Experience The Adventure

Went on the 3 day Skye High Haggis tour to go see more of northern Scotland. With visiting Scotland three times, it’s about time I saw the countryside, so hence the three day tour.

Now I said it, and I’ll say it again. Those aren’t real mountains.

It was very foggy, with sprinkling of rain on and off for the full three days. This is real Scotland weather they say. A really good description, is just taking the tour ourtline as below with my commentary.

Day 1: Edinburgh – Loch Ness

We leave Scotland’s capital and head to Stirling, home to legends such as William Wallace and Robert the Bruce and scene of many of Scotland’s most famous and bloody battles. Our route north takes us through the dramatic & inspiring Glencoe, and if weather permits we may well take one of our legendary ‘wee walks’, before heading for Fort William – in the shadow of mighty Ben Nevis (Britain’s highest mountain). Traveling through the Great Glen we head for Fort Augustus. Staying on the banks of Loch Ness, in Fort Augustus tonight we discover a bit more of highland history and culture, before trying to entice Nessie out for a wee dram!
Lealt Falls, Skye

My commentary: I figured out right away that there must be a lot of information our guide tells us, that is not entirely accurate. I wonder how much of it is really true? Can I steal a penguin?

In the evening, we all headed out to take a boat tour to try and spot the Lockness monster. The boat was rather large for a tourist boat, with 3d and 2d sonar displays inside the main seating area. The ol’ ship captain came down to give us a briefing, and show us his pictures of the Lockness mother on his cell phone. He claims there are many monsters all over the world, and could name the sites like Ogopogo in Okanogan Lake in Canada. He claims he has teams at Cambridge and MIT who also participate in identifying and protecting these monsters. Quite a convincing fellow, with some of it. I’ll show you the pictures of the monster I got.

Day 2: Loch Ness – Isle of Skye

Today we explore the magical Isle of Skye. Ruined castles, awesome scenery, Viking fortresses and home to the legendary MacLeod and MacDonald Clans. Immersed in Celtic myths and legends, hear all about the Faeries and the Selkies, and local characters who have contributed to the rich history of this magical island. Quite simply unmissable! Our overnight destination is on the banks of Loch Ness.
Eilean Donan Castle

Commentary: I didn’t see any real mountains. It was pretty cloudy, so that might have been why, but think of large hills. The Eilean Donan castle – is a good looking castle, traditional type of castle. And a dip in the river. The secret of eternal beauty, dipping your face into Sleigahein river for 7 seconds.

From the northern part of Skye, they say you can drink the water. It’s very yellow and has lots of floaties.

In the evening we went to a weapons and kilt display. They showed us how a real traditional kilt was used, and the claymore a large and long sword, Lochaber axe, and short sword. The interesting fella doing this is a search and rescue person for this area of Scotland.

Day 3: Loch Ness – Edinburgh

Before heading south en route for Edinburgh, we follow the entire length of Loch Ness, searching for a priceless glimpse of the legendary beast. We visit Inverness, capital of the Highlands, and head for brooding Culloden Moor, sight of the defeat of Bonne Prince Charlie’s Jacobite uprising. After a bite to eat and perhaps another ‘wee walk’, we head south for Pitlochry, Dunkeld and Perth (amongst other things) before arriving back in Edinburgh at approximately 5.30pm. – An action packed, fun filled and unforgettable 3 days!

I’ll stop ranting about mountains now. Maybe. Not real.

Once back in Scotland, the first thing I did way find a deep fried mars bar. Delicious! Then I went to go see a comedy show. A good time. The next day was spent in a brief walk though of the national Gallery of Scotland. That’s all it really needed. The whole rest of the day was in the Museum of Scotland. I was very impressed by this museum, extensive, a variety of subjects, interesting, a free tour and my highlight was playing at formula 1 racing simulator. Those cars are sure tiny. Well it’s time to head back to London.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 5:29 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.