Inverness
29th August, 1992
30th August, 1992
31st August, 1992
1st September, 1992
2nd September, 1992
3rd September, 1992
4th September, 1992
Saturday, 29th August, 1992
Loch Ness
woke at 5.45 as the light was growing and sat watching Scotland take shape. It is lovely but stark, the mountains bare but for purple heather which is everywhere. I saw two deer in a forest clearing.
nverness is on Moray Firth and there are seabirds everywhere. Their plaintive calls remind me of Roger Whittaker's whistling of the "Skye Boat Song" where he puts in the birds at the end. It is nothing like the raucous yells of our seagulls.
y the time we picked up the car at the airport, came back for the luggage, got some maps and information and stocked up at a supermarket it was after 2 p.m. We hadn't had lunch but the egg, bacon, sausage and tomato breakfast had stayed with us quite well. We decided to drive down one side of Loch Ness to Fort Augustus, then drive back the other side. It was so beautiful! The loch is lovely, no sense of brooding evil at all and the heather covered hills stretching up and away were spectacular.
Caravan Interior, Auchnahillin
he caravan park seems good. The van is comfortable, with only one bedroom it is somewhat more spacious than at Stourport. We are both tired and I think an early night would be in order.
Tomorrow, John O'Groats!
Sunday, 30th August, 1992
Postcard, John O'Groats
woke this morning to drizzling rain and sharp wind which continued more or less unabated all the way to John O'Groats and nearly all the way back. We travelled 300 miles through stark, empty country where the prevailing colours are green purple and grey. Green of grass and bracken, purple for the all-encompassing heather, (the photos are all true, the hills and moors are carpeted in glowing deep purple heather) and the grey is the stone in drystone walls, houses, churches (and to us, the sky and the sea).
However, the trip was quite spectacular, mostly on B roads (which, in Scotland, means one lane wide with passing places). If you meet another car, one of you must get to a passing place and let the other pass. The system works as there are many passing places, but it might be easier to join them all up and make a two lane road.
ven so we made John O'Groats and dashed through the rain to look at the windswept harbour and dash out again. The whole of the trip home was beside the sea, a white capped grey, wind tossed with, guarding every other headland, a crumbling castle or broch tower. Fascinating country. On the way home we stopped at Wick to see the Caithness Glass Factory, heroically resisting buying some of their wares. Their paperweights are beautiful, but even the vases are solidly heavy and our bags weigh too much already.
We got home in time to get dinner, do a load of washing and plan tomorrow. The van already feels like home, untidy! Hope for finer weather tomorrow.
Monday, 31st August, 1992
Strathspey Railway Brochure
ff bright and early this morning (or early at least, it's still raining intermittently) heading for Boat of Garten and the Strathspey Railway. This is a reconstructed (by the usual volunteer enthusiasts) steam railway, running the eight miles from Boat of Garten to Aviemore.
We bought ourselves 1st Class tickets and set off through lovely pineforest carpeted with heather and huge bright orange mushrooms which looked as though they were made of plastic for garden gnomes to sit on. A stewardess came to offer morning tea from the Buffet Car and we consumed hot chocolate and shortbread during the 20 minute run.
n our return to Boat of Garten we headed off again through the forest where we had lunch in a picnic area (in the rain, in the car) before driving through Kingussie to Newtonmore. This is MacPherson country, as the Newtonmore Tourist Info board informed us, and to prove it the town is host to the MacPherson Clan Museum, to which we naturally gravitated. It was really fascinating, with a large collection of MacPhersonabilia which is there by the exertions of a member of the Clan who bought a lot of the family heirlooms etc when Cluny Castle was sold up, the last Chief having gone bankrupt. I felt very ignorant of the Clan history, particularly as there were a couple of American groups there, spouting about "Duncan this " and "Cluny that" and obviously knowing everything already. But Americans tend to be like that.
Mac at Boat of Garten Station
lso in Newtonmore is the most unique attraction we have ever seen. It is called "Waltzing Waters" and it is theatre performed by computer controlled fountains, with co-ordinated lights and music. It was absolutely wonderful, the showers of coloured water, shifting and changing with the music like very expensive fireworks. Mac and I were absolutely enthralled!
fter this, we spent the afternoon returning to Inverness the long way around by small country roads and rain washed lochs. The bare mountainsides were ribbonned by little waterfalling streamlets, finding their way down to the lochs. I wish it would stop raining. My cold is getting worse.
Tuesday, 1st September, 1992
till raining. Today we tried to find the Scot II cruise of the loch to Castle Urquhart only to be told that it no longer exists. It was in the current Inverness tourist guide, so it wasn't just my guide book being slightly out of date. However, the weather isn't all that conducive to boat trips at the moment, so we drove to the Official Loch Ness Monster Centre at Drumnadrochit. Contrary to our expectations (which ran to cartoon Nessies cavorting about all over the place) this exhibit was worth seeing and very interesting. It was an account of the various scientific searches that have been made so far and was very unbiassed either way. The audio visual displays were very well put together and we were quite impressed.
