Loch Ness, Glencoe, & The Highlands
Today was our first adventure day in Scotland. We picked out this tour from the same company we used for our Skye trip. They also have easy day trips so that we can easily explore parts of Scotland in one day. This tour went up through Glencoe to Loch Ness and Inverness, so Luis would get to see a lot of the Highland mountains and Lochs while also hearing the stories and histories of the land.
Our first stop was Loch Lomond, part of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. Today was also an unusually blue sky kind of day. Perfect for sightseeing.
This little island on Loch Lomond is named Tarbet Isle, but it is better known as Honeymoon Island. Our tour guide G said there was a tale that newly weds were sent to this island with provisions for a week. If they managed to spend the week on the island together, it was a sign that the marriage would last.
"Which might be harder than you think, with the short distance to the shore looking so tempting," our guide joked.
From there we made our way up to Glencoe, which Pedro and I were excited to see again.
When we arrived at Glencoe, I immediately recognized the Three Sisters Mountain range despite it looking very different from the last time I saw it. Instead of white and gray blending into the sky, it was now very green against a blue sky.
This was the same viewpoint we visited in January, but today our guide brought us down a bit further to this beautiful bridge over a river with a little white house. We were told that it was private property so that we wouldn't intrude on their land, but can you imagine living there? In this secluded area, nestled in the valley of the mountains and watching the seasons change all around you?? Beautiful.
After Glencoe, we passed through the Great Glen. A glen is just a narrow valley, usually with water running through it. One thing that we noticed on a day like this, a lot of people were out on the water. Cruises, sail boats, and ferries were all moving along under the sun, probably soaking up the day while it lasts.
Even I was in awe of the way everywhere was looking in this weather. Everything was clear, so you could even see the shadows of the clouds on the mountains.
Before we arrived in Fort Augustus, we were given the option to purchase cruise tickets for Loch Ness. We figured on such a nice day it would be really cool to see the Loch. When we arrived, we went straight to lunch so we'd have time for the cruise. This is wear Luis tried his first haggis and neeps! He seemed to enjoy it, despite not really knowing what he was even eating at first. We explained haggis is made from ground organs (usually sheep) and oatmeal along with spices. Neeps is short for turnips, also called swede. They are mostly served like tatties (mashed potatoes) and is a common side dish. Apparently it reminds Luis of some Cuban dishes, which I can see, though I'd take Cuban food any day.
After we ate, we rushed to the boat and it took off down the Loch. There were TV screens along the boat displaying a side-scan sonar in case there were any sightings of the monster...
Along the ride, we listening to the stories and sightings reported about a great lurking monster in the depths of Loch Ness. See, Loch Ness is HUGE. It may not seem like it, but it's 23 miles long and it is the deepest loch in Scotland, the largest body of water in the whole UK. It's so big it could hold all the lakes in England. It's so big that it never freezes. It's so big you can fit the world's population inside 15 times! The water is also so dark you can't see four inches in front of your face. It's pitch black due to all the peat from the mountains. This deep and dark combination can make it very difficult for any kind of efficient search of the loch for monsters.
The first recorded sighting was in the 6th century by a saint. St. Columba had heard of a beast that had been killing people and decided to confront it. Much like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, the saint went up to the shore and shouted, "go back with all haste!" and the monster never attacked anyone ever again. Of course, it's been 'seen' many times since then, and has become so popular that all sorts of technologies have been designated to the search. Yet for some reason, all the picture evidence turns out blurry... hmm. I had my own Nessie sighting, and I promise this is NOT edited!
See it?
I should mention that there may or may not have been a sticker on the window. But it was convincing, right? We did spot some highland cows enjoying time in the water though. And while heading back to shore, we heard many theories of what the monster many actually be, like a giant eel or lamprey.
Back on land, we didn't have much time until we got back on the bus, but we did see a lot of nature. In January, it was a bit of a ghost town, all frozen over. Now it was blooming with flowers and people.
We got back on the bus and took off before the swarm of other tours hit and headed to Inverness, which is at the other end of Loch Ness. Pedro and I had never been there before, so it was a new experience for us as well. In my mind I imagined it looking like Glasgow or Edinburgh, with tall buildings and castle-like architecture. But it was actually more like Anniesland, with a lot of residential buildings and cathedrals along the water. We bought some coffee at a local café and walked around a bit to wake up. (At more than one point, we were all asleep on the bus.)
We didn't stay long, something cool though: we stumbled upon a music festival featuring Amy MacDonald. Though none of us recognized the significance of this, our guide was pretty excited. Heading back down to Glasgow, we went through the Perthshire area, which was a beautifully rural place filled with forests.
On one of our pit stops, we got to see sheep and highland cows. Being the vet, Pedro ripped up some grass without hesitation and fed the cows, allowing me to see their ol' big shaggy faces up close.
We also made a stop in Stirling. Kind of a fun way to end the tour for us since it was our first stop on our tour way back in January.
Luis has only been here one and a half days and has already seen the parts of Northern and Western Scotland. Tomorrow we'll be heading East - Edinburgh.
