Eight Days from Edinburgh Part 4

When I was a little kid, I shared one of my nicknames with a famous monster, Nessie! I always wanted to someday visit Loch Ness in Scotland to look for Nessie. So, here’s to making childhood dreams come true on this leg of our trip! Day 4 for us started out in Uig on the Isle of Skye, and we had a very scenic drive across the island and over the sea back to the mainland. We would be driving across the middle of Scotland about 130 miles (about 3 hours drive) to Inverness, however, three big stops were on the itinerary, so we got an early start. 

To get from Uig on the northern part of Skye to Eilean Donan Castle, it takes you about an hour and a half. This is Scotland’s most photographed castle, and it can get very busy. Parking is limited, so you should definitely try to get there early. We slept in a little after getting in so late on the ferry the night before, and didn’t leave until about 10am. This put us at Eilean Donan around 11:30, and the lot was full. Luckily someone was leaving and we got their spot. Others were parking up the road, which they were not supposed to do. Admission to Eilean Donan was £10 per adult. The site is privately owned, so it is not included in the Explorer Pass. A gift shop and a small cafe is on site. 

Eilean Donan sits on an island surrounded by three sea lochs. It has a beautiful pedestrian bridge from the parking lot and visitor center area to the island. The castle was built in the 13th century and belonged primarily to the MacKenzie clan until it was mostly destroyed during the Jacobite uprisings in the early 18th century.

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The property was purchased in 1911, and rebuilt according to available plans. The reconstruction was completed in the 1930s. The castle itself has been a residence ever since then. Some of the family still reside in an apartment on the grounds. I am not going to lie, it was a little bit disappointing to see Victorian-ish furnishings everywhere except in the main hall which was decorated a little more traditionally. The grounds, however, were beautiful, and you can walk along some of the battlements.   

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From Eilean Donan, we headed toward Inverness, about an hour and a half out. Our next stop, however, was Urquhart Castle which was only about an hour away. We drove the A87 from Eilean Donan until we got to the A887 which follows alongside the River Morriston almost to where it flows into Loch Ness. Near Invermoriston, we continued onto the A82 toward Inverness. This road follows alongside Loch Ness, and there are several places to pull over with great views. I never did see Nessie, but it was fun to look! Haha! Fun facts about Loch Ness, it was formed by glaciers, it is just over 22 miles long, but it is up to 754 feet deep in some places! 

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We actually rerouted our stops a little here, because it was pouring rain. So rather than walk around outside at Urquhart Castle in the rain, we headed another 15 minutes down the road into the town of Drumnadrochit and went to the Loch Ness Exhibition Center. The center has exhibits all about Nessie and the search for Nessie. 

I love the way the center is designed – it presents you with tons of information both for and against the existence of the Loch Ness Monster, and asks you to decide for yourself what you believe at the end. It includes “eyewitness testimony” from people who claim to have seen Nessie. One of the oldest dates back to the 6th Century AD. The story goes that a Christian missionary to the Picts drove away a water creature. Nessie is also often tied to the Kelpie or Water Horse legends. “Modern” reports of Nessie began in the 1800s, and have continued to the present day. 

The museum also includes scientific exhibits with detailed descriptions, images, and videos of all of the efforts made to locate Nessie from the first to radar. You can see one of the submarines on display outside near the parking lot. A visit to the Loch Ness Exhibition Center will take an hour or two depending upon how much you want to read – I read everything. Admission to the museum was very reasonable, at just under £9.

By the time we finished at the Exhibition Center, the rain had mostly cleared out, and so we backtracked just a few minutes to Urquhart Castle. Urquhart Castle admission is covered by the Explorer Pass, and they have a fantastic Visitor Center, so be sure to plan enough time to view the artifacts, exhibits and video. The castle was built in the early 13th century, and it was left in ruins after the Jacobite Rising in the late 18th century. It is still in ruins today.

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As you walk to the castle ruins, you will pass by a replica of a trebuchet, and the cross a bridge to the castle grounds. As you walk through the gatehouse, be sure to look in the “windows” at the prison cell. To the south, or left after the gate house, is the older section of the castle. It is thought that the original Pictish site is located here on high ground. You will also see what is left of a doocot (where pigeons were kept), a smithy, and the water gate. Do exit through the water gate, you can come back in that way as well, and walk down to the shore of Loch Ness, you will get an up close view of just how tea-colored the water is!

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As you walk toward the north end of the castle ruins, you will pass by what is left of the kitchens, the great hall, and what is believed to have been the chapel. The last building is the most impressive, but also the most recent construction dating back to the 1500s. It is the Grant Tower, built to be the residence of the Grant family who occupied the castle at the time. It is 5 stories, and you have access to them all. 

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From Urquhart, we drove another 30 minutes into Inverness where we stayed for the next two nights. Sadly, we only had one evening to wander the city, and everything was mostly closed by the time we arrived. We did find dinner at a local pizza shop of all things, and had time to stop in the Tesco (grocery) for snacks. We stayed at the Kilcumin Guesthouse Bed & Breakfast, and it was the perfect location for us just one block from the River Ness.

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If you missed the previous Scotland posts, you can find them here: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3