Another day… Another train
The day following our tour around Aberdeen we hopped another train further north to Inverness. Guess what, it rained but not much. The train ride was pleasant and the scenery was beautiful. We followed the usual routine by walking a few blocks from the station to our accommodations. This gives us a chance to stretch our legs and to get the lay of the land, AKA scope out the pubs close to the hotel. Pleasantly, we have never been more than a few blocks from a wee dram wherever we were. We stayed in the Glen Mhor Apartments right on the River Ness. As we walked upon them, they were beautiful, just like the photo on the internet. Checking into our room, it was nothing like the posted pictures. This is the first time I have been burned by booking online.
The next morning our guide for the day arrived on time and was very pleasant. We used Invergordon Shore Excursions. (http://www.shorexcursions.co.uk/) Our guide, Johnny, provided a lively tour of the surrounding area complete with a picnic lunch we pick up at a grocery store along the way.
Our first stop was Arach Blar Chuil-Locdair (Culloden Battlefield in Gaelic). (https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/culloden) The site of a very intense battle between the Jacobite’s and government forces. I did not expect to feel the same emotions I felt when touring Little Big Horn battlefield in Montana a year ago. The interpreting center was well done and sets the stage for the walking tour of the actual battlefield.
At first glance, it is just a field of grass and heather. A few bogs and stone fences. As you walk along the paths you come upon gravestones set in 1881 to memorialize the fallen. Close to 1500 Jacobite warriors were killed in 45 minutes. The government forces lost about 50 men. No matter the side you may support, it is very sad and moving.
Johnny took us on some small back roads to the next stop on our tour, Balnuaran of Clava (House of the Dead). If you are an Outlander fan you may see a connection here. The carins are a bronze age cemetery complex. Hollow burial mounds created with stone surrounded by slabs of upright stone. In just the right light I can see how one’s imagination could run amuck.
More back roads and beautiful country side we arrived at Cawdor Castle built c. 1454. This is another tower house expanded over the centuries to its current size. It is unusual in that it is currently inhabited continuously by the same family. The Dowager Countess Angelika is the current resident.
Looking back this day was packed with a lot of interesting stops. After the Cawdor Castle we picked up lunch and stopped at secluded picnic spot where Johnny pulled out his Scottish Survival Kit which we all enjoyed.
Next to the Glen Ord distillery for a short tour and tasting and then to Loch Ness to see the Urquhart Castle ruins famously perched on the shore of the loch.
Due to a scheduling / booking problem our friends left a day before us. On our last day in Scotland, the Princess and I found ourselves sitting in the Royal Mile Tavern, sipping a wee dram of Loch Lomond Scotch waiting on another order of fish and chips while Purple Rain plays in the background. We have had a good trip, a serious adventure for me. Not ready for it to be over but ready to go home.
Dennis
