Highlands Day 4 (8/30)

We were up early to eat breakfast and head out of Portree to make our way back onto the mainland, driving ultimately to our hotel at Bunchrew House, just outside of Inverness.

On the way we’d make several stops. First, we took another self-guided audio tour of Urqhart Castle, the ruins of which overlook Loch Ness. It was a pretty stunning site, and luckily we had perfect weather, since most of the ruins are outdoors, and the views of the Loch and surrounding hills were stunning.

From there we backtracked just a bit to a small village called Invermoriston, on the recommendation of a bookseller we chatted with in Ft. William. There, we did a short hike to a couple of small waterfalls and picturesque bridges, and had some delicious cake and coffee at a cute cafe just outside the village.

Then it was right back on the road towards Inverness. We made good time, and so arrived before we could check in to our hotel, so we drove into the city to see what we could find. We decided to tour the Botanic Gardens, which we also right alongside a cute walk next to the Ness River, and onto Ness Island, all of which was both beautiful and unexpected.

After the walks, we headed out to Bunchrew House and checked in and unpacked into our room (also on the water, though this time Beauly Firth) before enjoying a lovely (and fancy) meal at the hotel restaurant. Tomorrow, we’d visit Culloden Battlefield and see a Scottish football match!