Highlands Tour
October 14-15, 2017
Our second and final field trip with USAC was to the Highlands. What a weekend! With Nory at the helm once again, we knew we were in good hands (no Allstate reference intended). From Stirling we headed northwest with a brief stop at Doune Castle where Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed. Then we travelled on through Callander where the last witch was prosecuted in Scotland in what year? 1944, you say? And she was arrested for suspicion of magical espionage during World War II? Yes and yes. Scotland's law against witchcraft was finally repealed in 1951. The Scots are clearly a very forward-thinking people. No, I'm just joshing. The Scots are actually a brilliant bunch. Just check out all the things they've invented.
As we headed towards the Highlands the landscape began to morph. We passed lochs and mystical woods as the hills grew into mountains. We stopped and stretched our legs with a hike up the hill behind the grave of Scottish folk hero and cow thief, Rob Roy. It was quite the quad workout but it garnered some beautiful shots of the distant Highlands and a quick history lessons about the Scottish clans.
We hopped back on the bus and headed deeper into the glens, stopping in Killin to eat lunch on some big ol' boulders in the middle of the River Dochart.
Our trip continued towards Glen Coe, one of the most iconic places in the Highlands and site of the brutal massacre of 38 of the McDonald clan in the 17th century. The landscape really began to change as we drove further into the Highlands. The hills rose, delicate waterfalls appeared among the mountains, and the trees became sparse. There were clear delineations in the tree lines where forests still remained. This is because the trees in the Highlands today are grown only to be chopped down. The whole of the Highlands used to be covered in Caledonian pines, but a few centuries ago Scotland was deforested in order to provide more grazing land for sheep. The vast majority of the trees that remain in the Highlands today are not even varieties native to Scotland, instead they are the quickest growing types planted for the forestry industry. It is difficult to imagine the Highlands covered in woods because today looks like an almost martian landscape, but is beautiful nonetheless.
Our last photo op of the day was Eilean Donan Castle, which has been featured in several films including Made of Honor. It is exactly what you expect of a Scottish castle. It sits on its own little island between Loch Duich and Loch Alsh. It was evening so tours of the interior were done for the day (another reason to go back!), but we walked around the outside and breathed in the foggy Highland air. We made a quick stop at the grocery to pick up haggis, neeps, and tatties for dinner then headed to our adorable home for the night in Stromeferry on Loch Carron. Nory prepared us a delicious, traditional Scottish for dinner with the help of some of us students, of course. We sat around the fireplace and talked, some of us played pool, others Jenga, while others read. It was one of the best nights of the whole semester.
Early the next morning we headed to Loch Ness. Nory told us that we could go swimming in the loch if we were crazy, so about half the group put on their bathing suits and waded in the chilly water. I whipped off my pants and went in myself but kept my long-sleeved shirt on because it was friggin' cold! It was only about 40 degrees that morning. Thankfully nobody got hypothermia nor did Nessie bite anybody's bottom.
Onward we travelled from mythical lake monsters to magical train bridges. Our next stop was Glenfinnan, of Harry Potter renown. We hiked up the top of another of Scotland's big old hills to take in the spectacular vistas the towns had to offer, although we about blew off the top in the gale force winds. But, boy, was it worth it! To one side was Loch Shiel and Glenfinnan Monument, to the other was the famous viaduct.
We began heading back towards the Lowlands but had outstanding views the whole journey home. It was incredible because it only got more beautiful the longer we drove. We stopped for an authentic lunch of fish and chips and even ate outside! A rare occurrence in Scotland, but the sun had peaked its head out of the clouds and warmed up the afternoon. A few more hours of driving and it was teatime. Oh, how they love their tea and cakes in the UK. We ought to adopt that practice in the US. "Everybody, stop what you are doing and eat a slice of cake!" We had our snack at a local farm shop with sheep out in the surrounding fields and then we headed on.
Our final stop of our Highland trip was at The Hermitage. It is a magical forest with an even more magical waterfall hidden in the middle of it. You follow the path through the trees until you come to a small, cylindrical building randomly plopped in the woods. There are two chambers inside the building and as you open the door into the second a balcony appears and beyond it is a waterfall. Quite the strange experience but, hey, that's Scotland for you! Full of magic and mystery...
Our final stop of our Highland trip was at The Hermitage. It is a magical forest with an even more magical waterfall hidden in the middle of it. You follow the path through the trees until you come to a small, cylindrical building randomly plopped in the woods. There are two chambers inside the building and as you open the door into the second a balcony appears and beyond it is a waterfall. Quite the strange experience but, hey, that's Scotland for you! Full of magic and mystery...
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