We decided we wanted to do the North Coast 500 route along the north coast of Scotland. Since we were planning to drive all the way north, we thought we would take our time getting there (and back) from London.
In the two weeks we took to get to Lochcarron to start the NC500 we visited the following places:
- Lincoln – Lincoln Castle, Lincoln Cathedral
- York – Shambles, York Minster, Clifford’s Tower, JORVIK Viking Centre, The Bloody Tour of York by Mad Alice
- York to Durham – Castle Howard, Rievaulx Abbey
- Hadrian’s Wall – Prudhoe Castle, Aydon Castle, Corbridge Roman Town, Sycamore Gap
- Glasgow – Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow Necropolis
- Loch Lomond – Buchanan Castle, Luss, The Cobbler, Dalmally
- Isle of Mull – Duart Castle, Iona, Tobermory
- Fort William – Steam Train, Steall Gorge and Waterfall
- Isle of Skye – Eilean Donan Castle, Fairy Glens, Cuith-Raing Trail, Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls Viewpoint, Man of Storr, Brothers’ Point, Fairy Pools
Day 1 – Lincoln
We were only in Lincoln for one night. We arrived later in the evening, so we only had time to explore Lincoln the following day before heading to our next destination. We started our day at Lincoln Castle.
Due to covid, you need to pre-book a ticket for entry to the inside area, which includes the Victorian Prison and the Magna Carta building. The ticket can also include the Medieval Wall Walk. The outside area, inside the walls, is open to the public. There’s a large green area to relax and enjoy he scenery.
We started inside by visiting the Victorian Prison, which includes the prison chapel. The chapel is fully open to explore, so you can stand in the individual stalls where prisoners had to stand during the chapel service. You can also stand at the front of the chapel and see the view looking over the prisoner stalls.
In the main prison area, there are a number of cells open to explore. Some of them had short videos playing on repeat with different stories about people that would have been imprisoned there. The videos are very well done and are great way to learn about the prisoners’ stories and life in the prison.
Next to the prison is the Magna Carta building which contains one of the few remaining copies of the Magna Carta. There is also a 20 minute video about the history and meaning of the Magna Carta.
After touring the inside area we had a picnic lunch in front of the bath house in the grounds. After lunch we were going to head across the road the cathedral but found that one of the daily tours was about to start. We decided to go on the tour before heading to the cathedral. The guided tours had only started up again (due to covid) the day before, so we were fortunate to be there when they were running. The tour guide we had was great, very informative and had some wonderfully interesting facts to share about the castle and the history of Lincoln. The tour guides are all volunteers with a love of history and sharing that history. We were very impressed.
After the hour-long tour, we headed across the street to the cathedral. The cathedral closed a bit earlier than the castle, so we decided to do the cathedral before doing the Medieval Wall Walk. For the cathedral we didn’t have to pre-book, and were able to buy tickets at the registration desk.
When you are inside, be sure to look out for the Lincoln Imp inside the cathedral. The Lincoln Imp is a grotesque on a wall that has become the symbol of the city of Lincoln. Legend tells of it being a creature sent to the cathedral by Satan but was turned into a stone by an angel.
After the cathedral we returned to Lincoln Castle to do the Medieval Wall Walk. The walk was around the outside of the castle walls and had great views of the cathedral and Lincoln town.
In the evening we left Lincoln and headed to York.
Day 2 – York
York was a complete surprise to both of us. When looking up activities to do there were a lot of options so we ended up planning a full day. I was looking forward to the activities, but I didn’t expect to enjoy wondering the streets of York as much as I did. The city had a great feel to it. It was larger, so lots to do, but still small and easy to walk around. The city centre was car free which allowed more room down the narrow streets to walk and explore without it ever feeling overly crowded.
We first headed to the York Minster, but found out that you had to pre-book tickets to enter (even though the website said nothing about having to pre-book). We were lucky and able to book tickets with an entry time in the next hour so we decided to explore the town while we waited.
