A Scottish Day Trip - "If it were done, when t'is done, then t'were well it were done quickly"

A beautiful day greeted us when we awoke this morning. All the better as we had planned a day trip to try and show off as much of Scotland as possible to Linda, Mark and Adele. We made up some sandwiches, packed up the dog and hit the road.

We headed northwest towards Inverness. Our first stop was Cawdor Castle, which some might recognize as MacBeth's old stomping grounds - at least according to Billy Shakespeare. The actual castle dates from a much later period (16th century), but those notes probably didn't reach Spain as busloads of Spanish tourists crawled all over the grounds in their typically Spanish fashion.

The castle and grounds are fabulous - well laid out, well cared for and the guide notes have an injection of self-deprecating humour that we as Canadians can appreciate. It is still lived in by the family that owns it, which means you get a cool juxtaposition of centuries old tapestries hanging in the same room as a framed photo of Aunt Judy. Fiona and Casey went around on the garden paths through the woods and they are highly recommended as well.

Before moving on we broke out the sandwiches and had a nice picnic on the grounds. The weather continued to oblige and I think we all got a little bit of work done on our tans.

We rolled on through some spectacular scenery - an arched railway bridge that somehow we hadn't noticed before - and pulled in to Culloden Moor and the battlefield memorial. Linda, Mark and Adele went through the interpretive centre, which Linda found incredibly informative and affecting and Adele just found it sad for the poor Highlanders - it was just not "fair".

We pushed on through Inverness and down the coast of Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle. The ruins were well enjoyed by little Adele, who scampered around, in, up, down and over everything. The views were quite nice. Last time we were here was in the autumn of last year, when the leaves were changing color. It loses none of its magnificence in the summer sun.

We've arrived back at home again, to continue our nightly Wii ritual. Adele has really taken to beating her poor uncle about the head with a kendo stick. I'm not sure how much sympathy that generates, but I'll take all I can get.