Today I went into the Scottish Highlands, a rugged and mountainous region in northwest Scotland, home to Britains highest mountain - Ben Nevis - and its deepest lake – Loch Ness – as well as red-haired, Gaelic-speaking, whiskey drinking Scots – tougher than their shaggy highland ‘coos’ and best encountered by the warm hearth of a highland pub. Up here there's a rich history of bloody battles on heather-softened moors and now-crumbling castles. And then, of course, there are the stories of prehistoric monsters puddling around in the lochs…
My first stop was Glencoe, Scotland’s most famous glen – and one of the grandest. A steep-sided valley climbing steadily towards the southeast, it is considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland. The glen was formed in the ice age by a 16km long glacier – Loch Leven nearby being the remnant lake. The main road approaching the glen threads its way through mountainous grandeur, past deep gorges and crashing waterfalls, giving the region the name of the Valley of the Weeping.
However there is also another reason Glencoe is renowned – more appropriate, it would seem, given the bloodthirsty, battle-driven history of the Scots. The Glencoe Massacre, the very reason Glencoe is written into history books, took place early in the morning of February 13, 1962. The MacDonald clan were betrayed and massacred by the Campbell clan under pretext that the MacDonalds were not prompt enough in pledging allegiance to the new monarchs of Britain. Thirty-eight MacDonalds were killed and a further 40 died from exposure after taking refuge in the wilderness. However, what offended the highland clans the most was not the massacre itself, but rather the abuse of hospitality. To this day it is rare to find a shop, restaurant, pub or hotel that will serve a Campbell. One very famous story is of a Canadian hiker named Campbell who was refused service in a pub in the Glencoe region. On his return to Canada he felt he has been unfairly treated and hired a team of lawyers to sue the pub in question. After going to local courts, the case made its way through the High Court of Justiciary, the highest in Scotland, then to the High Court of Justice, the highest in the United Kingdom, then to the Court of Justice of European Communities – the highest in all of Europe. The case was eventually ruled in favour of the pub – to this day establishments in Glencoe have the legal right to refuse service to Campbells based on a 300 year old prejudice. This is a land where feelings still run deep.
After Glencoe I went to Cairngorm, the biggest national park in all of the United Kingdom. It wasn’t actually all that big; as the driver said there are Australians with bigger back yards. But in this national park lies part of the Grampians, and in the Ben Nevis – the highest peak in the United Kingdom at 1344 metres above sea level. Unfortunately due to bad weather – quite frankly it was utterly shit – I couldn’t actually see much above the first cliff but it was impressive all the same.
And then it was on to Loch Ness. A large, deep freshwater loch right in the midst of the Scottish Highlands, Loch Ness is one of a series of lochs connected by the Caledonian canals. It is the second largest Scottish loch with a surface area of over 56m², second only to Loch Lomond. However, it’s great depth makes it the greatest in volume, with its deepest point reaching 203m – it contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England, Scotland and Wales combined. Southwest of the loch, along the Caledonian Canal, lies the small township of Fort Augustus.
Loch Ness is a place of astounding natural beauty, especially in the fall. It is surrounded by mountains glacially carved over 20,000 years ago, the tallest of which could fit comfortable beneath the surface of the loch. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in a stunning array of deep reds, burnt oranges and striking yellows, making stark contrast with the near blackness of the loch, its water stained by the pigment in the surrounding soil.
However, neither natural beauty nor phenomenal size is the reason tourists flock to Fort Augustus and Loch Ness year round. The reason is of course The Loch Ness Monster, the mythical loch-dweller of uncertain origin – indeed, of uncertain existence. The earliest sighting of the ‘monster’ was way back in 7AD, by an Irishman, Saint Colomba, who recorded the sighting in his life’s memoirs. The most recent was by an American who claims to have found the beast using the Google Earth technology – however the credibility of this report is still being investigated.
Unfortunately there were no sighting of Nessie today – I felt rather ripped off as I payed 10 quid for the boat ride around the loch in the freezing cold rain. The least the monster could do was poke its head above water for a photo. How inconsiderate of it…
After Loch Ness it was back to Edinburgh via Perthshire, an area of ancient woodland, medieval castles and stunning mountain crags. It was stunning but unfortunately it was far to dark to take any decent photos and within an hour it was too dark to see, so I did what any decent person would do – sleep.
It was such an amazing day; Scotland has such astounding natural beauty. Unfortunately the weather destroyed any decent photography I could get and of course I didn’t bring an umbrella so it was hard to actually film or take photos in case my cameras got wet… pretty miserable day. But I guess that gives me an excuse to go back (:
