Sadly, today is our last day in Scotland. Just as with most of the things we've done on this trip, we feel like we certainly could have spent more time in this gorgeous country. After a full Scottish Breakfast (well, for Ray, anyway) including blood pudding we repacked our bags and loaded up our hire car one last time. We started our day by backtracking a little bit; we drove south, down the west side of Loch Ness, to visit Urquhart Castle. The history of the castle goes back as far as the 6th Century, but the castle was (intentionally) exploded by "loyal" Scots in 1692, to prevent the Jacobites using it as a strong hold in the first uprising.
Ray and I spent the surprisingly sunny and warm day exploring the castle, which is situated on the edge of Loch Ness and offered some gorgeous views.
Ray and I climbed to the top of the highest remaining tour to take advantage of the views. It was a two-directional spiral staircase that was probably only big enough for one direction.... so Ray sent me down, while he continued to snap a few shots - turns out we even got some of each other!
After lunch in the sunshine we hopped back in the car for the scenic view up Loch Ness, back through Inverness, and over to Culloden Battlefield. The Battle of Culloden was the last battle fought on Brittish soil and it was the final battle of the second Jacobite uprising in 1745. It was a decisive victory for the crown and began a siege that ended the highland way of life forever. It was a fitting last stop in the Scottish leg of our vacation. I have been to Culloden twice before, but never fully understood what it was all about. In recent years the National Trust has built an incredibly impressive and high-tech visitor center, explaining not only about the Battle of Culloden, but the events leading up to the Jacobite uprising, the battle and the aftermath. Probably the most impressive part was the room that had images of the battle re-enactment projected on all four walls, it was like being immersed into the actual battle. After the visitors center we wandered out on to the battlefield to view the monument and the clan stones.
At 3:00 we pilled into the car for the last time. Fortunately, I had thought to ask in the gift shop, where the closest gas station was. It wasn't too far off the beaten path, but it certainly
was not on the way to the airport! We returned the car and boarded our flight to London without much incident!
The flight to London was pretty quick, Ray spent most of the time HDR-ing the photos he had been taking and I did a bit of reading. We arrived at Gatwick and settled down in a coffee shop to wait for Mary Ann to arrive. Mary Ann one of Charles and Mary's daughters; she is practically my big sister and was so helpful in planning our trip. Mary Ann now lives in Sussex, which we found out is super close to Gatwick. Actually, Mary Ann said that it took her longer to find parking at the airport than it took her to drive there! We had a quick (but wonderful) visit and then Mary Ann set us on the train into London.
To add to the amazingness of the Nasmyths, Mary Ann had also arranged for us to stay in the spare room of the London flat she and her husband own! Armed with keys, descriptions and a good map, we lugged our bags from the train station (all of 1.5 blocks) to the posh bachelor flat. Mary Ann's husband works in London, and the commute is too long to make every day. The purchased the flat so that he can stay there during the week, and it has many of the trappings of a man's palace, complete with overly complicated electronics (including the light switches/panels) and the fact that the bathroom light turns itself on and off!
We made a quick stop to drop off the luggage and the wandered the neighborhood to find a suitable pub for dinner. Our plans in London are pretty soft, we have a short list of things we want to do, but there is far too much to do for us to get too ambitious!