Culloden and Loch Ness

June 18, 2017 - Waking up in Tulloch Castle is a real treat! this place is absolutely wonderful and said to be haunted! Our little traveling company hates to leave this spot but we must push on. Driving through the countryside, there are simply not enough adjectives to describe what I see. It is so beautiful and around every curve something new and so different from home. The ancient architecture fascinates me and my eyes can not see enough.

Our first stop this morning is the Culloden Moor. This is the site where the 1745 Jacobites made their final stand against the British. The Jacobites were sorely outnumbered in both weapons and manpower. Most Jacobites were killed and a few were taken prisoner. Most were buried here in mass graves right here on the battlefield. There are boulders with names carved in them honoring the clans that died here in this battle that essentially ended the clan system in Scotland.

The moor is very large with some footpaths. The battlefield had been left to go back to nature and weeds, bushes, heather, grass, mosses and flowers have taken over. Some of it appears boggy and there are little pools of water throughout. We walked it from one end to another and soaked in the solemnity of it all. At some of the memorial stones people have left flowers, especially at the Fraser stone. Not a surprise considering how many Outlander fans are visiting Scotland now. There is also a museum here and of course, a gift shop and we all left Scotland some of our money here!

Near Inverness our next destination was Clava Cairns, a bronze age burial grounds of standing stones. In spite of it being only three days before the summer solstice, I did not hear any of the stones singing. ;) You Outlander fans will get that comment. The stones are quite interesting to see and we are able to walk around them and take photos at our leisure. The two Thru The Stones girls and I took some fun photos as I held them back from passing through the stones and slipping back in time.

We take our leave of the stones and drive through the countryside we spy a wonderful arched train bridge. It is really quite remarkable against the blue sky and white clouds. Our next stop is Benromach whisky distillery. Several of our girls take the tour but as I have seen distilleries before, I go with those who don't and we relax and take photos in their rose garden. The scent of some of these roses is remarkable and makes me sad the the florist roses I use daily hardly have any good smell left in them as they are bred for beauty and longevity instead.

Our next stop is Lock Ness and we search for Nessie but she was shy today and stayed hidden. In Scotland, the word "loch" is used to describe any large, enclosed expanse of water including areas coming in from the sea. Loch Ness is one of the largest and deepest of the lochs in Scotland and has a fine gift shop! As cool as it is here I sure wouldn't want to go swimming that's for sure! Besides...Nessie might get me!

Later, as we are driving along we see a pull off where you can walk way down to the water's edge of a small river. We do and walk quite a ways down to the riverside to take photos of the water and the rocks. Rocks are everywhere! From the largest boulders right down to small pebbles. Streams running over the rocks to the river make beautiful music to our ears. Camping in these pullouts appears to be legal here as we often see people doing just that. There are a few that are marked "No overnight camping" but most are not and a few look like they will be doing just that tonight. I see one couple perched on a large boulder heating canned food over a small burner. Ahhhhh! To be that young and free and unhindered again!

As I rest my head on a pillow for the night I am touched by thoughts of how wonderful this all is and how lucky I am to be able to experience this wonderful place with my seven traveling companions. I am a lucky woman and I know and I appreciate that. Love to you all.

Clan Fraser Memorial Stone

Boggy in places on Culloden Moor

Standing by a Gorse Bush. Gorse bushes are highly flammable, and in many
areas bundles of gorse were used to fire traditional bread ovens.

No stepping back in time for me!

Kind of looks like a Harry Potter bridge

Stopping to smell the roses

As close to Nessie as I got!

Walking down to the river bank

Almost at the river's edge

Sittin' on a rock, posin' for a picture