Scotland: Day 1, Wed 20 July, Culloden, Loch Ness, and UrguhartCastle,Fort Augustus.

Started the day with a light drizzle of rain, occasionally heavy. The village of Dunkeld was the site of a significant battle in the times of Jacobites  (wanting Charles, son of James I, restored to throne) versus his Dutch cousin William III of Orange, who was installed on the English throne.

The church was interesting. Half restored with the rest a work in progress. Did not chase up its history but like many such villages there would be a fascinating story to tell.

Restoration in progress.

The river nearby is apparently salmon-fishing mecca, with costs of over £1000 per day for the opportunity.

The next township we visited was Culloden, near Inverness, the scene in 1746 of a very pivotal battle in English history. This was the last pitched battle on English soil by the Jacobites, a mixed and motley crew of mostly Catholics from the highlands of Scotland plus some English and Irish with some French commanded by Charles Stuart, who claimed he should have been king. The Government soldiers were mainly English, but also Scots and Irish contingents. Many well-placed families had to send supporters to both sides, so they wouldn't lose out whatever the result. The visitor centre has very detailed information, with analysis of why the Jacobites failed miserably in a very short battle.

The English Loyalist lines (shown in red in most graphics) were very organised but the Jacobite lines below (shown in blue) were less so. It appears the Jacobites chose the battle site, which was marshy moorland, totally unsuitable for the 'Highland charge' which had secured many victories for the Scottish Highlanders. So the Scots and other Jacobites lost the benefit of their charge, their lines were stretched and it ended in a massive defeat for the Jacobites. With Scots on both sides of the battle, it explains why, even today, some Scots still talk harshly to other Scots of being let down at Culloden.

There are markers on the land showing where the lines were.

The memorial is quite large, but plain.

The flags marking the respective lines are hard to see in the photo.

We drove through the town of Inverness and saw the only new castle built in recent times, the Inverness Castle. Not sure how it qualifies for that title, but there it is!

On the famous Loch Ness, we took a boat trip on a part of the Loch to get to Urquhart Castle. We looked hard but didn't see Nessie anywhere.

The mists over the mountains and other storm clouds make impressive sights.

The placement of Urquhart Castle was critical at the time. Its imposing presence loomed out of the mist.

The fragment below was blown off in a storm, apparently.

The drive down the other side of the Loch was the usual nail-biting experience. The driver and guide, highly competent though he was, nevertheless drove as if we were rallying or racing. The bus, a Mercedes seating 29, was an excellent vehicle, but the narrow roads often lead to the situation where one just looked away and thought... "C'est la vie."

It is probably a good idea to supply a map for the non-Scots and those unfamiliar with towns of Scotland. Check out Inverness. The body of water to the south-west of Inverness is Loch Ness!

We drove in a SW direction down the line of the Caledonian Canal which covers one of the large faults splitting Scotland. This lead us to Fort Augustus. It's a lovely quiet town with both a river running through it as well as a series of locks to allow passage of shipping through the rapids.

Nessie is out and about as a tourist attraction. You don't blame them.

There are 5 locks over this small span of the river, running through town.

The B&B was very comfortable.