Cawdor Castle
fter lunch we drove to Castle Urquhart along the Loch. It is a ruin, but very picturesque, particularly in its position. We didn't go inside, just had a look at the outside.
e were heading for Cawdor and Culloden, when we stopped to pick up some groceries at the supermarket and the windscreen wiper lever practically came off in Mac's hand. It was still attached but flopping about. So we headed back to Avis at the Airport. They swapped the car (did I mention it was a grey Vauxhall Astra?) for a silver Ford Escort which we had ordered in the first place and off we went again to Cawdor Castle. Shades of Macbeth! Actually he had nothing to do with this castle. It is very old but not as old as Macbeth. It is the seat of the Campbells of Cawdor and it is obviously still lived in. The rooms are charming and cosy and the kitchen is superb. Both of them, they have both ancient and modern
here. We wandered briefly in the grounds which are absolutely delightful. What I really liked was the tongue in cheek commentary in each room. They were delightfully informal and enjoyable. It was the homiest (if that's a word) castle I have yet seen.
e gave Culloden a miss because it was after five. We'll go there first tomorrow.
Wednesday, 2nd September, 1992
Dunrobin Castle
e decided to leave Culloden until Friday, when we will have a short day and clean up and pack. (Culloden is just around the corner). So today we headed north again for the "fairy tale" castle of Dunrobin. The name makes me think of a rather middle class robber baron who has retired, but it is in fact the seat of the Countess of Sutherland. Fairytale it certainly is as the pointed turrets and formal gardens make it look like an illustration from a volume of Grimm. Inside we found out all the history of the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland, and very nasty some of it is . It was the Countess of Sutherland in the 18th century who, while also bearing the Chieftanship of the Clan (and therefore the obligation to protect) instituted the notorious Highland Clearances which drove small holders off their crofts in order to "improve" the land by running sheep. To do her justice, she did intend to resettle them and she did build roads and bridges all over her county but her people were reft from the land which they considered their homeland and driven ruthlessly off by an agent of the Countess. Small wonder it was bitterly resented. We learnt this side of it when we left Dunrobin and went on to Helmsdale and their Timespan Heritage Centre. This clearly showed the Clearances as the tragedy it was and was a really fascinating display.
unrobin is a fabulous place, beautiful and elegant but really only showing one side, Helmsdale gave the balance and we enjoyed both. Dunrobin has a museum which holds a really motley collection from a forest of antlers and hunting trophies from elephants and tigers to trout all shot by family members.(Well you know what I mean) which I personally found distasteful, to some really interesting Pictish Rune Stones and other archaeological finds from local fields and beaches. They were really ancient and fascinating. All in all we thought we had got our 3 quid's worth. The castle even had its own fire brigade with a little engine and brass helmets, etc. It is on display so we bought a postcard of it to send to the Brigade.
fter Helmsdale we did a roundabout tour, including Cromarty and Beauly to get home. Raining again! After a fine morning too.
Thursday 3rd September, 1992
oday dawned bright and sunny which tempted us from our bed early. We drove to Kyle of Lochalsh, the ferry point for Skye, along the railway route which is spectacularly beautiful. We will not be going to Skye via Kyle so we thought we would have a look. It is a small town which only seems to exist as the ferry port and will soon be losing even this function as they are building a bridge. On the way we went through Strathpeffer (love these names) and stopped there for morning tea at a craft centre and picnic place built in an abandoned railway station. Mac was rapt. While exploring the craft centre I answered a survey for Scottish Tourism and had a nice chat with the girl. We had lunch at the Kyle and explored a bit. Mac bought himself a tweed cap because his old one was a bit ratty. It gives him the authentic "Lairdly look".
Mac at Eilean Donan Castle
n the return trip we took a different road and came upon Eilean Donan Castle, a rather grim fortress owned by the Macraes which was used as the setting for the film "The Highlander". It was really what one's idea of living in a castle is - thick stone walls, spiral stairs with ropes and chains to hold onto. I was rather amazed to be told that the family had lived here until the 50's and still use it for holidays. Tourists only see the Drawing and Banqueting rooms. Upstairs, apparently, there are seventeen bedrooms! It has a rather spectacular position on the shore with an arched bridge leading to it. Lovely, but grim.
Highland Stream north of Inverness
eturned home via marvellous scenery and picked up some groceries and did some washing. Tomorrow is our last day in the Inverness area. It has been great, if a trifle damp. I'll remember it affectionately.
Friday, 4th September, 1992
Rosemary at Clava Cairns, near Inverness
ur last day! We got away early and took a winding back way towards Culloden Moor of unhappy memory. On the way we found the Clava Cairns, Neolithic burial chambers 6,000 years old surrounded by circles of standing stones. It was uncanny. It is known as the Scottish Stonehenge but to my mind is a bit more impressive - the stones aren't so large but it is more complete. It was fascinating.
hen we went on to Culloden Moor. The Visitor Centre had a very interesting display and audio visual programme , among other things we learned that the MacPhersons had received the call too late and had not made it in time for the battle. Typical! No wonder Bonny Prince Charlie lost. They played their part in earlier battles and later affairs.
fter lunch in Inverness we drove out towards Cannich where we located the Corriemony Cairn, another Neolithic burial chamber, like Clava but slightly more complete, nearly all the stones in the circle were there. Great.
e came home early to clean the van because we have an early start tomorrow. Had an excellent meal at the Deerstalker Restaurant which is on the Caravan Park site, but not run by the owner. It was relatively cheap for French style and excellent taste. Tomorrow we take the Road to the Isles.
Back to Top
Back to Contents
Back to Previous Page
Forward to Next
