More Inverness

A delightful walk along both banks of the River Ness was interrupted by Indoors rushing into the city’s botanic garden and the adjacent swimming pool complex. Both were impressive, apparently.

A great dinner in a converted church saw out the day. The next day featured the new Solo – A Star Wars Story. 11am showing in a brand new Venue cinema multi-screen. We were two of the 19 in the audience. It was the film’s UK release day. Seemed to be a solid part of the Star Wars stock.

Off then to Culloden Moor, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s last stand before escaping to Skye – remember, we covered this in an earlier blog – just shows we must be travelling in some order. After turning round in the attraction’s car park, rammed with cars and coaches, we set off for The Black Isle, just to the north of Inverness.

On the point near Rosemarkie, opposite the still army-used Fort George, we found a large group of people waiting.

This is one of the best UK locations for seeing porpoises and seals. We left them to it, but when we turned round, having started to walk back along the glorious curving beach, they had all gathered by the water’s edge. Looked like they were going to join the whatever they could see in the water.

On the road back to Inverness, we came across the Cromarty Firth oil rig burial place. Well, rigs are gathered there today to say goodbye, to be repaired or towed off to some other part of the world. Eerie, there were five rigs and more bits of rigs, just standing in the water. 

Ullapool