No Nessie.

Sunday 29th July

After the bleak day yesterday, and the wind overnight, we expected it to be a rough crossing back in the ferry, but this morning the sun was shining and the wind had dropped a bit. We had a quick visit to the supermarket for dinner items for tonight, and a couple of photo shoots on the way to the ferry, then joined the ferry for our 11.30 crossing. It only takes one hour and we spent the time on the sun deck hoping for whale sightings - no such luck.

I've already posted photos of hielan' coos (highland cows - think Scottish accent),
well we heard about woolly pigs and spotted these on the way
to the boat - we've called them 'hielan' pigs'.
Rob has been battling with his cap and the wind for the whole
of our time in Scotland. Well, it finally blew off into the pig paddock.
We though that was it but remembered my hiking poles
and were able to retrieve it with those.

Boats wrecked in the channel between a couple of the Orkney islands.

Beautiful looking town of St Margaret Hope - note the blue sky on the day we are leaving.

WWI and II gun emplacements on Orkney islands protecting
the Royal Navy's fleet in Scapa Flow.

Final puffin shot.

A few days ago on our trip to Wick we noticed a sign on the road 'Autocross here Sunday' so we stopped there for a look. We could have been at home in Australia but the quality of the hamburgers was better. We spent a couple of hours there and then moved on before the heavens decided to open.

The area we are in at the top northeast of Scotland is very different to the northwest. It seems to be mostly grazing land, gently undulating, and some treed areas. Mostly sheep, some cattle and some cropping. Another feature we spotted in this area is farm fences of slate flagstones - the area produces a lot of slate tiles.

Our accommodation tonight is a cute little cabin with views to the ocean, and as we were getting organised in the cabin we spotted 2 deer crossing the paddock out front.

Monday 30th July

A short distance today to a place called Tore, only about 10k from Inverness. Along the way we stopped at Dunrobin Castle which is home to the Dukes and Earls of Sutherland. Its first building was in around 1275 but has had many additions. It has 189 rooms and is still lived in. We managed to be here when the castle opened so we were in and out before the tour buses arrived.

Front entrance to the castle.

Taken from the back of the castle on the seafront.

I remember seeing beautiful manicured English gardens like these
from way back in 1979 when I first visited England.

Must have been (still is?) a very popular sport back in late 1800s.
Lots more on all the walls in the main entry and gallery
spanning early 1800s to early 1900s.

Beautiful table setting with lots of silver. The dining chairs were embroidered
by Lady Sutherland between 1932 and 1939.
Each chair has a different crest embroidered on them
- I think there are 22 chairs. 

These tapestries eere embroidered in preparation for the visit of the Queen Mother
- I can't remember the year.

Main staircase with family tartan carpet.

From there we travelled to Dornoch to visit Cocoa Mountain, said to have the best hot chocolate in Scotland. It was pretty good, as were their hand made chocolates. Competition for The Chocolate Mill near Daylesford. Dornoch was a lovely village with a pretty nice cathedral built 1239 - reading our guide book later we found that Madonna got married here.

This stone is for measuring your length of tartan.
It is in the church graveyard in Dornoch where the town market
used to be held. There are only a handful of these left in Scotland.  

The Dornoch Cathedral where Madonna was married.

That is Mum on top of the headstone and baby at the foot squawking for food.
Biggest baby I've seen. Lucky she doesn't have to carry him around.

There were 2 chocolates on each plate.....

Lunch today in the town of Beauly - I thought it was Beauty until we came back through it this afternoon. Terribly slow service - lucky the food was ok.

Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. I have never seen so many tourists; at least 12 tour buses plus a car park full of cars. All sorts of nationalities. We watched the short film about the history of the castle, and at the end of the film they open the curtains and in front of you is a floor to ceiling wall of glass looking straight at the castle. Spectacular!

The view of Urquhart Castle when they opened the blinds.

Odette came for a look too.

Beautiful setting for a castle. Right on the edge of......

Loch Ness.