We walked around the market and through the Shambles. The street in Shambles felt so much like Diagon Alley from Harry Potter. It’s unconfirmed, but rumor has it Diagon Alley was based on Shambles. You can totally see the similarities so it is definitely possible. There were some interesting shops (including several Harry Potter ones) and yummy looking food options (including a great chocolate shop).
After exploring the city for a bit we headed back to York Minster for a timed entry. The Minster had several great stained glass windows, including some beautiful ones in the Chapter House. While in the Chapter House make sure you look closely at the carvings above the seating areas. There are some very interesting ones worth checking out.
While we were there they were in the middle of restoring the organ pipes and had a lot of the organ pieces at ground level. Organs are one of my favorite things to check out inside cathedrals, so I was a bit disappointed not to be able to see the organ, however it was great to see some of the pipes up close. You could clearly see the designs on the pipes and the varied difference in size between the smallest and largest pipe. You usually don’t get the feel of how large they actually are when they are up high in their normal place.
After the cathedral we planned to head back near Shambles street to eat at the nearby food court. On our way there we stumbled across The York Roast which had YorkyPud Wraps. We realised earlier in the day that we were going to have to have a Yorkshire pudding while in York, and figured why not in a wrap!?! The wrap is a mix of meat and veggies wrapped together in a large Yorkshire pudding. It was pretty yummy!
After lunch we checked out the stores along Shambles street before making our way to The Potions Cauldron. While we were walking around earlier in the day we saw a sign about a “potion experience”. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but it wasn’t very experience so we decided to give it a try.
The experience takes place in a room behind the storefront and is basically an overview of their products after which you get to pick one to drink with your choice of poison (aka alcohol). The experience isn’t much, but you do get to enjoy a drink while sitting in an old Tutor building with a few “magical” objects placed around the room. I wouldn’t call it much of an experience, but the cost is basically the same as a drink that you can buy from the storefront, so we weren’t too disappointed.
After the potion experience, we headed towards the York Castle area. Near the York Castle Museum is a tower, Clifford’s Tower, perched on top of a large mound. To visit the tower you need to pre-book an entry time with English Heritage. By chance, I went online to see if I could book a timeslot for the near future and sure enough booked an entry immediately. The tower is the outside round wall without any rooms or roof, but you can walk around the top of the walls. The view from the wall walk was great looking over the city area.
After Clifford’s Tower we headed to the JORVIK Viking Centre. We booked an entry time for the Viking experience a day or two prior to our visit. The centre is located over an excavated site from a Viking settlement. You get to walk over (glass floor) the excavated area and see the boundaries of several Viking homes.
From there you go on a ride which takes you through an amazing recreation of a Viking settlement complete with houses, people, and market buildings. The ride includes a guided audio tour of what you are looking at, complete with noises and smells to really enhance the experience. After the ride you walk through several rooms filled with Viking artefacts and information on life in the settlement. We both really enjoyed this attraction and it was great to get information on the Vikings (something that we haven’t had the opportunity to learn about before).
After spending a little over an hour in the experience we grabbed some dinner. Our last planned activity for the day was The Bloody Tour of York by Mad Alice. It was a 90-minute walking tour with dark stories of York. The tour guide was amazing, and the stories were fantastic. They weren’t too over the top gory but included several stories about ghosts, criminals that were hanged for various crimes, and deadly diseases from the past.
I have to say the guide was fantastic! She was super engaging and very friendly (she took the time to talk to every group as we walked between sites). Also, I’m not sure how she did it, but she memorised everyone’s name! There was probably about 15 of us or so and she knew everyone’s name! Crazy! At the beginning she was asking each group the name used for the booking and then she would say the names of the other party members. It was so impressive and kept everything personalised by using our names during the tour. I’ve never seen that before…
Day 3 – York to Durham
We headed north from York towards Durham. We took the longer route so we could make a few stops, including Castle Howard and Rievaulx Abbey.
Castle Howard is a private residence that has been in the Howard family for over 300 years. Due to covid they are not doing any guided tours, but they had audio guides online that you could listen to using your phone as you toured the castle.
