The Highlands: Day Three
Our final day began on a quiet Sunday morning as we packed up our belongings from the Stationmaster’s Lodge, located in Stromeferry. Some of us had opted to venture out on a boat with Neil, a local fisherman. We spent an hour catching our own scallops which was a brilliant experience. After saying our goodbyes we headed towards the small town of Fort Augustus where the most famous Loch of all is situated – Loch Ness. We were luckily enough to finally experience some sun, which hadn’t been present for much of the weekend. The highlands were well and truly in the transition period between seasons.
Fort Augustus is a lovely little town with a lot of charm, we planned to have our lunch stop here and ate probably the nicest fish and chips I had during my time in the UK. Whilst the sun had arrived, it was still the edge of winter and spring wasn’t even close to being within proximity. Regardless this didn’t deter some of the group from diving into the icy waters of Loch Ness – all for the bucket list! Props to them though, as I certainly felt quite cozy rugged up in my four layers (scarf included). We had a pleasant trip back towards Stirling, stopping along the way to take final photos of the largest mountain range in the United Kingdom, which wasn’t covered by mist. Along the way whilst most people caught up on sleep I chatted to others about our respective home countries. Nory was interested to hear about Australian politics and others gave their best shot at an Australian accent. (Props to Hannah from Chicago who came the closest!) Up until this trip I never realised that the Australian pronouncement of water was so strange to others. Our final stop before returning to our respective departure points was to The Hermitage. It features an incredible forest backdrop with many fir trees and the waterfalls are stunning!
I felt so privileged to have been able to experience this trip with some amazing new friends. It was such a highlight of not only my time in Scotland but my entire trip away. The Highlands have such an incredible history and expressive landscape, which are special to so many of the Scottish population. Over the course of three days Nory traced hundreds of years of Scottish history, covering politics the arts and international events. Throughout this history he spoke passionately about the folk stories which are passed down through generation within Scottish families. It felt amazing to hear how much the country mean to not only him, but many others we met along the way. I can’t wait to return to Scotland again one day and visit both new places and those I’ve seen before. My final post on Scotland will be arriving shortly and afterwards there will still be plenty left to explore.
Kathleen Freeman is a graphic designer and freelance writer; she is currently undertaking a Media and Communications degree. In her spare time she continues the search to find the book/coffee shop combination store throughout the globe.
All images, unless otherwise stated, are copyright of Kathleen Freeman, and may not be reproduced without express written permission of the author.