A Wee Bit of Time in the British Isles: The Scottish Highlands -- July 13-16

Inverness, Glen Affric, Loch Ness, Cawdor Castle, Fort George, Castle Urquhart, Corrimony Cairn, Blair Castle, and Stanley Mills textile mill

Fly fishing in the Highlands

Our cabin in Glen Affric

E: We went to a 4,000 year old cairn, which is burial place. It’s a mound of rocks with a hole in the middle. We went in the middle by crawling in a tunnel. Around the mound were stones about 3 feet high, and they looked like a mini-Stonehenge.

E: When were in the Highlands there was a shinty field right by our cabin so we got to see a game. Shinty is kind of like field hockey and lacrosse put together. It’s fun to watch. I found a shinty ball after the game, and I got to keep it.

No age restrictions on shinty referees

S: At the Loch Ness exhibit we learned that Nessie, the Loch Ness monster, is probably not real. The pictures that are supposed to be of it could easily be something else. The exhibit was fun. It had smoke come out in one part.

S: I really liked Castle Urquhart because it was a very big, interesting castle. In different periods different things were added on and taken away. It was on Loch Ness with really beautiful views. On the high tower you could see across the loch.

Castle Urquhart on Loch Ness

Hiking in Glen Affric natural area

Blair Castle

S: At Blair Castle there was a fancy room with stuffed birds with fancy hats. The guide told me that a bride who had a wedding at the castle did not like flowers so she used the stuffed birds for decorations. She made the hats. After the wedding they left the hats on the birds for the tours.

Relaxing by the super old trees at Blair Castle

A: Fort George was an English fort made to stop the Scots if they rebelled after the Jacobite rising. The fort had a few walls and was very defensive. It’s on the coast, and from over one of the walls we saw dolphins leaping up.