We started the day with a good Scottish breakfast and a lovely chat with our hostess at our B&B and then set off north towards the Isle of Skye. Just outside of Oban, we stopped at the ruins of Dunstaffnage Castle, one of Scotland’s oldest stone fortifications, to take photos. “This castle was built in the 13^th century to defend against marauding Norsemen, and was the stronghold of the MacDougall lords until it fell to the kings of Scotland. Centuries later, Flora MacDonald was imprisoned here for helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after the Jacobite rebellion. She was later removed to the Tower of London.” 

Continuing north along the coast, we then diverted east in the valley of Glencoe. This valley is the essence of the wild, powerful, and stark beauty of the Highlands. But it is for the brutal massacre of 1692 that this somber place is best known. British Redcoats (led by a local Campbell commander) came to the valley, and were sheltered and fed for 12 days by the MacDonalds—whose leader had been late in swearing an oath to the British monarch. Then, on the morning of February 13, the soldiers were ordered to rise up early and kill their sleeping hosts, violating the rules of Highland hospitality and earning the valley the name “The Weeping Glen.” It’s fitting that such an epic, dramatic incident should be set in this equally epic and dramatic valley, where the cliffsides seem to weep (with running streams) when it rains. Despite the failing weather, we thoroughly enjoyed our trek through Glencoe, finding it absolutely beautiful and awe-inspiring. We only wished it were capable to capture its grandeur on film, for the pictures we took simply do not do it justice.

Returning back west through the glen, we passed through the village of Ballachulish and continued north through Fort William. Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest peak, towers more than 4,408 above Fort Williams, though we had little chance to view it, as the low-hanging clouds and misty rains obscured much of the landscape. Worsening weather plagued us the entire journey northward deeper into the Highlands, blurring the scenery and making it difficult to enjoy the trip.