We were on a tight timetable this day. We had to catch a certain train so that we could catch the right bus to get to the village of Drumnadrochit in time to check into our Bed & Breakfast without loosing our room. It was grey and foggy in the morning, and much of our 3+ hour train ride to Inverness was in and out of rain.

The further north you travel in Scotland, the prettier it gets. The cab driver in Edinburgh has told us as much and even suggested that we go even farther north than Loch Ness to get the prettiest countryside.

Soon we were passing lochs and pine-forested hills. The forests are somewhat disconcerting because they are obviously planted by man. The trees in any given area are always the same size and when you pass them at the correct angle, you can see that they are in straight lines. Nonetheless a pine tree is a pine tree and a man-made forest is better than a forest cut down by man.

We got to Inverness early enough that we figured if we hurried we could catch the early bus. We rushed to the bus station and caught the bus with just 5 minutes to spare. We didn't get a chance to see anything in Inverness, but from what I can gather, there isn't much in Inverness to see.

An hour later we were in Drumnadrochit and after asking directions we walked the mile or so (hauling our luggage) to our Bed & Breakfast.

Drumnadrochit is very pleasant, and I began seriously regretting all the time we'd spent in London, York and Edinburgh - or, as I was now thinking about it - wasted in them. Chu-Wan was of like mind. The Highlands of Scotland were clearly going to be the highlight of the trip, and we weren't going to have enough time to fully enjoy it.

The remainder of the trip was to be like a string of dominoes, once in motion it must hit each domino in turn or not make it to the end of the line. In this case, the end of the line was our flight back to the US. We couldn't afford to miss that.

Two miles down the road, on the shores of Loch Ness, is Urquhart Castle. Urquhart Castle is the castle ruins that are always shown in pictures of Loch Ness. It sits at the edge of Urquhart Bay, which is a prime spotting area for the Loch Ness Monster.

We toured the castle and the grounds, and along the shore of the Loch for a while when the rains came. We had umbrellas and rain gear, but we, like all the other sightseers, tried to find shelter in the castle.

One important thing to know about Urquhart Castle is that it was blown up several hundred years ago to prevent it from being used as a fortress. That fact also means it doesn't afford much protection from the elements either, so we stood miserably crowded against walls, not wanting to make the two-mile trek back into town in a pouring rain.

The rain eventually let up and we headed back to the main part of the village, near the bus station. We toured the Loch Ness Monster exhibit, which connects to a big gift shop. (Big surprise!) Then we walked around and marveled at what a nice little town it was.