We were in Inverness for one night in 2016 and Jim remembers it as his least favorite city of the whole trip. We are returning here for a number of reasons. Inverness serves as the most convenient jumping off point for the highlands and northern Scotland. We need to go through Inverness on our way to the Orkney Islands and we will return through it on our way to The Cairngorms. The most important reason to us is to visit a friend whom we first met in September 2024 while we were living in Kew Gardens just outside of London. More on that later.
On our way to Inverness we stopped at Eileen Donan castle( Island of Donan) which is probably named after the 6th century Irish Saint Bishop Donan who came to Scotland around 580AD. This is more of a fortified defense structure which protected the lands of Kintall against the Vikings who raided, settled and controlled much of the North of Scotland and Western Isles between 800 and 1266. It also played a role in the Jacobite risings which ultimately culminated in the castle’s destruction. For the best part of 200 years it laid abandoned and neglected until Colonel John Macrae in 1911 dedicated 20 years of his life restoring it to her former glory.The Castle was used for many movie settings; Highlander (1986), The World is Not Enough (1999), Made of Honor (2008), The Golden Age, and Loch Ness (1996), as well as the films Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948), The Master of Ballantree (1953), and Entrapment (1999).There was no photography allowed inside so the only photos are of the outside surroundings.Our accommodations in Inverness were on the top floor of this building. No elevator so we had to haul our luggage up 96 stairs which taught us to plan ahead and consolidate packing and leave unneeded items in the car. Our living room is the turret and the two windows to the left. Bedroom is the next set of windows.We had to hand carry all of our luggage up six of these flights of stairs. That is why Jim looks so wiped out.Front door to our unit.Lovely living room and a DVD player with many movies to watch. We watched the beginning of the Outlander Series of course..There were two other guest rooms but once again sadly no guests. Poor planning on our part not to invite friends.Great kitchen and well equipped.Pretty views of Inverness rooftops from the arched kitchen window.We were right downtown which we prefer and this Victorian Market which is a 19th century shopping arcade is filled with tiny shops, eateries and cafes.Bales of hay on Country roads as we travel to the home of a friend who lives in the countryside outside of Inverness.September 10 2024 when we first met Jo Grant Peterkin. She took the train from London to Kew to visit Peggy and have dinner with us. We really hit it off with her and vowed that we would visit her at her home in Scotland which is about a half hour outside of Inverness. This is the driveway to her and husband Peter’s home.Jo graciously invited us for lunch and it was very special to be able to drive out to her lovely estate style home.Entrance Hall with antique organ that Jo plays.We were thrilled to meet her husband Peter. It was such a lovely day that we had coffee on the front steps.We signed up for a tour of Inverness to include all the spots we were interested in. Our first choice tour was fully booked so we had to forgo a boat ride on Loch Ness and we booked the next best one which was with Tony who grew up in Inverness.Our first tour stop was to do a gin tasting at Great Glen Distillery which is Scotland’s smallest craft distillery situated in the beautiful village of Drumnadrochit on the banks of Loch Ness.All the gins here are made from this still and a number of locally foraged botanicals are used in their recipe including Scottish heather, sheep sorrel, frankincense, juniper and angelic root. We had a sample of each one and bought a bottle for afternoon G & T’s after our days activities or driving.We stopped at some look out spots along Loch Ness.Tony talked about swimming in Loch Ness and how cold the water was.
Video of Loch Ness and our guide talking with his strong Scottish accent. Have not a clue of what he said.🤷♀️Spectacular weather.This couple were the only other people on our tour, they were from Queretero Mexico. He spent a lot of time taking pictures.Urquhart Castle located on the shores of Loch Ness was once one of Scotland’s largest castles.It is now in ruins as the last of the government troops garrisoned here during the Jacobite Risings blew up the castle when they left. The remains offer glimpses of medieval times and the lives of its noble residents.Tony brought us to a beach on Loch Ness so we could at least put our hands in the famous waters. Alas Nessie was no where to be found. Our tour guide told us we had to drink more whiskey in order to see him.Tony gave us a Scottish flag to hold up for a photo op.Cawdor Castle was part of the tour and as we approached Sandy remembered that we already toured it 9 years ago.This castle was built and inhabited by the Cawdor family for over 600 years. An ancient medieval tower constructed around the legendary holly tree, it was later acquired by the Campbell clan in the 16th century following the marriage of John Campbell to Muriel Cawdor.The castle has expanded over the centuries and is known for its literary connection to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, though the historical events of the play occurred long before the castle’s construction. The name of the castle and estate was changed from Calder to Cawdor in the early 19th century to align with the spelling used in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.Lady Angelika Campbell Cawder, the Dowager Countess of Cawder lives in Cawder Castle, a family home that is a tourist attraction. she resides there for much of the year and has been involved in conserving the castle and its garden and has introduced contemporary art and collections. The castle remains in the ownership of the Campbell Family.Contemporary style water fountain adorns a section of the castle gardens.Fall colors are begining to show in the castle gardens.We passed a farm with many Clydesdale horses.This may look like an aqueduct but it is the Culloden Viaduct which is a railroad bridge. It is an historic landmark and the longest masonry viaduct in Scotland. It carries the Highland Main Line.The Clava Cairns are a well preserved Bronze Age cemetery complex of passage graves; ring cairns, kern cairns and standing stones in a beautiful setting. It is a fantastic example of the distant history of Highland Scotland, dating back about 4,000 years making it older than Stonehenge.Of course the thing that brought this ancient burial site notoriety was the Outlander Series.So see ya. Here I come Jamie.After we left the cemetery Tony had treats for us in the van which were some whiskey tastings, Scottish tablets home made by his mom and Tunnack’s Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes.Our Last tour stop with Tony was the Culloden Battlefield which is the site of a bloody last battle of Jacobite Rising. It is the resting place of 1,500 Jacobites and 50 Government soldiers who fought and died here. The course of British, European and world history was changed at Culloden on April 16 1746. A ferocious war had come to Scotland, dividing families and setting clan against clan. It was here that the Jacobite Army took their last stand to reclaim the thrones of Britain from the Stuart king. The Jacobites fought to restore the exiled James VIII as king and were led by Bonnie Prince Charles. In less than an hour 1,300 men were slain. !,250 were Jacobites.The walkway stones of Culloden are clan grave markers on the battlefield, which were erected by the National Trust for Scotland to honor the fallen Jacobites after the battle. They are spaced to represent the different clans that fought here. They symbolize the tragic loss of life and the end of the Jacobite uprisings.Our Friend Joanna has Jacobite family who died here. This is their grave marker. The Inscription reads; The Battle of Culloden was fought on this moor 6th April 1746. The graves of gallant Highlanders who fought for Scotland and Prince Charlie are marked by the names of their clans.This stone is roped off because it is being worn away by women sitting on it because of the handsome Outlander character Jamie Frasier.This heather thatched roof cottage known as Old Leach Cottage survived on the Culloden Battlefield. It served as a field hospital for the wounded men. Twenty wounded Jacobites took refuge in this farmhouse after the battle and after two days they were taken out and shot except for one man, a Fraser of the Master Lovet’s regiment who survived the slaughter. Diana Gabaldon said she was inspired by reading this on her research for Outlander and if she expected her character Jamie to survive Culledon then his last name better be Fraser.Sunset over the Sacred Battlefields of Culloden.
So Inverness the second time round was much better and getting to have lunch and visit with Jo and Peter put it over the top. There is still a river walk to be done if we ever return to Inverness.
Thank you both for this well-documented tour of northern Scotland…you seemed to have selected the best time to be there….and so pleased you saw Joanna and met Peter….she is a treasure!
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