Scotland 2018: Days 9 and 10

Our big outing in Inverness was to visit Loch Ness. Gene booked a boat tour that took us across the loch to Urquhart Castle.  

We looked for Nessie, but all we found was a statue!

Getting ready for the ride

The boat was really crowded, but we managed to find seats and enjoyed the quick 30-minute ride over to Urquhart. 

 

The ruins of Urquhart Castle date from the 13th to 16th centuries, though there were fortifications on the site much earlier than that.  

It was really crowded when we visited, but the castle ruins were beautiful.

 

 Playing by the loch

Lunch overlooking Loch Ness

In the afternoon, we headed east of Inverness to the Culloden Battlefield, where the 1745 Jacobite uprising ended when the Jacobite forces supporting Bonnie Prince Charlie were defeated on April 16, 1746. 

Burial site of the Clan Maclean

The battlefield is beautiful, but the exhibits bring the battle to life and you can imagine the horrors that took place here. 

After a full day of sightseeing, we were all happy to return to our AirBnb for a simple homemade dinner and a good night's rest before our last full day of vacation. 

On our last day in Scotland, we made our way from Inverness back down to Edinburgh. We said goodbye to our lovely Inverness AirBnb, which was tiny but cozy. (The boys made elaborate plans to buy the place and move in!)

On our way to Edinburgh, we headed straight through Cairngorms National Park, so our first stop was the visitor's center at Aviemore. The guide directed us to Glenmore Forest Park, which had numerous short trails, and also suggested that we pick up a picnic lunch at the grocery store across the street. This turned out to be excellent advice all the way around, and we enjoyed a lovely morning hiking the Pine Knoll Trail.  

Picnic time

Back in the car, we drove on to the quaint town of Dunkeld. 

We picked up a map and headed to Birnam Wood, which is featured in Macbeth. 

"Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him." -- the witches' prophecy, Act IV, Scene 1, Macbeth

Today, the Birnam Oak is the oldest tree in the woods. 

Unfortunately, Henry was bitten by a black fly while standing in the tree, and the bite swelled up and made a huge, painful blister on his skin. Poor kiddo!

On the River Tay

To continue our literary adventure, we visited the Beatrix Potter Garden in Birnam. As a youth, Potter spent summers here, and this area inspired her to write her Peter Rabbit stories.   

And with that, we headed back to Edinburgh, checked in to our hotel at the airport, returned the rental car, and got ready to head back home. We enjoyed one last dinner in Scotland, topped off with a sticky toffee pudding. 

All of our vacations are wonderful and memorable, but Scotland definitely tops the list of one of our all-time best trips. The boys would have eagerly stayed another two weeks if we'd let them -- or just purchased one of the AirBnb homes we stayed in and moved there permanently!

Scotland 2018: Day 8

Day 8 came with the promise of more bacon rolls. Breakfast of Scottish champions!

Normally, I plan all our trips, but this year, I let Gene plan Scotland. He lived there for over a year and had definite ideas of where he wanted to go -- and anyway, I was busy cramming four weeks' worth of grad school work into two weeks right before our trip, so I was more than happy to pass on the planning duties. And Gene did a great job, except for the two days he "forgot" to plan. Day 8 was one of those days, but it ended up working out perfectly.

Our only goal on day 8 was to get to Inverness. There wasn't a whole lot to do along the way, but the drive was scenic, so we didn't mind. Just as we were in need of a rest stop, we came across Rogie Falls, which promised not only bathrooms but a one-mile loop trail to the falls and back. 

Always up for an adventure, even an unplanned one!

At this point in our hike, Henry perched on a rock that was covered in new bird droppings. Let's just say it necessitated a change of clothes once we got back to the car.  

Blackwater River

Rogie Falls

After our hike we drove on past Inverness to Cawdor, where we ate lunch in a charming restaurant before touring Cawdor Castle. Built in the 15th century, the castle is still lived in today by the Dowager Countess Cawdor. The castle is well known for its connection to Shakespeare's Macbeth, as Macbeth was the Thane of Cawdor. 

The castle gardens were spectacular!

Functional art -- this is not only a beautiful art work but a functional bird feeder as well.

Since we were so close to Fort George and we had free admision with our Historic Scotland Explorer Pass, we decided to pop in for a quick visit.

The guides at the front told us there were numerous dolphin sightings at the back of the fort, so we headed right there and saw many dolphins.

Fort George was built after the 1746 defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie, as King George II wanted to defend against future Jacobite unrest. This mighty fort is still in use today.  

Gift shop shenanigans

After a very full day of sight-seeing, we ran to the grocery store on our way to our Inverness AirBnb, and Gene made us another delicious dinner!

It was so nice to just be at home after a long day of being on the go, and these simple dinners at our "home away from home" were just what we needed.