Morags Lodge, Fort Augustus
Scottish Highlands
Isle of Skye
Language spoken: 30% Gaelic! Street and all signs in Gaelic, then English!
We spent the day on the Isle of Skye today which was very special.
The scenery is spectacular. We went as far as Kilt Rock.
We saw..or rather, didn't see, Mount Ben Nevis as it was so foggy. It claims lives every year because of the fog, or cloud.
To those who know John and wondered why he named his boats the way he did. Well, it's because he is from a Scottish heritage (these heritages run really deep as i said) and Ben Ledi is a mountain in Scotland. His second boat one was named Braveheart which is after William Wallace, or really, if you learn the 'true' story it's named after Robert the Bruce who was the real brave heart as his had his heart cut out and thrown at the enemy(literally)- another long Scottish folk story!. After his Scottish roots!
The most exciting thing on the way to Skye though, was meeting Hamish.
We were told he was the biggest and the ugliest and most hairy scotsman we'd ever meet. Russel warned us. He really did. And some of us were even a bit worried..but wondering who the heck we were going to meet!
And he wasn't ugly at all.
He was quite beautiful. I thought so anyway. So handsome. I didn't think of Scotsman as handsome until i met him...I could almost forsake Greg for him!!!!!
His name is Hamish McKay Denovan. Born on Mull and educated too.....He has a 1st class honours degree in Bullocks!!
And he is a Island BULL!!!!!!!!
hahaa...
Talk about gorgeous..and ugly at the same time. Wish i could show you the photos now!
We called in at the Eileen Donan Castle which i told you about in the last blog (mcraes). This castle was used in Highlander, the movie with Sean Connery.
And also learned saw peat being harvested onto pellets where it's dried for six months and used in central heating furnaces or boilers. Apparently after a million years or so it turns into coal!
Lunch was at a deli as it was Sunday and everything was closed....
Went into the Urqhart Castle which overlooks the wateer of Loch Ness and is surrounded by the most stunning of scenery! This castle was actually one of Scotlands largest castles..but now parts of it is in ruins.
Apparently this castle was very prominent in the Scottish struggle for independence and came under control of Robert the Bruce after he became King of Scots. In the 15th and 16th centuries the castle and glen were often raided from the west by the ambitious MacDonald Lordss of the Isles.
Such a fascinating history. I love the old castles...i can just imagine the people living in them..and the battles that took place...
What a day. We were exhausted and VERY HUNGRY by the time we got back to Fort Augustus...and to our lodge...
And....we had....
HAGGIS for dinner. Haggis in my mind was like a sausage type of dish, made of sheep intestines...which sounds pretty gross. And i'd had it before at the Robbie Burns Day we had at Burns Beach and i remember it as being spicy but not that palatable really. But the haggis we had for dinner was really yummy..the texture was like cous cous and the colour was black and grey (not very pretty) but it looked ok..and they served it in a dish to put over a baked potato so it was GOOD!!!!!
I didn't have seconds...nor did Greg! So.......altho it was great tasting, and looked ok considering....it was...intestines..and just the thought of it just turns me off...but we tried it. It's Scotland's national dish afterall and they're very proud of it (and of everything else Scottish i might add!). It's on the menu in most pubs you go into. The scotch on the menu was nice :-)
Got to know the others on the tour during the night. So many travellers with so many stories. It was a great night.
