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.
