I went for a ride…

… with my friend Kenny yesterday.  He had to run to Inverness to drop something off and then pick up wood shavings and briquettes  for the cold and hot smokers. We took the road by Loch Ness (see 2003 postings for photos.)  I didn’t bother to ask Ken to stop so I could take pictures since his appointment was specific and if the view hasn’t changed in millions of years, there is nothing much new since my last visit.

Inverness was a city.  When I asked the 5′ O’clock Gang what they could recommend there, they all responded to the effect of “skip it” so I canceled my stay there.  I know to trust these blokes.  At least on stuff like that.

The Royal Burgh (a town created by royal charter with autonomous powers to govern the area decreed in the charter) of Tain in the Ross & Cromarty area of the Highlands was our next stop.  It received it’s first charter in 1066 from King Malcom III.  During that year farther south near the village of Hastings there occurred a wee dust up that changed Britain forever.

Anyway, the town is very classical, old Scotland.  I only took 2 photos because it was very cold and the sky was about to open on us.

But the whole old part of the Burgh looked like that.

We returned on a different route that had us come out by Loch Carron.  With over 900 residents it is more than twice the size of Plockton. Since the reasons for our journey were done coupled with the fact that Kenny made surprisingly good time on the return, we stopped for some very dramatic photos

And this home belongs to a friend of Ken’s.  Neil is a  fisherman (small net scallops) and a musician in the group that plays at the Inn on Thursdays (& Tuesday in summer).

The approach along the loch is one of the most dangerous in the Highlands.  Not because of the road, although all single tracks deserve care & the driver’s attention, but because of the threat of landslide!

I had never entered Plockton from this side before and the views were a bit of alright.

And once safely back in the Inn I noticed the sky appeared blacker than normal and the buildings whiter so I stepped outside to see what was what.

Nice rainbow to end the day.