UK trip part 4

May 21, 2007 - Balmoral Castle/Inverness/Loch Ness/Fort William, Scotland

Next, it was a quick stop at Balmoral castle, on the way north, to Inverness, in search of monsters. Then down through the highlands to Fort William, for the night.

Balmoral castle is (was) the royal getaway palace, hunting paradise, built for Queen Vic in the 1850's. It was previously the site a castle from the 1500's, which was knocked down in lieu of this replacement.

the day's route

mind the squirrels (1.8mb vid)

preemptive peek

some summer cottage

same place

..from the gardens

the bridge to balmoral (10.6mb vid)
balmoral approach (6.1mb vid)
balmoral walk about (13.2mb vid)
the gardens (6.4mb vid)

one of the estate's garden houses

Only one castle room was actually open to the public, and no pictures were allowed. It looked to be a small ballroom with a number of pictures and some showcases with old dresses displayed, along with a video playing of a royal family visit from 1991.

So, castle tour complete, we headed north, towards Inverness.

eastern highlands driving (8.6 mb vid)

sheepish round-up (7.6 mb vid)

Inverness, the latitude equivalent of some where in the middle of Hudson's bay, except with a climate seemingly comparable to southern Ontario. Even so, a short stroll through the local mall revealed a culture we had not yet seen prevalent anywhere else on this trip. Punk gothic is the best way i can describe the look of the little people. Generally straight died black hair, with the odd flourescent coloured streak, along with a few mohawks. Black clothes, lots of body metal, dangly chains, dark make-up...and that's just the guys here.

Being in scary lochness monster territory, we went to a local shop to buy gifts. As i completed the purchase of a stuffed Nessy toy doll for a little boy, i took the opportunity to spring my idea on the cash register lady. Somthing about inventing stories of a fake local monster to attract tourists. She said she believes in the loch ness monster, but Lake Tahoe has copied their idea, and made up stories of one for their lake.

Inverness, and not a bagpiper in sight

..the shores of Lochness, and not a monster in sight (6.2 mb vid)

..and on the other side of the lake, Urquhart castle

(2.4 mb vid)

perhaps the monster got this one

last shot before stopping at Fort William for the night, where there was no internet..still

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