We catch a cab and head for Waverly Station. Our train to Inverness is scheduled to depart at 8:30 am.
The trip is 3 1/2 hours with nine stops on the way and we look a little weary but still cheerful.
The scenery changes as first we go by the Firth of Forth
and then pass into the highlands along Loch Insh.
We arrive at the station in Inverness and walk our suitcases about a 1/2 mile to the Glen Morriston Town House Hotel near the Ness River.
We have this view looking down river and it eventually flows into the North Sea.
Then we check the visitor center, grab lunch, decide how to spend our afternoon, and arrange for a taxi to take us to Cawdor Castle which is about six miles outside Inverness.
The castle is believed to date from the late 14th century having been built by the Thanes of Cawdor. Shakespeare’s Macbeth was the Thane of Cawdor but there is no connection of the real King Macbeth to the castle which was constructed well after his time. We walk through several rooms, all of which are furnished – the current owner lives in part of the castle – and go up and down uneven stairways, ducking our heads to pass from room to room. No inside photos allowed.
We check out the flower garden, one of three gardens here.
Our second planned stop was the Clava Cairins, another group of standing stones outside Inverness dating from the Bronze Age.
The area included three partial groups of standing stones around tombs.
Two of the tombs have entrances and one does not. At one time stones covered the top of the structures.
Very intricate building was involved; the largest stones in the circle face the tomb entrance with the smallest stone directly opposite, and it appears that before the tombs were built, stones of common sizes were selected for each level of construction. This stone is more than eight feet tall.
Mysterious and old and apparently several such formations can be found around Inverness.
Our third stop was to see the Nairn or Clava Viaduct which spans the Nairn River and is the longest masonry viaduct in Scotland.
Our driver James wanted us to see this. It was built between 1850 and 1899 and continues to carry railroad traffic. He told us that Irish “knobbies,” or muscled strong men, were needed to handle some of the construction. He also pointed out Ben Wyvis to us, our first certain Munro sighting. More than 3,000 feet, it’s one of about 300 “Munros” in Scotland. Ben Nevis is the tallest and most well known. We also go by Culloden Moor but that’s scheduled for touring tomorrow.
Adventures with Sheila 