More ruined castles and a fun night

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After having a few pints from the night before, I was a bit hungover, thus getting a later start. We said our goodbyes and were off again, this time to visit Huntly Castle. (aka Strathbogie Castle). This was also a ruin on the banks of River Deveron. Some of the stone floor was intact. It also had some nice doorways and carved fireplaces. We drove to Moray Firth Wildlife Center to look for dolphins and a self guided tour, but we did not see any. It was a nice area. We stopped at a big shopping area known as Baxters. We had a light lunch here and then headed for Elgin to the Milton B&B. When we pulled in, there was no place to park, or so we thought. The owners huband made the car fit in this tiny space in the back, with 3 other cars. It was a cute place & we had a big 2nd room floor with slanted ceilings. We walked a couple miles through the town for dinner, but most places seemed to be bars filled with teenagers. We found a fish place but had steak and then walked back to the Milton and stayed in for the night. We enjoyed a good nights rest because it was so quiet.

After breakfast, we stopped and toured Elgin Cathedral, mostly built in 1224. It was a beautiful ruin and was only used for 3 centuries. The west front and north tower, which you can climb, is pretty much intact and is what is seen at the front. The chapter house ceiling is also very pretty with gold in it.

In Portsoy, we found the lot and path that led to Findlater Castle. This was very ruinous with a couple walls standing in a very dramatic setting that seemed embedded on a rock cliff. You had to take a dangerous path to the actual castle, which a family and Suzi (aka Billygoat) did. I stayed behind to admire from the safe place at the top. I started to but figured I would fall in the sea if I gave it a try. Suzi made it back safely but said she got scared a couple times, esp when she slid and got stopped by the wall! We walked another path around the area then left for Portknockie to view Bow Fiddle Rock. This is a natural arch and does resemble a fiddle. There were tons of birds and one rock was covered with white bird do do, hence we gave it the name of bird $#!t rock! We drove through the towns of Findochy, Buckie, Spey Bay and then back to Elgin for a "Macdonalds" lunch.

We toured the ruins of Duffus Castle which was terribly crowded with families not watching or rather watching their children running and climbing all over it. Rather irritating, especially after seeing a couple laying on the ground making out! Its unique look was a slanting wall. We took the A96 road into Inverness where we approached a huge roundabout. I swear it took us 10 minutes to get in the right, rather correct lane to get in the city. We eventually found our hotel, the Palace Hotel which did look like a palace from the front. Our room had a great city views with Inverness Castle right across the river. After dinner, we walked to a bar called Hootananny's that was crowded with people that seemed to appear "out of it". We left after about an hour and then found Johnny Foxes which had a good band. We had a fun time just watching people and giving them nicknames. For instance, 2 girls who acting like Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears, a guy going around grabbing people's bums and one guy whoevery time he would sit, his butt crack could be seen. The funniest part was when a woman went to join her group after dancing, and ended up sitting at the wrong table! It was one of those things where you had to be there. Another fun night in Scotland!

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Photos

Huntly Castle
I liked the floors and fireplaces.

Moray Firth
Do you spot any dolphins?

Elgin Cathedral
This was a remarkable site.

Findlater Castle
Not for the faint of heart!

Landscape around Findlater Castle
Another dramatic setting.

Bow Fiddle Rock
A natural arch

Inverness Castle
This was the view from our room.