Inverness to Ballachulish

This morning we did not go for a run - we were sleepy and our bed and breakfast was very, very comfortable!  It was nice to be in beds that felt a bit more hospitable than those at the Edinburgh hostel.  The breakfast at the B&B was quite good, with friendly service and wonderful, tasty, yummy coffee (the best I have had since Cuba, I think)!  Inchrye was the name of our bed and breakfast - the hostess was great, gave us prompt, friendly advice and served up a great breakfast.
Inchrye Guesthouse, Inverness
We went for a short walk down to the sea - if you're that close (i.e. a block equivalent) to the sea, you must see it!  The weather wasn't great but it gave us perspective of what to expect of what is essentially the Arctic Ocean.  Along the way, we met a nice gentleman with 3 sweet pups, one of whom was determined to bury her rock, one of whom was young and barked at everything, and one of whom was so well behaved that she even sat for her picture!


Row houses viewed from the beach
Barracks of Fort George

 Only minutes (literally) from Inchrye was Fort George, the oldest and largest fort in Scotland, and it is still a functioning military base.  We toured the fort, took in some history on the Highlanders, and checked out the view from the promenade  where dolphins can often be seen.  I think it was too cold for them today!
Fort George - Where Military Men Bunkered Down, 40 to a Room, During Times of Attack

A Highlanders Formal Dining Table
View from the Cannon
Lookout of the Fort
Beach Viewed from the Walls of Fort George
I drove our BMW from Inverness to Ballachulish (so, yes, I guess I have my a**hole card...) without incident.  Luckily the drive wasn't too bad, even if getting through Inverness was a bit stressful for me.  The road along Loch Ness was beautiful, windy and often covered by a canopy of trees.  I enjoyed the drive after I got used to driving on the left-hand side of the road, and even did okay in the many, many, many traffic circles!

 The Loch Ness Exhibition centre was pretty good - we spend our money to see about 20 minutes of videos identifying the scientific proof that says the Monster does not exist, and that people will believe anything they see.  While I really don't believe the Loch Ness Monster exists, it's a bit sad that the exhibit is so scientific-focused that it ruins the whole phenomenon of Nessie.  There is, apparently, not a lot of biological activity in the lake (loch) so it would pretty tough for a monster/creature to survive - of course, based on what we know of biological entities.

 After this, 2 miles down the road was Urquhart Castle.  For all I had read about this, and how important it was to see it, I expected a full castle, like Edinburgh.  However, it was mostly ruins and the perceptions of archaeologists on what had happened or been built on the site since the early 1200's.  Still, it was a fun castle, lots of history, and offered some amazing views of Loch Ness.
The Remains of Urquhart Castle
Unknown Bird - Pheasant???
Grain Grinding Stone Used (Found) on Urquhart Castle Land
Loch Ness

The Great Tower of Urquhart
Loch Ness - Beautiful Lake!
Urquhart with Loch Ness in the Background
After the castle, we drove on to Ballachulish.  We are now sitting in the Woolly Rock Bed and Breakfast after a lovely dinner at the Loch Leven Hotel.  We also found a bar there and enjoyed a few extra drinks!  We are apparently also 30 minutes from a castle featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which Bryan may appreciate a picture of. We had a change of plans for tomorrow but haven't quite figured out yet what we'll do to get ourselves over to Belfast for Thursday...stay tuned!
Our room has a skeleton key!

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