Back to recapping our 2008 trip to Great Britain!  We left off in Scotland on the Isle of Skye.  From Skye we traveled to the mainland Scottish Highlands.  Skye had given us a taste, but the mainland really drove it home – it’s a different world up in northern Scotland.  We loved the bagpipes, tartans, and all the Scottish pride.  Hubby and I listened to traditional Scottish music in a pub called Hootananny in Inverness, which served up Scottish ales and pad Thai.  Yes, you read that right.  Highlights of the Highlands follow…

We visited Culloden Moor, site of the famous Battle of Culloden in 1746.  The Scots did a beautiful job preserving the battlefield – they laid out paths with red flags to mark the English lines and with blue flags to mark the lines of Highlanders, with mini-monuments to show where each Highland clan stood on the battle lines.  They marked the mass clan graves with poignant tombstones etched with just the clan name.  (I had to look for Clan Fraser, being obsessed with the Outlander novels at the time – total guilty pleasure – and I found it.)  There was also a state-of-the-art museum explaining the Highlanders’ rebellion and “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” and showing off battle memorabilia and artwork.  As one of hubby’s friends quipped when he saw our pictures after we returned, “Leave it to the Scots to make their most glorious battlefield monument to a defeat.” 

After Culloden, we explored some more Highlands high points.

Cawdor Castle.

Beautiful gardens on the grounds of Cawdor Castle.

The Clava Cairns, a prehistoric burial ground (interesting, but pretty eerie).

Loch Ness (no Nessie sightings, unfortunately).

And finally, lovely Inverness.  We loved the wild, fierce pride the Scots have in their country.  Nowhere was it more evident than in the untamed Highlands.