Tag Archives: travel

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

Yallingup Reef

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The coastline in the north of the Margaret River Region is spectacular. Our day trip began with a diversion to Yallingup Reef.

1.Yallingup Reef

We stood, mesmerized by the breaking surf and perfectly placed rainbow.

2.Yallingup Reef3.Yallingup Reef

A little further north, Yallingup Beach is famous for its legendary surf breaks. However, Yallingup Reef is well protected from the wind and the beach stays very shallow for a long way out.

4.Yallingup Reef

The granite rocks of the point surround it completely and the breaking waves are far from the beach.

5.Yallingup Reef6.Yallingup Reef7.Yallingup Reef8.Yallingup Reef

I can see why the Aboriginal name for this beautiful area means ‘place of love’.

9.Yallingup Reef

 

Spello

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After consulting the map to plan another day trip from Il Castagno, we ventured across the border into Umbria. The warm day was overcast as we reached Spello, an ancient walled town that became a Roman colony, Hispellum, in the 1st century BC.

1.Portonaccio

The town walls and arched entrance gates are remarkably intact, we began our walk at Porta Consolare.

2.Porta Consolare

We were instantly enchanted by this place, with its beautiful architecture

and narrow, stone streets.

12.street

13.street

Magnificent arches led down intriguing alleyways.

We ambled our way to the top of the town, admiring the homes with more than a little envy.

Some windows had better views than others,

and, of course, those fabulous Italian doors were countless.

The most impressive doorway was that of the Baglioni Chapel, part of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.

44.Baglioni Chapel

The chapel is adorned with well preserved frescoes, painted by Pinturicchio in 1500AD, none of which I photographed.

45.Baglioni Chapel

There was so much to admire in this wonderful, ancient town.

Porta dell’ Arce, a double limestone arc, was the original northern entrance to the Roman city.

We made our way back to the lower end of town, not forgetting to investigate the shops

59.Spello

and admire the spectacular scenery along the way.

66.view

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

 

Cape Naturaliste

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We continued our traversal of Geographe Bay to our destination, Cape Naturaliste lighthouse.

1.lighthouse

The tower was constructed in 1903 from local limestone and was activated the following year.

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Unfortunately, we weren’t able to tour the lighthouse which is now fully automated, being the last lighthouse in Western Australia to lose its keeper in 1996.

4.lighthouse

At the northernmost point in the Margaret River Region, positioned on a 100m high bluff, the views were spectacular.

5.stormclouds

Stormclouds were gathering out to sea.

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It is little wonder the French navigator, Nicolas Baudin, named Geographe Bay after his flagship and the cape after his second ship, Naturaliste.

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The traditional owners of the land, the Wardandi, call it Kwirreejeenungup:

8.sign

“the place with the beautiful view”.

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