Six months tomorrow. That’s my usual post trip blogging process. Let the nostalgia kick in and reminisce.

It was a blustery Saturday last October, our flight out of little Powell River thankfully departed and we arrived in the big city with ample time before our overseas flight. We did end up with a bit of a delay, we had enough wiggle room in Heathrow to accommodate small hiccups. 

I was traveling with my dear friend Caty, whom I’ve known for over a decade and had the honour of being one of her bridesmaids in her wedding years ago. She’s a sagittarius and we balance each other out well. She’s always up for adventure and hardly ever lets an experience pass her by, calm and collected and seemingly always in a good mood.

We arrived in Heathrow with a bit of rest, a proper red eye, leaving just after 9pm and arriving at 3pm with 3 hours for connecting. Then our little flight up to Inverness was a quick hour and a half, getting us in just after 8pm local time. We collected the rental car (they’ll give them to anyone!) and were off to town to find somewhere to rest our heads and a bite to eat. The airport is about half an hour away, on quiet country roads – perfect for getting accustomed to driving on the wrong side of the road! Parking was a bit tricky, per always, the hotel directed us to a parking facility relatively close by. I don’t think either of us were ready for how genuinely adorable Scotland was going to be. Immediately upon arrival it was rainy, windy and cozy. Oozing with cobblestone streets and historic buildings. Walking back to the hotel after finding a safe place for the car helped us get a lay of the land. Inverness is a relatively small town, very walkable and honestly a perfect jumping off point for our Scottish adventure. 

Unfortunately it was a Sunday, and they take their days of rest very seriously, so most everything was closed. I had an inkling we could still snag a local delicacy – the munchie box. Because, although it was a Sunday, the pubs were open, and that meant the drunkards would need snacks for sobering up. Just as weary travellers would need a little greasy treat in their bellies before hitting the hay. Just a block away from our cozy Royal Highland Hotel was the neon dream “AKZ Fastfoodz”, offering sad pizzas, fried from frozen items and the like. It didn’t matter to me. We secured a munchie box, opted to dine in and only had one friendly inebriated man asking about our plans for Scotland. Chips, donair meat, naan, chicken strips and tandoori chicken, dips, crispy cold sodas. The farthest thing from a trad meal, but that’s fine sometimes.

You take what you can get in life and make the best of it. 

We explored around the neighbourhood and happened across a wee Scottish pub playing live music, an (assumed) brother duo with an accordion and good energy. We sat in and enjoyed a couple beverages, coming up on midnight we teetered back to our room and snuggled in to our wee single beds in the peak ceilinged room near the square. Travel day success.

Day One

Monday October 20th

Exploring Inverness 

We treated ourselves. Within reason of course. We slept in, explored the town and had a delicious full Scottish breakfast at an adorable nearby cafe, Girvans. Two eggs, black pudding, (back) bacon, pork sausage, fried tomato, tatty (potato) scone, beans and toast. And a cup of tea, of course. It was everything I’d dreamt it would be. A hearty start for our first day.

We checked out Leaky’s Bookshop, wandered a medieval cemetery, walked along River Ness to the botanical gardens for a tea and treat, saw the Inverness Castle and did some shopping – the quintessential green knitted sweater. 

Since the weather cleared up we decided to drive just north of Inverness to see the Culloden Moor, where the battle of Culloden was fought almost 300 years ago in 1746. It was a short bloody battle, with the Jacobites, lead by Charles Edward Stuart, lovingly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie (remember for tomorrow) the troops literally brought knives (swords) to a gun fight, albeit cannons and muskets, but still. The Jacobites were also severely outnumbered, exhausted and attempting to charge on flat mucky ground, to which the British had literally seen coming. Roughly 2000 Jacobite soldiers were killed and the land became a memorial site for them as well as the drastic suppression of highland tradition. Post battle the British government troops hunted down rebels and supporters and executed, imprisoned or shipped them off. Many Highland traditions were restricted in an effort to maintain control, from carrying weapons to wearing traditional tartans and kilts. It wasn’t until the 1800’s and 1900’s until Scottish culture revived these iconic symbols.

