Itinerary followed throughout Scotland

Stirling - Linlithgow - Edinburgh - Oban - Glencoe - Fort William - Eilean Donan - Skye Island - Plockton - Strathpeffer Highland Games - Loch Ness - Inverness - Western Ross - Fort George - Glasgow

At the East of Inverness there are numerous historic spots, such as Fort George, the battlefield of Culloden, the Cawdor's castle or the Stuart's castle.
We chose Fort George to visit, and we liked it very much, not only as a fortress but also specially for its history, the magnificent location in front of the sea, and the Extravaganza's festival that they celebrated.
The stronghold defended the Inverness' bay. Nowadays a regiment of highland soldiers lives here. The fort recreates, through the different parts, the soldiers' way of life in the past and throughout the years.
The sightseeing of the bay from the walls full of canons is superb.

The Extravaganza is an annual spectacle held in the fort for two days. It is thought for the whole family and despite there are many attractions for children, we found many of them interesting as well.

They displayed several live performances, such as falconry or combats of distinct époques (from Braveheart to the First World War) and they revive a regiment's camp, with human actors playing their roles.

This kind of performances allows you to check live and in a more objective way, the things that you have imagined throughout the trip: battles, époque costumes, etc.
Some of them were spectacular, like the highlanders (see the highlanders' video), that made a demonstration of parading and shooting. You realize that the battles are much more complicated than you figure, since you see how they prepare the rifle, that often fails to shoot, the smoke flies to their faces, and at the end, some have managed to make no shot and others 3 or 4.

In this same fortress during June they celebrate a medieval tourney that must be impressive.
We had to drive back to the south in a long journey towards Glasgow. We felt like going to the south through the Eastern Scotland and thus visiting Saint Andrews, Aberdeen, Dundee or Cairngorm, but we calculated the time it would have required and we realize that it was impossible. It was a pity.

We made a brief stop at Fort Augustus , at the edge of the Ness Lake. In Fort Augustus we had a pleasant walk and we saw the series of locks. The lakes Ness, Lochy and Oich divide Scotland in two lands and they connect the Atlantic Ocean with the North Sea through the Caledonian Canal (38 km. long) built in the 19th century. It had a protective function, to avoid the English ships being attacked by the French ships. They were necessary 29 locks to keep the water level in these lakes.

From here until Fort William, and afterwards to Glencoe we drove through other formidable amazing roads that we hadn't seen in our way to the north.

The region acquires mysterious and unique features when the dusk arrives. We also suffered from something that we had read about but we didn't give the importance since we hadn't found it. I am talking about a tiny insect that abounds at dawn an dusk in humid places that every guidebook defines them as a nightmare. As a precaution measure we had bought a potent insect repellent before coming to Scotland. When we had forgotten about them we met them. We made a couple of stops during the drive to Glasgow to enjoy the extraordinary landscape and take pictures. Suddenly a cloud of tiny insects started to follow us, touching you our hair and our face. Once inside the car we had to kill many, one by one. When you stopped the car, clouds of these bastards approached to the heat of the motor. At least no insects bit us. We had heard that the bite is painful. If you plan to make excursions at the nature, don't forget a strong repellent.

From Glencoe we crossed the Trossachs through Callander and Aberfoyle, instead of Loch Lomond. The Trossachs is a National Park, one of the most frequented spots in Scotland. This land has always been inspiration for poets and allows for numerous excursions across the magnificent landscapes.
Callander is the city that links the Highlands and the Lowlands. It is the most visited city of the Trossachs, and it constituted the seat of the McGregor clan and its most distinguished chief: Rob Roy. The Duke of Montrose expropriated Roy's lands and he became the Jamesite's Robin Hood, stealing flocks and attacking the Duke's soldiers. He was captured and liberated. Walter Scott related his story in his novel "Rob Roy" and there is also a movie.
We reached Glasgow with the great memory of the northern Scotland, feeling like travelling more. I hope that someday I will return to this exceptional land.