Glens, Bens, and Lochs

For only 33 pounds I had the opportunity to see a good part of the Scottish Highlands in 12 hours, and it was worth it. I have a totally new appreciation for this area and its history, and it makes me want to stay.

Starting in at 8:00 this morning I loaded the small 18-seat bus, which took off towards Sterling. The driver/tour guide was amazing. His knowledge of Scotland and its history made the trip interesting, rather than sitting in the bus for two hours at a time watching the scenery go by. Driving past Sterling Castle allowed him to set the scene for the story of William Wallace... and the unfortunate Hollywood mistakes in the movie Braveheart, such as the casting of Mel Gibson. Apparently, Mel is only about 5'3", where William Wallace, who Mel's character is based off of, was about 6'8" tall (seriously). Mel's height was compensated, however, by the use of a Shetland Pony...

I trip had almost everything, from Glen Coe (a "glen" is a valley in Gealic, which a "ben" is a mountain), the site of the Massacre of Glencoe in 1692, Ben Nevis, the largest mountain in the UK, to the Great Glen, a 60-mile valley extending from Fort William on the west coast to Inverness on the east coast, and filled with three large lochs, Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness. Standing on the shore of Loch Ness was exhilarating.

The Scottish Highlands have made me feel like I am home. Even if the job market is total crap here, seeing the landscape has made me want to stay. I may even move up to Inverness or Perth instead to search for a job...

Photos can be seen here

On an unrelated note, television in the UK is certainly screwed up: