We took a Loch Ness Cruise that took us to the ruined Urquhart Castle.
It was a calm day and we were essentially the only group onboard. The main
attraction is seeing the ruined Urquhart castle and the sonar that shows small
shoals of fish and the bottom of a very cold and largely empty loch.
The highland clearances led to the crofters (peasant subsistence
farmers) being evicted and their houses were burned otherwise the Lord (or
Laird) would have to pay tax. You see there was a roof tax. These ruined buildings now dot the landscape as a stark reminder. Essentially the landowners
replaced people with sheep which provided a better income.
We had a tour of the Pultney Whiskey Distillery which is the UK’s most
northern distillery. It was interesting and we had a taste of their whiskey and
their whiskey liqueur. Apparently the
whiskey is produced with 60+ per cent alcohol which essentially tastes like
burning. To be legally classified as whiskey it must be stored in a barrel for
a minimum of three years and one day. When it is sold it has to be 40 per cent
proof and they simply add water to dilute till they get the required level.
The area we are in once belonged to Norway and almost all the towns have Norse origins, their flag is not unlike Norway's.
Tonight, after an enormous three course meal in our
hotel as we set off for a Gaelic cultural experience at one of the local
village pubs. It was called The Old Smiddy. It originally had been a blacksmith's shop. Lots of Gaelic songs and story with the occasional bagpipe song
in front of a crackling fire. The two pints of beer helped.
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