So, just got back from a week off in the scottish highlands. It was very relaxing, which is just what i needed after the last few weeks. We started in Aberdeen as we flew up there and rented a car. Ange and i went along the east coast to see some rather nice sandy beaches (which you normally would not think of as part of the scottish landscape).
Grandpa would like this golf course!
Then off to Banff and Macduff - two seaside ports - very nice and real if you know what i mean - not touristy. One thing i can say is that we really got the chance on this holiday to explore the out of the way places. In Macduff we travelled to anges acetrial home. Her Grandmother had been born in scotland. The farm that she was born on had been in their family for several generations. We knocked on the door and they knew the name straight off. We had a look around and they hadus for lunch - very nice people (they served some homemade shortbread that was just to die for!!!!)
Headed off to Inverness via backroads (Dad would be proud). We stopped by a few castles along the way. We also stopped by the battle site of the last great Jacobite uprising (1746) at Culloden. The English defeated the Scots in under an hour and were able to kill over 1200 scotsmen in that time and signalled the end of the clan system. The area has remained untouched since that time - it as it was in 1746 - and you really feel it as you walk across the peat (which i can tell you would not be an easy thing to do while fighting for your life!).
Castle One: Great view and gardens. We walked down by the lake, sat on the lawn had a picnic and then a nap in the sun. What a great afternoon relaxing!
Iverness was a very nice city - loads of trees and bridges as the river ness flows through the city toward Lock Ness further inland.
Inverness Castle
We stopped to do a bit of a walk north of inverness to see some waterfalls. It was fantastic.
Ange looking at the falls from the bridge...
Ange jumping across to get to the top of the falls...
Another castle we stopped at along the way. The family still lives there.
Then we travelled further north and west. We drove through some of the most beautiful mountains and glens. We got on this road which was a single lane - so when you meet on coming traffic you need to pull off the road t o allow them to pass). This was on the way to Torridon on the west coast. I loved it. Ange, not so much - she felt claustrophobic. We were surounded by mountains - big ones. The big white building below for example was the hostel that we stayed in. Where the building ended the mountain started.
Torridon was one of my favourite parts of Scotland.
This is a picture of one of the mountains and the hostel we stayed at is the long white blob on the far right - the building was literaly build on the side of the mountain.
more to come...
