The Chieftain Hotel Inverness

... the drive back was full on winter - everything looked so stunning in the frost, it was really kinda special, I wish I got it on film better. I drove back down the main road for the first bit, so again, found it hard to stop in the best places.<br><br> <br><br>I ...

... king - who told her that if she put her face in the enchanted river for 7 seconds, her beauty would be restored forver and peace would return. Which she did - and which we did too! Yup! threw our faces, in the middle of the rain, on cold slippery rocks! (hopefully i'll be able to upload photos at the next hostel!). <br><br>Phew - what a day! and what an entry! Tonight at the hostel is the Tartan Yoga party, so i had better go and see what outfit Josh has created. <br><br>Till next time! <br>

... is sadly known for being voted the city with the ugliest people in Scotland! Not the best of awards to win. Had a quick look around and Josh even managed to squeeze in a quick haircut! <br><br>Then to the local distillery, a quick tour and some samples - i had a quick taste, but i'm truly not a whiskey person - josh said the Penderyn one in Wales was better. <br><br>Onwards to Loch Ness which is the best known of the 4 Lochs in the Scottish Highlands ...

... today was our longest driving day) and to Carbisdale Castle - which seriously is a castle - complete with a multitude of resident ghosts - the Lady in White, The Piper or the Nursery which is so haunted people can't stay in it! So we've had a big old feed, and we're looking forward to an early night. We're in boys and girls rooms, so Josh and I have been split for the first time this holiday! Who will escort me to the toilet in the middle of the night! <br><br>XO

... to challenge all smells throughout time. Yep I let one evil spirit out and boy was he bad. We ended up laughing so hard as we had all the doors open the boot was open but still he wouldn't budge after about 10mins of a roaring wind ripping through the car the little fella had left and we were able to resume our journey home. Pulled in about 11:30 at night and then had another week of work. But hey we had fun and it was only 5 days of work before we hit Bohemian Paris. Oo La La.

... William, where picking up one or two shopping items and generally strolling down the town's main street were pretty much the run of events. The route back to Edinburgh made me realize that, end to end, it was a drive which would surely clock in as one of the world's top 5 scenic drives, and as the entire itinerary was put together in a couple of fleeting minutes, also goes to show how spontaneity can account for a fair portion of memorable and valid travel experiences.<br>

... been such fun and always and adventure. First stop Wednesday was the "Sueno's Stone" situated in Forres between Inverness and Elgin. This was a monster standing stone encased in glass to protect it. It is a Pictish slab from the 8th or 9th century and stands 20' high. Then on to Pluscarden Abbey which is still a Benedictine monastery today. We had a long country drive to get there, but worth it. The abbey was from 1230 in beautiful grounds ...

... and then met Marianne up in the visitors center. Unfortunatly no monster sightings, only beautiful contryside. We were pretty exhausted from the traveling and the tour that we crashed early in our hostel. The hostel was super nice and had a tv lounge with a huge flat screen tv. So we decided to be american and order pizza and watch Superman Returns. We needed our rest for Edinburgh tomorrow.

... their spoils of war. After an hour at the castle and taking lots of photos (more on that in a second), we boarded our bus and headed back to the train station by driving along Loch Ness. Unfortunately our train ride back was at night so the view was, well, um, dark... Off to bed, and off to Stirling tomorrow! And about those photos...we haven't figured out a way to upload them yet, but we're working on it!!

... and got out of the car to experience what it felt like. It was a little nippy to say the least, though the long-haired cattle grazing in the snow beside the road didn&#8217;t seem to mind. <br><br>The sun was permanently in our eyes as it plotted its course steadily sideways across the horizon, barely, timidly even, above it. Being only three days out from the winter solstice it set not long after we had lunch and a brisk amble in Inverness, where the ...