Hunting Nessie

Good morning outskirts of Glasgow! Most of us are buzzing around the brekky table this morning, Loch Ness makes an appearance today.

The first Loch (Lake) on our radar this morning is Loch Lomond. Very pretty settings on a beautiful Scottish morning of blue sky and sunshine. Prime selfie backdrops here!

We inched closer and closer to The Highlands, through narrow roads, blind corners and roadworks. The closer we got to the mountains, the gloomier the weather became. You could call it a romantic setting as we crossed the threshold into the high country. Clouds rolled down the mountain whilst the sun took a break behind heavy clouds. It's how I had always imagined this part of the world.

Time for lunch. Tyndrum is the place I've had an unforgettable meal. I had Haggis!! Haggis and Brie Panini for lunch. The meat was minced, probably tasted nothing like the normal stuff but as far as I'm concerned, Haggis is Haggis!

After the fanfare as I was the only one 'crazy enough' to try it, we continued through the spectacular landscapes of the Scottish Highlands. As a lot of places have been, this is truly spectacular. It's not the sheer cliff faces or coastal marvels that Ireland holds. The beauty here is the roads, set out in the valley with giant mountains either side of you. If it's not a mountain it's another spectacular loch. 

A teaser. We thought we were going to visit Nessie but no, we stopped at another small village where there were restrooms...and an 18th century bridge. Beautiful setting.

Finnnallllyyy! The bucket list destination, arguably the most famous lake in the world, Loch Ness.  Very long, narrow and extremely deep, the water temperature rarely changes from 7 degrees Celsius. On the look out for Nessie. We saw an unexplainable 'line' in the water that did not move, even when the wake from water craft swept through. Very interesting...

Driving along the Loch provided unlimited photo opportunities and the chance to ponder if a huge creature is indeed lurking beneath.

Another rest stop at a 16th century battlefield, where the Battle of Culloden took place. We were on our way to our most northern pit stop on the tour. We drove through the city of Inverness, which is now the most northern place above the equator I've been. It seems like a nice little place. With a population of 50,000 it's the largest city in The Highlands.

The last part of road for the day. The sun broke out from behind the clouds for a brilliant late afternoon show. The green hills with the golden autumn trees glowed in the afternoon light. I sat back in the bus and soaked up the magical scenery. Again and again I'm blown away by the many different landscapes that provide breathtaking scenery. We've all seen it in photos, on movies and TV. But being here and seeing with my own two eyes is definitely worth the trip to the other side of the world. I'm still pinching myself.

We arrive in Grantown-on-Spey. Geoff recommends either a walk into the town or a walk to the Spey River. We chose the town. Very small with no major landmarks, very cold yet very pretty. The hotel is old. A very nice building with a grand design. Grand design means old design. The first hotel with an actual lock and key instead of a swipe card, small tartan pattern decor in a smallish room. Dinner, one of the best yet. Looks like a foggy start tomorrow, should be interesting.