The areas of the castle you get to view are lovely. The Great Hall was stunning. It was two stories tall, contained a large fireplace, complete with a domed ceiling. The artwork along the walls and dome were beautiful. The fireplace was unique as it was completely open above the fireplace. The fireplace flute was directed to the side so the area above was open which allowed for a great view into The Great Hall from the staircase.
Unfortunately, there was a fire in the house in the 1940s so quite a few rooms were destroyed and have not yet been restored. The first few rooms, after the Great Hall, are not fully restored, but the later rooms are original. The Turquoise Room, Music Room, and Long Hall are stunning.
The grounds and gardens outside were beautiful. We walked out to the Temple of the Four Winds, where we had lunch, before heading back towards the castle via the lakes. We walked around the Atlas Fountain and then into the gardens. The grounds were all well-manicured and beautiful. The rose and walled gardens were huge and stunning. Make sure you leave time to visit the gardens. We had another stop planned after the castle otherwise we would have stayed longer to take in the beautiful gardens.
After Howard Castle we headed to Rievaulx Abbey. We almost didn’t stop here as we wanted to make sure we arrived in Durham before dark. Luckily, we made the right decision and stopped at the ruined abbey. It was stunning!
I don’t think either one of us was expecting it to be so large. There is so much still standing so you can really get a good feel of the original abbey buildings. There are some areas where the walls are still standing at full height, the only thing that is missing is the ceiling. It’s incredible and jaw dropping as you walk around the area. I am so glad we chose to go there as it has now become my favorite abbey (by far).
After the abbey we made our way to Durham. This was a stop for Ben as he went to Durham University and wanted to revisit his school days. Due to covid the university was closed so we walked about his old college grounds and then started our walk to the city centre. The walk between the college and the cathedral/town was very peaceful. There’s a lovely bridge that crosses over the river.
We arrived too late in the day so we could only view the cathedral from the outside, but it looked impressive. The castle, across from the cathedral, is part of Durham University. There are students that get to live in the castle, so it isn’t open to the public, but they do offer tours at different times throughout the year. Due to covid the university is completely closed, including the castle, so we could only see it from the outside.
Durham was a very pretty town, with beautiful old streets. The streets were practically empty, with no students and Durham not being a major tourist destination, there weren’t a lot of people around at this time, and it was a great chance to take some pictures of the beautiful streets. We stopped for lunch at a local taco joint and then headed back to the college (where are car was parked), this time by walking along the river. The walk was great along the river. Very peaceful and we did get to see a few rowers out on the river.
Our next stopover was Newcastle upon Tyne.
Day 4 – Newcastle upon Tyne and Hadrian’s Wall
We didn’t really plan to see much in Newcastle and stopped there as it was a good point before heading northwest to Glasgow. We stayed in a great hotel for the evening and then started our day heading west parallel to Hadrian’s Wall.
Our first stop was Prudhoe Castle. The castle was built as part of a series of Norman Castles after the Norman Conquest and was continuously occupied for over nine centuries. Prudhoe Castle was the only Northumberland castle to resist the Scots.
There isn’t much to see of the castle, expect the outer walls, the inner courtyard, and the chapel over the gatehouse. You can also walk along the outside of the castle in what would have been the moat. There are picnic tables within the walls which was a nice place to have lunch before moving on to Aydon Castle.
Aydon Castle was a bit of a surprise. It is still almost completely intact and is one of the most unaltered examples of a 13th century English manor house. It was originally built as an undefended residence, but was fortified early on during the outbreak of Anglo-Scottish warfare. The castle later became a farmhouse in the 17th century and was lived in up until 1966.
Visiting the manor house is great, as you get to visit every room and there are great information boards explaining when and what changed in each area over the years.
It was a great house to walk through and really get an idea of the living conditions without having to imagine too much as most of it is still standing. We both really enjoyed this visit.
Next we visited Corbridge Roman Town. There are a few Roman forts and settlements along the wall, but we decided to stop here as it was the largest ruins to view. The history of the town is incredible. It started as a military fort and changed into a bustling cosmopolitan town.
