Rain Mist across Loch Ness
It rained every day while we were in Scotland. And a few miles up the road, a massive rock concert was gearing up: 'Rock Ness', featuring Fatboy Slim, whoever that is. Plus I had a teenager with me who thinks River Island is a satisfying vacation destination. Doesn't sound like a recipe for a great vacation, does it?
But these are minor quibbles. The rain, which sounds better when called 'mist', turned the mountains into moody dreamscapes. The rock concert gave us a reason to head in the opposite direction, the Isle of Skye. And the teenager was satisfied with a cute plaid miniskirt, which sounds better when called a 'kilt', from a shop near a picture-perfect castle.
More importantly, the Highlands of Scotland are simply beautiful, which no amount of rain or whinging can dampen. Spring was in full bloom—showy pink rhododendrons and sturdy yellow broom claimed entire mountain sides.
Here's a tip if you're planning a vacation in Scotland: Go all the way to the Highlands. And if you've never visited the Highlands before, go to Loch Ness, which is centrally located—with the help of a few smaller lochs and the Caledonian Canal, it bisects Scotland, effectively turning the upper half into an island. And if you're staying at Loch Ness, stay on the southern side—it's far less developed. (And if you're looking for a place to stay, I highly recommend Wilderness Cottages, with several dozen self-catering cottages in the Loch Ness and Western Highlands areas. Most are dog friendly.)
Unlike the more traveled northern edge of Loch Ness, no giant Nessie monsters lurk in the carparks on the southern side of Loch Ness, in fact, there are
no carparks on the southern side, except for a small one at the entrance to the Farigaig forest. (Where you can also find exceptionally nice toilet facilities.) There are no supermarkets, either, but with frequent trips to Inverness (a half hour away) we managed to stock enough picnic supplies and other provisions to avoid eating out the entire week. Which meant my food never had to share a kitchen with haggis. 'Nuff said.
Walks are plentiful around Foyers—barely more than a crook in the road—where our cottage was located. One takes you past the Falls of Foyers, but beware—there are places where only a wooden rail separates you from a sheer drop-off. Best to keep dogs and small children on leads here.
Another six and a half mile walk from right outside our cottage took us through lovely bracken-filled woods, along the Loch, and up and down—and up and down again—the mountain ridge overlooking the Loch. Again, a little mist never hurt anyone, especially a dog. We sucked in fresh, glistening air—someone should bottle the scent and sell it as air freshener. The piney soil is still caked in my boots, which I think is my favorite souvenir of the Highlands.
All the typical touristy things are located near enough to Loch Ness. East of Inverness lies Culloden Battlefield, scene of the last battle fought on British soil and where Bonnie Prince Charlie's dream of ruling Britain came to an end, as did the lives of hundreds of his Jacobite followers. Nearby is a prehistoric stone circle, Clava Cairns, almost as old as Stonehenge but much less crowded.
And if whiskey's your thing, there's no shortage of distilleries in the area, especially along the River Spey south of Inverness. We toured Dallas Dhu distillery, where they made fine Scotch whiskey. It's no longer in operation and is run by Historic Scotland, the Scottish equivalent of English Heritage. But their bottled whiskey is still available at the end of the tour, so have a wee nip and understand why they've been going to so much trouble to make the stuff all these centuries.
For high seas adventure, we took a boat trip on the Loch—Jacobite Cruises allows dogs on some routes. (She really enjoyed the boat, especially all the pets from the other passengers.) Another day we drove down the A9 through the Cairngorm National Park, scene of the BBC series Monarch of the Glen.
The most scenic routes were to and from the Isle of Skye, around 70 miles away. The three-hour drive via the southern route twisted through steep, narrow roads and across the Sound of Sleat on a ferry. On the way we stopped at the Glenfinnan monument, where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard and vowed to put his father on the throne of Scotland and England. It was easy to imagine the rowdy Jacobites trampling the boggy soil as they waited for the Cameron to join them; if you listened hard enough you could hear the sounds of his doomed pipers filling the glen.
And Skye itself was worth a longer visit; as it was we just had time for a steep ramble near Portree at Aros Heritage Center. There aren't many roads in Skye, but a few of them headed off through the jagged Cuillins, a promising area for future explorations.
We returned via the A87 and the Skye Bridge. This route, through the Five Sisters range, provided spectacular scenery, and included a stop at the romantic Eilean Donan castle. Again, the lochs and glens (valleys) of the Western Highlands demand another visit; fortunately Wilderness Cottages offers rentals in this area as well as around Loch Ness.
The most invaluable tools during the trip proved to be the Rough Guide to Scotland and a detailed roadmap with the sights highlighted. As we drove from one area to another, and even on the long journey home, I'd pull out the Rough Guide and read about an upcoming monument or castle or scenic area. This made traveling with a dog easier; the descriptions noted the presence of hiking trails, plus I could call ahead and see if the place was open or allowed dogs. (Culloden, for instance, didn't allow dogs on the battlefield but there was an excellent hiking area for dogs nearby. She enjoyed her run through the heather.)
What about that monster of Loch Ness legend? Nessie is beloved by the locals, as much for the tourism she brings as for the romantic image of a prehistoric creature existing deep in the bowels of Loch Ness. It's a point of contention that the English broadcasts on BBC ignore most of the sightings. Indeed, while we were there they instead showed a segment on another Scottish monster, the midge, a tiny biting insect that plagues tourists (and Prince Charlie, causing him to reluctantly abandon the hearty Highlanders for the pubs of nearby Inverness).
We vigilantly kept a lookout for Nessie through our wide picture window, and learned the best way to spot her is after three glasses of wine, or a dram or two of Scotch (which is also useful for removing the ticks your dog may pick up in the woods). She never appeared, though we did see a rainbow, and roe deer, but never a sunset, which occurred at 22:18 on the Solstice. At latitude N57, it never got full dark, despite the absence of city lights.
More photos are here, though cloudy skies don't make for very good photos. But as I told Buddy, our landlady who lived downstairs and provided a lovely bottle of wine our first night (to improve our Nessie spotting), if you must have rain on your vacation, it's best to be in the Highlands.
