Inverness

The early part of the week was spent getting over some jet lag (Denise) and a bug (Harry) but we both had something to look forward to as Marion and David were in the Cotswolds for a few days before heading to Spain for their bus trip.  They are keeping a blog as well so we had caught up with the early part of their holiday before meeting in Tetbury for the evening.  (Seemed quite surreal when I had met Marion the week before in Astoria, Wellington for a coffee).  We spent a few minutes wandering around the town enjoying the daffodils and tulips before finding the two of them in the local hotel where we decided to settle for the evening. At first glance this was not quite where I wanted to eat (Cottage Pie Pizza on the menu sort of set the tone), but the atmosphere was nice, company good and the seats comfy and food turned out quite good afterall (didn't try the pizza). The week has also been full of election news with the 3 parties vying for position and the Leaders debates on tv.  We continue to find it amazing that we are allowed to vote but will be exercising that privilege next week.  The week was quite short cos on Friday afternoon we set off to the airport for Inverness (no problems with the volcanic ash though the end of the long weekend saw Edinburgh and Dublin airports closed due to a change in wind direction - we didn't know anything about this until we got back to Bristol).  I don't know what it is about Scotland but I definitely feel emotionally pulled towards this country with its beaches, lochs, little villages, mountains, snow and somewhat inclement weather.  We've had a great weekend in the Highlands (apparently the least populated area in the UK which we did remark on as we drove for miles without passing a house or a person) and we were lucky enough to get reasonably good weather (a little bit of mist, a few drops of rain, some amazing cloud scapes, a bit of a breeze and some sunshine to bask in on a couple of occasions). Our weekend has certainly made us look forward to our road trip in September. Like many of the places we have visited it has had its share of heartaches.  As soon as we had landed we were off exploring and on the way to our hotel (well just a little detour) was Culloden - but first the viaduct.  Framed in a lovely cloud scape with daffodils and green fields this railway viaduct was built in the late 1890's of pink sandstone - it shortened the circuitous route through the country to Inverness quite significantly they say. 

The battle between the Jacobites and the Government was the last battle on Britain ground and the scene is now a memorial to those who lost there lives.  The museum showed both sides of the story of this one hour battle in 1746 where 1500 Jacobites (hoping to restore the Stuart monarchy who had previously escaped to France led by Bonnie Prince Charlie) lost their lives (men, women and children) and the Government (King George ll army who included some Scottish clans and led by Prince William the Duke of Cumberland) was the stronger. The poor Jacobites had no chance of winning, they fought for their cause in a swampy, marshy, rain sodden ground (a bit like a wintry Desert Road with a bit of scottish heather, lots of peaty marsh and puddles and perhaps some snow thrown in). They were tired and hungry from days of marching through the cold and windy environment and greatly outnumbered and ill prepared for the surprise attack on the Duke's men - it was hard to imagine the fight - less than hour and the devastation afterwards - only memorial stones show the clans lost families.  From a historical perspective it is pleasing to see that after centuries of draining the moors for agriculture the owners are now leaving the environment to return to nature so visitors can see just how difficult it was for the Jacobites - they lost their line of attack when they tried to go round puddles too deep to walk through (this enabled the opposition to come in from behind).  To this day, visitors have seen ghosts of the soldiers on the anniversary of the battle ie 16th of April - I think we were glad it was the beginning of May and we could not hear the cries of battle and the clash of steel except in the audio visual (which incidentally operated using sat nav). There is a story that birds do not sing in this area - and after reading that I do not recall hearing any though that means very little as I had one ear near the audio visual and the other covered by my woolly hat!! So, in the aftermath the government took control, dismantled tribal society by depriving chiefs of their legal powers and confiscating weapons - they even banned the kilt (we did wonder why the kilt is a national dress given the climate and were sure we weren't the first to wonder this) as well as the clan tartans and oh no, the bag pipes (I wonder if people tried to play them secretly while in hiding).   Prince Charles Edward Stuart returned to Europe and his story of his escape made him a hero - but that didn't last long and soon the French expelled him and he moved to Rome where he took to drink, and lost not only his wife but also his followers.  

Defence of the country didn't stop at Culloden and not long after on the coast only a stones throw away from the battlefield Fort George was built as a response to this war - the defence mechanism seems to have worked as there has been no more wars on British soil.  The fort is large, but it was still hard to think how 400 troops could be housed within its walls - but I guess conditions weren't quite as good as what we would expect today.  The fort was initially built to defend the land but then later the sea as the French flotilla began to float a bit too close for comfort. It is still a working barracks and as we wandered around with our audio guides and map we passed a number of armed forces out for their smoko or daily constitutional.  Like most places like this I enjoy the views more than wandering through the buildings (though the chapel with the bag pipe playing angel was unique) and this fort didn't disappoint me as we looked over the Firth of Moray hoping for a sight of a few dolphins dancing (no luck there) and spotting where we had had a coffee the day before.

