Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness Tour, Scotland

The final day in Scotland was spent on a bus tour of the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness.

This was a very long day.  The tour lasted 12 hours and we traveled about 350 miles (+560 km).


From Edinburgh, our first stop was to get some coffee and take a few more pictures of Hamish again. 

We stopped at Glen Coe in the Highlands to take photos.  This looks like a great place for hiking.

The Commando Memorial was unveiled in 1952 and it commemorates the elite soldiers who died in WWII.  The commando Basic Training Center is located 4 miles (6 km) away.  During the war, over 25,000 men trained there including British, American, French, Dutch, Belgian, Norwegian and Polish soldiers.  Even Jewish German soldiers trained there.  The memorial is 5.1 meters (17 feet) tall.

Loch Ness is probably one of the most famous lakes in the world.  At 23 miles long, 1 mile wide and over 750 feet deep, it is second only to Loch Lomond.  There is enough fresh water in Loch Ness to fill every lake, river and reservoir in both England and Wales.  The here is very murky due to the high peat content in the surrounding soil.

Loch Ness is the supposed home of Nessie, the Loch Ness monster.  There have been many sightings over the years but Nessie must have been busy when I was there because she didn't come out to play.


The ruins of Urquhart Castle sit on the north shore of Loch Ness.  It was built in the 13th century and was in use until around 1692.




There's not much left but the tower has a great view of the lake and Great Glen.