Romance of the Urquhart..

Is there anything more beautiful than a Castle in Ruin? Perched on the clear blue waters of the Lochness, we can see history crumble gently. The wind blows in whispers and the Lochness ripples its head in agreement. If I had to pick favourites, this would be it; The Urquhart resplendent in the gorgeous yellow sunshine.
All the world is a stage and all its men and women merely players and so Urquhart played its role in the affairs of men.

Driving down to the Urqhart..

We arrived in Lochness a day before. The drive was breathtaking, the scenery arresting. As the lanes got narrower we had to stop trusting the Satnav and go with our instincts instead. We were delighted to discover that out B&B sat by the lake. Our delight was short lived for I found myself ruing that we only had a night to explore the place. But as always we left the next day vowing to come back for a longer stint at this fantastic place..

The Lochness

As we drove down past startlingly green Pine forests under a skittish sun  we stopped for a few pictures.
The Lochness was a constant, A calming presence interwoven with the character and history of this place. We talk about Nessie the monster - Legend? Myth? The calm waters don't say much. If there are monsters they are definitely not out and about today.

Reading about the Urqhart , the castle offers very good visual displays to the visitor..

When we enter, we walk into the visitors center. There are several visual displays describing the history of the castle. A video presentation is about to begin. We hurry into the hall. The video details the history of the castle from it speculated beginnings during the 13th century, its capture by Edward 1 of England; its redemption by Andrew De Moray ; it's gifting to a noble Scottish family of importance and its destruction on 1692 by Williamite forces during the Jacobite uprising. Urqhart weathered many a storm to where it stands now. When the curtain finally lifted to unveil a view of the castle I was speechless. Yes it was in ruin, but the brown stonework ravished by the blue waters of the Lochness was of incomparable beauty.

The beautiful ruin..

We walked  into the castle to explore. We cross over a wooden bridge, there appears to have been a draw bridge once here. Much smaller than the Edinburgh castle and the Sterling Castle, Urqhart still holds its own . We walk up the tall tower. The view from here is amazing. I remove my shades getting rid of this sunglass tinted reality, and squint into the bright sunlight. The outlines of trees not quiet into spring move gently in the breeze.

Watching the lake from the Urquhart..

Standing here we can see why the positioning of the Urquhart is so strategic , affording clear and unobstructed view over the waters of the Lochness on three sides it would have been hard for the enemy to approach unnoticed.

Exploring the Castle..

We clamber down and walk all the way to the edge of the Loch. No Nessie we hope :).