Corbridge Roman Town was likely the largest town of it’s kind this far north in the UK.
There is a large area of the town that has been excavated to show the foundations and walls of many buildings. While we were there a guide was available to answer questions and point out interesting details of the area. It was a bit of a slow day so the guide walked around the site with us and discussed the different buildings and their uses. There are so many fascinating elements of the town and the engineering of the Romans. The guide was also great in explaining lots of things still used or referenced today that come from the Romans.
After walking around the ruins there is an indoor museum containing more information and artefacts from the Roman town. We spent quite a bit of time here as there was so much to look at.
After leaving the Roman town we headed to the Steel Rigg car park and walked along Hadrian’s Wall to Sycamore Gap. We wanted to do a bit more of the wall, but the weather was not great, and the rain and wind were getting worse as we continued to walk. We made it to the tree (which was beautiful) and then headed back. Since we didn’t have the greatest weather for a walk along the wall, we decided to stop here again on our way back to London in a few weeks.
Day 5 and 6 – Glasgow
Our main focus for stopping in Glasgow was to visit family. We decided to stay a few nights so that we could spend time with family and still have a bit of time looking at the sites of the city before heading north to Loch Lomond.
We lucked out and the weather in Glasgow was beautiful – actually a bit hot – so we had a great day to walk around Kelvingrove Park. We stopped for coffee and had lunch at a place near the park. It was a great day and the park is lovely. There are some nice views from the top of the park hilltop and there are plenty of areas to picnic or play games with family and friends.
We spent the day just wondering around the area, catching up with family. It was a great day and the area is beautiful and fun (lots of cafes and restaurants to explore).
For our second day we planned to visit some of the sites however we found that getting last minute tickets to some places was not possible, quite a few places are closed due to covid, and being a Monday even more places were closed.
We did get to visit the Glasgow Cathedral and Glasgow Necropolis. From the front of the cathedral it doesn’t look very large, but once you walk inside you start to see just how large (long) it is. The cathedral is beautiful inside, a very medieval style. The stained-glass windows are post-war and different in style to the older stain glass windows you see in some other cathedrals. Make sure you look up in the nave. There is a beautiful timber ceiling . One end is quite decorative whereas the other end is very basic. It’s definitely makes it unique to other cathedrals.
After the cathedral we walked up the hill to the Glasgow Necropolis. The Necropolis is a Victorian-era cemetery containing graves and mausoleums of important Glaswegians. The headstones are made of beautiful, tall statues and pillars. It’s also a lovely view looking down over the cathedral from the hill top.
Day 7 and 8 – Loch Lomond Area
We left Glasgow and headed north to the Loch Lomond area. We decided to start with Drymen and took a short walk to Buchanan Castle. Buchanan Castle is a ruined country house built between 1852-1858. The roof of the house was removed in 1954 (to avoid paying taxes) and has since been left to ruin.
Not that we would suggest you trespass on the property, but there are several openings in the fence that are easy enough to climb through. The house is huge and it is amazing to walk around the rooms that have been taken over by nature. The upper floors are non-existent and most of the ceiling beams have fallen (or look like they could fall anytime soon).
The house is eerie and peaceful at the same time. It was stunning and we could have spent all day exploring the ruin.
After exploring the ruined castle we drove a bit further north to Balmaha to walk up Conic Hill. Unfortunately, the weather turned rainy and cloudy so we decided that the view (which is the main point of the walk up the hill) would not be great. So we decided to head to Luss and see the Loch up close.
We arrived in Luss to worse weather so we had dinner at a local restaurant and then took a short walk along the Loch before heading to our accommodation.
The next day we headed to The Cobbler – also known as Ben Arthur. The Cobbler is an 884 metres mountain located near the head of Loch Long. Unfortunately, the weather on the day we had available wasn’t great. It was raining on and off all morning.
We completed the first half of the first part (through the trees) with great weather – if anything a little warm – but during the second half through the trees came the rain and wind. I think we were protected a bit within the trees so it wasn’t too bad. As soon as we got through the trees the wind and rain changed. It was coming down pretty good in the open area, then it stopped and we had beautiful clear skies!
