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Showing posts with the label Highlands

Skye

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Loch Loyne on the background   Since a couple of years ago it became tradition to travel somewhere nice for our birthdays. Thanks to my boss I even get an extra holiday day for this special event. So last year we took a full week off and went to the world famous Isle of Skye. This article is my selection of the best things to see in Skye.         Eilean Donan Castle The weather was gorgeous an we took our time to very slowly drive up from Stirling to Skye via Fort William stopping plenty of times on the way to admire the landscape. We finally got to see the legendary Eilean Donan Castle (featuring in Highlander and the Bond movie The World is Not Enough ) just before arriving on the Isle of Skye.  We had rented a little flat on the Sleat peninsula which is in the South East of the Island. It's a little far from the most famous touristy sites but considering the size of the island we would have had to drive a fair bit wherever we stayed. We were, however,...

Scottish winter hikes

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View over the firth of Forth Last winter has been very rainy here in Scotland, so sadly we only managed to go for walks only twice. For almost all of our Scottish walks we find the itinerary on the brilliant Walkhighlands website. They provide very detailed itineraries of walks & hikes for all levels all over Scotland. I highly recommand to check this website if you want ideas where to walk across the country. Our first walk was a short historical walk around the beautiful Royal Burgh of Culross in the Kingdom of Fife. At about 25 min drive from Stirling, we climbed up a path along fields, offering us a great view over the firth of Forth, passed by the remains of  the 13th century Culross Abbey and wandered through the medieval village of Culross.  Culross Abbey Thanks to the work of the National Trust for Scotland , the 16th and 17th century buildings of the Royal Burgh have been very well preserved, and taking a stroll in the streets...

Inverness - Glen Affric - Loch Ness

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  Inverness Castle Throwback to a time where travelling was not yet a threat to humanity (yes, we are still under lockdown here in Scotland). We went last January to Inverness and Loch Ness for the first time. We were very lucky with the weather, first dry week since probably august last year, and looking at the pictures people might think I'm exaggerating when I'm moaning about the constant rain here.... Inverness, the biggest city and the capital of the Scottish Highlands, is a very charming city situated on the banks of the river Ness.  Inverness Castle Inverness Cathedral We had a nice stroll around Inverness and later went to visit Fort George an 18th century military complex built to secure the North of Scotland against a Jacobite uprising. But by the time the Fort was finished, the Jacobites were defeated at the nearby battle of Culloden. If you want to learn more about the Jacobite uprising I'd advice you to watch the first ...