A Wicked UK Tour, Part 4 - A Highland Fling

From St. Andrews Bel and I then headed west to the opposite coast of Scotland, up into the Scotish Highlands, for a bit more R&R. We'd received a bit of an inside tip from Chis and Bec for a B&B in Glencoe, so off we headed, unsure of what to expect.

Duck, duck, duck...

Arriving in Glencoe hours later, we discovered that there isn't too much to Glencoe, other than great views, a couple of small shops, great views, relaxing quiet, and great views. It was pretty easy to see why some of the scenery for various Harry Potter films was filmed up here. Our host at the B&B even informed us that he got to use one of the porta-loos that were brought in for the crew when they left them unlocked one night. He said it looked like a normal porta-loo from the outside, but on the inside it was all marble and pretty spiffy.

The Highlands

Urquhart Castle

After dinner at the local pub (I had a venison burger which was to die for), a DVD in our room, and a great sleep (the best that I had had in a while) we downed our excellent breakfast (including porridge and crumpets), enjoying the aforementioned awesome views, before picking up our packed lunch from the B&B (yes, they did packed lunches!!!) and headed out for a day at Loch Ness and the ruins of the Urquhart castle.

Urquhart Castle

Urquhart Castle

After a freezing couple of hours at the castle (views are great, but I would never have wanted to live there due to the cold weather and the constant invasions and sackings of the castle) we headed back to the B&B with a few short stops to look at the bridge that appears in a few Harry Potter films and Ben Nevis. On the way back we managed to get a massive chip in the windscreen of the rental car after an oncoming car flicked up a stone from the really poorly surfaced roads. This caused me a crazy amount of stress over the next few days, as we had chosen not to pay down the excess on the car, and I had neglected to take out the 1GBP a day insurance on the windscreen. Given that I had been stung before by this same rental company for a windscreen (which I didn't chip), I knew that this was going to cost a pretty penny. :(

Urquhart Castle

Ben Nevis

That night, after chatting with the B&B owner and playing with their dog for an hour or so, we had dinner at one of the few little restaurants in town and put on a Harry Potter film in the room (and I proceeded to fall asleep pretty much straight away). The next morning we enjoyed our breakfast views, porridge, crumpets, etc. before piling back into the car and heading off to Edinburgh to visit Jarek and Evelyn.

Urquhart Castle

Tschüß,
Brushy.