Inverness and Fort Augustus
Our first full day on Lord of the Glens has been a good one. First thing this morning Graham Urquhart met us with his new motor coach, which has an interior that resembles an airliner and is also extremely comfortable. We headed out to the battle field at Culloden with a guided tour of Inverness along the way. The interpretation centre at the battle field is second to none. By the time we had passed through the informative display within the centre and then walked round the battle field with Steve Blamires, our expedition leader, we all had a good understanding of the significance of the battle that took place here over 250 years ago between the British and Jacobite forces.
Clava Cairns the Early Bronze Age burial cairns are found just a few miles along the road from Culloden and was our next port of call this morning. The cairns date back over 4,000 years and had us all wondering how they may have been used and what role this extraordinary site played in the society of the time. It is hard to imagine all that has taken place on this site since the cairns were constructed so many years ago.
As soon as we returned to the Lord of the Glens our mooring ropes were cast off and we were under way, heading south along the Caledonian Canal towards Loch Ness. There are many yachts of all shapes and sizes moored along the side of this stretch of the canal and around the lock at Dochgarroch there were numerous canoes being taken off the water having completed a journey along Loch Ness. We made our way across the stretch of water known as Loch Dochfour and out into Loch Ness. Heavy threatening clouds began to fill the sky as we headed across the loch to Urquhart Castle but fortunately held off while we cruised slowly by the spectacular ruins. A heavy shower of rain fell while Steve Blamires gave an excellent presentation on the Jacobites as we made our way on down the loch towards Fort Augustus.
By the time we reached the entrance to the flight of locks at Fort Augustus the rain had stopped and the clouds were giving way to a bright blue sky. Some of us scrambled ashore off the ship as we made our way up the flight of five locks and went exploring round the village. Once we reached the top of the locks we tied up alongside for the night and a range of activities were on offer which included canoeing, cycling and walking. The sky had completely cleared by this time and we enjoyed a stunning evening in a wonderful location.
After another fine evening meal which included the birthday celebration of our youngest guest, some of us retired to the lounge to sample the delights of fine, rare whisky. John Beech from Drumnadrochit introduced some of the finer points of tasting whisky and explained how whisky is made.
