Loch Ness and More

Here we are, almost to the end of our magical cruise around the British Isles.  With the pre-cruise activities in London (unforgettable) and all that we have seen and experienced, this has been a most remarkable, historical tour of an ancient area.

We landed in the port known as Invergordon where we were met by Tony, our driver and guide for the day.   It was indeed worthwhile to be in a smaller group of six as we could shift and change itineraries as need be.

Tony managed to drive along the quieter roads in this area until we reached the beautiful lake known as Loch Ness.  He is indeed well versed in all the mystery surrounding the Loch Ness Monster.  He explained the various photos (hoaxes) and once we really looked, we could see the amateurish attempts in creating a sea monster.

There is a boat tour that took us from one locale towards Urquhart Castle and the views of the Loch were magnificent. 

It was extremely calm that day but the best part was the sunshine!

As we approached Urquhart Castle, we saw the crowds of other tourists also eager to explore the castle ruins.  This Castle was plundered by the fierce MacDonald clan and then destroyed during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. 

Photos of the Castle:

Tony then drove us to the Culloden moors, the site of the battle between the Duke of Cumberland's Anglo-Scottish army versus the rebel Scots, led by Charles Stuart, known in history as Bonnie Prince Charles.  After the Scottish defeat, many Scots immigrated to other regions of the world, as in Scotland, they were not allowed to speak Gaelic, play the bagpipes, wear the tartan, or own weapons.

Memorial Stone for three Clan Families

It was a blustery day when we visited; now imagine the men fighting and attempting to gain through fierce hand and weapon combat on such a day and on the peaty, soggy  terrain as pictured below:

 

Many people have read of the Battle of Culloden and what it meant to the Scots so it was indeed worthwhile and extremely interesting to walk around the actual grounds where the battle was fought.

Since we were a small group, we could visit areas not easily accessible by large tour buses.  This next site was quite interesting to visit.

 

Taken from inside the Clava.  Look at how the stones are placed.

We truly had a wonderful, history-filled day with our small group and our knowledgable tour guide.  We did indeed visit an old Church known as the Beauly Priory which again makes you wonder how buildings survive through the ages.

Beauly Priory

 

LeHavre was our last port to visit but we decided to stay on board the ship and relax.  Another year we will make the attempt to spend more time on French soil, something to look forward to, 'oui'?