Scottish Town

You can see several spires in this photo of a pretty Scottish town that we passed on our way to Loch Ness. We are still in the Scottish Highlands. Today was chilly and my cold seems to have gotten worse.

Scottish Town

Loch Ness

We drove around Loch Ness, but we didn’t even get a glimpse of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. Very disappointing, but Ian, our tour director, told us that his father had seen Nessie once. Loch Ness is a narrow lake 23 miles long. There are few dwellings on the loch and at least one castle which you can see in the photo: Urguhart Castle.

Loch Ness

Loch Ness

A closer–up view of Urquhart Castle.

Loch Ness

Eilean Donan Castle

You probably will recognize this castle––I did. It has been in scenes from many movies including the James Bond film “The World Is Not Enough.” I think that I have seen it used in the print media also. I believe that it is on Loch Cluanie (Scotland has numerous lochs––lakes.)

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

View of the castle from the other side. The castle was a Jacobite (the Jacobites were made up of mainly Catholic Highlanders) stronghold. The Jacobites wanted the monarchy returned to the Stuarts who were Catholics. The first Jacobite uprising was in 1715. The castle was destroyed in 1719 by the English. It was restored in 19th century by Lt. Col. John MacRae–Gilstrap.

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

View from the castle grounds of the small town near it surrounded by green hills.

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

View of the loch and more green hills.

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

Entrance to the castle. The sign says “Mind Your Head.”

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

Steps in the castle. Again, no photos were allowed inside the castle. However, there is a very good Internet site that you can look at for photos showing the inside of the castle: www.eileandonancastle.com.

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

View from inside the castle.

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

Close–up view of the castle and the Clan MacRae Role of Honor.

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

The Clan MacRae Role of Honor 1914–18, honoring the members of the clan who were killed in World War I.

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

The inscription on the bottom of the Clan MacRae Role of Honor.

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

View of the Eilean Donan Castle with its reflection on the water.

Eilean Donan Castle

Isle of Skye

Our next stop was at the Isle of Skye, which is the biggest of the Inner Hebrides islands. The Isle of Skye is on the west side of Scotland. We crossed over this bridge from the mainland to the island.

Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye

A close–up view of the lighthouse.

Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye

View of the village of Kyleakin, Isle of Skye, across the brige. The photo was taken from the bus.

Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye

View of boats in the harbor of Kyleakin. The ruins on the right of the photo is of Castle Moil, dating back to the 10th century.

Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye

Closer–up view of the boats and the ruins. We ate lunch in Kyleakin.

Isle of Skye

Loch Carron

We drove along Loch Carron to our next stop––a Scottish whiskey distillery. The distillery was in a warehouse–type building and all we really saw was a room full of whiskey barrels. We were told how malt whiskey was made. They offered us samples of their whiskey. I don’t think that I have ever drunk Scotch whiskey before this, so I tried it––very good.

Loch Carron

Culloden Battle Field

The Culloden Battle Field is just about as desolate in appearance as it was in 1746 during the second uprising of the Jacobites, except that today there is a visitor’s center, this cottage being a part of it. The Jacobites were led into battle by Bonnie Prince Charlie, who was the grandson of James III. The battle was fought to put Bonnie Prince Charlie on the throne and to restore the House of Stuart which was Catholic. Bonnie Prince Charlie was defeated at Colloden. This also caused the demise of the clans and the Highland culture for over 100 years. The wearing of kilts was outlawed. Starting about the 12th century, each clan wore a particular patterned wool cloth, called a tartan. The clans were warriors, as they had to protect their sheep from other clans.

Culloden Battle Field

Culloden Battle Field

Close–up view of the cottage. After spending some time at the Culloden Battle Field, we went back to our hotel in Aviemore. I skipped dinner as I decided that a good sleep would help me get rid of my cold.

Culloden Battle Field