Drive to the Best Castles

---

Geo: 56.8188, -5.10966

Before leaving Inverness to go to Fort William, I wanted to get gas for the car. It takes diesel and it is a hybrid so it hasn't used much, but it seemed like a good idea to fill up before leaving the biggest city we would see before returning the car to the airport in Glasgow. It was down only about a quarter of a tank. We asked a clerk at the tourist information centre if there would be a petrol station on the way out of town. She said there were none in that direction, but there was one at Morrison's supermarket which wasn't too far away. She gave us the directions, and I put the location in the gps, We found it pretty easily. The pumps with the black handles have diesel in them. We could tell from a distance that we had the right pump. Philip filled up the tank and paid afterwards--more trusting than anyone at home is.

We left the city from the petrol station knowing that we were on the right main road to leave town. We were on the same road returning from the Loch Ness trip on Friday, and there weren't very many routes to choose from. The gps voice told us to go a different way, but she caught up with us after a few miles. I don't know where she was trying to go. Today was the longest driving day we planned for the whole trip. Dunvegan Castle is about three hours from Inverness and the same distance from Fort William. Eilean Donan Castle is on the road between them at about the halfway point.

We went to Dunvegan Castle and Gardens first, passing right by Eilean Donan and seeing that we would find it easily on the return. Dunvegan is on the western edge of the Isle of Skye, and we took the Skye Bridge near the town of Kyle of Lochalsh across. Dunvegan has been owned and occupied by the Clan MacLeod for most of the last eight centuries. Their motto "Hold Fast" seems quite appropriate. The castle is on the small side as far as castles go. The gardens are huge, but we didn't spend much time looking through them, since we had such a long day planned.

The road on the Isle of Skye is pretty remote and flat; we didn't pass a whole lot of cars, and there were only a few busloads of tourists. It didn't seem like a major stop for tourism. We stopped for a break on the way to Dunvegan in a wee coffee shop, The Watermill, in Broadford. It was right on the road, but the parking lot was down quite a steep slope. Fortunately, it was not very busy and we were able to get in and out (or should I say up and down) without a problem.

We had lunch at the cafe at Dunvegan, and then were ready to head back to Kyle of Lochalsh and Eilean Donan Castle. Eilean Donan Castle was the setting for the TV show Highlander about the MacLeod clan that ran in the 1990s.

We started planning this trip almost a year ago and one of the first places we put on the itinerary was Eilean Donan. Philip received a jigsaw puzzle of it from Erin for Christmas last year in anticipation of the trip, so we had to go. It was just at the perfect location for us, too. Eilean Donan is one of the most photographed castles in the United Kingdom, and we took our share of pictures, too. It is simply picture-postcard pretty. The castle was busy with lots of tourists when we were there in the afternoon around 3:30 local time. We parked in the car park and went to find tickets. Saved another one pound each on concession tickets.

Eilean Donan has one of the best webcams that I have seen. Every time I have looked at it, it has been working and I can see live action--tourists moving about by day, birds flying by in the morning, a romantic couple on the bridge in the evening and always the flag flying. We told the kids about the webcam and about when we would be there so we could wave at them. We waited to stop at Eilean Donan until on the way back from Dunvegan so it would be afternoon in Scotland and morning in the States. When we got to the castle, we texted them both and they responded and said they could see us near the picnic tables. Erin lost internet access, so when we were ready to leave the castle, we texted her again to let her know to look again. She saw us better this second time. It was fun to think we could wave at them from so far away.

Eilean Donan sits on an island just off shore with a picturesque bridge connecting it. There has been a castle on the island since the 13th century but it was left in ruins after the Jacobite uprising of the 17th century. From the early 18th until the early 20th century, the castle was abandoned. About one hundred years ago, it was purchased and restored along with the bridge. It has been open to the public since the 1950s.

After visiting Eilean Donan Castle, we reluctantly returned to the car to go on down to Fort William for the night. We are staying at the Clan MacDuff Hotel which is an older-looking, small hotel a couple of miles south of the town. We had dinner at their restaurant which was quite good. The rate for the hotel is the least we will pay on this trip. Everything is clean and well-kept, but the furnishings are dated. We have a great view across to Lake Linnhe. There is a sign warning against leaving the lights on in the room while the windows are open in the evening. It attracts midges into the room. The room is pretty warm since this area is having a warmer than usual summer. We do use the fan and remember to turn off the lights when it gets dark, which is after 10:00, and we have not been bothered by the bugs.

---

Photos

Panoramic View in Inverness
Last view from the apartment in Inverness. The balcony is actually straight; the curve is just from using the panoramic feature of the camera.

Dunvegan Castle and Gardens
We have seen beautiful hydrangeas all over Scotland. Mostly they are a deep blue or purple, but there have been a few pink ones, too.

Visitor Centre at Eilean Donan Castle
The webcam is mounted on the building near the top, right of the big window.