Brit Isles - Sea Day & Invergordon, Scotland

 We were glad to have another sea day to rest up.

The info boards on each floor by the elevators always told you where you were

It was a little cool out so not too many watching the movie.  What movie is playing?

She almost won.  She went home with $300

The next day, we woke up in Invergordon, Scotland.  The weather was overcast and light showers, but forecast said by afternoon it would be sunny.  Not sure I believed it.

You can't have this much green without lots of rain

Our first stop on our all day tour was Urquhart Castle, which is mostly ruins, dating back to the 13th century on the banks of the Loch Ness. ("Loch" means Lake) The castle was a fortress that played an important role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century.  The castle was also a palace for royalty and was often involved in several attempts to overtake the castle.  It's was one of the largest castles in Scotland and today is one of the most visited castles in Scotland

The is the mote, no longer used

We then boarded a boat and took a 45 minute ride through Loch Ness. We looked for Nessie, but must have blinked when she came up for air, as we didn't see her

Loch Ness is the largest lake in Scotland

        

VIDEO:

Our next stop was Cawdor Castle in Nairnshire. And look, the sun is out and rain is gone!

This is Corey's family castle, as it was originally called Calder Castle, and Corey's last name is Calder!  The castle was first built during the 15th century and soon passed from the Calder family to the Campbell family.  My great-grandparents were Campbells from Wales/Scotland area!  The castle is still owned by the Campbell family and is still lived in by them

            

As with most castles, there is an extensive garden area as well

Back on the bus, we headed to our next stop passing by rolling hills everywhere....

And this "Harry Potter" train bridge

We arrived at Culloden Battlefield

Culloden Battlefield is a very important and respected place in Scotland.  In 1746 a battle took place here between the "Jacobites" who were a group of people trying to reclaim the British Throne against the British Government trying to keep what they already had.  The battle was lopsided with the British Government having a huge upper hand.  The Jacobites had about 5400 soldiers who were tired, hungry, and had inferior weapons.  The British Government on the other hand, had about 8000 soldiers and advanced weapons. The battle only took about 40 minutes. But in that time, the Jacobites lost over 1000 men and the Government about 50. The graves of the dead remain as they were and flags along the paths show where the two sides began the war.

The Jacobites consisted of many different "clans" or families, from the Scottish Highlands

Our tour guide sang a song from the battlefield and passed around whiskey. As was tradition, everyone took a sip from the same flask, representing respect for those that died here:

            

Time to head back to the bus.  This guy was playing as we boarded the bus

We loved today!  It was a great day and loved learning more about the history of Scotland