We decided to keep going, stopping frequently for lots of pictures (had to get as many as possible while we had clear, blue skies). About an hour later the rain came again. Luckily we had just stopped under a rock to enjoy the view and grab a quick snack. We were in the perfect spot for when the rain came. Everyone walking past us were soaked, but we were nice and dry under the rock!
After the rain cleared (again), we decided to continue a bit further. As we got further up The Cobbler, the wind got stronger and it was becoming a struggle to walk up hill, against the wind. We continued for a bit, but then decided to turn back and start heading down. I have no idea how far up we went, or how much further we had to go to the top. We took our time – stopping for photos and the passing rain cloud – so our total journey was about 3.5 hours return.
Once you get passed the trees the view is incredible and worth the walk up.
Our second night in the area was spent at a train station in Dalmally*. That’s right – we stayed on the platform of a running train station! The place was great. Each room (I think there were 4 in total) had it’s own outdoor area on the platform. The rooms, which used to be waiting rooms and offices for the train station, were great – super cosy. Our room had an old fireplace and was styled to reflect the surroundings – fun train related items, lanterns hanging from the ceiling, etc. It was great fun!
*We only recommend accommodation that we really enjoyed or found unique and worth a mention. We are not affiliated with the facility and do not receive compensation for the recommendation.
Day 9 and 10 – Isle of Mull
A friend recommended Isle of Mull to us, so we decided to check it out and spend a couple nights on the island. You can get a ferry from Oban (which is a nice town to visit) over to Craignure. After we got to Mull we headed southeast to visit the Duart Castle. At the time of our visit we did not have to pre-book our tickets or get an entry time. We showed up a couple hours before closing and walked right in.
Duart Castle is home to Clan MacLean. The visit begins in the Great Hall. From there you go upstairs to the bedroom and dressing room, followed by the third floor which contains an exhibit on the clan’s history. From the third floor you can access the roof which has great views over the castle grounds and water surrounding the castle.
After the exhibit you return to the first floor, walk past the pantry, down to the dungeon and kitchen area. As you get downstairs there is a room with information on a shipwreck that happened near the castle.
After the kitchen area you return outside to the courtyard. This was our first Scottish castle on this trip. It wasn’t as grand as some of the other castles and homes we have visited, but they have a great amount of information and history about the clan as well as their involvement with The Scouting Association – I didn’t realise The Scouting Association started in Scotland! Funny the things you learn while visiting castles!
On our second day on the island we decided to take a boat tour to Staffa Island to see Fingal’s Cave. We left Salen and headed to the ferry in Fionnphort. We decided to take the longer way across the centre of the island – along Loch Na Keal and around and along Loch Scridain.
The view was incredible. Everywhere you looked was either beautiful green land, waterfalls, views over the loch, or animals. We didn’t have too much extra time to get to Fionnphort before the boat left but we did manage a few stops to enjoy the view and snap a few pictures. We were both in awe of the dramatic scenery around us.
Most of the island is a single lane road, with lots of passing places to allow for two way traffic or passing slower traffic. Most of the passing places are marked with signs or posts so you can clearly see where the next passing place is at along the road. They are very frequent so it’s an easy journey, even for cars passing in both directions.
When we arrived at the boat we were informed that the water was too rough to land on Staffa Island and that the 3 hour tour was going to be reduced to 2 hours of very rough water. The boat guide was great in being completely honest with us and not trying to encourage us to go with the tour as it didn’t seem like it was going to be great – wet, rough waters, and very unlikely to see anything. We decided to opt-out of the tour (with a full refund) and instead jumped on the ferry (which happened to be leaving at the same time) to Isle of Iona.
Iona isn’t very big and they do not allow vehicles (unless you are local or have a permit) so it’s an easy place to walk around. There are several sites to see on the island including the Nunnery and the Iona Abbey, We walked off the ferry and headed to the Nunnery.
