Isle of Skye to Inverness

Wednesday was another transit day as we left the Broadford area on the Isle of Skye to move to the Inverness area where we will be settled for four nights.

Eilean Donan castle

After stopping for some photos of the Skye Bridge we made our way to Eilean Donan castle. We didn’t pay for admission, instead wandering around, moving to the nearby bridge for photos, and doing some birding. Oyster catchers, grey herons, chaffinches, house sparrows, and goldfinches.

The locks at Fort Augustus

Julie had a perfect meandering plan for us, with our next stop at Fort Augustus to admire the locks of the Caledonian canal. We had great timing as two tour long barges were (tediously) making their way through to Loch Ness.

Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness

We then cruised up the west side of the loch to visit Urquhart Castle, this time with a full tour (part of the Scotland Explorer Pass!). Another serendipitous encounter happened as one of our other pods of five people joined us for the same timed entry. It was wandering the stone ruins and beautiful setting on Loch Ness.

Next we veered off course for a while moving northwest of the lake to visit Dog Falls in Glen Affric and the cute hamlet of Strathpepper. We then passed through Inverness to hit a Tesco and move into our homes in Ness Castle Lodges south of town.

Our house at Ness Castle Lodges

Oh my are these places nice. Our group of 16 is split into two houses (7 people and 6 people) and one apartment. The location is quiet and beautifully landscaped.

Exploring the River Ness

Perhaps the best feature is Ness River, with a walking trail extending the length of the property (at least a half mile) and beyond.