Urquhart Castle
After spending the night inside of Laggan Lock, Lord of the Glens cast off this morning, heading into Laggan Avenue, a famously scenic, one mile stretch of the Caledonian Canal. We passed through swing bridges, locks and lochs on our way to the delightful town of Fort Augustus. Along the way, Captain McKie navigated the narrow channel through Loch Oich, the highest stretch of the Canal, at 106 feet above sea level. A large group of bikers and walkers left the ship at Kytra Lock and rejoined us a few miles later in Fort Augustus.
With a variety of options available in town, we went many directions this afternoon. Most of us went to the picturesque ruins of Castle Urquhart, above the shore of Loch Ness. As with many of the sites that we have explored, the castle has a long (since the Iron Age), bloody and fascinating history. In one twelve year stretch, during the time of Robert The Bruce, the castle changed hands four times. It was sacked in 1545 and 1644, before being blown up in 1691.
Late afternoon found kayakers in Loch Ness and the rest of us scattered throughout town. The day ended with a lovely sunset and a goodnight wave from Nessie.
After spending the night inside of Laggan Lock, Lord of the Glens cast off this morning, heading into Laggan Avenue, a famously scenic, one mile stretch of the Caledonian Canal. We passed through swing bridges, locks and lochs on our way to the delightful town of Fort Augustus. Along the way, Captain McKie navigated the narrow channel through Loch Oich, the highest stretch of the Canal, at 106 feet above sea level. A large group of bikers and walkers left the ship at Kytra Lock and rejoined us a few miles later in Fort Augustus.
With a variety of options available in town, we went many directions this afternoon. Most of us went to the picturesque ruins of Castle Urquhart, above the shore of Loch Ness. As with many of the sites that we have explored, the castle has a long (since the Iron Age), bloody and fascinating history. In one twelve year stretch, during the time of Robert The Bruce, the castle changed hands four times. It was sacked in 1545 and 1644, before being blown up in 1691.
Late afternoon found kayakers in Loch Ness and the rest of us scattered throughout town. The day ended with a lovely sunset and a goodnight wave from Nessie.
