NC500 #1 Exploring Scotland's Black Isle

 I have neglected my blog because I have been on a little road trip around Scotland. The North Coast 500 North Coast 500 is a route that was set up in 2015 to take in the East, north & west coast of Scotland. It covers 516 miles of mainly coastline. 

I have looked at it several times but when hubby decided it is something he would like to do too, we booked hotels along the route & I cleared my student diary for a week (plus the weekends either side)

We decided to do the route east to west, heading up to Inverness for the first night. 

First stop in Scotland was the magnificent Stirling castle - you see it in the distance, standing proudly on the hillside, a symbol of strength & power. 

The queens bedchamber & the waiting room 

The Prince's walk with the graphic gargoyles & statues set against the walls - it must have been quite terrifying by lamplight in days gone by ...

The huge Chapel Royal in the castle grounds - it was built in 1594 for James V1

Living quarters for soldiers & servants within the castle walls 

A defended castle, perched high on the hill - The 67m (220 foot) William Wallace memorial towers high on the hill opposite. It was built in 1860's from world wide donations ... 

I learnt all about the importance of unicorns in the Coat of Arms of the royals from this chap. They have the head & beard of a goat, the body of a horse, the tail of a lion & the hooves of a goat - a composite animal with the best attributes of each animal. They feature prominently on the many tapestries  & coats of arms in the castle.  

It was the favoured residence of the Steward Kings & there is just so much to see. We spent nearly 4 hours there, exploring the magnificent halls, rooms, gardens, castle walls with their line of canons & more. It was a treat as I didn't really know too much about it. My Scottish history is patchy because there is so much to learn & because the Kings have a different title in Scotland so you have to remember their two names. 

Inverness has interesting canals & harbours & we stretched our legs along them.  After a hearty Scottish breakfast we headed north along the east coast towards Wick via the Black Isle.

The Black Isle is an interesting route from Inverness as it takes in the pretty harbours & traditional towns along the way. 

We stopped in Fortrose to look at the ruins before heading to Chanonry Point, known as the spot to dolphin watch on the Scottish coast. No dolphins on a breezy morning but beautiful views.

We made our way along the Cromarty Firth towards the car ferry, known as the The King's Ferry , because King James 1V of Scotland took that route 18 times between 1493 & 1513.  

We did not really know what to expect at Cromarty  but had a warming coffee & a tiffin at the seaside hut before a tiny ferry appeared. It can only take 16 passengers & 2 cars at the most as it is one of the smallest ferries about. We edged in behind a car, the ramp closing right behind our vehicle then it crossed the Firth with great views of several north sea oil platforms. 

I love wind in my hair & sea spray on my face - an exhilarating crossing that was over way too quickly as we arrived in Nigg. A careful reverse off the ferry then it was on its way back across the  water again. 

That is enough for now, more to follow. 

Dee 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