Today is going to be a whirlwind touring day! We have booked a full day tour with Happy Tours – Culloden Battlefield and Loch Ness Tours. Driving on the opposite side of the car and the opposite side of the road isn’t hard and it is fun, but it requires full attention and it is nice to not have that responsibility today. Plus Happy Tours maintains small group numbers so there will be 8 guests plus our driver. We met our driver outside the Columba Hotel and, after a brief set of rules, we were off. 

We drove along the famed Loch Ness, home to the Loch Ness Monster or, as the locals affectionately call her, Nessie. Loch Ness, stretching some 23 miles long and 754 feet at its deepest point, holds the largest volume of fresh water in the UK. It actually holds more water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined. Driving along the loch is beautiful with the sun reflecting off the surface of the water and plenty of Scottish Highland scenery to take in along the drive. Given the length and depth of the loch, along with the dark hues of the water, it is easy to believe something mysterious or monstrous lives here. Plenty of tours offer to take visitors on a hunt for Nessie and you may well get a glimpse of her! I won’t spoil the fun and there is scientific evidence to support a monster living in the depths of the loch. Scientists still debate exactly what kind of monster Nessie is … a dinosaur? … a giant eel? 

Nestled along the shore of Loch Ness, our first stop was at one of Scotland’s largest castles. Urquhart Castle has seen much conflict during its 500 years as a medieval fortress and has been controlled by both the Scots and the English at various points during the Wars of Independence. The struggle for power continued into the 1500s before the castle was ultimately blown up by government troops during the Jacobite Risings. It is easy to appreciate the strategic location of Urquhart Castle with an open view up and down Loch Ness. Browse the gift shop or enjoy a cup of tea and a scone while watching for Nessie on the patio with Urquhart Castle in the foreground. If you are driving, get to Urquhart Castle early as the small parking lot fills up quickly.

I was eagerly anticipating my opportunity to meet some of the most famous Scottish Highland residents … hairy coos! Hairy coo is endearing term given to Scottish Highland cattle and the name fits, given the longer coat of the animals. Robertson’s Farm was the next stop on our journey and we saw Katie Morag and Jamie Mackenzie, the Highland cattle who share the farm with their alpaca friends. Unfortunately, the petting zoo aspect of the farm has been permanently closed; we were told this was due to new regulations around petting farm animals. Apparently humans do a quite poor job of washing their hands and are prone to spread illness and disease but, rather than teach proper handwashing, we close petting zoos. Alas, I digress. The gift shop offers a host of local cheeses, sweet treats, and a fairly wide array of coo merchandise to choose from.