Loch Ness - Foyers Falls , FortAugustus, Urquhart Castle and Drumnadrochit.

Before we departed for the infamous Loch Ness we made a quick detour east of Invernesss to 'Culloden'. It was a bright but breezy morning to visit the site of the last battle fought on British soil in April 1746. The Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart were decisively beaten by loyalist troops commanded by the Duke of Cumberland. We didn't hang around for too long as we had 'Nessie' to find ! We too the B852 to Dores taking the more picturesque south side of Loch Ness. We stopped off at 'Foyers Falls' where they say the more rain the merrier and best to visit after a wet day. Well today it should should be full of mirth and joy at least. By taking a trail through the woods you can view upper and lower falls that plunge a spectacular 200 ft. The almighty roar of the rushing water is as inspiring as the view itself.

 
Carrying on our 'hill country drive' we arrived at the bustling canalside of 'Fort Augustus'. We had a nice wander and a decent pint of beer in the 'Lock in'. The Caledonian Canal connecting Fort William to Inverness passes through Fort Augustus in a dramatic series of locks stepping down to Loch Ness. We quickly moved on as very busy with tourists but there were some nice view points of Loch Ness.
 
 As we made the turn on the A82 to travel the north side of Loch Ness we stopped at Urquhart Castle. It stands magnificently on the edge of the Loch and was formerly on of Scotland's largest castles.Founded in the 13th century, Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. It was subsequently held as a royal castle, and was raided on several occasions by the MacDonald Earls of Ross.

Our next point of call as we continued our circular route was the splendidly named 'Drumnadrochit'. There is a big Loch Ness Monster visitor centre there, in fact everything seemed to be focussed on the 'mythical monster'. In the gift shop you could just about get anything with it's image on from a fridge magnet to a kilt. I failed to be persuaded of any existence of a monster and suspect if merely hype from the local tourist board. My theory is that what somebody might have seen are otters 'surfing' through the water. We decided to veer off piste via the A831 to to Cannich followed by a minor road to Glen Affric. This really is an area of outstanding beauty. We did have a little wander until we had our first encounter with the notorious 'midges' who forced us back to the car. Unfortunately we had left the windows down so they had already made themeselves at home. It’s a classic landscape of perfectly-placed lochs, mountains and a wonderful mix of pine, birch and oak trees. The woodland is one of the best examples of the Caledonian Forest that once covered much of Scotland. The rich environment is an important haven for wildlife, so the whole glen is protected as a National Nature Reserve.