Road Trip Around Loch Ness

Another chance to escape Shambala for the day & Bec & I took the opportunity without hesitation. We planned a trip circumnavigating (is that just a nautical word?) Loch Ness. But Ann’s little red car wasn’t so excited & when we filled up in Forres, she got a bit antsy & started making strange loud noises from the axle area. We drove around Forres a bit, & after Bec did some Reiki on the car (just one of her unique talents), we decided we’d chance it & head to Loch Ness.
We stopped at a cute inn in wee town called Dores on the top of Loch Ness. Had an incredibly rich chocolate cake & hot chocolate. We left the inn stuffed to the brim & drove south along the eastern shore. The car made a few noises here & there, but there were no major dramas.
We arrived at another inn in Drumnadrochit & had a great mid-afternoon feast. Then drove all the way back up the western shore, in the dark by now, to Inverness & then back to Shambala.
Lots of driving, but just a wonderful day out!

Mini Road Trip - Ballater, Braemar & Cairngorms

The second mini road trip Bec & I took was a day trip south. We drove through the Cairngorm mountains first off. High & desolate with windswept grasses, the mountains were spellbinding. We came to an exquisite little river with an old bridge across & stopped to be mesmerised by the river's stirring. Beautiful!

Later, we thought we might just pop in & visit good ole Liz for a cuppa. But the Queen wasn't home in her country castle in Braemar. There were, however, lots of bobbies about, so we did a quick u-turn in the driveway & got outta there pretty fast.

We found a little castle just near Ballater, which was really cute & very closed. So we just got to take pics from the outside. There was no one else around & the surroundings were gorgeous. The sun soon set & I realised that we had nearly run out of petrol & hadn't spotted a petrol station that was open. We drove & drove till finally we came across a station that was opened only for the next 15 mins - lucky!

We then headed back to Shambala, quite a bit later than expected, another great road trip under our belts. Exhausted but thankful we had the opportunity to get out & about.

Mini Road Trip - Dornoch & Ullapool

Bec & I were itching to get away from Shambala - its energy can get to be very repressive at times. So we planned two one-day road trips. The road to Dornoch & Ullapool was our first trip. And what a trip it was. We stopped off at Dornoch & had the closest thing to real croissants. A cute little town, we had a wee wander about before deciding to jump back in the hire car & head across to the west coast.

The road to Ullapool was sensational. Almost surreal in some places. Barely a car passed us by, & the country was wild & felt forgotten. We stopped here and there many a time. Mostly, we just took in the glorious surrounds, did some singing & had more than a few laughs.

At Ullapool we stopped off & had some fish & chips before heading back to Shambala. It was a very good day indeed!

Road Trip - Isle of Skye to Drumnadrochit

After a good rest & a hearty breakfast (I cringe to think of the weight I'm putting on), I headed back down the A87 to the Highlands.

It was an incredible sensation to finally arrive at Loch Ness after having been fascinated by it since I was a wee lass. It's the biggest loch in Scotland & holds some incredible amount of fresh water - more than all the lakes & rivers of Scotland & Britain combined (if you've ever visited Scotland, you'd know that's a bloody lot of water!). But, of course, it is the mystery of Nessie, the famed Loch Ness Monster, that really attracts the tourists (& me to some degree) here.

I went to the Loch Ness Monster Museum (no laughing please) & saw an interesting documentary revealing some facts for & against the existence of Nessie - the jury is still out on this one.

I decided to make Drumnadrochit (love that name!) my base here. But before I looked for a B&B to stay, I went for a drive around a loop up to the Muir of Ord where I hoped to check out my first whiskey distillery. I briefly stopped off for an important scones, jam & cream break (heaven), before continuing to the distillery. But it had just closed by the time I got there. Serves me right for being unable to deny myself those scones!

