Day 7: Adventures in Scotland
Day 7: Adventures in Scotland was just like the previous 6 days in that it was even better than we expected! The AirBnB that I found was easy walking to all of the Old Town City Center of Inverness that we wanted to see. The best part was that we had a rest from driving all day. We didn’t even have to drive to our Jacobite Loch Ness Cruise.
I hadn’t realized that the bus was part of the cruise! The bus station was only a 9 minute walk from the AirBnB. Trust me, if I ever get to go back to Inverness, and I dearly want to, I will stay at the gorgeous Riverside AirBnB again. Not only was it overlooking River Ness, it was a short walk across Waterloo Bridge to Mcleod’s Fish & Chips. We ate lots of fish and chips while we were in Scotland!
Morning Stroll Around Inverness
We had a lovely early morning stroll around Inverness before The Victorian Market opened. The Inverness Castle Experience was still under construction so we weren’t able to visit. However, the Flora MacDonald statue is in front of it and I wanted to get pictures.
Have I mentioned how much I enjoy the Scots? They are the nicest, most helpful people with the best sense of humor! As I was taking pictures a very nice lady bicycled up to my aunt and asked if she could help us. My aunt explained that I was getting pictures of the Flora MacDonald statue even though it was surrounded in scaffolding. This kind lady looked at my aunt and said, “She was never here. Flora MacDonald. She was never in Inverness.” And then she gave us a history of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his escape to France from Skye. We were delighted! She could not have found a more appreciative audience than my aunt and I.
A friend had told us about the charms of The Victorian Market and Leaky’s Bookshop. We had been looking forward to visiting both during the 2020 trip that was cancelled. They were both as impressive as we anticipated. Not only did my aunt and I enjoy a delicious breakfast at Bad Girl Bakery in The Victorian Market, but I went back for a Sultana Scone for us to have with our lunch. Wow! If you ever have a chance, treat yourself to something amazing at Bad Girl Bakery-you won’t regret it!
Afternoon Loch Ness Cruise
Another thing that we were looking forward to doing in 2020 was the Jacobite Loch Ness Temptation Cruise. The Temptation Tour is 4 glorious hours that starts with a guided coach ride to Dochgarroch Lock, where you get on the boat to cruise the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness with entertaining tour guides.
Then you land at Urquhart Castle. The storeroom was the only place in the castle we didn’t see. I felt dizzy as soon as I glanced down those tiny people-filled steps and my feet refused to move in that direction! My feet were quite happy to take me away to all of the other fascinating parts of the castle. Historic Scotland has done a fantastic job of bringing the history of Urquhart Castle to life. We tried to leave a little time to visit the Gift Shop before the coach ride back to Inverness bus station. There was just so much to see! We went a different route back to Inverness so we could see more of the area. Again, our 2020 dreams were not disappointed with our 2025 trip!
The Boat Cruise to Urquhart Castle
Cruising down the Caledonian Canal we saw Dochfour House with it’s cannon. Then from Loch Ness there’s Bona Lighthouse, Aldourie Castle, and Urquhart Castle. Sadly we didn’t get any pictures of Nessie while on the Loch.
Urquhart Castle
Perfect Ending to Day 7 Adventures in Inverness
Dinner from MacLeod’s Traditional Scottish Fish & Chips was the perfect ending to day 7 adventures in Inverness. The fish, chips, onion rings, and homemade tartar sauce were absolutely delicious.
I won’t wax eloquent or start writing poetry about the food in Scotland, but I could! The fish in the sea towns is so fresh, as are all of the other meats, produce, and dairy products. If you are a foodie and like farm to table, you need to visit Scotland. Your tastebuds will thank you!
Day 7: Adventures in Scotland did basically go as planned or what would have been planned if I had noticed that the bus was part of the Jacobite cruise itinerary! Our 5 year old dream of walking along the River Ness, sightseeing in Inverness, and the Jacobite cruise proved to be as amazing as we had hoped!
Of course, there wasn’t time for all of the ‘Things to See’ that I had listed on my day 7 spreadsheet. As you will see in our next day of adventures that there truly is such a thing as ‘Scotland time’ where you get lost in the wonders of Scotland!
