May 15 - Invergordon, Scotland

Yesterday, I cried “Uncle” and did absolutely nothing.  We were in Scrabster, Scotland, a small fishing village at our furthest northern point on the cruise.  I had an all-day tour booked to someplace and when I woke up it was raining and cold, so I went back to bed.  Later some folks who went into the little village told me that since it was Sunday everything was closed.  Of course people came back from the tour I was supposed to be on and said it was the best one ever, but I needed a day of rest.

Anyway, today we’re in Invergordon, Scotland which is on the Cromarty Firth which leads into the North Sea.  (By the way, firth means fjord and is from the Scandinavian word. I didn’t know that.) It’s a port that gets oil rigs from that sea in for repairs and now has a burgeoning wind farm industry.  I booked a tour to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle.  After all, how could I come to this part of Scotland and not try to see Nessie?

My bus took me through the Scottish highlands and I have to say it was some of the most beautiful countryside I’ve ever seen.  The hillsides were covered with bright yellow gorse.  Along the side of the road there were bluebells and occasional rhododendrons.  We passed lots of lush pastures with happy looking sheep and highland cattle.  It was gorgeous!  We drove through the city of Inverness on the way and I was so sorry we couldn’t spend some time there.  The city lies along the river Ness and there were beautiful old buildings. One that we passed was an old bookstore that our guide said was the best he’d ever been to in all of the UK.  I know Katie would have loved that.

A field of rapeseed (canola) oil plants

An inn in a village we passed through

Bell tower in Inverness

Eventually we came to Loch Ness, nestled between small lush mountains.  You can’t tell from looking at it, but the water is not clear at all. Our guide said that you can’t see more than a foot in the water. No wonder they’ve never been able to spot the monster. The loch (that’s Scottish for lake) is the second largest loch in Scotland but the largest by volume of water because of its great depth, 755 feet at its deepest point. We drove along the shore to get to the ruins of Urquhart Castle.

Loch Ness

Urquhart is a castle with such a long history that I can’t begin to retell it.  It was a royal castle during the reign of the Scottish king Malcolm III.  It played a big role in the Wars of Scottish Independence and has been overrun by the English under Edward I, also called the Hammer of Scotland.  It changed hands many times with various Scottish clans and was destroyed during the last such conflict when the Macdonald clan (the same guys who had the feud with the Macleods) were attacking and the owners of the castle decided to blow it up rather than surrender. So today it stands as this magnificent ruin on the shores of Loch Ness..

Urquhart Castle

Urquhart with the Cross of St. Andrew flying oner the ruins

After our stop there with time enough to see the beautiful vistas we headed back to Invergordon via a different highland route. All of it was so beautiful that I’ve decided I’m in love with Scotland and I may have to try to make a land trip here so I can see more than these brief glimpses I get on a cruise. 

I don't think it's possible to not think this countryside is beautiful.

Gorse on the hillside.