OF CASTLES, LOCHS, GLENS & BENS AND CERTAIN OR UNCERTAIN WEATHER - SCOTLAND ROAD TRIP

From Mar 25 to 5 Apr, together with my wife and daughter, I was in the UK for a road trip in Scotland. Flying directly to and from London, it became the transit stop for our trip. Piccadilly Circus with a statue of Eros atop it in the West End of London is a popular tourist attraction.  

The London Bus - an icon of England

The Crown and London Pub, established in 1904, is one "drinking hole" where like the "salaried man of Japan", many who finish work will have a pint or two before heading home.

   

Two English icons juxtaposed in the image

Cherry Blossoms in Central London

Shooting the breeze over a cup of coffee

London Theatre district with the Coliseum in the foreground and The Church of St Martin's in the Field in the background 

Trafalgar Square with the Column of Lord Horatio Nelson. Where are the pigeons?

This drink, called Negroni, didn't appeal to me possibly cos I was sick

Pastas at one of the leading pasta joints - Bancon - in Central London. We went there as it's recognised that their food is reasonably priced.

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The King's Cross and St Pancras Stations with the London Underground below. St Pancras runs all the trains to Europe while King's Cross is both a train and London Underground station

The train station with its never ending flow of passengers

The Azuma train run by LNER (London North Eastern Railway) took us safely to and from Edinburgh. The train is made by Hitachi Japan 

 

We started the road trip on a Scottish morning that was rainy and dreary from our hotel on the Golden Mile leading to Edinburgh Castle. It was very cold for me as the temp was sub-8 with lows of 0 or -1.  What more with frequent strong winds.

On the way to Inverness, we made a short stop in Pitlochry which is Victorian in appearance with a population of about 2,776 people. 

It's supposed to be Spring but the snow has not thawed completely yet. 

Inverness Castle on the East bank of River Ness.

Some high-end properties on the same bank of the river

The Inverness Cathedral aka the Cathedral of St Andrew's Inverness on the West bank of River Ness. It was built in 1869 and features Gothic Revival architecture 

The Culloden Moor is where the Culloden Battlefield is found. The last battle of 16 Apr 1746 fought here ended the Scottish quest of independence from the King of England. The Visitor Centre is situated to the right of the clump of trees. See a later post about what Culloden has to do with "Loch Lomond", a folk song much loved by the Scots. 

This storage shed was used by the Jacobites to store ammunition and other supplies. The Jacobites, named after King James VII [James being "Iacomus" in Latin derived from Ya'aqov (Jacob) in the Greek New Testament], were the supporters and followers of  Charles Edward Stuart, fondly called Bonnie Prince Charlie (son of James VIII), who led the battle.

A schematic of the battle lines for the Jacobites and the English forces. Although the battles of independence were stretched over a considerable period of time, it was on 16 Apr 1746 that the Jacobites were soundly beaten and many taken prisoner to England. Effectively, the struggle for Scottish independence ended that day.

To remember the brave Highlanders who fought here in 1746, memorial plates were raised in the moor for the clans involved.  

We made a tour of the Glenfiddich (Valley of the Eagles) Distillery and were shown the facilities and operations; it ended with tasting four types of their Single Malt Whisky.

Our guide giving a run down of the process of whisky production.

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There must be enough whisky stored here to drown a battalion!

The ruins of Balvenie Castle are located on a hillock next to the Glenfiddich Distillery.

 

Starting the Jacobite Cruise from River Ness to Loch Ness 

Nice and serene view of the surroundings

Two big events that took place here in history - one being the Wellington Bomber Crash that took place in the loch in 1940 and the other of a memorial erected to John Cobb, a racing driver, whose boat exploded while he was trying to set the world water record in the loch in 1952. Click the pic to enlarge for the details.  

The main attraction in the cruise - the ruins of Urquhart Castle

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There is an option for a ticket that includes a tour of the castle ruins

Inverness Victorian Market with shops and a food centre 

The food centre serves typical British fare plus Japanese food and seafood. A good break for a meal.

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Bonnie Scotswomen selling flowers for charity in the market. Salute their spirit!

Took this pic to show how cold it was in a bookstore we visited. Someone nearby was smiling and wondering why I was doing so. 

Eilean Donan Castle is a big attraction. It's been used for shooting movies including the James Bond movie "The World is Not Enough" starring Pierce Brosnan.

Shot from the front of the castle which is one of the most photographed spots in Scotland

Fresh oysters at the Oyster Shed. Many overseas visitors patronise it as it's well publicized

Other seafood items which are reasonably priced I suppose cos of the polyurethane containers, it's way out and there is limited parking space. But, well worth a visit.

On the way to The Oysters Shed, we came across the Talisker Distillery and visited their sales outlet

Talisker 32-year old Single Malt retailing for 670 Pounds

 

In the Isle of Skye, we lodged at this Air B & B accommodation. Bookings can be made under the genre "Tiny Homes". Within the building you have all the trappings for a short stay. 

  And this is the view of the loch from the house. It's virtually like land's end to get there as the distance from the main road is about 2 miles on a one-lane country road. Only companions on the way were grazing sheep which came running to the car as we aped their bleating sounds.

Portree town centre

Portree is a small town on the Isle of Skye. This row of brightly-coloured houses in Portree Harbour is the most photographed site here. 

While getting into the car and wondering where to eat lunch, a kind passerby overheard us and  suggested 1820, a pub set in an old church building with live folk music.

Pints of hand-drawn draft Guinness stout. Never tasted such creamy and smooth Guinness before!

1820 pub grub, like this fried chicken, tasted the best of pub grub I have ever eaten.

Shot of Lealt Falls taken from an awkward angle. 

Mealt Falls cascading down Kilt Rock for some 90 m. If viewed from the front, columns of basalt rock formations which resemble the pleats of a Scottish kilt will be seen. 

Quiraing is a series of rock formations which resemble a prison, a needle and even a table. The best way to see the different rock formations is by hiking or trekking.  Found  on the Trotternish Escarpment on the northern most peninsular of the Isle of Sky, Quiraing was formed when a thick layer of flood asphalt spread over the peninsular destabilising the weak rock formation underneath and causing a series of landslides. Pools were also formed.

This pic and the one below present different rock formations of Quiraing which are best experienced on a trek or a hike

It is through million years of volcanic and seismic activities that such rock formations came about. The Old Man of Storrs is situated on the Trotternish Loop but we didn't undertake the hike of about 4 km to see it up close.

St Andrew's Church in Fort William near where we had a take-away lunch in the car

This is where the Corpach Shipwreck of Caol lies near Fort William.

This is the Corpach Shipwreck aka the Old Boat of Caol lying on the shore of a loch below Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. It is believed that the ship was moored in a harbour in Fort William when at night a fierce storm brewed and it was yanked from its moorings and ended up here since 2011. It was built in 1975 as a fishing boat and christened 'MV Dayspring'.