Highland Roadtrip

With school finished and our time in Scotland running out, we loaded up the car and headed north to see a bit of the Highlands. Besides wanting to visit some beautiful scenery, we had one more Harry Potter sight on our list, as well as the long-anticipated visit to Loch Ness.

Ainsley posing with a highland cow we found on the way up north

The mountains of Glen Coe. A beautiful valley on the way north through the Highlands. There is a sad story of the Glen Coe massacre in 1692 but we'll let you look that one up on your own.

We made our first stop at Fort William. Located at the base of Britian's highest peak, Ben Nevis, this was our departure point for the Jacobite Express. This scenic rail journey is widely known from the early Harry Potter films. We also discovered that Fort William is home to Neptune's Staircase which you see below.

Neptune's Staircase in Fort William. These are a series of eight locks on the Caledonian Canal, connecting  Loch Linnhe to the sea.

Boats at the top of Neptune's Staircase. It takes about 90 minutes to pass through all the locks.

Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the British Isles at 4,409 feet.

The Jacobite Express

For you Potter fans, this was our last Hogwarts-related visit. The Jacobite Express was used in the early films when the students are making their way to Hogwarts. Movie connections aside, this is known as one of the more scenic rail journeys in the world .

Loading up on the Hogwarts Express

Crossing the Glenfinnian viaduct. No flying cars in sight.

Heading back to Fort William

After Fort William we crossed over to the Isle of Skye.The island was beautiful with dramatic mountains and gorgeous views at every turn. Skye was surprisingly very quiet as well, with minimal tourists (or seemingly residents). 

Approaching the Isle of Skye

Taking a scenery break while we hiked to the base of The Storr. The Storr are a series of dramatic cliffs on the Trotternish Penninsula. The Sound of Rassay is in the background.

Will at the base of The Storr cliffs. This open area below the rocks is known as "the Sanctuary".

Kilt Rock is  a 200 foot high sea cliff. It's called Kilt rock because the pleats on the cliff resemble a kilt.

A quick beach stop as we wound our way around Skye

A lone post box in Skye

The town of Portree in Skye. We've seen many little seaside towns with brightly-colored harbor fronts, but it's still charming and we haven't gotten tired of it a bit.

Harbor in Portree

Eileen Donan Castle. We read that it is the most photographed castle in Scotland, so we gave into peer pressure and took a picture.

If you remember the old 1970's t.v. series "In Search Of...", you might remember an episode about the Loch Ness Monster. As a result of that episode I spent many years of my youth dreaming about visiting Loch Ness and sighting Nessie. Years later, I was excited to drive along the shores of Loch Ness and "monster watch" with the kids. We made a stop at Urquhart Castle to tour the castle grounds and take a look for the monster, but we were left without any official Nessie sighting. Before moving on there was a stop at the Loch Ness Experience to learn more about the history of the Loch Ness Monster and the possible explanations. We all learned a great deal about the history of Nessie, and left with our own ideas of what the truth might be, as well as a couple souvenirs. I may not have captured an image of the Loch Ness Monster, but I have a cool fridge magnet.

Urquhart Castle, with a history dating back to the 8th century.

Standing besides the trebuchet at Urquhart Castle. This siege engine was recreated for the television special Secret of Lost Empires in 2002.

North end of Loch Ness

Southern View of Loch Ness from Urquhart.

Nessie!?

After continuing north we stayed outside of Inverness in Nairn. There is beautiful beach area at this former Victorian-era resort town to explore. Interestingly, the beach was also used as a training ground for infantry soldiers prior to the WWII Normandy Landings in 1944.

Foggy Nairn Beach

On the way home we stopped for lunch in Perthshire at the town of Dunkeld. The sun was out and we enjoyed a picnic by the river before driving the last bit home. Across the river in Birnam we visited a Beatrix Potter Exhibit. Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, spent much of her summer-time youth in this area of Perthshire.

The Tay River flowing through Dunkeld

A little reading time at the Beatrix Potter exhibit.