From there we walked to the Abbey. The Abbey was not open during our visit, but you can walk around the grounds which include several signs with information about the Abbey.
At the back of the abbey there is a gate with a path down to the water’s edge. We decided to follow the path which gave us great views of the water and a view back up to the abbey.
We decided to only stay a short time on the island as we wanted to do the return drive back to Salen in the day light – now that we would have time to stop and take all the pictures we wanted.
After the abbey it started to drizzle so we headed back towards the ferry port and starting looking for a hotel or pub to stop in for a quick snack and drink. Right before we reached the hotel it starting pouring so we quickly rain inside and enjoyed some warm drinks, scones, and a shortbread biscuit – my first shortbread in Scotland.
After our snack we caught the next ferry back to Mull and retraced our drive from earlier in the day.
The next day (our last on the island) we decided to head to the only “town” on the island – Tobermory. The town was a bit larger than we were expecting – based on the other villages we had driven through – and enjoyed the colorful buildings along the main road. There was plenty of free parking along the road or in the nearby car park.
We wondered down the main street, looking in at some of the shops. At the end of the road is a path up a hill which is a nice walk along the coast that eventually ends up at the lighthouse. We walked for a while along the path, enjoying the views over the water, before heading back. We wanted to look around town a bit more, grab some lunch, and then drive around to the other side of the island before catching a ferry back to the mainland.
Before we left Tobermory we had a picnic lunch on tables near the Tobermory Harbour (next to the parking lot). There were a few picnic tables available and in the harbour building there were toilets, showers, and laundry facilities – available for use to anyone visiting the area or mooring in the harbour. We were both quite impressed with the facilities and made a note as our plan for next year is to get a sailing license so that we can do some exploring by water.
From Tobermory we headed to Glengorm to see the castle (from the outside) and the standing stones. We aren’t sure if you were supposed to drive right up to the standing stones, but we were following the GPS which lead us through a bumpy, dirt (mud) road, to the field right next to the standing stones. We jumped out of the car, took a few pictures, and continued on our way back through Tobermory to Dervaig. From there we headed along Loch Frisa back down to Salen and on to Fishnish (so fun to say) to catch a ferry over to Lochaline.
Our next stop was in Fort William so we drove from Lochaline, along the Loch Linnhe. We could have taken the Corran ferry across the Loch, but instead decided to drive up and around Loch Eil. This drive, along the lochs, was amazing. The scenery was absolutely stunning. I had to stop several times during the drive to snap a few pictures. We were both mesmerised by the beauty around us. It was a longer drive, but so worth it.
Day 11, 12, and 13 – Fort William
We decided to book a few days in Fort William as there are several things we wanted to do, including the Jacobite Train ride and seeing the viaduct – we know it from the Harry Potter movies as the route the Hogwarts Express takes!
The day started out rainy, so we weren’t sure what kind of a view we would get on the train ride to Malligog but we hoped that the rain would clear up enough to get a picture.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. The rain was so bad that there was flooding further ahead along the tracks which meant we would not make it to our destination. We were fortunate enough to get just past the viaduct, so we did get to take a few pictures. We had to open the windows (and let the rain in) but we got a few shots of the viaduct – and we can at least say that we went over it.
The next train station after the viaduct was where we had to turn around. We got to go back over the viaduct on our return journey back to Fort William. We were so disappointed, but nothing we or anyone else could have done.
We returned to Fort William with majority of the day remaining, however the weather was terrible. We ended up heading back to our accommodation to relax and plan some of our upcoming stops.
We were really worried about what to do the following day as we had a whole other day in Fort William. We were happy to chill and relax (always happy to take advantage of bad weather to get some r&r on these long journeys), but that did mean that we would miss out on seeing the local sites and doing some of the walks in the area.
Luckily, when we woke up there was nothing but blue skies!!! Yay! Our host at our AirBNB suggested that we go for a walk to see the Steall Gorge and Waterfall. She said that it would be about a 1.5 hour walk or so to the waterfall and that it would be amazing due to the heavy rains the previous day.
