Lochalsh & Inverewe, Scotland
The last sea leg of our voyage started early in the morning in an overcast Loch Nevis. Before long, however, the skies brightened as we passed through the narrows of Kylerhea with sightings of otters and common seals, sailing under the Skye Bridge, past our final Stevenson lighthouse, towards our destination of Kyle of Lochalsh.
The rest of the day was devoted to exploring the area. One group travelled north with Konia to delight in the National Trust for Scotland’s gardens of Inverewe, originally created by Osgood MacKenzie in the1860s in a most unexpected landscape for tender and exotic plants. The rest of us enjoyed a leisurely visit to the village of Plockton, established as a fishing and small-holding settlement in 1794 on the lovely banks of Loch Carron, and well-known for its charming rows of cottages with their pocket-handkerchief-sized gardens. Then it was on to Eilean Donan Castle. This impressive medieval stronghold was built on a tidal islet at the confluence of three sea-lochs as a bastion against the Viking incursions 800 years ago. It was destroyed as a result of the 18th century Jacobite rebellions, but restored to its former glory after 1911, to become the seat of the Clan MacRae.
Our final dinner on the Lord of the Glens featured a taste of haggis, suitably addressed by Brian, the Hotel manager, in full Highland dress with the ‘Ode to a Haggis’ by Robert Burns. A fitting conclusion to a wonderful voyage through the heart of Scotland.
The last sea leg of our voyage started early in the morning in an overcast Loch Nevis. Before long, however, the skies brightened as we passed through the narrows of Kylerhea with sightings of otters and common seals, sailing under the Skye Bridge, past our final Stevenson lighthouse, towards our destination of Kyle of Lochalsh.
The rest of the day was devoted to exploring the area. One group travelled north with Konia to delight in the National Trust for Scotland’s gardens of Inverewe, originally created by Osgood MacKenzie in the1860s in a most unexpected landscape for tender and exotic plants. The rest of us enjoyed a leisurely visit to the village of Plockton, established as a fishing and small-holding settlement in 1794 on the lovely banks of Loch Carron, and well-known for its charming rows of cottages with their pocket-handkerchief-sized gardens. Then it was on to Eilean Donan Castle. This impressive medieval stronghold was built on a tidal islet at the confluence of three sea-lochs as a bastion against the Viking incursions 800 years ago. It was destroyed as a result of the 18th century Jacobite rebellions, but restored to its former glory after 1911, to become the seat of the Clan MacRae.
Our final dinner on the Lord of the Glens featured a taste of haggis, suitably addressed by Brian, the Hotel manager, in full Highland dress with the ‘Ode to a Haggis’ by Robert Burns. A fitting conclusion to a wonderful voyage through the heart of Scotland.
