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COVID-19 has caused quite a few holiday changes this year. Our trip to Croatia was inevitably cancelled so we decided to head back to the Highlands and Islands.
We were scheduled to visit the Isle of Mull, but because of restrictions, this was changed to Loch Ness and Inverness. A disappointment, but with fond memories of our last visit we knew we would still enjoy it.
The weather was overcast, not as bad as the west coast but there was always the threat of rain.
The first stop was a the Commando Monument. This is situated high in the hills, and normally affords fine views of Ben Nevis and other mountains, but these were largely obscured by the low cloud. Nevertheless, the monument is very impressive and touching (the inclement weather meant it was not thronged with visitors).
Next was a short stop at Fort Augustus. It’s a pretty town, but small, and we used the time to take another look at the locks and Caledonian Canal.
On our last visit in 2019, the canal had been drained and the lock gates were being replaced. It’s worth looking at the photos from then and comparing to the recent ones. There was no time for a walk this time though.
From Fort Augustus we tracked along the south side of Loch Ness. This is the more scenic route, but the view is often blocked by heavy forest and was blighted by continually stopping to let camper vans past.
At Inverness, we had time for lunch and not a lot more really. We (rather morbidly) had a longer look around the kirkyard of the Old High Church. I was able to spend more time studying the Robertsons of Inshes Mausoleum. This is a fascinating monument, and to me quite unique.
The way back to the hotel was via the faster north shore of Loch Ness, past Urquhart Castle, again not stopping (but I managed to get a decent pick with my iPhone as we passed.
An enjoyable day, but the Isle of Mull will have to wait for another day.