June 27, 2018

June 27, 2018

If we had known the Isle of Skye was going to have glorious weather we would have planned to stay longer. Instead we had to pack up and move on. From Portree we drove east stopping along the way at a pasture with several Highland Cows. These hairy beasts are obviously well suited to the harsh weather conditions normally found in the Scottish Highlands. Although today they are panting in the heat. I am not sure how they see as their red hair completely covers their eyes.

We left the island over the Skye Bridge which opened just over twenty years ago. The bridge is one reason Skye is now popular and crowded. A little further on where three Lochs meet, we stop to photograph Scotland’s Iconic castle, Eilean Donan. Surrounded by water and connected to land by a long arched bridge, it is very picturesque. The conditions were good for a reflection photo, if only the tide had been in and the water higher.

Our next stop was in Fort Augustus. After a quick lunch break we visited the Caledonian Canal Center. Scotland is almost cut in two pieces by a chain of several Lochs in a row with Loch Ness being the longest, deepest and most famous. This Great Glen fissure was caused by the sliding of tectonic plates. In 1822, the famous Scottish engineer Thomas Telford completed what Mother Nature began by digging several canals to connect the Lochs. Unfortunately his timing was poor. It was too narrow for the new steamships being developed. We walked along the set of locks that connect the two Lochs in Fort Augustus.

We then turned north and followed Loch Ness. Aimee kept one eye on my driving and the other hoping to glimpse Nessie, the most famous resident. Nessie apparently doesn't like sunny weather so we settled for a little figurine for our shelf at home.

About halfway along Loch Ness we stopped at the ruins of Urquhart Castle, once the most dominant in the region. We finished the day in the city of Inverness where Loch Ness spills into the North Sea.