J: For the science portion of the day, we stopped at Neptune’s Steps – a series of 8 locks on the Caledonian Canal. Our visit was made more interesting by the passenger boat undergoing the process of moving through the locks. In total, it takes 90 minutes for a vessel to make it through all 8 locks. We didn’t stay that long, but we did watch it move thru one of the locks. Our next stop was another historical/entertainment stop. We took some photos of the Glennfinnan Monument before heading up to the top of a hill to see the Glennfinnan Viaduct made famous by one of the Harry Potter movies.
R: The Glenfinnan Monument commemorates the raising of the standard by Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites, but I’m guessing most tourists, like me, were more excited about the Harry Potter connection. Jen, however, couldn’t care less about Harry Potter, but I’m happy she indulged me. The route we were taking to Mallaig is also the same basic route the steam train (used as the Hogwarts Express in the movies) takes to transport tourists through the awe-inspiring scenery in this area, so we were on the lookout for it. While we heard its whistle and the chugging sounds in the distance while at Glenfinnan, we didn’t catch up to it until just before arriving at Mallaig where we caught the ferry over to the Isle of Skye.
J: Our first stop on Skye was at the Armadale Castle, once ruled by Clan McDonald. The castle itself is now in a state of ruin, but sadly we weren’t allowed to play in this one. Our visit to the castle visitor center was during one of the sunny periods of the day, so we wandered a wee bit in the gardens before heading into the Clan McDonald Museum. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend much time reading the exhibits because we still had to drive halfway across the island to the Talisker Distillery before it closed for the day!
R: More pretty scenery (and more single-track roads) to get to Talisker, but the visit was worth it. We arrived too late for a tour, but read about the distillery in their mini-museum, plus they gave us each a free dram to try. I liked the smoky Talisker better than Oban, myself, and I think Jen agreed, especially once she added a bit of water.
R (continued): As I kept getting distracted by the pretty views while driving, I spontaneously pulled over at the Dun Beag Broch to get a better look while not driving. We hiked up a steep heather and sheep-filled hill to see this prehistoric stone dwelling overlooking the loch. Despite having to watch our steps to avoid the sheep poo, the views were worth stopping for.
R: More pretty scenery (and more single-track roads) to get to Talisker, but the visit was worth it. We arrived too late for a tour, but read about the distillery in their mini-museum, plus they gave us each a free dram to try. I liked the smoky Talisker better than Oban, myself, and I think Jen agreed, especially once she added a bit of water.
R (continued): As I kept getting distracted by the pretty views while driving, I spontaneously pulled over at the Dun Beag Broch to get a better look while not driving. We hiked up a steep heather and sheep-filled hill to see this prehistoric stone dwelling overlooking the loch. Despite having to watch our steps to avoid the sheep poo, the views were worth stopping for.
J: We selected the town of Dunvegan for our overnight location, entirely for its location. Neither of us, apparently, looked into anything else about the town because we had no idea just how tiny or sleepy it was. I think the entire town is made up of a castle (awesome – and our planned first stop tomorrow) and a bunch of B&B’s. There are a grand total of 4 restaurants in town: one is closed for a private party, one didn’t have enough staff to wait on the guests staying at the attached hotel, the 3rd just looked scary and the fourth was a gas station café. Guess where we ended up? Needless to say, it’s going to be an early night.
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