Inverness and Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye Tour
We woke up early Sunday morning and packed an overnight bag to go on our Isle of Skye tour.  We had to be at the tour place at 7:30 AM, and it turns out we actually went to the wrong company, so luckily we still make it on the right bus!
We took a bus up through Stirling towards the Highlands.  We stopped a few times for coffee, lunch, and pictures.  The views were beautiful, both in and out of the bus.  As we drove, the bus driver told us little bits of history, which was interesting.

  

When we stopped for lunch, Jillian and I both had fish and chips from the chip shop.  They take a fresh piece of haddock and fry it to order--it was the best fried fish we had encountered thus far!

The bus took us to Urquhart Castle, which sits on the banks of Loch Ness.  The castle is mainly ruins, as it had been invaded several times over the past millennia.  After walking around the castle grounds, we took a boat cruise on Loch Ness.  It was a very nice day for a boat cruise, and we were glad we took part in this optional part of the tour.  Whenever I pictured Loch Ness, I did not imagine it to be as vast as it really is.  It is over 27 kilometers long, and is extremely deep.  This, coupled with the peat in the water, is one of the reasons "Nessie" remains a mystery.

After the boat cruise, another bus came to transport us to our hotel in Inverness, The Craignay Guest House.  It is an adorable B&B run by a husband and wife, Rodney and Gail.  They were so sweet and offered suggestions on what to do on our one night in Inverness.  The B&B sits near the city center, so we were able to walk around easily.

Inverness Castle

Craignay Cathedral, located right by our B&B

After walking around for a little while, we found a place to eat dinner.  We then went across the street to hear live music at a bar called Hootanany's.  We stayed out until about 11, but then left knowing we had to get up early again the next morning.  

The next morning, Gail made us a delicious traditional Scottish breakfast-- bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, tomatoes (and mushrooms and baked beans, which I did not get).  We really enjoyed talking to them, and were sad that we could only stay for one night.

Our drive from Inverness to Isle of Skye was also very scenic and included picture stops.  The first stop was to see the Thomas Telford Bridge which spans waterfalls from the River Moriston.

The stop also had a view of Highland Cows, which I would now like as a pet.

Another stop on the way to Skye included Eilean Donan Castle, which has been featured in many movies.  We opted to not go in, but rather admired it from the shore.  We also watched the bag piper that was playing by the castle.

We were then bound for the Isle of Skye! We stopped for lunch, and then we crossed the bridge to Skye.  It was a gorgeous drive, but the roads are so narrow that I don't think I would have wanted to navigate them by myself.  We drove as far as you possibly could on the island, and then got out to take pictures.  The views were breathtaking, and we were so grateful to have such nice weather!

It was sad to leave such a beautiful place, especially after such a long journey.  We were returned to Inverness, where we had to catch a train back to Edinburgh.  This was truly a memorable experience!