Since we had great weather we decided to get a early start (OK early for us) and hopefully get to do some of the walk in case the weather turned.
The walk was absolutely amazing. From the moment you get on the trail it is beautiful. The walk is pretty level with a few ups and downs, but nothing too steep for any long periods of time. There are a few scrambles over passing water, but nothing to worry about if you have a good pair of shoes on.
The whole walk into the gorge is beautiful, but eventually the trail opens up and you have amazing views of the waterfall. Stunning….
If you want to get close to the waterfall you have to cross a rope bridge – basically a thickish piece of wire strung between the two banks, with two wires above to hang on to. We were both surprised by the rope bridge as there was nothing stopping you from falling into the water below. It was quite exciting.
So we crossed the bridge and then walked to the waterfall. The “path” to the waterfall was super muddy and wet – if you do the walk after some rain I would suggest following the rock path along the waters edge (we didn’t going to the waterfall, but did on the way back and it was much better). You can scramble over the rocks to get up close to the waterfall. We found a flat rock near the edge to have lunch – it was great!
After lunch, we crossed back over the bridge and followed the water further along the trail. We walked for a bit longer, crossed a wood bridge, saw the steal ruin, walked a bit further and then stopped to relax and read our books. We sat there for quite a while just enjoying the amazing weather (still not a cloud in the sky) and the beautiful surroundings.
After relaxing for a while, we decided to head back along the same trail to the car. We both very much enjoyed the walk and were lucky to have such great weather.
The next day we went to the West Highland Museum. We weren’t sure what to expect from the museum, but it was great. There are about eight rooms each with a different theme/topic. Everything from the Commandos from WWII, to the Jacobite history, to taxidermy, to Queen Victoria. It was all very interesting and informative, and we ended up spending about two hours there! It was definitely worth a visit.
After the museum we were planning to head to the viaduct to see the steam train pass over, but the timing wasn’t quite right. Plus it added about an hour onto our already longish drive for the day and meant that we would likely not have time for Eilean Donan Castle.
Before heading to Eilean Donan Castle, we decided to head a bit further north through Fort Augustus to Invermoriston to see the south end of Loch Ness. We plan to visit the north end later in our trip and thought it would be fun to see this end as it wasn’t too far out of our way.
We had planned to find somewhere to eat lunch looking out over the loch, but there were mostly trees along the bank and not really any good views. There may have been some better spots in Fort Augustus, but it was really busy and we didn’t have time to find parking and walk as we had a timed entry to the castle. We hoped to just find a good spot along the road. We did manage to find a spot with a small opening between the trees a bit further north from Invermoriston (a bit further out of the way then we would have liked) and ate quickly before continuing to the castle.
The views between Invermoriston and Eilean Donan Castle were amazing – lochs, green rolling hills, waterfalls – everything was just beautiful.
Early afternoon we arrived at Eilean Donan Castle. We didn’t really know the history of the castle until we arrived and started our tour of the inside. The castle has a great history, but what you see today is the restoration that was done in the early 1900s by Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap.
The setting of the castle is fantastic – on it’s own island. There’s a bridge over the loch that takes you to the castle (which basically fills the entire island).
The castle is beautifully done inside. it has a classic “castle style” to it, but also all of the modern conveniences. One of the guides said that members of the clan still regularly stay in the castle. There’s a private area off the courtyard (which you cannot visit) where they stay when at the castle.
During the tour you get to see the great hall, several bedrooms, and the kitchen area.
It’s a beautiful castle, but I think the highlight is the location and the island setting over the loch that makes the castle really stand out.
Later that evening we arrived on the Isle of Skye.
Day 14 & 15 – Isle of Skye
We stayed in Portree, one of the main towns on the island. There were plenty of amenities – pubs, restaurants, and shopping available.
For our first day we decided to head north of Portree and do a loop around the area.
