Our guests must have brought the sunshine with them to Lord of the Glens, as on the first day of the trip we opened our curtains to a beautifully bright day in Inverness.
The blue skies stayed with us all the way to Culloden Battlefield, where we learned about the Jacobite forces who fought on behalf of ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ in an attempt to restore the Stuarts to the throne in 1746. Our guide did an excellent job of bringing the Jacobite story to life as we toured the battlefield. The visitor centre and museum allowed us to dive even deeper into the history of the Jacobite uprisings, and we spent time pouring over the information and taking it all in.
Just as we were preparing to leave the battlefield, we spotted a number of Highland ‘coos’ grazing nearby. There were red, black, and white ones, and we all whipped out our cameras.
We then took a short bus journey to Clava Cairns where, in true Outlander style, we tried to time travel. We didn’t have much luck journeying back in time, but this ancient burial site was magical, nevertheless. Consisting of three burial chambers and their surrounding standing stones, Clava Cairns dates to the early Bronze Age (2000-1500 BC).
After a delicious lunch back at the ship, we departed for some walks at Fort Augustus. The rain had arrived at this point, but it didn't last long. By the time we set off for our various walks, the weather had dried up again, and we enjoyed the warm summer afternoon.
Later that evening, we sailed by the picturesque ruins of Urquhart Castle, the site where St. Columba allegedly first saw a great creature in the water. As we crossed Loch Ness, we kept our eyes peeled for the elusive Loch Ness Monster, but she must have been sleeping today.
Our full day was rounded off with some fantastic evening entertainment: a kilt and plaid demonstration.