While north of Inverness we paid a visit to another monument just 5 minutes away. Clava Cairns,  a prehistoric burial site, standing stones and stone mounds, roughly 4000 years old. The site is still a bit of a mystery. Large ominous burial sites, now roofless, two of three aligned to the midwinter solstice sunset, so at the very back of the chamber the dying light would illuminate the farthest depths of the stone chamber. The area was very peaceful, set beside the river with hardly anyone around, tucked between lush fields with sheep grazing. 

We headed back down to Inverness, tucked the car in for the night and popped into a department store, picked up some water bottles and provisions, road snacks and another charger as we blew one up immediately. Girlie things. We had a mediocre supper at Scotch & Rye, my bad, western pub food, and moseyed over to The Hootenanny for some live music. Charming and wholesome Scottish singers. We tucked in relatively early, it was our first big driving day coming up and had to be well rested!

Day Two

Inverness to Skye

Tuesday October 21st

Highland Cows & Eilean Donan

Our first stop heading south was Urquhart Castle, situated on the shores of Lock Ness. Driving was actually a breeze, we had eSims (of course) and the car had a navigation system and all the whistles. The roads were well kept, albeit a bit narrow with high limits. The castle and grounds were lovely, we hadn’t exactly scheduled in much of a visit though and decided the entry and parking wasn’t going to be worth a quick boo as we had another engagement lined up. We popped back to the visitors centre we had just passed and awaited our farm transfer vehicle, an old mini van, sprinkled with hay. Farmer Ian shuttled us back to his hillside croft to meet his dear highland herd.

Farming isn’t what it used to be, and many local farms are coming to rely on dipping into the tourist bracket. Once a day Ian brings a fresh group of travellers up to meet Flora, Rosie, baby Mabel and Rusty.

Half the herd is friendly enough to hand feed treats to while they pose for pictures and get a few pets in. While we were there some big little lambs were not so patiently awaiting their bottles, so we took care of that as well. It was a delightfully wholesome way to spend our morning and a definite highlight to the entire trip. Ian brought the group back to the centre after an hour or so and we were off, castles and country to see!

We spent an hour on the road before stopping to stretch our legs. We stopped at Kintail Lodge in Invershiel, where there was a little shop selling tea and treats, where I was quite pleased to find a delectable eccles cake, a favourite.

We were back on the ocean, a beautiful dreary day, sprinkling on and off but mild. Just around the bend, another 15 minutes was the incredibly picturesque Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most visited sites of the Scottish Highlands.

Originally constructed in the 12th century and levelled to the ground multiple times, due to Scotlands feudal history, lying in ruins from 1719-1911. The castle and  arched bridge is finally rebuilt in the early 1900’s, taking 20 years, and is opened to the public in 1955. The interior is  magnificently kept and almost entirely open to the public as well. Narrow stone stairways lead to great rooms, dining halls, fully intact bedrooms and kitchen. Staff were onsite to answer any questions and were friendly and kind, gently reminding folks that no pictures are permitted inside. We spent almost 2 hours at the site, exploring inside and out. By the time we were heading out it was getting quite a bit busier, and the sun was also trying its best to poke through the clouds. 

We crossed the bridge to Isle of Skye and headed to the north end to find our hotel, the Flodigarry Hotel. On the grounds of the hotel is the original cottage of Flora MacDonald, now fully refurbished for accommodations as well. The story of Flora and Bonnie Prince Charlie is an old romantic love story, with Flora aiding in the Princes escape after the Jacobite defeat at the battle of Culloden, he was a fugitive on the run and Flora, at just 24, disguised the Prince as her Irish maid and they sailed off to Skye. Flora was found liable, and did a stint in the Tower of London. She was released a year later, never to see the Prince again.

Skye did not fail to deliver on spectacular vistas and views, the weather was dramatic and etherial, light showers followed by the sun dramatically breaking through a thin veil of cloud. We arrived at almost 6, had a lay down and got dressed for dinner. The Flodigarry, while amazing, is a touch isolated, so it was nice to not have to head out to find supper. Our meal was lovely, but the real cherry on top was dessert. We shared a dark chocolate torte, with honeycomb, aerated chocolate, Cranachan ice cream and fresh blackberries, it was a perfect treat, and a hot milky cup of earl grey. We were off to bed, we had another big day coming.