{"id":5711,"date":"2017-01-31T09:00:07","date_gmt":"2017-01-31T14:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=5711"},"modified":"2018-06-10T22:02:12","modified_gmt":"2018-06-11T02:02:12","slug":"journey-to-the-highlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=5711","title":{"rendered":"Journey to the Highlands"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a9 2017 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Small doses.\u00a0 This is how you learn to see cities when on layovers.<\/p>\n

Having usually less than a day, it’s like winning the lottery when visiting on your own and\u00a0knowing that you\u00a0have more\u00a0time to see everything you want to see.\u00a0 And the bonus?\u00a0 Time to venture out and see what else the country has to offer!<\/p>\n

Excited to have that extra time in Edinburgh, we decided to book a tour…to the Scottish Highlands.<\/p>\n

Our first inclination was to take the tour to Loch Ness. \u00a0Learning that it involved a twelve and a half hour day, much of which would be after sunset, we decided to alter our plans. \u00a0After much discussion and perusal of the tour company’s brochure, we finally decided on a shorter day…an adventure to West Highland Lochs, Mountains & Castles.<\/p>\n

Departing from the center of Edinburgh, we boarded our tour bus at 9:15 a.m. in front of Ensign Ewart’s pub.\u00a0 The large coach was a little more than half full of other tourists also anxious to see the Scottish countryside.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_4343\"Setting out on the highway, we first passed Stirling Castle and the William Wallace Monument standing tall on the nearby\u00a0summit of Abbey Craig.\u00a0 On the right, our tour guide pointed out the Kelpies, 30-meter high horse-head sculptures near the River Carron.<\/p>\n

Soon, we were crossing the Ardoch Burn river and heading through the town of Stirlingshire.\u00a0 Minutes after, driving down a narrow lane, we arrived at Doune Castle, the first stop on our itinerary.<\/p>\n

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For movie and television fans, this\u00a0fortress is a must-see!\u00a0 Doune, the 14th century courtyard castle, is well known for being featured in the cult classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail<\/em>, as well as television series,\u00a0Game of Thrones<\/em> and Outlander<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Though more primitive than most other castles I have visited in Scotland and other countries, it boasts one of the best preserved great halls in Scotland.\u00a0 Despite this illustrious fact, the castle does not have electricity and is only lit by daylight, making it quite difficult to see all facets of the building, especially on cloudy and rainy days.<\/p>\n

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Due to the rain, the courtyard was also closed, thus preventing us from entering the cellar.<\/p>\n

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After a quick walk around the property, it was time to depart and make our way to our next destination.<\/p>\n

On we traveled, through the beautiful countryside, finally pulling over to the side of the road. \u00a0Not seeing any castles or ruins nearby, we weren’t sure what we were stopping for…there were just a bunch of funny looking cows in a field. \u00a0Stepping off of the bus, our tour guide informed us that these\u00a0cows were what we were here to see!<\/p>\n

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The Highland Cattle are a Scottish breed. \u00a0They have long horns and long wavy coats (colored black, brindle, red, yellow, white and silver) which keep them warm during the cold winters. They originated in the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland and are bred for their high quality meat which is lower in cholesterol than other varieties and is exported worldwide. \u00a0 We enjoyed watching them scratch their heads on the power lines and appear to pose.<\/p>\n

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After lunch at a local establishment, the Green Welly, the only restaurant\u00a0for many miles around, we then stopped along the road to admire Kilchurn Castle which sits on a piece of ground jutting into Loch Awe. \u00a0Once one person jumped the fence and decided to trudge through the bog to get a closer look at the castle…we all did. \u00a0Thankfully, I had worn my waterproof boots, as I squished through the spongy ground and mud to stand at the water’s edge and photograph the ruined castle framed by the cloud shrouded mountains.<\/p>\n

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Kilchurn Castle, one of the most photographed castles in Scotland, looks out over Loch Awe, was built by Sir Colin Campbell and was once the base of the Campbells of Glenorchy. \u00a0It was built in the 1400s and contains the oldest surviving barracks on the British mainland.<\/p>\n

Although the castle can be visited, it is only open during the warmest months of the year.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_5526\"Onward we traveled to the next destination, Inveraray, home of a beautiful castle on the shores of Loch Fyne. \u00a0Although the tour brochure stated that we would visit the town of Inveraray for Highland souvenirs, we only stopped near a bridge so that we could photograph Inveraray Castle.<\/p>\n

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Construction on Iveraray Castle, home to the Duke of Argyll, was begun in 1746 and took 43 years to complete. \u00a0The castle as it is today resulted from a fire in 1877, when the third floor was added as well as conical roofs on the corner towers. Sitting on 60,000 acres, it was the setting for the 2012 Christmas episode of Downton Abbey. \u00a0Only open from April to October, we were once again disappointed that we were unable to visit this magnificent palace, shrouded in the late afternoon mist.<\/p>\n

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The Arrochar Alps were the next thing we were to see…were<\/em>\u00a0being the key word. \u00a0\u00a0W<\/em>ith all of the fog, mist and low hanging clouds, we could not even get a glimpse of\u00a0the rocky peaks after parking\u00a0at the vantage point.<\/p>\n

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Continuing on, we finally headed for Loch Lomand and the charming village of Luss. \u00a0Though daylight was waning, we quickly jumped off the bus and headed down the narrow\u00a0lanes of the community. \u00a0Small and quaint, I could only imagine the villagers all knowing each other and saying hello over the walls of their fenced-in yards each day.<\/p>\n

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At the rear of the village, we stumbled upon Luss Parish Church. \u00a0A Church of Scotland, dedicated to St. Kessog, it was founded by the saint and has stood on the site for 1500 years.<\/p>\n

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Walking through the churches gates, we explored the 15 historical grave sites in the churchyard as the light dwindled.<\/p>\n

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Finally, we headed toward the shores of Loch Lomond and the village pier. \u00a0Snapping a few pictures before it became completely dark, we looked out on the picture perfect lake and some of the small islands situated in the basin.<\/p>\n

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Making our way to our tour\u00a0bus, we climbed in and walked back to our seats. \u00a0After a long day, of driving around, it was nice to know that we would soon be on our way back to Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

Although we had a nice day getting to see a different part of Scotland, I reflected on about how much driving was involved that day and how little time we actually had a chance to explore. \u00a0See, yes. \u00a0Explore, no.<\/p>\n

The Highlands are quite beautiful and I enjoyed seeing the small villages and rolling hillsides dotted with sheep.\u00a0It was disappointing, however, that things we would have been able to see during other months of the year, were not available to us on this visit, such as Kilchurn and Inveraray Castles. \u00a0The Arrochar Alps…well, that has to be hit or miss, any time of the year as the clouds could be quite low during the summer months. \u00a0The silver lining of a winter tour, however, is that we were able to book the tour at the last minute, the tour bus not was as full and we arrived back in Edinburgh a little early than planned…and since the Christmas market was going on at this time…we still had time to ride some rides and do some holiday shopping!<\/p>\n

But, for any time spent in Scotland, winter or sumer, time should definitely be taken\u00a0to venture outside of the city limits to the Highlands. \u00a0Simply breathtaking!<\/p>\n

For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.<\/p>\n

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Timberbush Tours<\/strong><\/p>\n