Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs was a pleasant way to start the day after a night sleeping on a very old worn out bed. Aches and pains were not what we planned!

After breakfast we walked around the little village of Fort Augustus and watched a large boat travel through a series of locks stepping down to Loch Ness. This is part of the Caledonian Canal connecting the southeast with the northwest. 97 kilometres, one third man made, the rest made up of a number of lochs. It was interesting watching how it worked.

The next stop along the shores of Loch Ness was, you guessed it, a castle! Urquhart Castle is a medieval ruin with a fantastic view. It was blown up several hundred years ago to stop the enemy taking hold.

(As we travelled along Loch Ness we didn't see any monsters though...).

Our drive then took a meander through the countryside. We travelled down birch tree lined country roads where the lichen dripped from the trees, the ferns filled the edges and the river followed along side. Beautiful!

As we left our little side trip we arrived at Inverness and stopped at the Culloden battlefield. There was a museum beside the battlefield which is classified as a war grave. I joined a guided tour of the battlefield and listened in to a brief history of the happenings between the Jacobites (with 'Bonnie Prince Charlie') and the government of the time. It was really interesting as I have very little knowledge of English or Scottish history. It was also a bit sad to stand on the grounds where over 1500 people lie buried in mass graves as a result of civil war. "War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!".

In Inverness we checked into our B&B then went to the local pub for dinner. They sell wine here in 250ml serves! But officer I only had 3 glasses... Of course, it was a nice New Zealand wine I have at home in the fridge!