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Published: November 8th 2011
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Our time in the Highlands has been mind-blowing. What a place. We had a great 3 bedroom house for 5-nights in Dornie on Loch Long, not too far from the bridge to the Isle of Skye. Dornie is a tiny village with 2 pubs, a shop and a coffee shop.
We did a lot of travelling in the area. On Sunday, the first morning after our arrival, we spent time in the local castle, Eilean Donan. We then headed for a short drive down the road to Kyle of Lochalsh and Plockton. If anyone has seen the show Hamish Macbeth they may recognise the seaside scenes as the show was filmed here and it feels just like it. I could just imagine wee Jock, Hamish's dog, coming around the corner.
We stood in line at the supermaket (no, Rory the grocer was not there) and listened into a conversation between the check out girl and another customer and I only got about every 5th word. This is not the first time either. Just after crossing the border the same occured. The difference in the accents over short distances is incredible.
The following day we did a bit of
a backtrack to Glen Coe. A couple of days before, on our epic drive from Dumfries, we drove through the Glen, and while we were in awe of the sheer wild mountains, we didn't stop as it was getting late and a pint and a warm meal was waiting for us at Dornie. Together with the spectacular scenery, Ian was keen to return in a more leisurely manner as the Glen is also home to the site of the massacre of the MacDonalds (Ian's ancestoral clan) in 1692 by the Campbells by order of the King.
Glen Coe truly is some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever witnessed. I cannot explain the grandure of the mountains surrounding you as you drive through the valley. We took hundreds of pictures but they just don't capture the feel of the place. Somehow, you simultaneously feel insignificant against these monoliths while also feeling like you are an integral part of something momentous.
At the north-west end of the Glen lies the village Glencoe. Nearby we visited the Glencoe visitors centre, which had plenty of interactive displays about the landscape, wildlife and history. The kids, armed with a children's activity
book, soaked up the information. There was a short video about the massacre that provided a great summary of how the massacre came to be. The massacre is infamous for a number of reasons; the order signed by King William, the number slained, the number of women and children left to die of exposure after their homes were burned, but perhaps worst of all, the fact that the massacre was an example of "murder under trust", which the Scots consider one of the most heinous of crimes. The men who carried out the orders, under the command of Robert Campbell, accepted the traditional Highland hospitality of the MacDonalds and stayed under their roofs before commencing the massacre.
On the way back from Glencoe, we stopped in Fort William. The town seems to serve the local outdoor activities of skiing and hiking. We had a quick bite to eat here and stumbled into a clearance sale of the Halloween costumes. The kids had been on our backs about going trick or treating for days so I became the best mum in the world and bought lots of bits to make the witch/zombie/devil creations they came up with. Jo will fill
you in on her blog entry.
The Isle of Skye was next on the list of must dos. The bridge to the Island was only about 15 mins from the house so we found ourselves there early. First stop, the main town of Portree in the north with its colourful houses and shops. The weather was perfect for the experience; one minute it was dark and stormy, the next, sunny, as you will pick up from the photos, and this did add to the feel of the place. We were given advice to head south and into a small bay for lunch. The drive down to the bay saw us dwarfed by more mountains of the Cuillins range. Would loved to have had a chance to walk into some of these areas but the younger of the kids would find many of the walks just too challenging and we really are not equiped.
With the thought that none of our photos would do the landscape justice we set out for a wee gallery tour of Skye in the hope of coming across something to take home. When we visited the Skye village of Armadale in the south, we
found what we were looking for. Here we came across a mad photographer, Grumpy George, who managed to capture Skye, in particular, the Cuillins range.
While in Grumpy George's gallery, we heard a very definitive phrase; a middle-aged couple entered the gallery, whom, given the greeting from George, were long-time return visitors to Skye. The greeting went something like this... "good to see you again; how are we today?" "all the better for being back in Skye..." Simple, yet it says it all.
We were all looking for a down day so took the last day in the area as opportunity to sleep in and relax around the house and the village. Ian did take off for a quick drive up to the lookout and a brief chill in a local pub with an ale or 2. I must say the pints have been going down very well. I have found a few I like a lot!
Thursday came and we had to leave our little home and head back into civilisation. The famous Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle was the first stop of the day. An amazing place. They have set up the place so well
and made it very kid friendly. Oliver talked Ian's ear off imagining all battles and functions of the castle. You are able to climb all over the castle and climb the old stone spiral stairs up the tower. We had been told these castles would be as good as any theme park and I would now have to agree. We all did keep a watchful eye out for Nessie, no luck but I still believe...
Culloden Battlefield, outside of Inverness, was the next stop. They have set up a heritage centre that engages all of the kids and gave us a true feeling of the battle fought here and the history behind the conflict, which was the last pitched battle fought on British soil. The kids also had a chance to hold some of the weaponry used in the era and were shown how it was used. Bella has written more about this in her blog.
Inverness was a pleasent surprise, and would loved to have seen more, but I can say we did enjoy the pints while the kids explored the town centre. In addition to the castle dominating the night scene over the River Ness, Jo
made the evening interesting demonsrating her fear of bridges, when she almost crawled over a springy pedestrian suspension bridge. The night was spent in one of the local Travelodges, a roadside motel that was very good except we were advised to go across the road to a local pub/restaurant.....great meal until we returned back to our rooms to watch Hamish and Jo turn green and chuck within minutes of each other (yes, it was the fish)! We went to sleep that night wondering if we would be going anywhere the next day to wake to find 2 hungry kids wanting for breakfast. Good to see all that possum poo in the water tanks and mud eating over the years has paid off.
Out of the Highlands next to Stirling via the Cairngorms. I can see how people are drawn back here time and time again. A very special part of the world, not just the scenery but the people who make the place unique.
Alex
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