The Black Isle

Rosemarkie 

27 Aug - 1 Sep

View from Libby,  eastward

... and westward (camp site arrowed) where the peninsular ends at Chanonry Point

So you can imagine why this has to be the tops so far of all the sites we've stayed.  Not that we fully realised this on arrival when it was pouring rain with poor visibility as we sat peering out of the windscreen across the Moray Firth lashing against the beach just a few feet from our pitch!  And to top it all, as we sat cosied up inside Libby being buffeted about by the gusting wind, enjoying a hot cuppa I realised my socked foot was wet from the carpet - only to find somehow as Michael had filled the integral water tank it had overflowed INTO the van and spread along the floor - just what we needed:  pouring with rain outside and flowing water inside!!

It was not the best start but when the weather cleared late afternoon we ventured outside to explore our new area and then we really appreciated what a little gem of a site we'd found.

We found  the sweet little town of Rosemarkie a few hundred yards along the seafront from the site - an extremely ancient village settled by the Picts. 

And after the rather 'traumatic' start to our arrival, as we felt the calm of the beautiful early evening descending upon us,  we decided to treat ourselves to supper in the tiny little Bistro we'd discovered just nestled along the seafront  - a superb supper  sitting by the window watching the amazing sunset. 

 

The other interesting thing to note in this area is the deep pink tone of the stone to be seen everywhere from the buildings to the deep redness of the sand and pink and grey hues of the pebble beach - so different from the colours of the south England coast beaches.

On our second evening, much to my sheer delight, we watched the dolphins playing on the turn of the low tide at Chanonry Point.  What a thrill this truly was - a privilege - and they're there to watch every evening!

Just behind the little village we discovered the Fairy Glen; a beautiful peaceful walk through the woods alongside the babbling river until the path rises up and up to the waterfalls

The Great Glen

The day dawned bright and sunny so we decided to take Libby out for the day and explore this amazingly beautiful glen following the road running alongside Loch Ness.  We drove the length of Loch Ness but so disappointingly Nessie didn't show herself!  We stopped en route to visit Urquhart Castle splendidly situated on a headland overlooking Loch Ness.  Our journey ended at Fort Augustus  -  a pretty little village

Shores of Loch Ness

 

Michael at the top of the flight of locks of the Caledonian Canal - Fort Augustus

 

Iron road swing bridge in action 

Cruise on Loch Ness in the late afternoon sunshine

Nessie's Monster Mash - a chestnut malty beer - had to be!

We rounded the day off with a visit to the bridge and waterfall at Invermoristor where we saw salmon leaping!! 

Scotland is truly a place to discover nature's treats.

At the time of writing we are still in Rosemarkie - next stop Brora as we continue to make our way to the northern most point of the mainland.

Capital of the Highlands

Nairn

23 - 27 Aug

Our second forest site with mostly rain which again meant the additional clattering of rainwater being deposited onto Libby's roof from the canopy of the trees!

On arrival, in this quiet wooded site I was able to try out my bike with the promise of biking through the woods and down the quiet country lane of approximately a mile and a half to the beach - sounded perfect!!  Sadly, due to the inclement weather, that was it for biking!

We were pitched right at the far end of the site where the red squirrels played and though seemingly rather shy creatures I did managed to capture a few on camera so that was a real bonus!  

Nairn has the most beautiful sweeping sandy beach which on a warm sunny day would be amazing - not quite the same when under grey skies and pouring rain though we had an invigorating walk along the sands. 

 

Inverness - capital of the Highlands

where we enjoyed a walk along the river, a mooch around the town and lunch - and another Scottish wedding at the Cathedral

It pays to look up to find something unusual!

Culloden Battlefield 

The desolate battlefield of Culloden looking much as it did back in 1746

 

We had one fine day whilst staying in Nairn which allowed for beautiful views across the Moray Firth as we motored to Culloden  (a definite on our 'to see' list).   

This was the­ scene of the last major battle fought on British soil in April 1746 when the Jacobite army (under the leadership of Bonnie Prince Charlie) was crushed by government forces bringing the Jacobite dream to an end with 1,200 dead in just one hour - a short and very bloody battle.  

In spite of the modern world class interpretation centre on site, the horror of battle and bayonet remains hauntingly present.  Walking over the ground of the battlefield 350 years ago was an unexpectedly poignant experience - due in no small part to the passionate and enthusiastic guide who took us on the guided walk.  We walked the battlefield and saw  flags now marking the front lines of both Jacobite and Government armies and stone blocks inscribed with the name of the clan or regiment and their numbers indicating the positions at the commencement of battle. We were walking over the graves of those 1,200 dead who, after the battle, were buried on the site by the local townsfolk.  In 1881 headstones were erected to mark these graves. 

To this day people still leave flowers

 

Memorial Cairn

The inscription

Leanch Cottage - where the wounded Government soldiers were treated 

Our guide created such imagery as his account of the battle unfolded.  The entire area still holds the sounds of those cries from the past.

"The moor was covered with blood; and our men .........    looked like so many butchers"
 "The dead lay on all sides and the cries of pain of the wounded rang in our ears"