Shining Bright

Phew! We did an awful lot today! Busy, busy, busy day!

After leaving our B&B, we stopped at the old pedestrian bridge for which Carrbridge is named.

The quick list of all we did and saw today is:
Elgin Cathedral, Spynie Castle, Dallas Dhu Distillery, Cawdor Castle, Loch Ness & Urquhart Castle.

Elgin Cathedral was built in 1224. The building seen on the left rear of photo is the Monks Chapter House, which boasts a 5 second reverb. We had fun in there singing Amazing Grace and listening to the cool echo.

We had fun at the distillery but sadly did not sample the whiskey ~ had a long day of driving ahead of us!

At Cawdor Castle we got to meet the Dowager Countess, who was in residence.

The most exciting part of the day was driving along Loch Ness where we saw many beautiful rainbows. And even Nessie enjoyed the views. Also along Loch Ness is Urquhart Castle. Once one of Scotland's mightiest strongholds, Urquhart's strategic location gave it a key role in the Scottish battle for independence. It came under the control of Robert the Bruce before a 150-year power struggle between the Stewart dynasty and the MacDonald Lords of the Isles.

Tonight we stayed in a very lovely B&B, one of the best so far. We enjoyed the company of the owners and other guests during an evening of storytelling and tea before a nice warm fire.

The photo above was taken at Urquhart castle with a fish eye lens. I liked the look of it as is, so I did not unfish it!