Hello Again, internet.
It’s been quite some time since I checked in here, and even longer since I put up a travel post. So, in brief: I am finally out of my residency and in the midst of a job search. More posts on that when I have something worth reporting. In the meantime, I am going to focus on finishing up the Scotland Posts, and enjoying time with the new ladyfriend. Free of my residency at last, everything is coming up milhouse!
Years and Years of books and films about Scotland have taught me one thing; namely, no trip to Scotland is complete without a visit to the highlands, for in the end, there can be only one
so off Brian and I set for the home of William Wallace and the highlanders, with a brief stop along the way to visit one of the most well known residents of the highlands
Hamish, the Hairy Coo, the most photographed animal in all of Scotland
Friendly. Powerful. Dopey. These are all descriptions that immediately leap to mind at the site of these gentle, goofy beasts
Hamish is a single dad, with his two calves, Hamish Jr and I forget.
A couple veggies are all it takes to get their undivided attention
But we had to bid a fond farewell to Hamish and his fold as we set off for the deep highlands, where along the way we hoped to catch a glimpse of the Hogwarts express coming back from summer break
Sadly, either the express was not running, or the train was not visible to our muggle eyes
The highlands are covered in bogs, peath and heather. They are Magnificent, marvelous…
And incredibly, freaking cold. These mountains create hardy folk, and being a bit of a mountain person myself, I can vouch that you do not want to mess with anyone who grew up in these hills
On rainy days, this river turns into a raging torrent that weeps for the slaughter carried out on the highlanders by the british king Longshanks
however, even the greatest sorrow must eventually heal, and even the worst weather will pass
and without rain, there would be no rainbows
As the fog lifted briefly, we journey deeper into the highlands and deeper into mystery, to begin our search for one of the most infamous lost legends still around
The waters of the local lochs began to darken, obscuring what may lie beneath. This region is no place to go unprotected
so we paid homage to the fighting men of the green berets
They trained in the highlands, some of the harshest conditions imaginable to survive in
hope and blessings restored we continued on to the little town of Ness
locks at the loch enable ferries, and perhaps other things to travel uphill and upriver
The sun briefly came out, but the fog quickly rolled back in. A mysterious and enchanted place this was
The townsfolk pay tribute to their patron
The black waters of Loch Ness are 21.8 square miles across and 230m (755 ft) deep, deeper than the height of London’s BT tower
It contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined and the low visibility of the water is due to the high peat content
seriously. freezing.
Scanning every inch from bow to stern, looking deep within the murkey waters, our eyes strained for a glimpse of the fabled monster
The earliest report of a monster associated with the vicinity of Loch Ness appears in the Life of St. Columba by Adomnán, written in the 7th century.According to Adomnán, writing about a century after the events he described, the Irish monk Saint Columba was staying in the land of the Picts with his companions when he came across the locals burying a man by the River Ness. They explained that the man had been swimming the river when he was attacked by a “water beast” that had mauled him and dragged him under. They tried to rescue him in a boat, but were able only to drag up his corpse. Hearing this, Columba stunned the Picts by sending his follower Luigne moccu Min to swim across the river. The beast came after him, but Columba made the sign of the cross and commanded: “Go no further. Do not touch the man. Go back at once
A brief glimpse of the monster confirmed its existence, and though we gave chase, it slipped away in the storm. So Brian and I had no choice but to turn back, wondering if any would believe our tale. It mattered not however; we knew the truth. So we climbed back on our bus and returned to Edinburgh from the highlands
and watched as the sun set on another adventure filled day.
Recent Comments