The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves...: Scotland

Friday, May 23, 2025

Scotland - Inverness area

Early in the morning, we walked downtown to meet Harrison, our kilted Haggis Tours guide for the day. We grabbed coffee at McDonald's as the only thing open downtown, before we boarded the bus and set out for a day of adventure in the general Inverness area.

Our first stop was at Loch Ness Clansman Hotel, where we boarded a boat and made our way southward along a calm Loch Ness. After a pleasant cruise, we approached the ruins of Urquhart Castle from the water, and we disembarked and began to explore the castle ruins and grounds. After wandering the ruins for quite a while, we also climbed up the hill to the museum and gift shop, where we watched a very interesting movie on the history of the place.

Back on the bus, we wound inward and upward to the quaint town of Beauly. The highlight was the peaceful yet powerful ruins of the Beauly Priory, a former monastery and filming location for Outlander. We also shopped a bit and wandered the main street while our friends opted for the pub. Jane bought a nice wool headband from Campbell's of Beauly. This store in itself was a living museum of vintage pieces relating to hunting, fishing and so on, and apparently even the Royals shop there. Really cool shop.

We made a brief stop at Robertson's Farm, mainly to check out the resident hairy coos but also to load up on handmade chocolate and a few other delicious farm products.

Next up was The Singleton of Glen Ord distillery located on the Black Isle north of Inverness, where we sampled a flight of 12-year old whiskies.

Heading back to Inverness, we passed through the city and out to the east for the final two stops of the tour. First up was the sombre battlefield at Culloden Moor, where the Jacobite uprising was crushed for good, and the clan system along with it.

In 1746, a much smaller army of ragged Scots met superior British forces on poorly chosen ground, and were slaughtered. Despite the uncharacteristic sun and heat, walking the battlefield was a chilling experience, as essentially a mass grave with cairns marking the fallen from the various clans.

Our last stop were the 4000-year old Clava Cairns, another powerful site and the inspiration for the Craigh na dun standing stones in Outlander. Three massive stone cairns lay nestled amongst the trees, surrounded by a number of standing stones. Archeologists believe the location was in use for 800 years as a burial ground and ceremonial site.

Harrison played us some good local music as we drove back to Inverness, including Beluga Lagoon and Peat & Diesel. Back in town, the four of us had a nice dinner out and a few pints to wind down after a long day of exploration.