A Day in the Scottish Highlands

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Our small tour bus with Rabbie’s Tours departed Inverness early on a Saturday morning for a 12 hour tour across the Scottish Highlands. As we rode from place to place our guide Colin filled us in on Scottish history and folklore.

Soon after leaving Inverness we were riding along with views of Loch Ness to our left. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one on the bus who was searching for Nessie, more commonly known as the Loch Ness Monster.  We didn’t stop at Nessieland, a small theme park.

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Nessieland was just up the road, Lock Ness, Scotland

Our only stop on Loch Ness was at historic Urquhart Castle. The castle is undergoing some restoration and we did not tour it. It was our last chance to see Nessie and she wasn’t cooperating.

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Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness, Scotland

We had plenty of time to tour Eilean Donan Castle and enjoy the gorgeous setting.

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Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland near Kyle of Lochalsh
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View from the bridge at Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland
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Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland

Most of the day was spent on the spectacular Isle of Skye. There are dramatic mountains and cliffs, charming seaside villages, and gorgeous scenery all around the island.

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Dramatic Cliffs, Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Henry was glad he wasn’t driving! Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Curvy roads around the Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Wow! We’re really here! Isle of Skye, Scotland

We stopped in the town of Portree for lunch and a view of the harbor.

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Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Town of Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

A few people on the bus brought back some beer from the Isle of Skye Brewery.

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Isle of Skye Brewery, Scotland

Our last stop on the Isle of Skye was the town of Kyleakin. It was raining as we walked around the waterfront with a nice view of the the Skye Bridge and the Kyleakin Lighthouse.

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Skye Bridge, Scotland
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Kyleakin Lighthouse, Isle of Skye, Scotland

It rained most of the way back to Inverness. When we arrived in Inverness that Saturday night the restaurants and pubs were hopping with young people out on the town. We found a restaurant with no wait, had a quick supper and called it a night after a long but fantastic day.

 

20 thoughts on “A Day in the Scottish Highlands”

    1. You are very brave! Please be careful on those roads and please be sure to read the signs to make sure motorhomes are allowed where you want to go. Some of the roads are only wide enough for one vehicle and if you meet one going the other direction someone has to back up. We didn’t see this happen in Scotland but we did see it several times in Ireland on the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula where there there were signs saying not to take them.

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    2. This (https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/how-to-drive-on-single-track-roads/) gives reasonable advice for driving on single track roads in Scotland. Do make sure you check your mirrors for following traffic – motorhomes are notorious for having a following. I would also add that if the traffic is busy don’t bunch up with the traffic in front – some passing spaces only have space for a couple of cars, so if two ‘road trains’ meet there is no way of passing. Enjoy some #skyetime.

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    1. Judy, thank you! I wasn’t too sure about being on that bus for 12 hours but we got off enough times it wasn’t too bad. Plus, I was enjoying everything so much I forgot to be tired! Our tour guide kept us entertained.

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