The Highlands

Appreciating the Highlands is all about driving slowly and stopping often.  Most of it is not voluntary. 

After our pleasant stay by Loch Tummel we slowly made our way to Inverness and to Elaine's (my Aunty Ishbel's sister) for two nights. Although Elaine was at work during the day (she works for the Highland Council so told us a lot of stuff about the area) she kindly took us out both nights to see certain sights.

The first night we went on a drive round the Black Isle at twilight, a time of day that lasts quite a considerable time when you're as far north as we were. The sky and ocean is also the most amazing deep blue at this time, lit up by the setting sun and twinkling lights.

Night two we took to the streets of Inverness, once again at twilight. We walked around the castle (quite young at around only 200 years old), through the city and over the bridges. Although technically "summer", it was quite cold and Matt and I were rugged up in as much gear as we would be for winter back home. 

We topped the night off with a trip to Blackfriars, a traditional Scottish pub where we were treated to a two piece band featuring the accordion, penny whistle and of course the bagpipes, one instrument designed more for the expansive Highlands than a confined space. It was toe tappingly good and a quick ask around by the musicians revealed most of the pubs patrons to be foreigners all keen to savour some of the local talent. 

In between our nights out we dedicated a whole day to driving around Loch Ness. We travelled down the western side of the loch stopping at several places along the way, including Urquart Castle, to take in the views. Despite being the major route south the road is one lane each way and extremely windy and narrow. The speed limit is 95km/hr but we never got over 80. Luckily there are plenty of places to quickly pull over and allow those queued behind us to pass. Some impatient daredevils however do overtake on curves and with no ability to see on coming traffic. Scary stuff!

When we neared the bottom of the loch I spotted a sign for waterfalls and, after a view of only still water for quite some time we pulled over. A short walk through a damp moss covered forest led us to a fast flowing river and a series of cascading falls. We sat next to them for quite some time, soaking in the natural beauty and experimenting with the camera to get those fancy misty waterfall shots. We had conveniently stopped at lunch time and enjoyed a beautiful mountain view as we ate. 

It was now my time in the drivers seat for the trip up the east side of the loch and, expecting the same road as the way down, I was much mistaken. The road was now only one lane and the maximum speed limit I dared go was 60. If I met an oncoming car I had to either pull into a 'passing place' or hope they did. Luckily these parking spots were quite frequent and you could usually see if a car was coming and move to the side in time. Unlike the busy way down, everyone on this side of the loch were happy to take their time, tourists most likely, and we all politely waved to each other in thanks as we passed. 

The views from this side were spectacular and at one stage as we came over the crest of a hill we were met with a view of the Highlands like no other. Our photos in no way do it justice. 

The next day was a massive driving day in order to leave Scotland and make up for extra days we happily spent in Edinburgh and Inverness. We travelled from Inverness to the Scottish border at Gretna, all the while driving through some amazing country. We made a few side trips on the way and enjoyed lunch at Glen Nevis at the base of Ben Nevis,  the UK's highest mountain. A wonderful way to cap off our time spent in God's country: the Highlands.