An Old Castle, A VERY Old Castle, and a Mythical Monster

Day 13 Walking, Tuesday, June 18,

Fiddlers at Oakdale, Drumnadrochit to Pine Guest House, Inverness 

18 Official miles.  I walked 6 round trip out to Castle Urquhart, plus another 2 miles wandering about Inverness and out to B&B. 

24668 Steps 

Continental breakfast offered.  Chose the warm crusty croissant with cold meats, cheeses and fruit salad. 

In the bedroom there were Italian coffee packets that reminded of the cute little metal coffee holders the Phelps gave us for camping.  These also made a very good cup. I had two.  

Had a TV program on last night that was in Gaelic with English subtitles.  A reminder again that Scotland is definitely not England...and the heavy accents.  

The two German guys I kept overlapping with, well I should say they left later then me each day would always overtake me.  We were stopped at one of the descriptive signs on the path and the one who spoke better English asked me what a ‘dragonfly’ was.  😀

Walked out to the ancient Castle Urquhart in the morning on a prominent outcrop of land on the edge of Loch Ness.   This was one of The destinations on my ‘bucket/goal’ list for this trip.  I was here 35 years ago as a student   Much has changed.  Fancy entrance now complete with displays, movie explaining the history, coffee shop, souvenir shop and the castle walls a bit reinforced.  

Me in 1984 Castle Urquhart with pink boots.  

2019

The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries.  It is built on the site of an early medieval fortification.  Urquhart was partly destroyed in 1692 to prevent its use by Jacobite forces.  First documentation recorded occurred in 1296 when it was captured by Edward I of England.  That was the start of the Wars for Scottish Independence.  

Castle in middle distance with the loch beyond. 

There were two competing operations in Drumnadrochit to get the tourists to see their version of the Loch Ness Monster story.   I wandered into one of the sales shops just for a glimpse of Nessie merchandise that every bus load of tourists were buying up by the bags full. 

Nessie Overload. 

While riding the bus to Inverness on the narrow busy A82 highway our bus clipped side mirrors with another bus. Loud noise and scary.  

Had lunch in the Marks and Spencer cafe on arrival in Inverness.  Mainly because it was close to the bus station, a place to get out of the rain, sit at a table and take the pack off.  

Had a bit of a shopping expedition in the Boots pharmacy.  Stocked up on more plasters/bandaids, pain pills, and a gell insert for the heel.  Plan to try the insert tomorrow and see if it helps.  If not, I kept the receipt and will return the thing. 

Flora MacDonald statue in front of Inverness Castle which actually a newish building from 1830.  There had been earlier castles on the hill dating back to the 12th century. 

Crossed the suspended foot bridge over the River Ness. It was creepy in the middle because it Bounced about a lot.  

You know your B&B is not anywhere near City Center when you have to walk out a distance and there is an Aldi’s and a Lidl grocery right across the street. 

“The traveler sees what he see, the tourist sees what he has come to see.”  Gilbert K Chesterton