Day 7 The 3 "Nesses"

The original plan had been to drive direct from Skye to the other side of Scotland. As I had a couple of days up my sleeve, a helpful piper at the Portree TIC books a night in Inverness to break the journey.

After another delightful breakfast with the room to ourselves Mrs Mac obliges by allowing me to record her running through my ancestors' names and the place names in Gaelic.
Reluctantly I leave Portree and head over Skye Bridge again , past Eilean Donan Castle back on the mainland of Scotland. It's still the highlands and an enjoyable scenic drive.

By now my aversion to the commercial tourists traps is well developed and I have no interest in Drumnadrochit and the Loch Ness monster. I inadvertently stop at Urquhart Castle at the foot of Loch Ness for what I thought would be a quick coffee.

The ruins of Urquhart Castle are interesting enough in themselves but its' strategic location is its' key feature. Even in the 21st Century the serene silence it smashed by a fighter jet blasting up the length of Loch Ness!

I had never seen a fighter jet before the same thing had happened on Islay. I think the RAAF has some but they are not the sort of thing seen over populated areas and definitely never over the nation's primary tourist destinations. These Brits must be serious.

It takes 2 absorbing hours for the "quick coffee" and resuming the journey to Inverness.

The remarkable thing about Inverness is that the buildings are made from a pinkish rock. It's the first city I've encountered in my week in Scotland and the differences are noticable. It has all the things of Aussie cities - eg MacDonalds etc.- but it the influence of modern Europe is confronting. All the taxis are Mercedes that would cost $100,000 in Melbourne. Audi's are the local Commodore and there are Fiats and Renaults instead of Japanese small cars.

Falling in to the category of being a "good idea at the time" I opt to take a quick trip north to see the Tarbat Ness lighthouse. It didn't look too far on the map!

It was an eye-opening drive across several bridges and past the congregation of idle North Sea oil rigs anchored in Cromarty Firth. The trip may have been shorter if I had not gotten myself lost!

The lighthouse is OK even if the gloom descends early.

Back in Inverness I went to a pub with several hundred locals. Glasgow Rangers were playing Manchester United on TV. It was my first experience among "real" football fans and I only had to mention "soccer" once to get a lecture!

Loch Ness, Inverness and Tarbat Ness. Three places I had not planned to visit!