HIGHLAND HOLIDAY - DAY ONE

After many years of promising ourselves a holiday in Scotland, we finally succumbed after I had read Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. The wonderful descriptions of the Highlands in her beautifully written novels, made the allure of Scotland irresistible  and we went on our first holiday north of the border in October 2012. I knew that this was going to be a holiday I would never want to forget, so I kept a daily record of our trip. I will begin to share it with you here


DAY ONE - SATURDAY 6TH OCTOBER

We set our alarm for the unearthly hour of five am. My husband loaded the car, while I dashed around packing last minute things and trying to make myself feel human with a strong cup of coffee. We were on the road before seven am and watched the sun rise as we drove along. I took over the driving at Lancaster services to give my husband a break. This was perfectly timed on his part, as we soon hit areas of fog. This not only obscured the beautiful views of the Lake District as we drove through it, but also stretched my nerves and levels of concentration to their limits. He took over the driving again when we reached Glasgow, I was in no state to be tackling the complex motorway system through there!

Loch Lomond

We stopped for a picnic lunch by Loch Lomond, surely one of the best places anywhere to stop and take a break. The waves were lapping against the shore and the birds were chirruping in the hedgerows. I took over the driving again, just in time to encounter some of the more winding (nerve racking) roads around the Loch. My husband thought this was most amusing. I did not. The road conditions gradually improved, and as we drove through the Glen Coe mountains, we had our first taste of what the Highlands had in store for us. We stopped at the Glencoe Visitor Centre to take in the spectacular scenery from the view point.

The Pass of Glencoe

As we continued our journey we saw our first glimpse of snow on the top of the north facing mountains on the Ben Nevis range. This kind of scenery is too good to miss, and we had another brief stop at the Commando Memorial. The Highlands have been a training ground for the Commandos for many years, and the vista from there over towards the Nevis range was also very impressive.
We drove onward, stopping once again for supplies in Fort William, then continuing on to our holiday cottage a few miles from Invermoriston and the shores of Loch Ness. We arrived at five pm, after a ten hour journey. We managed to get there ahead of our son, who despite having left the day before, had stopped frequently for photographic opportunities along the way.
Later that evening, after we had all settled in and had dinner, we walked along the track outside the cottage to explore our darkened surroundings, and looked up at the bright starry skies, unhindered by the light pollution we have to contend with at home. And in the distance we heard, for the first time, deer calling in the forest. The first time we had heard the sound of rutting deer in the Highlands.

Photos courtesy of Sean D. Hattersley Photography. Please like his page by following the link for more excellent photos of Scotland and other places.