Waking up in the thick of the Highlands on Glencoe Road with rain falling on the roof of the motorhome and the best of scenery ahead of us was a real treat. Immediately as we departed our camp for the night the road opened up into an impressive valley of green, barren and some snow capped mountains. The rain and that iconic Scottish mist made it all just feel as though this is how it should be seen.
It is all very cliché to say, but pictures just do not give this place justice. I am no photographer of course, but honestly scrolling back through the pictures makes me think, but it was bigger, it was greener, it was more mystical. At any moment a dragon was going to swoop into the valley and bathe us in dragon’s breathe! This place is straight out of all the fantasy novels I have been reading most of my life! We entered another realm and it was spectacular.
Lunch time soon came and went but when we spotted this place, The Cluanie Inn, our tummies said it was time to eat. What a setting and so bright white against the Scotish landscape! Food was delicious (I had a Scotish beef stew) and Tanya claimed the fish n chips as the best so far.
The road pops you out on the west coast at Glencoe of course. We tried to stop for coffee and cake, but it didn’t work here so we drove on to Fort William for an explore and that coffee and well, not cake but what became second breakfast…
From here we headed to Glenfinnan mostly hoping to see the famous viaduct that runs the Hogwarts Express but alas the carpark was full and there was no where else for us to park Big Bertha and her side kick so an awkward u-turn had us back on track for the next stop of Eilean Donan castle.
The castle sits on a little island which has a bridge built over tidal flats. History had the castle destroyed and sitting in ruin until the current family bought it and rebuilt it in 1911. This impressive structure is currently owned the MacRae clan but has been occupied by Mackenzie clan and many others previously. This is now my favourite castle, not just because it is so very ‘castlely’ (word of the day!) but because they had it laid out with all the furniture and fittings. You cannot take pictures so I can’t share visuals, but I can tell you that this castle is set out very much like a grand home including family snaps of the current owner and her family memories from weddings to clan gatherings. In the kitchen they have statues of working staff preparing meals which are all set out with moulds of the food, game hanging in the meat locker and even the kitchen cat lurking for scraps. So very well done – kudos to the MacRae foundation on the experience. 5 🌟
From here was a short drivr to the Skye Bridge giving us a ferry free access to the Isle of Skye and our drivers were about done for the day. We found a great little roadside park near Luib in a lovely little sea side bay. Wayne even braved an ocean swim (madness!). Given we were more or less on the main road in, it was a peaceful spot to camp and certainly will be a memorable one!
Tip #12 if the pictures look good, real life is better!
My Happy Travels 