Becoming a Highlander

The entire time I’ve been in Scotland people have been telling me I needed to visit the Highlands, and I agreed. Not only did their descriptions of breathtaking beauty compel me to go, but my satirical fascination with the movie Highlander was also a significant factor. I had made no plans up until a couple weeks ago, but interest by my flatmates and my fraternity brother studying in London convinced me that now was the time. A few days of planning later and the trip was set. Here is the route we followed over three days (which was obviously a lot more windy than those red lines):

After some initial setbacks in getting our rental car, we headed to St. Andrews on the East coast and arrived just before running out of daylight. Although our original plan was to hit Dundee and Aberdeen on the way up as well, we were fortunate to be in St. Andrews for the sunset as the view looking out to sea was gorgeous. Just beforehand we had a look around the ruins of the once-mighty St. Andrews Cathedral, and after dusk had fallen we made our way to the famed golf course as well as the university before grabbing some dinner and beginning for Inverness.

Inverness is the capital of the Highlands (which is an actual political entity as well as the general name for the region) and quite a charming city when you venture into the center along the River Ness.  Although a few hours north of Edinburgh and higher in elevation, Inverness wasn’t noticeably colder.  This would change once we ventured into the Cairngorm Mountains just South of the city (the big green section on the map) for our hike the morning after arrival. We had planned to take a trail around a couple of the mountains for a scenic view of a nearby loch, but with less daylight than we had anticipated and misty conditions, we decided a ways in just to climb one of the nearby mountains instead. It wasn’t the most difficult endeavor of my life, but I will say that the mountain definitely looked shorter from the valley. About halfway up we began to get pelted by tiny water molecules from the surrounding clouds until, by the summit, we were fairly wet. The top afforded little in the way of views, but a convenient wind shelter made from boulders allowed for some rest before the descent.

For whatever reason on the way down, the beauty and enormity of the landscape really started to hit us. We hadn’t seen much on the drive up due to the darkness, but here right out in the middle of the wilderness with not another soul around but us, there really was a feeling of mystique that eludes any proper description. In one moment I understood what has brought master painters and movie directors alike to the Highlands- they’re just beautiful. The mountains looked like hills because of their gradual rise and lack of trees or the typical rocky façade, but a more thoughtful gaze revealed that they were far bigger than any hill I had ever seen. If you don’t really focus, the scale of the place can be lost on you. 

That night, after the hike, we returned to Inverness where I tried haggis for the first time. I’d been waiting to eat it in the Highlands as I thought that would be most appropriate, and I’ve got to say it tasted pretty good. It was served on top of mashed potatoes, and in that fashion it reminded me a lot of ground beef.

After another night in Inverness, we set a course for home down the West coast of the famed Loch Ness. Just as in Burma when I saw the Kayan women with the gold rings around their necks, Loch Ness was definitely a watershed moment for me in terms of realizing that I was actually seeing some of these famous and remote things with my own eyes. After watching countless TV documentaries about Loch Ness, standing on the shore was pretty awesome and I made sure to grab a rock to bring back with me. The scenery looks a lot different than it does on TV, more mountainous with less rolling hills than one might expect, but the view was still amazing to put it lightly. We stopped at Urquhart Castle halfway down the length of the loch, but settled for taking pictures from above because of the high price of admission (which I hadn’t expected).

Luckily, our last stop provided a much better opportunity to explore a medieval castle, this one situated near the base of the tallest peak in Britain, Ben Nevis. Inverlochy Castle in Fort Williams, circa 1270’s, is mostly ruined now, but that only added to its romantic allure. Watching part of Braveheart before the trip didn’t hurt either.  According to one of the info-placards outside the castle, Queen Victoria once visited and was not impressed, saying something to the effect that there wasn’t much left to see. I have to disagree, as I found the ruin nothing short of fascinating. Walking along the ramparts I couldn’t help but be impressed by the authenticity of it. It’s a real castle, and real battles were fought over it for hundreds of years. You just don’t get that sense of the distant past in America.

After leaving Fort Williams we headed home and returned the rental without incident, thankfully. Although the trip ended up costing almost double what we had estimated, it was definitely worth it for me. The scenery without a doubt lived up to expectations, and a road trip with friends  beats sitting around on the weekend any day. I apologize if this post seems a little rushed, but I’ve got a flight leaving Edinburgh in few hours to... somewhere. You’ll have to check my next post to find out, but suffice to say I’m highly enthused.

Anyway, here are some additional pictures.