Scottish Highlands

Having been in the Glasgow for a week to visit my friend, I felt its good opportunity to get out of city and see some of the Scottish Highlands. We looked at our options, and decided a full day trip to the famous Loch Ness and Glen Coe was our best bet. We made an early start, getting a 7.30 AM bus from Glasgow.

Coach tours are something I'm not into, but it certainly provided us with our best opportunity of seeing as much as we could in such a short time. And so it was, shortly after 8am we left Glasgow. Scotland is the most mountainous county in United Kingdom, especially the northern and western parts known as the Highlands. As we pass across a belt of mountains, the terrain is abundant with lush green forests and farmlands. The gently rolling hills and lush greenery reminded me a little of Western Ghats back home. Our guide, a true Scottish patriot, told us a few stories of the history of the region as we travelled, which left me with a picture of what the place must have been centuries earlier. We travelled north, before making a coffee stop on the shores of Loch Lomond.

We continued on further towards Loch Ness through the Great Glen. This geological fault runs in a straight line across the Scottish mainland. The glaciers of the last Ice Age eroded a deep trough along the fault line, which is now filled by Lochs Linnhe, Oichy and Ness. The scenery was spectacular, passing 'the Monarch of the Glen,' ruined castles and beaches.

Lunch was taken at Fort Augustus, a small town on the shores of Loch Ness. Boats could be raised and lowered from Loch Oichy to Ness using the Caledonian Canal, a ladder of five locks. It would have been interesting to see, but the choppy winds meant there weren't too many boats on the water. After grabbing a light lunch, we made our way down to the shores of Loch Ness in search of a fleeting glimpse of the monster that had eluded millions before us. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, we didn't see any monsters. The tour guide explained the history of the lake as well as Nessie, and the fact that they monitored the lake all year around, using Sonar equipment, which has detected large mysterious movements beneath the surface of the lake, with no possible explanations.

Along Loch Ness we made our first major stop for the day to visit Urquhart Castle, on the shores of Loch Ness. Urquhart Castle was one on the largest medieval castles in Scotland, and was also nearby the location of the Nessie sightings. The castle today is a decent ruin at best, but has an impressive visitors centre and some interesting history. Not to mention it's glorious location overlooking the loch. After a good look around, we headed further north to Inverness, the capital of Highlands. Inverness was a really nice place, the town centre is really nice not all big chain shops but lots of little speciality shops.

We made our way south via the Great Glen, stopping briefly at a distillery to taste some whiskey. Continuing south beneath Great Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis (1344m), and the small town of Fort William, we found ourselves in the absolutely spectacular valley known as Glen Coe. The scenery was truly grand, with wild mountains and huge vast valleys.

Our last stop was in Pitlochry for a cup of coffee, a small town on the road north. It wasn't the most amazing place, just a small quaint town with a few cafes and souvenir shops.

The trip back to Glasgow was very relaxing, making our way out of the highlands, back into the lowlands. It was a good day, travelling around the countryside with a live historical commentary.