Exploring the Scottish Highlands -- A Day Trip Around Loch Ness

The day after arriving in Inverness, we were up and out of the house for a road trip around the Loch Ness area. We crammed seven of us into the SUV and head for Urquhart Castle, one of the most famous sites in the area. It's one of Scotland's largest castles and spent 500 years as a medieval castle, being conquered back and forth between the English and the Scottish, until the government blew it up during the Jacobite Risings.




 

While it's just a ruin today, I love a castle no matter its state--and it had some gorgeous views of Loch Ness. Elowen had a great time running around as hard as her little legs can go, and posing in various spots like the professional she is--though she was very upset to not be able to go into the dungeon area with the big girls (the stairs were too steep and slick for me to risk carrying her down). 

Elowen was not about to be left out of a picture, whether she was part of the particular family or not.








This book made me laugh--Game of Thrones puns, can't get enough!

We also explored a little town nearby while we waited for our entry time, and I had a fresh almond and cherry shortbread--it was much softer than the varieties you get in a box!




 

After thoroughly exploring Urquhart Castle (and regretting my choice of jeans as it was unexpectedly hot), we headed toward a hike at the Falls of Foyers. Along the way, we briefly stopped at a little loch to gave out over the sparkling blue water and listen to the bleating of sheep across the road. 

 

Elowen loved holding hands with the big girls in the car.




 

We also had a quick lunch at Cameron's Tea Rooms and Farm Shop, which a friend had recommended to me as a good stop with kids. While they were out of most of the meals since it was about 2 pm, Elowen still got to enjoy feeding the red deer (they're surprisingly big!) and also looking at the fluffy Scottish Highland cows (which they call "coos" in Scotland). 









 

The falls hike was gorgeous but perhaps ill-advised given the heat and that it was almost 100% stairs all the way down (and hence up); Taylor had to carry Elowen both ways. At her current weight of 40 pounds, that was no easy feat. She also screamed the whole time, since she had missed her nap and was very hot--her shrieks blended with the majestic roaring of the falls to remind all the teenagers around to use birth control! 








 

And while this is a short post, it was a very full day--the sites weren't particularly close to each other, so we spent a lot of time on the road. That wasn't unpleasant, though, as the fields and woods we drove through were beautiful, bursting with wildflowers and greenery.



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