Cuchullin Lodge Inverness

... a handful of photos on the way up - the weather didn't do it justice, and typically there was nowhere to stop off the main road whenever I wanted to take photos... so it's fair to say I bypassed quite a bit. Nonetheless, my favourite (non-mist shrouded) bit of the ...

... the path which turned in to a bit of a scramble and started to get very steep and slippery so we decided it was not worth risking a slip as the drop was quite significant and we would have probably broken a few bones, and made a hasty retreat.

Walking back from the loch to the car, which was about 7 miles we were startled by the passing of a fighter jet through the glen at almost ground level, leaving us with our ...

... the time I got everything sorted and left the hostel it was around midday so I decided to head over to Aviemore via Loch Ness for a few pictures, first stopping at Foyers Falls and then a few places along Loch Ness south shore.

I arrived at Aviemore at around 15:00 and checked in to the Bunk House, got my room sorted and then went for a walk around the town, stopping at Tescos for some food for dinner. Yep, pasta and chicken again!

... Augustus from Inverness I intended to go the quieter route on the north shore, but somehow coming out of Inverness I must have taken the wrong turning as I ended on the busier south shore route. I guess I will just have to go back that way tomorrow.

Got over to Fort Augustus at around 15:00 today, booked into an independent hostel Morags Lodge ...

Today is time to get back on track, I am in East Leake and I need
to get back to Scotland. Luckily Daniel doesn't wake me up too early
and although I don't set off as early as I need to, I get a good nights
sleep.
I
get my gear swapped from the Land Rover and into the BMW and get set
off at around 10:30 ...

... a visit to the battlefield of Culloden 5 miles east of Inverness. This is where the differences between the Scots and the English were sorted out by war for the last time in 1746. The history of the relationship between the Scots and the English is a very troubled one which I will try to cover later in the blog

The tensions building to the battle had been brewing for a long time. It was the Scottish Stuart King James VI who ...

2nd day was spent going out to Inchcolm Island! for anyone who knows me they would know that i worked at a hotel that is named after this island so this was a bit exciting for me to be able to go out there. The place was perfect! it was a nice day (bit chilly in the wind but the sun was out) and we spent 3 hours exploring the abby and the island. We saw seals on the way back and thanks to my new camera we were able to get a ...

... and beautiful place. An infamous event known as the Glencoe Massacre occurred here in 1692, where upwards of 40 Macdonald clansmen were slain by their arch enemies, the Campbell clan, after they had given the Campbell lads shelter from elements such as these - as age-old Scottish custom dictates. From all accounts it was a very dark point in the ...

... Nessie or no Nessie, the Loch was an incredible sight to behold, set beneath hills of heather and a dusting of snow, and the ruins of Urquhart Castle at its edge.

It seemed a never ending drive in the dark from Fort William to Glasgow and then back to Edinburgh. It had been a very, very long day and we were very glad to be out of the car, but I think it was worth it. After this taster one day I hope to come back and see the Highlands properly.

... to the top, the 360 degree views were well worth the effort. From Pitlochry I travelled up to Inverness stopping at a whiskey distillery for the obligatory tour and free tasting (Mmm mmm!) and a brief stop at Loch Ness for some monster spotting - he didn't deign to make an appearance for me though. From Inverness I headed straight up North on a fantasically boring three and a half hour bus trip to join ...