Day 3 finds us still at Fort Agustus with a free day to search for Nessie. After a quick breakfast we were off, well we did get a bit side tracked by the mezmorising loch system to get from Loch Ness to Loch Oich, then we got distracted by the walking path around town, next our books and a hot tea were calling our names, after that we got hungry for dinner (a nice lamb stew if you must ask topped off with a local beer), and FINALLY the boat ride at dusk (well not really dusk because 8pm is still light out in Scotland in the summer, but in real life it should have been dusk) to search for Nessie on the Loch, we got an amazing view and a crazy boat captain along with some delicious local made Nessie Monster Ale, but no Nessie sightings, guess someone else will win the 1mil pounds for finding her (damn Irish luck).
We were on the move again on day 4, first stop Invermoriston and the Summer Hoes and falls that helped inspire J.M. Barrie to write Peter Pan, or so the Scottish say. Our next stop was Glen Affric national forest with dog falls, which is one of the last remaining Caledonian forests left in Scotland, gorgeous, we hiked for about 30 minutes up to a viewpoint to take in the breathtaking forest. We stopped in the quaint town of Bealy for lunch and a quick visit to the Priory (some type of religious house, but I really don’t know why). I need to mention now that this was a day of waterfall touring, after lunch it was off to Rogie Falls, then Corrieshalloch (swing) Bridge and Falls; stunning beauty. We ended our day taking the ferry from Ullapool on the mainland to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. They ferry crossing was fairly smooth and we were sent off by a large group of dolphins, I guess that was a good omen because no one got seasick and like I said the passage was smooth (unlike today, when the new people at the hostel came in looking sicker then dogs because the sea was so rough), glad we traveled the day before. We finished the night with a pint at a local pub, the only problem was the pub closed at 11pm, I think it should be a sin to close a pub before it gets dark, but I only really needed the one cider anyways.
Windy, windy, atmospheric, and windy, is how I would describe day 5 on the Isle of Lewis. First we were off to the Callanish Standing Stones, very similar to Stonehenge (or so I was told, I will be seeing those stones in a week or so, so I can report back then, or you can comment here), these were beautiful and you could walk right up and touch them (something I hear you can’t do at Stonehenge). While many of the other stone circles in Scotland were made to worship the sun, these were for the lunar cycle, or so the tale goes. Our next windy stop was Carloway Broch and Dun, I am not quite convinced that people would want to live up on that blustery hill but, you could see for miles and it was beautiful if you didn’t get blown off first. It was quite surprising that after a few thousand years the inside was still intact and a great shelter from the wind. We got a quick demonstration on how they make Harris Tweed at the Garenin Blackhouse Village, and a view of life back in traditional rock and heather thatched roof homes of the early Scotts. Plus a great view of Scottish scenery and the ocean on a super windy cliff walk, I am pretty sure if I had had a kite I could have flown all the way home, or at least Ireland. Final gusty stop was the Butt of Lewis, and no I am not making that name up. It’s the most northern part of the Isle of Lewis and has the only brick building on the Island, the lighthouse, which I guess can be seen from 25 miles out at sea; another breathtaking spot. Finished the day walking around the town of Stornoway and hiding inside from the wind with a nice cup of tea, now it’s off to the pub for some dinner, live music and a bit of world cup watching.
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