Our time in Whitebridge was pretty flexible. We had a few day trips planned, but no set schedule for when those would occur. We decided to make our first day the loop around Loch Ness. Groceries were needed, and the Explorer Pass we bought from the Historic Environment Scotland and activated with the Edinburgh Castle visit would expire on this day, so we could squeeze in one last visit to Urquhart Castle (so for £86 we visited Edinburgh, Stirling, Doune, and Urquhart Castles – £62 for family ticket and £24 for Drew’s concession ticket – £4 per person per castle).
I woke early to explore the stream behind the house that fed into the River Fechlin. It was an extremely peaceful setting, and the wildlife was friendly. I returned to find the family ready to leave (read – starving) so we headed to Fort Augustus for breakfast. While entering town, we were stuck in traffic for a bit waiting for the drawbridge to allow boats to pass. We crossed over to a parking lot and listened to the bagpiper for a bit before our stomachs called out. We spotted a fresh fruit stand and stopped to grab some raspberries. I chatted with the guy and he was excited to learn that we were from Tennessee. He said he loved Bob Dylan, and I brought up Old Crow Medicine Show, who were on their Blonde on Blonde tour in the UK around that time, and he was very familiar with them. We crossed a loch and found a butcher shop serving delicious breakfast sandwiches. We ordered and took our food to the tables lining the lochs to take in the view.
We made our next stop at Invermoriston to take a short hike through the woods and view the falls. We had an excellent walk through moss covered trees and rocks, spent some time in a small viewpoint, and strolled back slowly enough that we gave fate plenty of opportunity to step in and prevent us from ever having to leave the place.
Our visit to Urquhart started with a caffeine jolt in the shop, then we let the kids explore the castle ruins and Loch Ness shoreline as we did the same. It’s a very romantic spot, with great views of the loch and benches placed in all the right spots to sit a spell and imagine living in a castle with your bonny lass on a great loch in the glacier-cut highlands.
Inverness was next on the circuit. We found a parking spot by the river and walked into town. The girls needed to pick something up and Cade was begging for a double cheeseburger from McDonalds. Cade and I sat on the upper story in some comfy chairs, people watching the busy corner where High Street diverted traffic away and turned into a pedestrian only route. When finished, we all mosied up High Street and checked out a few shops. We found a local post office to return one of the spare keys to the London flat owner before finding Hootananny for another round of grub. We were too early for live music, but it was still a fun setting and the service was attentive and fun.
A stop at the Tesco on the way out loaded down the rental, and we took the single track that runs along the east side of the loch back to Whitebridge. We viewed Urquhart from across the loch, and passed Boleskine, former home of Alistair Crowley and Jimmy Page.
From Tennessee To Texas to Saudi Arabia 