The Adventures of Two Girls and Their Mama: Finding James Fraser Day 4

DAY FOUR

We said goodbye to Inverness pretty early in the morning but not before listening to a detailed account of Scotland's bloody history from our waiter at breakfast. He happened to hear our on going debate about the Scottish monarchs and jumped in to set us straight. It gave us even more to discuss in the van on the way to Cannich.

We used Google Maps on Layla's cell phone for directions almost the entire trip. The navigation usually got us to our desired location but every once in a while we were led astray and had to resort to pulling out a paper map or asking locals for directions. This morning, while stopped at a stop sign, we asked a dapper gentleman with ruddy cheeks and a gold tipped umbrella cane for directions to Dog Falls in Cannich. He was more than happy to help us and we swooned at his rich accent. We waved goodbye and motored on down the road.

Upon reaching Dog Falls we slathered on the bug spray, set a time to meet back at the van, and we scattered in all different directions, Sam with her camera, Lorelyn in search of exotic flowers, Renee looking to fill up her water bottle with fresh cool Highland water, and the rest of us excited to see the falls. It was a fairly easy hike, slippery in a few places, but we all made it in one piece. The falls themselves were kind of difficult to see but the scenery was so lovely nobody complained. We walked the loop through the forest and made it back to the van in time to use the compost toilets (we got a kick out of the signs posted in the bathroom that read "Congratulations! You just helped the environment!") and sped off to Loch Ness.

We had quite a drive to Loch Ness to see Urquhart Castle. On the way we giggled at signs on the roadside that read "Feral Goats for two miles" and hollered out the window to a man peeing on the side of the road. We really had a good laugh when we stopped at a petrol station to fill up our van and could not find the gas tank. Shavon and Renee inspected the van searching high and low and couldn't find where to put the gas. Finally, Layla Googled where to put gas in a Mercedes Vito and we watched a video on YouTube. By the time we were actually ready to gas up there was a group of men watching us through the gas station window. We decided it might be best to get fuel at the next petrol station. I am sure we looked like the Three Stooges getting out, running all around, and then driving away!

Urquhart Castle looked truly magical jutting out of the cliffs over Loch Ness. It was a crowded castle so we didn't spend a great deal of time there. The best part of our tour was when a little boy up in one of the towers shouted, "Look Dad! I see Nessie! She's right there!" We peered out over the lake, our hands shading our eyes from the sun, and sure enough, there were ripples in the water next to the opposite bank! I don't know if it was Nessie or not but whatever made those ripples was awfully large!

Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness

Can you see the ripples next to the far bank? Do you think they could be made by Nessie?

After walking around the lake and castle we were hungry so we stopped at the first cafe we saw along the road. The food was only so so but the dessert was AMAZING. Renee ordered a dessert consisting of Scottish whipped cream sandwiched between two large meringues. The cream was to die for. I have never tasted anything like it. We probably would have ordered another if the staff had not been so rude. It was very clear by their stares and comments that Americans were not welcome there. Their behavior was a little disappointing and we left the cafe feeling a little wilted.

Any gloomy feelings we had were soon replaced by worry when we heard a loud clanking coming from the bottom of the van. At first we thought maybe a rock had become lodged in the wheel well but the sound continued as we drove on through the mountains on our way in to the Highlands. When the sound became so obnoxious we could no longer stand it we pulled over and looked under the van. We didn't see anything. Next, we looked under the hood. Nothing. We loaded back up and continued on down the road. THE NOISE WAS STILL THERE! There was an argument about what the noise could be. A few of us thought perhaps we missed something when we pulled over. The rest of us thought it had to be something rolling around in the van. We quickly gathered our stuff together and listened. THE NOISE WAS STILL THERE! We pulled over again, this time searching in every nook and cranny on the inside of the van and we found the culprit, Layla's large metal water bottle! Hallelujah! The van wasn't falling apart!

Photos from the drive

The rest of the drive went smoothly. We snoozed, passed snacks like Haggis potato chips around the van, talked more about Mary Queen of Scots and her son James, and stopped to take photos on the side of the road. We were definitely ready to stretch our legs when we got to Eilean Donan Castle in the western Highlands. We made it there just in time to squeeze in the gates as they were closing the castle, which confirmed our trip theme song as being "Looks Like We Made It" by Barry Manilow. It seems like every where we went we were just barely making it.
Eilean Donan is situated on an island where three sea lochs meet. It was built in the mid 13th century, added onto over the years, and then fully restored and reopened in 1932. The restoration took 20 years. Part of the castle is still inhabited by the owners! Though the castle and the scenery surrounding the castle was lovely, it will not be remember for that. It will be remembered as the castle in which Layla got felt up by the wax figure of a butler in the castle kitchen. Let me explain. One of the castle tour guides was stationed in the kitchen, which has been restored to give people an idea of what such a place would look like when in use. We stopped to ask the guide some questions and from where we were positioned across the table from Layla, it looked like one of the wax figures was cupping her "pendulous bosom" (a term we picked up when we visited Sterling Castle and giggled about for the rest of the trip) while all the other wax figures in the room watched! Well, we reverted back to eighth grade and laughed and snorted the entire time the guide was talking. Layla, and everyone else listening in the group, had no idea what we were laughing about and kept giving us dirty looks but that only made us laugh even harder! It was embarrassing, hilarious, and full of the stuff good memories are made of!

Eilean Donan

Banquet Hall

This is the kitchen with the frisky butler. See his cupped hand? Hahaha!

After leaving the castle, we continued on our journey to the Isle of Skye. It was twilight when we arrived and began walking to a restaurant for dinner but we could still see we were in perhaps the most beautiful place on earth. The roses we smelled as we walked were more fragrant than any roses we had ever smelled. Even in the dim light we could see that the hills surrounding us were a more vibrant green than we had ever seen. We fell asleep that night listening to the waves lap the shore outside our window and dreamed of the gorgeous sites awaiting us.