Thursday, July 11 – Invergordon
We have sailed south through the North Sea, and in to Cromarty Firth (an estuary or narrow inlet) and we are now anchored in the busy deep water port harbour at Invergordon, Scotland. This port was a naval base during the 1st and 2nd world wars and now is a transportation hub and servicing hub for the North Sea Oil Rigs.
We left the dock very early this morning for our excursion because the ship will be leaving port early afternoon to make the long haul to Leith (Edinburgh) for tomorrow morning. Our route took us through some gorgeous scenery of the highlands and through Inverness, 24 miles to the south, the capital of the Highlands. Inverness has a population of 80,000 and has a strong economy based on Life Sciences companies and tourism.
The area around Inverness is rich in history, and the Jacobite uprisings to restore the House of Stuart to the British throne. The Battle of Culloden is nearby, where the Jacobites were outnumbered and out powered by the British and they were weak from fatigue and hunger fighting for Bonnie Prince Charlie. There are stories of Flora MacDonald and how she was able to help him escape to the Isle of Skye after the battle of Culloden in 1746. Prince Charlie was dressed as “Betty Burke”, Flora’s Irish maidservant, and they escaped to Skye just moments before the British militia landed nearby.
Our guide gave us some information regarding the Highlands as we travelled the country side. I have to admit that I’m getting pretty brain dead and just enjoyed the ride for most of today without taking notes or really listening at times.
Fun Facts about the Highlands:
– a population of 240,000 are spread throughout a huge territory, producing a density of only 12 people per square mile, some of the lowest in all of Europe.
-Whisky is “The water of life” in Gaelic.
– 1.3 million bottles of whisky per year are produced in the Highlands, and shipped to many countries – top 3 France, India, and the US.
– the main industries are Forestry (farmed), Farming, tourism
-43% of highlanders are employed in the tourism industry.
– difference in rainfall from east to west of the Highlands ( Isle of Mull has 240 days of rain whereas the East has only 150)
-Highland cows or coos are the oldest bred of cattle in the world. They have shaggy coats (which keep them warm in the brutal Highland winters) and horns and are raised mostly for the meat. They can live for 20 years.
After an hour or so we arrived at the Loch Ness Boat mooring, on the Caledonian canal (designed by Thomas Telford, a very prolific engineer and designer of infrastructure throughout Scotland). The Canal joins 4 lochs and allows boats to navigate the 65 miles from Inverness to Fort William.
Fisher in the middle of the river, only up to his hips. Great salmon fishing apparently. The Scots pronounce the “l” in salmon.
The first Loch the Caledonian Canal empties into is our destination for today, Loch Ness. It is 23 miles in length and up to 230 metres deep, the largest body of water in Britain by volume and the 3rd deepest lake of Europe.
You will all have heard about the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, Nessie. A surgeon, Robert Kenneth Wilson’s photo of 1934 which supposedly showed the head and neck of the monster, has been considered a hoax since 1994 and the photographer has admitted to it being a doctored picture. But that hasn’t stopped the world-wide interest in hunting for Nessie, including sonar explorations and DNA surveys. There is a fellow who lives on the Loch who has sold all his worldly belongings and lives in a travel trailer and spends every waking moment on the lookout for Nessie. We didn’t see her.
We did however see Urquhart Castle ruins and we left our boat to take more passengers on the return trip so that we could tour the ruins.
Urquhart Castle was built in the 13th century and was once one of Scotland’s largest castles. Control of the castle passed back and forth between the Scots and the English and the last British soldiers garrisoned here during the Jacobite Rising blew up the castle when they left. The north tower is the only element of the castle still somewhat intact.
As you can see, a lot of local tourism has sprouted up around the Nessie legend. There are themes parks, hotels, playgrounds etc all dedicated to the search for Nessie.
We made our way back to the ship and sadly spent some time this afternoon packing to leave the ship in Edinburgh tomorrow. There was a farewell event in the lounge for the Captain of the ship to introduce the officers and as many of the crew as could abandon their posts. They are the hardest working team, and yet they seem to have some fun along the way. Windstar does some things good, and some things great. And their onboard staff make them great.
Sadly we leave the ship, but happily we have 3 nights in Edinburgh before heading home.
Lois' Adventures 