No specific plans had been made for today, so we took the chance to sleep a bit later this morning. Andy & Ida were up first and headed out to find a cafe. They brought back coffee and delicious pastries for all of us.

Our first stop was Rogie Falls, only 20 minutes from our house. We knew we were near the end of the season, but we were hoping to see some salmon jumping. The falls were beautiful! There was a suspension bridge across the river, along with several miles of beautiful trails you could walk on. It was such a refreshing morning activity and we even got to see several salmon jumping up the falls. I didn’t really like it because I felt so sorry for them.

Andy had seen an advertisement for a boat tour on Loch Ness, and since that was an area we hadn’t explored yet, we decided to get some tickets for that. It is so fun to travel during the slow season and be able to book things at the last minute. With six people, it’s hard to know ahead of time what everyone will be in the mood to do.

Our boat wasn’t scheduled until 2:00, so we found a hike nearby that had views of Loch Ness and, surprisingly, several redwood trees! The weather was stunning and we had so much fun on that hike. Dad and I hurried and made it to the top.

The town we were in was extremely touristy, with ugly buildings and advertisements. Considering that the name of the boat was The Nessie Hunter, I expected the tour to be a bit of a tourist trap. However, it far exceeded our expectations. There were only 6 other people on board, and it was a small boat. The captain/guide told us lots of interesting stories and the boat was equipped with sonar that he used to point out interesting things.

The banks of Loch Ness are steep, and only 20 yards from the shoreline, the water was already over 500 feet deep. It reaches a depth of almost 800 feet. The water is also very dark and cold (40º F) year-round. The dark color comes from peat washing in from surrounding rivers. Just a few meters below the surface, you cannot see your hand in front of your face. Because of the incredible depth and darkness, it is not hard to believe that a strange creature (aka Nessie) could be living there.

I would also like to give a shoutout to several local legends our guide told us about. A lady named Helen swam Loch Ness the long way (23 miles) in 18.5 hours. She survived, but a man trying to break the speed record on the loch didn’t fare so well. He was clocked at over 200 mph, but when he turned around, he hit a wave at the wrong angle and crashed and died.

After the boat tour, we headed to a larder for some more local shopping and then headed to Inverness to walk a bit and have our last dinner. We picked a dandy of a place that night. The food and service at Blackfriar’s were both outstanding. Liz was even kind enough to write down her recipe for Steak & Ale Pie which Dad + Andy both said was their favorite food of the trip. It is similar to a beef stew, and is topped with a puff pastry biscuit.

Other favorite meals of the trip were the fish + chips in Edinburgh (Ida), the carvery (Mom), and the loaded sweet potato fries and crispy Pepsi (me). The Yorkshire pudding was a highlight as well.

When we were walking in Inverness, we came across a stunning bookstore. It smelled like old books and wood smoke. There was a huge stove in the middle of the store with lots of firewood at the ready. Imagine what it would be like to have roaring fires in the winter. Two iron spiral staircases went to the second story where there were vintage maps and botanical art. The owner was, of course, a lovely character with just the right amount of eccentricity. The only thing missing was a cat.

After dinner, we stopped at Black Isle Dairy’s honesty shop for some final shopping and inspiration. Stay tuned for an honesty shop opening in Ross County soon.

Love and goodnight,

x Ella