You know, the drive isn’t all that long, really. I mean, it’s about 2.5 hours or so, depending on how many stops you make. On the way from Skye, we knew we were going to be stopping at Eilean Donan Castle, which is a gorgeous castle, and is one of the most photographed places on earth. Apparently, it was in ruins at the beginning of the 20th century, and someone bought and restored it to its original glory, which is exceedingly cool. Basically, it’s a castle in the middle of a loch, with an older stone bridge leading to it. I was awed by the tranquility of its location, and the inside of the castle was very cool as well. Like most castles, photography was not allowed inside the castle, so all of our pictures are definitely from outside.
Stopping there was not a simple process, either. On the way to the castle, I realized that I really had to use the restroom, and also, we had no cash. Most everything we do in Scotland, we try to do with cash, as it’s just easier, etc. So we needed a bank, and I needed a restroom. We knew there would be restrooms at the castle, but not likely a bank, so we swung by a couple towns on our way there. This turned out to be a fruitless endeavor, as neither of the towns we stopped in had either of the places for which we were searching. Meh…..double meh.
So we went to the castle, figuring we could at least head to the restrooms there, and we could use the credit card for entrance to the castle. Alas, our efforts were to be stymied there as well! When we pulled into the car park at the castle, there was a (massive) sign indicating there were public toilets. Indeed, the sign out front went so far as to say they were “OPE”. (In big, block letters.) However, we found that the word “OPEN” can be deceptive, as when we entered the reception area of the castle, there was another (not as large) sign indicating “Toilets closed due to essential repairs today. We apologize for any inconvenience.” There was a great deal of inconvenience, let me tell you. With great strain apparent in my voice, I asked the nice lady at the reception desk where the nearest toilets would be located. The conversation went as follows:
”Are you going to Kyle of Lochalsh? There are some lovely toilets there.”
“Uh, no. That’s 10 miles up the road from where we came.”
“Oh, that’s too bad, as I don’t know how far you’ll have to travel to get to toilets the other direction.”
OK! Back up the road, it is.
We found the toilets, and I did not wet myself. (That was not such a foregone conclusion there, for a bit!)
The ride along Loch Ness was beautiful, and uneventful. No blowing up of the car….no nearly being run off the road by lorries or coaches. In fact, thanks to Kate, the GPS device, we never even got lost. (I know, how boring!)
Let me tell you something….when the Scottish Tourist Board says a B&B is 4 starts, they freakin’ mean it!!! The B&B in Inverness is the only place we’re staying that is rated at 4 stars, and it really isn’t that much more expensive than any of the others at which we’ve stayed. The room is gorgeous, roomy….the bathroom is fairly sizeable, with a HUGE shower. I think it’s honestly the largest shower I’ve ever been in. The curtains are thick, which is nice with the long days here. Everything is top notch, really. I loved it, and so did Kim.
Tonight, we went to a place called The 27, where I had a Chimay Red Label from a bottle. It wasn’t bad. The meal I got was some sort of parma chicken or something. Really artsy-fartsy. :)
Wireless Internet in the room, so I’m posting a serious amount of pictures before I sleep. :) No idea when I’ll be able to post next. The trip is almost over, so it might not be until I get back, but I’ll make sure it all gets up there for those of you whom we don’t see all that often. :)
