It’s a disgusting and shameful admission of mine that it has taken me 26 years to go north beyond the wall. And with my potential emigration looming on the horizon, I promised myself that in 2019 I would finally do what the ads tell me and visit Scotland.
I’m actually visiting Scotland twice this year (that buses adage). The purpose of the first visit had been to climb Ben Nevis, and we had done that within 24 hours. Now we had three days to burn petrol.
The morning after the hike. We awoke with aching muscles and sunburnt faces. Clear skies meant our days were sunny and relatively warm, but our nights were frosty. Our tent had turned into an igloo overnight.
Tuesday 9th April. From our campsite base just outside Fort William, we would explore the Great Glen, the huge geological fault line that bisects the Highlands. There is a walk you can do called the Great Glen Way which takes you all the way along the glen from Fort William to Inverness, 78 miles away. Brendan and I had had our fill of walking for now so we decided to drive it. But first, we headed to Glenfinnan, some 12 miles west of Fort William, and an absolute must-visit for Harry Potter fans…
At Glenfinnan you will find the Glenfinnan Monument, a tower that commemorates the Jacobite uprising. In 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stewart AKA Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard on the shores of Loch Shiel in an attempt to regain the British throne.
(Here’s a bit of trivia you may find utterly uninteresting: Bonnie Prince Charles was known to his supporters as Charles III, which could prompt our own Prince Charles to choose a different name when/if he becomes King, to not risk insensitivity to the memory of the Stewart prince and the Jacobite supporters)
The Monument is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, and as National Trust members, Brendan and I were able to enter for free. Inside, the spiral staircase is steep and the hatch door at the top is cumbersome to get out of. But the views are brilliant!
Behind us is Loch Shiel. It’s a loch, definitely not a lake, and if you refer to it as a lake to a Scot, expect a rebuke, as I received from the woman letting people up the Monument. Good one, dipshit.
Having said that, you may know Loch Shiel by another name: The Black Lake (ffs they’re just asking for trouble). It’s the setting for the Second Task in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Obviously, we muggles cannot see it, but in the distance on the right-hand bank is where you’ll find Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry superimposed.
Behind the Monument visitor centre (where you can buy tickets to enter the Monument, and also Harry Potter merch) is a hill. A very easy climb that Brendan and I found more difficult than most with our sore legs. At the top you get another nice view of the loch. Turn around 180 degrees and you’ll see another Harry Potter landmark.
Hidden amongst the brown is the viaduct. I’m sure it looks better with the Hogwarts Express chugging along it.
We could have walked closer to the viaduct but time was of the essence. We jumped back in the car and headed back towards Fort William to begin our journey up the Great Glen.
We had been blessed with another beautiful day. The first loch you meet is Loch Lochy which I suppose translates as a particularly lakey lake. Not sure why. We stopped for a few snaps – like many other travellers – before continuing on towards a much larger and slightly better known loch.
SPOILERS. We did not see any phantom monsters. But we did see a LOT of tourists in Fort Augustus. Ironic to moan, I know, as we were also tourists. Anyway, I have wanted to visit Loch Ness since I was a kid, so this was a happy moment.
We chose the Boathouse Lochside Restaurant for some fish and chips and a pint of Belhaven Best. It was not the best, and the fish and chips were AWFUL. Avoid. Or at least take your own food and enjoy the views of Loch Ness.
After a fish dinner so soggy it still belonged in the loch, we left Fort Augustus and drove along Loch Ness to Inverness.
Loch Ness is big. Very big. It’s about 23 miles long and holds more fresh water than the lakes of England and Wales combined. It took a while for us to travel beside it, but eventually we reached Inverness at the end of the Great Glen. But before we visited the city itself, we went around to visit the Culloden Battlefield on the outskirts.
Culloden is where the 1745 Jacobite Rising came to an end. Entry prices to the battlefield and museum are £11, but National Trust members get in for free. On the Moor, there are flags of blue and red which indicate the battle lines of the Government and Jacobite troops.
There are also memorials to the many clans that took part in the battle, a battle that effectively led to the extinction of Highland clan life.
At the museum shop you can buy clan merch. Brendan was upset that most of the Fraser clan merch had sold out. Outlander: Series 5 coming soon.
Onto Inverness – our final stop in the Great Glen.
The castle looked pretty in the golden light of dusk.
I suppose most places look nice in twilight but still, Inverness is pretty. By the time we arrived, parking was free so that was a bonus. We stopped for some tea (including haggis of course) at The Castle Tavern. The food was much better than that at Loch Ness.
YUM.
After tea it was around 8:15, so after a gentle stroll through the city centre back to the car, we (well, Brendan) drove all the way back down the Great Glen! Loch Ness is a lot less impressive in darkness tbh, but the lack of light pollution up here means the stars are much easier to see. The lights around Urquhart Castle set against a clear, starry sky were a pretty good spectacle.
Back at the campsite, we went straight to bed. Tomorrow would be another early start, for another big adventure: The Isle of Skye…
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