After another great breakfast, it was time to leave our B and B, and the Speyside area for Inverness.  We had a couple of stops on the way, which oddly enough did not involve malt whisky! As we were getting ready to go, the bird feeder was visited by a pheasant!

 The first stop was Cawdor Castle… This is the castle that Shakespeare used as his setting for Macbeth.  It also is one of the few castles that still remain in the family after centuries!  Pretty amazing…

The Dowager Countess Cawdor lives there from Oct to May, and so not only is the castle fully furnished with spectacular antiques and tapestries,  it also has the warmth of a home that is lived in!  Very impressive!  Underneath the front door is the original entry which is built around an old tree trunk… Legend has it that when the King gave permission to his favorited squire to build himself a castle, he was told in a dream to put a load of gold on his donkey’s back and proceeded to follow him around the grounds until at last the donkey laid down.  He was to build the castle at that spot, and his donkey laid down under this yew tree that is still visible within the building!  Carbon dating pits the tree at 14th century!

Once Suzanne and I were finished with the inside, it was time to visit the gardens and meet up with the guys… Oh the gardens!!!!

  

Then we walked down by the river… It was like we were in the land of lilliput!

  

But seriously, this garden was amazing!!!

  

As was the forest and walk my paths around the castle!

Our next stop was Culloden.  This battlefield was the site of the last battle that was fought in the Jacobite uprising… A tragic end to the highland ways and language for generations…. The interpretive centre was excellent, and walking the grounds on a bleak cold rainswept day was remarkable!

  

We headed out from here to Inverness, seeing some beautiful landscapes

 before we arrived at our new home for the next 2 nights…

  Once there, it was time for some boring stuff like laundry, and then off to do some exploring in the downtown core…

  Back to the B and B for a spot of wine and some cheese and crackers before we headed off to dinner… And an evening of relaxing…

Alan continues his Camino, although the “bum” knee is becoming worrisome.  He walked about 20 km today in over 6.5 hours… He was doing 30+ km when walking with Lisa in this time before his knee gave out!  Tomorrow he plans to send his backpack ahead as he goes back to Santiago…buen Camino!

Tomorrow, we are back on the Whisky trail again… Visiting Dalmore and Glenmorangie…. Then exciting exciting event!!!! We are going to visit Sandra at her home!  Stay tuned for news of her exploits tomorrow!

Until then!