Virtual Vacation

To assuage some of the wanderlust burning in my heart (no, it's a little different than heartburn, I promise!) I am going on a little mental vacation and have decided to invite you all along for the journey. So today we are travelling to the Scottish Highlands. It's next on the list of places Tim and I want to go (though a good deal to Ireland may trump anything and we'll just go back "home".) While I think our real vacation will encompass more than the Highlands, today I'm focusing my attentions there.

The Highlands are broken out (well, at least by the tourism industry) into five sections - as seen on this map. We'll start in the South and work our way clockwise (since they drive on the left, that should give better views of the coastlines while driving). Which makes our first destination, Fort William.

Fort William is named after William, the Prince of Orange , . I've always gotten a kick out of the title "Prince of Orange" - I don't know if it's because I immediately see someone dressed up a la the Fruit of the Loom guys with a crown on his head, or not, but regardless the idea makes me smile. I think if I were to be a princess whose title also resembled fruit, that I would like to be Beth, Princess of Pomegranate. Regardless of all that, Fort William looks like it would be a good base for a day or two.

Seeing as how we like ruins and castles, the Old Inverlochy Castle Ruin in Fort William sounds like a fun place to start. The Stewarts were defeated by the MacDonalds here and the Campbells were later defeated by the Marquee Montrose here also - this defeat was then followed by a massacre. So, lots of old ancestral blood was spilled here, which might make tromping around the grounds even more enjoyable. With a nod to Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK, I think we'll drive on toward Mallaig and think about turning round to do some hiking at a later date.

A quick stop at Glenfinnan to see the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie first raised his standard.There's a monument and everthing! Then onward past "The Silver Sands of Morar" - reputed to be a lovely, scenic costal drive - though a bit of an adventure due to it being on a single track road! A bit of a wander around Mallaig then hop on the ferry over to the Isle of Skye.

Once in Armdale, we have another opportunity to explore a castle and grounds, which is always welcome. And, as a bonus, this one includes a "museum of the isles" that looks to have fun ancient artifacts as well as history of the area. Then on to Broadford - a harbor village where Bonnie Prince Charlie was aided in his flight and, legend goes on to say, he passed on (in thanks) the recipe for his liquor, that the helper in question turned into Drambuie and served at his inn. I'm guessing this is a Scotch Whiskey of some sort - but that's really not my thing, so...if there's a distillery to tour, we might skip it. Then again, Tim enjoys Scotch, so I imagine we'll play it by ear.

A jaunt over to Dunvegan Castle is not out of order either, since we're on Skye. Home to the MacLeods for over 800 years, it looks like a beautiful place with both castle and gardens open year round for visits. The surrounding area has other ruins etc. to prowl about before continuing on, over the bridge, and stopping in Dornie for a trek over to the Eilean Donan Castle.

And that is enough of a vaction for today. Perhaps tomorrow (or later on) we will explore the Northern Highlands.