclemency so we decided to explore the Black Isle instead. Not far from Inverness, it is not actually an island, but a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by water. As well as gorgeous villages and towns, the highland scenery was spectacular.

4.Black Isle

We had many issues with our satnav throughout our trip, we named her Holly (if you have ever seen Red Dwarf, you will understand why). She was adamant that this was a major road!

5.Black Isle

We had our sights set on snow-capped Ben Wyvis.

6.Black Isle7.Ben Wyvis

Unfortunately, Holly was not in the mood to co-operate and after negotiating a multitude of narrow mountain roads, we returned to Inverness.

We awoke the following morning to a beautiful winter wonderland, an early snowfall.

11.Inverness

After breakfast, we wandered through the Ness Islands.

12.Ness Islands

The two wooded islands are connected by footbridges

13.Ness Islands

and have been used as a public park since the 1840s.

14.Ness Islands

The walk in the crisp, fresh air amidst the stunning autumn foliage was a perfect start to the day.

15.Ness Islands16.Ness Islands17.Ness Islands18.Ness Islands

Reluctantly leaving Inverness, we continued our southward journey.

19.River Ness

Loch Ness

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The drive to Inverness took us along the shores of magnificent Loch Ness.

1.Loch Ness

The ruins of Urquhart Castle have prime position on a rocky promontory overlooking the lake. Founded in the 13th century, the castle withstood much conflict during its 500 years as a fortress, eventually blown up in the Jacobite rebellion in 1692.

2.Urquhart Castle3.The Saltire

The scenery was spectacular as we followed the banks of the Loch,

4.Loch Ness

the autumn sunlight creating a diverse palette of hues.

5.Loch Ness6.Loch Ness

The landscape on the opposite side of the road was no less impressive.

7.Loch Ness8.Loch Ness

The largest body of fresh water in Britain, Loch Ness is 39km long and over 200 metres deep.

9.Loch Ness10.Loch Ness

We didn’t see the Loch Ness monster but it isn’t hard to imagine something lurking beneath the surface.

11.Loch Ness

 

Isle of Skye

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We hadn’t planned ahead for our trip through Scotland, preferring to see where each day ended. Late October is not the height of the tourist season, however, arriving on the Isle of Skye we found accommodation scarce. We were very fortunate to find a room at Uig Hotel, a beautiful old coaching inn dating back to 1831.

1.Uig Hotel

We settled in at the bar to enjoy some local beverages. A Red Cuillin ale for Michael, brewed locally since 1995 and a Talisker single malt for me from the only distillery on the Isle of Skye. We absorbed the stunning view of Uig Bay and Loch Snizort.

2.Uig Bay3.Loch Snizort

The tower in our sights was a 19th century folly, known as Fraser’s Folly. The tenants of Kilmuir Estate, owned by Major William Fraser in 1855, would go to the folly to pay their rents. The tower was later turned into a family home and eventually abandoned in the 1950s.

4.Fraser's Folly

We enjoyed a superb meal in The Folly restaurant at the hotel, Michael honouring his Scottish roots with a main course of venison haggis. The next morning, we awoke to severe stormy weather. We had decided to explore the island in an anticlockwise direction and see where the road led, we weren’t going to let the elements stop us. The camera stayed safely tucked away until we came across Sligachan Bridge.

5.Sligachan Bridge

Built in the 1820s, it was taking quite a beating from the waters whipped up by the gale force winds.

6.upstream

Apparently, the views of the Black Cuillin mountains are spectacular on a clear day. Legend has it that if you dip your face in the river water by the bridge for seven seconds, you will stay young and beautiful forever. I certainly wasn’t going to try on this day.

7.downstream

Eilean Donan castle

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Leaving Ben Nevis behind, we drove north through the Highlands, our destination the Isle of Skye. On the way, we stopped to explore Eilean Donan castle.

1.Eilean Donan Castle

The island of Donan, at the meeting point of Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long was settled by Irish Saint, Bishop Donan in 634AD. The first fortified castle was built in the mid 13th century to protect the area from Viking invasion.

2.Eilean Donan Castle

It was partially destroyed in the Jacobite uprising in 1719 and then lay in ruins for nearly 200 years. Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911, restored the castle over the next twenty years and added the bridge.

3.Eilean Donan Castle

The scenery was breathtaking, even on an overcast day.

4.Loch Long

Entering through the majestic doorway,

5.Entrance

we spent some time wandering through the restored interior, I photographed these Viking sculptures before realizing photography wasn’t permitted.

6.Viking sculptures

The exterior has been lovingly resurrected, I can see why it took twenty years.

7.Eilean Donan Castle8.Eilean Donan Castle

The castle is still owned by the MacRae family. The Clan MacRae War Memorial commemorates the 423 members of the Clan MacRae who died in World War l, including Lieutenant Colonel John McRae who wrote the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’.

9.Clan MacRae War Memorial & Field Guns

In stark contrast to the castle’s history, there was a sense of serenity about the misty waters.

10.Eilean Donan Castle11.Eilean Donan Castle12.Eilean Donan Castle

The bridge across Loch Long, built in 1990, connects the nearby villages of Dornie and Ardelve.

13.Dornie bridge

Scotland’s national flag, The Saltire, stands proudly at the perimeter of the castle. The patron saint of Scotland, St. Andrew, was apparently crucified on an X shaped cross, hence, the white saltire on a background of azure blue sky.

14.Eilean Donan Castle

Aonach Mor

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After a wander along the main street of Fort William, we drove to Aonach Mor to experience the Nevis Range. The 2.3km gondola ride up the north face of the mountain was exhilarating.

1-gondola

650 metres up, the ski lifts were still slumbering

2-resting-chairlift

but the light snow gave a hint of things to come.

3-aonach-mor4-aonach-mor

The heavy cloud promised more snowfalls and the shafts of sunlight painted beautiful hues through the Great Glen.

5-view-from-aonach-mor6-great-glen7-great-glen

We enjoyed a hot chocolate to warm up at the café and, fortunately, it was after 12 o’clock so we added a Drambuie chaser to fortify us for the trip down the mountain.

8-gondola-station9-gondola

The cloud had lifted a little and the scenery was spectacular. The Great Glen follows a 100km geological fault from Inverness to Fort William, bisecting the Scottish Highlands into the Grampian Mountains to the southeast and the Northwest Highlands.

10-great-glen

We returned to terra firma and continued on our northward journey.

11-view