The trip started with a curvy drive through Glencoe. The highlands are incredibly beautiful! Brenna snapped pictures along the drive of all the mountains and valleys.
The first stop was at Fort Williams on Loch Linnie. We had a quick lunch on the high street and then boarded a rib boat for a tour of the loch. Despite the less than perfect weather, we had a great ride and enjoyed some daredevil speed boat maneuvers. The girls each got to take turns driving the boat and soaked most of us in the process. We saw a colony of seals that were very welcoming as they flapped their fins in a wave to us. Finally, on the way back to the pier our captain took the boat to top speed as we raced along side the actual Hogwarts Express making its journey west. It was a fun way to kick off the trip.
That night we celebrated the birthday girls at the beautiful Inverlochy Castle. The castle is tucked away and set in the stunning surroundings of the Scottish Highlands. Queen Victoria once spent a week at the castle to sketch and paint and described it saying “I never saw a lovelier or more romantic spot.” The castle was kind enough to accommodate us at a private table in the Billard’s Room where they had a lovely table setting overlooking the grounds. We enjoyed a delicious meal and an exciting game of snooker. It was an amazing experience and we felt like royalty for the evening!
The next morning we got an early start to a long day. We boarded the Jacobite, which is the real steam engine used to portray the Hogwarts Express in its long journey to Hogwarts. The Jacobite is described as one of the greatest railway journeies in the world. We made the 84 mile round trip from Fort Williams to Malliag. It’s travels takes you past a list of impressive sites, starting at the base of the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis and it crosses the 21-arched Glenfinnan viaduct which was made famous in the Harry Potter films. We disembarked at the end of the line in Malliag, a small fishing village founded in 1840. We had fish and chips near the dock and shopped the high street before reboarding the Jacobite and returning to Fort William. It was great fun onboard with our friends and we saw some amazing views. It is a truly unique railway experience.
The next morning the McCrackens began their return trip to Edinburgh and we continued our adventure on a hike through the beautiful Glen Nevis in search of Scotland’s second longest waterfall, Steall Falls. It was a twisting and winding drive through the highlands to find our trail head, in which Jacob very nearly ran over a sheep that was lazily strolling along the mountain road. The trail started in a wooded area with a rough dirt path through small streams and along the ledge of the Steall Gorge. Then the path opens up to a beautiful open expansion of rolling green hill and a spectacular view of Steall Falls. You may recognize Steall Falls and the gorge from The Goblet of Fire when Harry fights the dragon in the Triwizard Tournament. As I’ve said before, you don’t have to look far in Britain to find a Harry Potter filming location. There’s a three wire bridge that’s used to access the other side of the river. That was an adventure! Hang on tight!
That afternoon we made our way further north into the Highlands to Fort Augustus. A trip to the Scottish Highlands wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Loch Ness. Loch Ness is the largest Loch in the British Isles due to its depth and volume. It’s maximum depth is 755 feet providing lots of roaming room for the great Loch Ness Monster. The views around the Loch were stunning. On our arrival we boarded the Spirit of Loch Ness for a leisurely tour of the Loch. The crew were enthusiastic to tell us all about Nessie and the legend. Nessie sighting first began in the 1870s with locals reporting a large, long animal moving through the water at a slow pace before plunging beneath the surface at a high speed. Since that time there have been hundreds of sights (some more reliable than others) along with numerous research expeditions in search of the mighty monster, the most recent in 2018. While none have been able to definitively prove the existence of the creature, it also can not be irrefutably denied. The crew of our vessel were adamant that there is most assuredly a might monster of some kind sharing the Loch with us. They said in the 51 years of operation on Loch Ness there had been more than 600 sighting on sonar of a creature greater than the size of a great white shark. The most definitive sonar reading indicated a mass roughly 15 feet long and 475 feet below surface moving through the water. We didn’t see Nessie on our boat tour but she certainly provided some colorful discussions.
After our tour of the Loch, we settled into our accommodation at The Highland Club on the south shore of Loch Ness. The Highland Club is rich in history. It was originally built in 1729 as a fort to provide protections against the Jacobite uprising in Scotland. It served as a garrison for more than a century, until it was sold to the 12th Lord Lovat in 1853 for £5,000. He retained it as a shooting lodge for 20 years until the 13th Lord Lovat passed the fort along to the Benedictine Fathers of the English Congregation of the Order who established it as a monastery. The monks took possession in 1876, the abbey was built and shortly after they open the Fort Augustus Abbey School, which served education to area boys. The school continued for 115 years until its closure in 1993 due to dwindling supply of students and the decreasing population on monks. The site was mostly abandoned until 2003 when the Santon Group acquired the property and set out a £30 million conversion that retained and revitalized the period characteristics and history of the property. The renovations were completed in 2012 with the opening of the Highland Club, a collection of 1, 2, and 3 bedroom living accommodations.
The ground and property were incredible. There’s a sacred burial site that serves as the final resting place of many of the monks that served within the monastery. The building is draped in architectural history. We stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment that was part of the original bastion wall of the fort. It was a destination all unto itself.
In true Scotland fashion, we spent the next day touring the small village of Fort Augustus in the rain. We made an attempt to visit the Loch Ness Museum, but thanks to it being one of the few indoor activities to do on a rainy day on the shore of Loch Ness, we were joined by several 100 others. Due to socially distancing, after just 15 minutes in line outside in the rain we abandoned that plan. The rain cleared that afternoon and we took a walk along the shore, snacked on some bacon rolls from the local bakery, and had a lovely dinner at The Boat House. The next day we packed up and began our journey back to Edinburgh.
It was a really great trip! After the long lockdown, we were very thankful to make the most out of some time with friends and see some of the rich culture that makes Scotland so unique.
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