A sunny morning greeted us as Lord of the Glens descended the five locks at Fort Augustus. The occasional shower didn’t dampen our spirits as we set sail across Loch Ness. We heard an excellent presentation on the Highland Clearances that drove home the awfulness of this chapter of Sottish History.
Soon Urquhart Castle loomed on the horizon and the ship pulled in close for photo opportunities. The present ruins mostly date back to the 13th, 14th, and 16th centuries; they became ruins after the government tried to blow up the castle so it wouldn’t fall into Jacobite hands.
A very scenic sail across the last part of Loch Ness and another man-made section of the Caledonian Canal brought us to Inverness, the capital of the Highlands. We explored in more detail on a city tour on our way to Culloden Battlefield. The excellent visitor center there tells the story of the ill-fated Jacobite Rebellion, which had its end here at Culloden on April 16, 1746.
Our next visit was even further back in time. The Clava Cairns were built around 2000 B.C., and the two passage graves and a ring cairn speak of a very different time.
Back on Lord of the Glens, after some struggle to pack all the souvenirs bought along the way, we watched the slideshow of our photos. Many lovely memories were relived and many laughs were had. But then it was time for some thank yous and our farewell drinks. During dinner, our very entertaining hotel manager presented the Robert Burns poem to the haggis.
To top off our fun-filled day, we were then treated to Highland dancers accompanied by a superb piper. Then we headed to our cabins to get ready to depart Lord of the Glens. We will never forget our lovely time.