We started the morning by visiting the Fairy Glens. The Fairy Glens are a bunch of mounds that give a very fairy like feel based on the setting and pattern design of the grass. You can climb around and up the mounds. It’s very peaceful in the area – very magical! We were told to arrive early to avoid the crowds. We arrived around 10am and basically had the place to ourselves. By the time we left (a little before 11am) there were lots of people around (which does kind of ruin the peaceful, magical feel), so we would suggest arriving a bit early in the day to get the best experience.
After the Fairy Glens we headed to Cuith-Raing, or Quiraing, for a hike around the mountain. We did the full circular route that goes around the mountain to the back side, up the mountain, and back down to the starting point. The total travel was a little under 5 miles with an elevation gain of 1400 feet. Most of the trail (at least the beginning part) is fairly level, with a slight climb as you make your way along the front of the mountain.
As you move around the back of the mountain, the trail remains fairly level (a few ups and downs). But as you reach the back of the mountain, this is where you will find the steeper climbs. There is a bit of a climb as you get to the very back of the mountain, then you climb over a fence and the trail goes straight up to the top. This part was a pretty steep climb and required a few rest breaks (at least for me)!
Once at the top the view is amazing. You get to see the path that you just completed – what a relief and a feeling of accomplishment. Most of the trail was stunning with views across the fields, through the mountains, and over the water.
The walk down the front of the mountain, back towards the starting point, was probably the hardest part of the trail. The path was so muddy and slippery that you had to go slowly to keep from falling and you had to walk next to the path, at an angle to avoid the really muddy parts. This was a bit rough on the ankles and sides of our feet as we tried to avoid the really bad parts of the trail. As we got towards the path that went straight down the mountain we found the path was horrible. There were other people ahead of us struggling, so we avoided the path all together and went down over the heather. I think this was a much better option as we were a lot faster than the others, and didn’t appear to struggle as much. I only fell on my bottom once, so I take that as a win!
After our hike we continued around the island and took in the view at the Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls Viewpoint. There’s a parking lot next to the viewing platform that gives you a great view of the water and over to the waterfall.
After that, we were ready for a bathroom break. Unfortunately, due to covid, a number of the public toilet facilities were closed. We ended up having to travel all the way back to our hotel in Portree!
Once we were back in our hotel, I was quite happy to relax for a bit, but Ben wanted to see the Old Man of Storr. So he decided to head back out, while I had some down time.
I’m so glad I skipped the climb to the Old Man of Storr as it ended up being about a 30 minute steep climb to the viewpoint. However, the view does look pretty nice based on the pictures that Ben took.
We ended the day at a local pub for dinner and called it a night.
The next day we decided to do another walk, Brothers’ Point (or Rubha Nam Braithrean). The path goes down to the water’s edge and then over a field to the Brothers’ Point. The walk (there and back) is about 1.5 miles. The path is quite good down to the water, but then it turns to a slightly worn path to the point. The path on the other side of the stream was very slushy – wet and a little deep in some places. But once you get through that section you start to climb a bit higher and the ground dries up.
There’s a worn path along the cliff edge (be careful, its quite a drop), and then a little scramble up a few rocks to get to the top of the point. The look out is amazing. We sat along the cliff edge, looking over the water for quite a bit of time. We could have sat there all day…
Once we finally forced ourselves to leave Brothers’ Point we headed to the Fairy Pools on our way off the island. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the pools – they were much larger than I was expecting. We arrived, late morning, and the (paid) parking area was packed. There were tons of people around, however the area is quite large and everyone is walking at their own pace so it didn’t feel that crowded while looking at the pools.
We ended up spending a few hours walking along the pools and stream. The water was so clear and inviting. We didn’t realise you could swim in the pools, so we weren’t prepared to jump in, but lots of other people were enjoying the water.
After enjoying the views, we started our walk back to the car park. It is a bit of a small climb back up the hill, but nothing too hard to manage.
After the Fairy Pools we started our drive to Applecross to start our journey around the North Coast 500.
Conclusion
We had a great couple of weeks making our way up north to reach the North Coast 500 route. We found several places including York, Fort William, Isle of Mull (to name a few) that we really enjoyed and can’t wait to visit again.
Check out our post on the North Coast 500 and the journey back south to London.