Invergordon, on the Cromarty Firth, Scottish Highlands
Invergordon calls itself the seaway to the Scottish
Highlands, it boasts about 4,500 inhabitants, and was ‘bought’ by Sir William
Gordon in 1704.
We arrived on schedule early in the morning, but fierce
winds prevented an ‘easy docking’ and it took almost an hour of time and the
assistance of a couple of tugs to secure enough dock lines to position and keep
the ship in place.
Invergordon used to be a Royal Naval town, but today it is
known for oil rig repairs, whisky distilling, and fish feed production. It also
is proud of a series of eleven giant murals which are spread along the very
short main street of the village. A walking tour along the town’s two streets
takes a few minutes, after that one looks for more…
A 45 minute bus ride takes one to the ‘big city’ of
Inverness, gateway the rugged Scottish Highlands, and to Nessie’s home in Loch Ness,
hence thousands of souvenirs of every descriptions depicting the world famous
monster of fantasyare sold in the stores
of historic Victoria Market as well as in every other local store – one almost
gets Nessie overload. Albeit none of the thousands of annual visitors to Loch
Ness has ever enjoyed even a fleeting glimpse of Nessie, the myth and legend
has grown ever since the first (and only) blurred black and white photo of the
‘monster’ appeared in print; today the Loch with Urquart Castle offering great
views from its shores is one of the most popular attractions for tourists.
Inverness lies on both sides of the river Ness, at the foot
of a hill, which is crowned by Inverness Castle, today the working court house.
Its original wooden version was built in the 12th century. In 1582,
Alexander Gordon refused entry to Mary Queen of Scots (she turns up at every
corner in Scotland). Queen Mary captured the castle with the help of the
MacIntoshes and Frasers, and Mr Gorden was duly hanged, swift royal justice in
action.
Across from the castle at the other side of the river Ness,
stands Inverness Cathedral, which is surrounded by parks and the pleasant Ness
River Walk. The Cathedral itself is magically lit through colourful stained
glass windows. The heavy columns of the apses are topped by a carved wooden
arched ceiling. Serious architecture, heavy and solid.
A short distance away lies the infamous Culloden
Battlefield, where the Scots were literally wiped out by the English during a
short and fierce 20 minute battle in April 16, 1746. The soldiers of the
Jacobite army faced the English, after having endured an exhausting march
throughout the night. Too tired to fight, the Scots fell victim to a brutal
carnage. End of Scotland’s Independence and the Jacobite dream.
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| One may buy a little 'country cottage' or castle for less money than a 50 year old Scottish Whisky.... |
My program for the day: walk and walk and walk some more,
trying to face chilling and fierce winds during my explorations of local
attractions. It was so cold, that I saw myself obligated to buy a sheep’s wool
pullover to survive the day’s visit here without succumbing to the Scottish
climate….
