This was my fourth time in this part of Scotland. On two of the other three trips, I had gone out on Loch Ness on a boat. We had a very pleasant ride both times but hadn’t seen Nessie. That was fine with me. I wasn’t certain that I especially wanted to meet her face to face. I definitely didn’t want to end up as lunch or possibly an appetizer.
On none of those prior tours did I have the opportunity to explore Urquhart Castle. I had taken photos from out on the water or from up above it. I had envied the people who I would see climbing around on the ruins. I guess I just needed to get on the right tour.
We docked at Invergordon and rode a tour coach to Inverness. Along the way, we saw some North Sea oil platforms. We passed by the Black Isle and we drove around Inverness a bit before heading to Loch Ness.
In Inverness, we passed by the old Victorian hotel where we had stayed on the first trip to Inverness. I had fond memories of that hotel and the dinner we had there. It had a lovely atmosphere and good food. We also passed by Inverness Castle on the other side of the River Ness. Shortly before reaching Urquhart Castle, we crossed the Caledonian Canal.
The visitor center and visitor parking are mostly underground except for the side facing the castle. This allows for great views of the castle and the loch from the visitor center.
When heading down to the castle, a full-size reproduction of a trebuchet awaits. This is a counterweight trebuchet, which is a type of catapult that uses a rotating arm with a sling attached to the tip of it to launch a projectile. Its design allows it to launch projectiles of greater weight at a much greater distance than traditional catapults. Although the trebuchet itself is a reproduction, the balls sitting by it are the real thing. They were found at Urquhart Castle.
Although there is some debate about whether or not Urquhart was the location of a Pictish fort that was visited by St Columba in 567 (and where he reportedly encountered the Loch Ness Monster), our tour guide stated that the remains of a Pictish fort were beneath the oldest part of the castle. This is a motte and shell keep built upon medieval foundations that date back to sometime between the 5th and 11th centuries. It sits up on the highest mound in the castle complex on what they call the Upper Bailey.
Despite the castle being mostly ruins, it is a fascinating place to explore. Urquhart is one of the largest castles in Scotland. It is also quite old (the actual castle remains range from the 12th through the 16th centuries) and sits in a gorgeous location. The day we were there was beautiful. The temperature was mild and there was no rain. A perfect day for climbing around and exploring the ruins of the castle. The upper portions of the Grant Tower weren’t open to exploration, however, due to safety concerns. I was able to go up one level and down to the cellar, but not to the top.
From the Grant Tower (16th century on 14th century foundations) I did have some wonderful views of the loch and of the rest of the castle. It was easy to see the remains of the private living quarters plus the Great Hall and the kitchen. There were some good views of the Upper Bailey as well. The castle even had a water gate which allowed it to be supplied from the loch when under siege by land. The way that the Grant Tower was built allowed it to be defended independently of the rest of the castle.
As always when I am exploring a particularly interesting castle, the time for me to remain became short fairly quickly. I decided to give the gatehouse a thorough exploration before heading back up to the visitor center. I found a kiln on one side and a prison on the other. The kiln was used to dry grain before it would be ground into flour. Traces of both oats and barley have been found there.
There had once been a couple more stories of the gatehouse. But it had been blown up back during the Jacobite uprising to keep the castle from being used as a potential fortress by the Jacobites.
The visitor’s center had the obligatory gift shop plus a café. There were also exhibits of several of the archaeological finds from the site. I would be more than happy to visit Urquhart again and explore some more.
I had signed up for a spa treatment, for once I returned to the ship, called Northern Stillness. The description had said that it was a restful massage of neck, shoulders and back, followed by a blueberry mask. While relaxing with the mask, my hands and feet would be massaged. Sounded good to me. But when I got into my stateroom on that first day back in London, the instructions regarding the Northern Stillness said that I should disrobe in my stateroom and go to the spa in just a robe and slippers. It turned out that it would be a full body massage and a blueberry body mask.
When I got back to the ship from our visit to the castle, I had time for a short lunch before undressing and heading to the spa. I did point out the scar next to my spin from surgery just three years ago and mentioned that it was still sensitive. Other than that, I was fine with being pummeled. When I had some physical therapy for my lower back the prior year, my favorite part had been the massage.
I figured this treatment would be quite restful once I got past the fact that I was naked and my masseur was male. I had a sheet over me that was moved around to supply me with some modesty while allowing various parts of my body to be worked on. Once the blueberry body mask was applied, I was essentially wrapped up like a mummy to let it all be absorbed into my pores before having my hands, feet, face and scalp also massaged. Overall it was an 80 minute treatment.
After getting dressed for dinner, I had my usual Lemon Drop Martini at our evening discussion on the Mystery of the Lewis Chessmen, followed by dinner. I felt very relaxed and my skin felt soft and smooth. I would be quite happy do that same treatment or a similar one again. In fact I have one in mind offered by one of the hotels I will be staying in during a trip in 2025.
Next time – Fascinating Shetland