Luckily I found a B&B cause there were really no vacancies for a single traveller. So I had to stay in a 4-star B&B in a double room & paid a high price for it. But the hosts were lovely. And, as a bonus, there was a cute country pub just out the backyard gate. So I had a good pub meal, a pint of Guinness & even a shot of whiskey to try. I don't usually like whiskey, but I must say this was delicious! I asked an old local if he believed in Nessie - "aye" he stated in a most convincing tone. After I found my way back to my room, I chilled out, quite relaxed & watch a couple of movies. Ahhh...the good life.

The Road Trip - Fort William to Isle of Skye

I headed off fairly early the next morning after a hearty breakfast that included black pudding (yum).My destination was to get to the Isle of Skye, although I wasn't sure how long it was going to take.

First stop was this little castle site just near Fort William. I found out when there that the bridge across the river here was an excellent viewing point for the Harry Potter train, which was just about to come through there. Some I waited, & even though a little late, it roared by, steam belching out everywhere. I do like trains!

Betty & I then headed up past Loch Lochy (love that name), then did a swift left at a town (think tiny village) called Invergarry. At some point I did get lost, though I'm not sure where. You see, all the signs in the Highlands are written first in Gaelic, so you zoom by at the same time as trying to read the name & you just miss it altogether.

Anyway, along the way I stopped off at the Eileen Donan castle which initally (back in the 13th century) belonged to the McKenzie clan, which is my Mum's Scottish clan going bacck generations. It's one of Scotland's most famous & picturesque castles - beautiful!

By the time I reached the Isle of Skye, it was quite late in the afternoon. Many of the B&Bs were booked out - a never-ending problem in Scotland at this time of year. I found a pub in the middle of nowhere which had wifi - revelation!!!!! So I hooked up & was able to at least get a few things done before realising I really need to get a place to stay for the night. I ended up at this lovely little B&B in Broadford run by an old couple which had a comfy bed & BBC on TV.

The Isle of Skye around Sligachan was spectacular - almost lunar & quite desolate in its appearance.

Road Trip - Eve Drive to Mallaig

Second day of the road trip & I obviously didn't get enough driving in cause I felt like driving some more. So after I checked into the B&B, I headed off in Betty to Mallaig.
On the way, I stopped off at this bridge that was used in the Harry Potter movie - Hogwart Express journey for fan's reference. Climbed a muddy hill, took a few snaps, met a nice family, & off again.
Just beautiful scenery & quite remote (not many cars along the way). Waterfalls falling down steep mountain sides. Mist in the hill crevices. Time & again it took my breath away. So lots of stops along the way. I realised at some point I'd fallen in love with Scotland.
I stopped in Mallaig, a sea port, & pulled up just in time to site a magnificent double rainbow. Found a great little restaurant along the waterfront & tucked into some langoustines (type of small lobster). It took me over an hour to get through them all (about 8). I love food you can really explore & get your teeth & tongue into! I was quite exhausted at the end.
It was well after 9pm by the time I got back. Time for a movie, then to bed.
A very satisfying day!!

The Road Trip - Oban to Fort William

This day was never going to be a really long time driving between towns, but I was aching to get out of the skanky B&B, so left fairly early. I was eager to take the longer, more scenic, route that would take me through the Glencoe Pass, reputedly providing some of the most stunning mountain scenery in the world.
And indeed it did! The drive was gorgeous, & I found myself repeatedly pulling over into the little parking bays (of which Scotland has many) to snap a photo of the local environ. The high pass was spectacular. Hills that seemed strangely barren, yet so serene with mist covering their tips & drifting in to the valleys. It was freakin cold up in the mountains, but getting out the car to take in the scenery, the brilliant fresh air. God, I felt so alive!!! A stark & refreshing reminder of how much my soul needs to be in Nature.
It ended up taking me hours to reach Fort William, my destination, because of all the stops I was taking & all the little side roads I decided to wander down. Betty (my car) was enjoying herself as much as I was (or so she said anyway) - yes, I do talk to my car.
I stayed at a much nicer B&B this eve. I even got to watch a Scottish movie with Liam Neeson in it. I can feel myself turning just a bit Scottish!