On the other side of Fort George, or should I say across the Firth of Moray, are a number of little seaside villages that we drove through, or stopped at for a coffee or a glimpse of rural life. Here we quickly wandered through a museum detailing the lives of the Picts (a group of Celtic tribes living in eastern and northern Scotland). And then on to Cromarty - a little gem of a fishing village (if I ever write a guide book it would be very different to the ones we have as Cromarty only took up 3 lines on the page but took us 4 or so hours to explore). From the cobbled streets and cemetery perched high on the hill with a memorial to Hugh Miller you could see the oil rigs berthed in the Firth for maintenance. We found a leaflet that took us around the village pointing out the buildings of historical interest like the ice cave (a local told me as a boy he went down to the lakes to cut the ice and take it to the caves - but lately he hasn't been able to - I assumed this was because of the green house effect rather than old age but didn't like to ask) and we spent some time in the houses where Hugh Miller grew up and then lived as an adult - now a museum. I am sorry to say we didn't know anything about Hugh Miller (or recall ever having heard his name) so here is a bit of history of this very famous Scotsman. He lived in the first half of the 1800's and was born in Church Street Cromarty (it seems every village in the UK has a street called Church Street - we live near one, and I work on the corner of one). He was a famous geologist, writer, editor (of the Business News I think) and naturalist but started life out as a young man who did not appreciate the standard type of education so left school early (expelled actually) and then became a stone mason (but to marry his loved one he needed his Mum in laws permission and that meant bettering himself so he took up a bit of work in a bank and then became an editor). I liked some of his quotes which show that curiosity and inquisitiveness displayed by so many famous people. "Let it be my business, I said to know what is generally not known" and " Let me qualify myself to become an interpreter between nature and the public".

We also explored Lochness - well the dry parts of it - we didn't do any diving in the Loch to try and find the home of Nessie mores the pity. The day started off a bit misty - bit too misty for photos - but the right atmosphere for a spot of Nessie hunting but then the weather cleared and all warm and snug in our coats and hats we enjoyed the day exploring Urquhart Castle, little villages along the way, the Caledonian Canal and Foyer Falls. But first of all it was a few stops in parking bays (as recommended by the guide books) to see the views and a stop at the exhibition centre telling us how scientists have looked and looked for Nessie to no avail - many still believe that he is hiding somewhere in those deep dark depths of the Loch (considering it holds more water than the rest of the UK it is entirely possible that he is enjoying life down there undisturbed!!). We wandered down from the top of the hill to the Foyer falls, where we had a bit of culture along the way - on stones carved and strategically placed near the path (where a rest could be had) was the poem of Robbie Burns written on his visit to the falls.  What a clever man looking at that water and coming up with some fitting words - I just stood in awe at the brown water tumbling into the deep dark pool beyond. 

 “Among the heathy hills and rugged woods

The roaring Foyers pours his mossy floods,
As high in air the bursting torrents flow,
As deep recoiling surges foam below,
Still through the gap the struggling river toils,
And still below the horrid cauldron boils,
Till full he dashes on the rocky mounds'
Where through a shapeless breach his stream rebounds.”

Like many beautiful parts of our environment they have often been spoilt by industry and in this was once the spot where locals and visitors protested the building of an aluminium factory.  It apparently became one of the first ‘environmental battles’ (late 19th century).  Protests included letters and partitions but to no avail and it was not until 1967 that the aluminium factory was closed and nature was again allowed to dominate in this picturesque part of Scotland. 

There is heaps to do in Scotland if you are energetic which we didn't particularly feel this weekend.  Brochures showing white water rafting, mountain climbing, horse riding, skiing, hiking, biking (does it all sound familiar?) were all available for us to read - and think 'in September'.  Our hotel was right outside a golf course and in the mornings when Denise was trying to sleep she got a running commentary 'those three can't find their balls', 'ooh he missed that easy hole', 'he is in the rough', 'that shot landed in the bunkers', 'he's just hooked it' need I go on!!  The only advantage was that Harry could use the golfers as a gauge to the temperature outside which helped me decide what to wear. We didn't get long in Inverness itself (except we did go to an evening of accordian and guitar folk music in a local pub which was great - ate Thai food while listening) and we wandered around the castle but didn't go into it.

These photos were taken on the way to Beauly where we sat in a caravan park and had lunch one day.  Beauly Priory - another ruin from the past and was a nice way to spend 15 minutes before heading further up the coast.

And wherever we go there always seems to be an air museum.  Harry enjoyed this one - it was an enthusiastic volunteers place with lots of bits and pieces of engines and cockpits scattered around.  He was detained as often happens by the enthusiastic volunteer - the only one manning the museum this day - with a detailed history of the planes and his career in the armed forces.  I stayed in the car and spent an hour happily reading my book.  The photo is of a Vickers Valiant cockpit.