Chasing Monsters

Thursday 31 May 2012  - Chasing Monsters

Day 49 and 110 to go

An 8am breakfast meant we were up at 7.15am and getting ourselves ready. It was drizzly outside and quite socked in. We had breakfast overlooking the town of Portree that was lovely but the hills and mountains were shrouded in cloud.

With breakfast out of the way we were packed and ready to head on by 8.45am. We were going to complete the top circle route. Our first stop was a waterfall and lookout on the top of the cliffs. The water was flowing quickly and you could hear the rushing of the water. The cliff line was quite high and we needed to be careful on the slippery grass, though it wasn’t preventing the sheep from wandering around us. 

We dodged the light rain and the masses of midgies driving on to Kilt Rock and waterfall a little further along the road. This again afforded wonderful views. The water was so calm and flat. It was really stunning. 

Continuing on we passed the Skye Museum of Island Life then through Uig, finishing the loop back at Portree an hour later. We drove on through the Cuilin Hills, hugging the edges of Lochs and cliff edges before driving to Broadford where we stopped briefly for fuel.

Our next stop was Eilean Donan Castle 30 min away. To get here we had to leave the Isle Of Skye travelling over the Skye Bridge and through Lock Alsh. The castle has been restored and sits on a crag of and just off shore in the Loch. We wandered around the castle dodging the light rain. It was quite interesting but was getting cold. 

We returned to the car and had lunch before continuing our drive past Kintail and the Five Sisters. Unfortunately the low cloud prevented us seeing any of them. An hour later we were driving along the banks of Loch Ness from the town of Invermoriston and on to Drumnadrochit. Another beautiful drive.

We stopped in Drumnadrochit to check out the Loch Ness Visitor Experience Centre. This presentation managed to completely rule out any possible sightings of Nessie that really put a dampner on it all. I guess I really wanted to believe in the possibility of an unknown creature still lurking beneath the deep. 

With our visit done we stopped at a lookout to see Loch Ness in all her glory. We could also see the ruins of Urquhart Castle that remain on the edge. Our final destination was 20min away, our B&B in Inverness.

We found the guesthouse just minutes out of the centre and were shown to our room where we once again settled in and had a cup of tea. With a quick rest we decided to walk back into town. We walked along the River Ness admiring the buildings that lined it. The water in the river was moving quickly. It looked really clear. 

We wandered past the Inverness Castle that is being spruced up for the Jubilee celebrations beginning next week. We then stopped for a pint at the Castle Hotel to enjoy the sunshine, though it was still cold. 10 degrees.

We walked down the street and stopped at another pub for another pint, more for a pee than a pint, but we don’t feel right just scooting in for a sneaky pee. Paul doesn’t mind having to try another beer. Just as well.

With the next pint downed we continued our walk along the river and over the bridge before returning over the next bridge and into the local Chinese restaurant for dinner. It was delicious and the owners were hospitable.

Of course before returning to the B&B we had to stop for one more pint and then we walked back to the B&B at 8pm. I loaded up photos and sorted out accommodation for the coming days while Paul checked up on places to visit between here and Aberdeen, mainly distilleries.

With ourselves sorted it was time for bed. 

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