After the
wet, obscuring weather in Edinburgh, I didn't have high hopes for clear views in the Highlands, but when we pulled into
Inverness, there were blue skies over
Inverness Castle (top left). We took advantage of the nice atmosphere to do a short spin through the city as part of our pit stop to pick up provisions. During our walk we spied the two spires of the
Free North Church of Scotland and
Old High Church on the east riverbank (top right). Unfortuately, we stumbled on the
Victorian Market after closing time, when most shops were shuttered (bottom left), but we -- well, Sage at least -- received a warm welcome at the
Old Market Inn, the pub next door (bottom right).
Dinner ingredients in hand, we headed north on the
River Ness for a while before we turned and followed the
Beauly Firth west to our self-catering
Daviot Lodge near the town of
Beauly. Sage settled in immediately, taking a rest amid the many empty cabins (left) while TJ finished off dinner in our outdoor oven. During Sage's walk the next morning, fair skies held favor for the day ahead (right).
We set a route to
Wester Ross, recommended by Davy the Ghost as the most beautiful region in northern Scotland. Although we didn't get to see the entire area, it seemed to be a strong contender, at least based on our initial view across
Loch Broom (top). The town of
Ullapool rests on the shore of the lake (bottom left), and on the day we visited, the Ullapool Coastal Rowing Club was using the waters to its advantage for its
annual regatta (bottom right).
We didn't have time to watch all the heats, as we were trying to get through a hefty chunk of the
North Coast 500 Trail. Despite our ambitious plan, we decided
Corrieshalloch Gorge National Natural Reserve was worth the short hike from the parking lot (left). While we were experiencing a bit of vertigo on the suspension bridge over the waterfall (right), some water started to fall from the sky. With the steel surface a bit slippery, we carefully retraced our steps back to the car and continued on our journey.
By the time we reached
Gruinard Bay, we were looking back at the source of the precipitation from a sunny precipice (left). The weather held for a late-lunch picnic in the burial ground of a
chapel in Laide. Despite being surrounded by gravestones, the setting didn't seem so morbid with the sound of lapping waves and the scent of blooming wildflowers (right).
The fauna spotted during our drive was just as stunning as the flora. During a water break, we spied some
Highland cattle in an adjacent pen (left). As the sun started to set behind the hills, the area's native
red deer emerged for their own water break (right).
Davy the Ghost swore that the most beautiful bit of drink in the Highlands is
Loch Maree, one of the largest in the region. It is particularly scenic because of the mountainous backdrop, including the peak of distinctive
Slioch (left). But the lake is not nearly as popular with tourists, perhaps because there's no legend associated with it. Out of obligation, the next day on our drive back to Edinburgh we paid a visit to
Loch Ness, where we didn't see the same spectacular panorama -- or any unexplained monster (right).
Two lovable lab monsters stalked the grounds of the
Lochcarron Hotel, where we stopped for dinner (top left). They were nice enough to stop interrupting us with requests to throw balls once our meals were served, filling our table with a smorgasbord of heaping plates: fish cakes, lamb, beef, ham, and prawns (top right). As we tucked in, a rainbow appeared over the village and water of
Lochcarron, leaving us with a vivid memory for our time in the Highlands (bottom).
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