Expedition to Scotland - Part 5: The Romantic Castle, Highlander and James Bond

After a short break at Urquhart Castle, we continued after travel to the northwest coast, along A87 road towards Kyle of Lochalsh. Scenic view Welcome to Skye and Lochalsh On the way, we stopped by the romantic Eilean Donan Castle, which stands at the meeting point of Loch Duich, Loch Long, and Loch Alsh. It is understood that the original castle was built in the early 13th century as a defence against the Vikings. By the late 13th century it had become a stronghold of the Mackenzies of Kintail (later the Earls of Seaforth). In 1511, the Macraes, as protectors of the Mackenzies, became the hereditary Constables of the Castle. To date, Eilean Donan is the home of the Clan Macrae. In 2001, the island had a population of just one person! (me? No, I was just kidding!) Eilean Donan Castle - The west side Eilean Donan Castle - main entrance Eilean Donan Castle - The east side The castle is one of the most photographed monuments in Scotland and a popular venue for weddings and film locations. It has appeared in such films as The Master of Ballantrae (1953), The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), Highlander (1985), Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987), Loch Ness (1996), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), James Bond - The World Is Not Enough (1999), Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Made of Honor (2007) and in BBC mini series Oliver's Travels. It also appears on the cover of Secret Garden's album Dreamcatcher (2000) and the Brandywine Celtic Harp Orchestra's CD, Celtic Journeys (2008). This summer, I was in the picture too! Scotsman and Scott Wilson-man (note: I was working for a company called Scott Wilson at the time of this holiday) After taking a few shots at the castle, we drove off to Kyle of Lochalsh, with an aim to experience Glass Bottom Boat trips to the Atlantic! We arrived at Kyle of Lochalsh village almost 2pm. This village is located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye. The village is the transport and shopping centre for the area as well as having a harbour, marina with pontoons for maritime visitors. The surrounding scenery and wildlife are regarded as attractions of the village, as is the slow pace of life. Crofting as well as more recent crofting pursuits like salmon farming are some of the activities taking place in Kyle of Lochalsh. Kyle of Lochalsh overlooking the Skye bridge (link to the Isle of Skye) Unfortunately for us, all tickets for getting into Glass Bottom Boat trips to the Atlantic Ocean were sold out for that day! Rather disappointed but such is a life. We were then spend the afternoon enjoying (another) fish and chips by the sea side. Scenic view Then the long journey back to England started. We were driving back along the A87 road, enjoy the scene along lakes and mountains and of course not forgetting to take some shots on the way. The next stop was Fort William which is the largest town in the highlands of Scotland and second largest settlement behind the city of Inverness. Before reaching the town, we stopped by at Nevis Range ski resort. The ski resort features a gondola lift and several chairlifts and ski tows. In winter these are used for skiing and snowboarding; in summer the gondola is used for lifting riders to the top of the downhill mountain biking track. Nevis Range - ski resort These gondolas will take you up to the mountain This resort received an engineering award! Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles. It is an important centre for hillwalking and climbing due to its proximity to Ben Nevis and many other Munro mountains, marketing itself as the "Outdoor Capital of the UK". It is also well known for its nearby famous Downhill Mountain Bike Track and its connection to the West Highland Way from Glasgow and the Great Glen Way; a walk/cycle way from Inverness to Fort William through the Great Glen. Around 5pm, we continued our journey towards Glasgow on the A87 road. Fort Williams - city square Fort Williams - city square En route we were driving along Loch Lomond. Unfortunately, the weather was not so good (it was raining) so all we could do was staying in the car! We arrived in Glasgow around 8pm, ready for our dinner – before setting off to our accommodation in Lancaster, England. It was a very long day. We arrive in our hotel almost 1am on Saturday! As the Holy month of Ramadhan has started, we did not go to bed until the Fajr prayer, which was around 4am. We did our pre-dawn breakfast in the hotel! After Fajar prayer, we had a few hours sleep before checking out from the hotel and heading back towards Nottingham. On the way, we had a few hours stop at the Trafford Centre, a big mall, in Manchester. Trafford Centre - Manchester Continued to Part 6 - next destination will be exploring South West of Scotland and Glasgow.....