Stunning Skye and Inverness in Scotland (#12)

We planned a quick two day trip to see the Inverness and upper Scotland by train. However, we fell in love with the scenery and accommodations so stayed an extra two days.

This picture is taken with the iPhone next to the window to reduce glare.

Inverness is stunningly beautiful!

We had this amazing bedroom, which is all the more wonderful when you've lived on a boat for a year, out of a suitcase for 2 months, and traveling in Europe for 1 month. Two chairs is a real luxury!

When we were traveling when Ted was deployed for the first time, we decided to travel and save points by using Best Westerns. And every now and then we would find the Worst Western. This hotel, by almost any standards, is definitely a BEST Western. We ended up staying 4 days instead of 2 days to rest and relax. We had to cut time off our stay in Liverpool for this stay.

The first day we arrived we had a full day bus tour to see the Isle of Skye. Part of the trip was to stop and take pictures. Every stop did not disappoint.

This is a bit of the scramble behind the scenes of the stunning shots.

This picture shwos the peat that all over Ireland and England they would squares of the earth, dry, and use for fuel. We learned in the Republic of Ireland they are still somewhat grandfathered in on some old estates, but the EU wants to ban the practice for the climate.

We spent some time in this little town for our lunch break.

This is the bay from the picture above. There is a 30 ft tide range and in severe king tide events the second row of boats will be on ground.

Our tour guide shared many local Celtic legends of the area that he had grown up hearing including stories about fairies, witches, and monsters. The end of the story included a legent about how If you put water in your face for 7 seconds, you would end up being more beautiful. I do not think anyone on our bus did the 7 second water trick.

The fog on the hills were also stunning. The tour guide said we were lucky to have so many of the key sites without fog so we could take pictures.

Back in Inverness we walked around and just enjoyed the views and the sound of the river water. The rocks were visible and there was a fisherman wading which reminded me of my grandfather who would fish in Montana near Yellowstone.

There were a few of these bridges. This one bounced a bit. We walked it on our own and later with a tour. When more people were on it really bounced and moved around.

Stay: 4 Nights

Best Western Inverness Palace Hotel

Pros: Beautiful spacious room, great customer service, stunning views, much to do, great place to relax, great breakfast, tasty food options

Cons: not enough time

Rating: Favorite Stop - 5+ Stars