Walk to Urquhart Castle

Urquhart Castle is the ruins of a castle on a point on Loch Ness, and it was less than a 1.5 mile walk from our Bed and Breakfast, Rowan Cottage.  So on Thursday, May 22, I got up early and left the lassies and the other laddie behind to walk to the castle.  The three of them had toured it the previous day while I hiked in the woodlands nearby.

This shows my approximate track, leaving a track point every 10 minutes and straight-line connecting them.  The white arrow shows the location of Urquhart Castle.

It was a very cool morning with a brisk breeze, and before I returned, there was a steady drizzle coming down.  But that was OK.  It was not a moderate rain like the day before.  Along the way, once I left the Lewiston part of Drumnadrochit, I passed sheep farms and saw this rare black lamb.

Here was my first view of the castle.  You can see how steep the ridgelines are by the loch.  It is a beautiful spot, but castles were not sited for the view.  It would have strictly been a strategic decision.

Interested in a little "fixer-upper" with some history behind it?  Well, inquire within...  My wife told me that the tour they took was really good and well worth it.

The last photo is proof one more time that one must always have their camera at the ready.  As I strolled along back north, I spotted Nessie out in the loch, but before I could get my camera out, she disappeared into the bank of fog.  Oh, I could have been so rich!

I finished my walk in good spirits, having gotten the day off to a great start.  It got even better with another fabulous breakfast, and then we got on the road to drive to Stirling, where we would be for the last few days of the trip.