Brodie Castle - the guide, with his ginger hair & kilt, looked the part until we heard his Australian accent! The wooden carved ceilings here were particularly impressive.
Cawdor Castle (of Macbeth fame). The owner, Dowager Countess Cawdor, lives here in the winter & spends her summers in Europe while tourism takes over. The Campbell clan acquired this castle & its lands (at present 59,000 acres) through marriage, by kidnapping the 4 year old Cawdor daughter. All is fair in love & war, and title & property acquisition!
The Battle of Culloden, the last on British soil, took place here in 1746. The day before we visited the Queen opened the flash new Visitors Centre which includes multimedia information about the events before, & the destruction after. In the very short & sharp battle the Jacobites, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, were decisively beaten by the Duke of Cumberland's army, ending the decades old uprising. Cumberland then earned the title of 'Butcher'!
Inverness, on the River Ness, is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. We spent 2 nights here, visiting the L
och by bus & boat, and enjoying the city and its river islands.
The Battle of Culloden, the last on British soil, took place here in 1746. The day before we visited the Queen opened the flash new Visitors Centre which includes multimedia information about the events before, & the destruction after. In the very short & sharp battle the Jacobites, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, were decisively beaten by the Duke of Cumberland's army, ending the decades old uprising. Cumberland then earned the title of 'Butcher'!
Inverness, on the River Ness, is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. We spent 2 nights here, visiting the L
och by bus & boat, and enjoying the city and its river islands.
Lovely Loch Ness - up to 230 metres deep & the largest loch in Britain. The excellent Loch Ness Centre gives all the monster stories & theories - and leaves the question open......
Urquhart Castle, on the Loch, has a history of being attacked & rebuilt (including once being owned by Kay's Comyn clan!) It was finally destroyed by its Jacobite owners to stop the opposition using it in 1692.
A 10.15 pm sunset in Inverness & it still isn't completely dark at midnight!
Gaelic & English signs as we head north to the Isle of Skye.
A 10.15 pm sunset in Inverness & it still isn't completely dark at midnight!
Gaelic & English signs as we head north to the Isle of Skye.
