Highland Adventures!

So before I tell of my highland adventures, first I'd like to introduce you to my new flat! There are some things different now than when I took the picture a few days ago, mostly that I've moved the pictures that are on the right side of the wall to a different space, and now have two picture frames to hang there (found for a pound each at a bargain store, of cute animals!), and also, there is a big fern on the right side of the window, and a little tray of pots that I've put some wildflower seeds in! I decided that I am going to beat my black thumb, and so Jessica and I went to the HomeBase store (basically a UK Home Depot), and got some plants and seeds and pots and soil and went crazy. No longer will plants come to my house to die!

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My new flat!
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So at first I wasn't too thrilled with the flat, because for one, it is on the TOP floor of the building, meaning that I have to climb exactly 100 steps (yes, I counted) in order to get there. Once I got over that it's not so bad, especially once I furnished it (after a glorious trip to the Edinburgh IKEA). It's a bit weird living with college-age kids (my flatmates are 17, 19, and 20). They are all very nice so far, but it's just like we're at completely different stages of life, and I feel like such an old stuffy woman because they're always going out partying and I'm like "nahh I'm tired, I think I'm going to go to bed at 10pm." Also, I've lived on my own already, for four years of college and then one year almost completely independently, and so it's weird to be back in a situation where I have to share space with people, and have to deal with rules about what I can and can't have in my room.

But whatever, so far it's working out alright. If nothing else, it's just for a year, and I might get in a bit more shape in the process. :) Also, check out my view!

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My view by day!
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My view by night!
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So now, on to my highland adventures with Jessica, Erin, Hyla, and Kirsten! Check out my mobileme gallery for more pics, but here are pics to show the main highlights.

Day 1: Carbisdale Castle!

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'A' on the map is Culrain
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We caught an early train at 6:40am to Culrain, changing trains once at Perth. At Culrain we stepped off the train and walked about 1/2 mile to Carbisdale Castle. This Castle was built by the Dutchess of Sutherland, between 1905 and 1917, and used by her until it was turned into a youth hostel. So it's a very new castle, but it's reputed to be haunted by various ghosts. We unfortunately didn't see any, but what can you do. It was my first experience in a youth hostel, and it was actually pretty good. I still prefer full-service hotels, but how often do you get to stay in an actual castle for something like 17 quid a night?

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Carbisdale Castle
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We couldn't check into the castle until 3:30, and it was only about 11:30, so we left our packs behind and went for a walk around the area. We didn't see too much excitement, the whole of Culrain is basically the train stop, a few houses, and the castle. Everything else is farmland.

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Me and the Highlands!
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Scottish Wildflowers
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We discovered a pretty cool bridge
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So after our long walk, we headed back to the castle to check in and have a cup of tea from the cafe before going up to our rooms. Our room had 4 sets of bunk beds, so with only 5 of us, we were left to share the room with 3 random people. We were there for 3 nights, but the others only stayed for a night each. We ate dinner in the castle, for a whopping 9.50 quid, but it was surprisingly good, and I suppose for the price of 17 quid a night, they have to make money somewhere, right?

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Hyla (middle) and Erin (right) get settled
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Day 2: Dingwall Mart

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Closeup of Culrain (A), and Dingwall (B)
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The next morning, we caught a 9am train to Dingwall, to see the livestock market (which was the reason behind this whole trip. The day we were there was prime stock day, so they were selling all of the prime lambs and prime calves off to the abbattoirs (a nice word for slaughterhouses). It was kind of cool to see how the whole thing works, and how each cow is auctioned separately. I'm pretty sure it is completely different to the mass livestock sales in the US, so it was cool to see it done in such a personal manner. We were so very out of place in this setting, and people were looking at us like "what on earth are 5 blonde girls with cameras and notebooks doing here?!" But regardless, it was a good experience.

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Calf being auctioned
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Also it was funny because the auctioneer was so stereotypical of what you'd see on tv that we could barely understand what he was saying because he was doing it in that sing-songy way and it was going so quickly! We met the auctioneer afterwards, and he's a really nice man, he gave us lots of information and even a floorplan of the market penning system to help us with our EMS forms! I love Scottish people, they're so nice!

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Us at the Livestock Market!
From L-R: Me, Erin, Jessica, Hyla, Kirsten
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After the livestock market we headed into the town of Dingwall to just look around. It was such an adorable little town and had a surprising amount in it for such a small setting. While I was there, I bought a bike! I live a bit away from school walking, so having a bike will make it much easier to get to class. Also, will be easier on my feet! :)

We had dinner in a cute little pub by the traintracks, and ate delicious burgers and fries (which are only called fries when paired with hamburgers, apparently, otherwise they are called 'chips'). Then we boarded the train and headed back!

When we got back to Carbisdale Castle we pretty much just conked out, it was a tiring day!

Day 3: Carbisdale Castle Hiking
When we got up the next morning the weather was gorgeous, so we decided to take a nice hike around the castle. There are a bunch of trails set up, I think mainly for mountainbiking, but they were just as fun to walk!

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Gorgeous weather, finally!
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Us taking a break on an oddly-placed bench!
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A pretty lake we stumbled across!
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After the walk, we pretty much just hung out around the castle until bedtime. We made dinner in the self-service kitchen and sat around chatting until we went to sleep.

Day 4: Inverness, Urquhart Castle, and Loch Ness

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We took the train from Inverness (B) to Urquhart Castle (C),
then walked to Drumnadrochit (A).
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On this last day of our adventure, we took the 9am train home. This train stopped in Inverness, though, and Jessica and I decided that instead of following the others back to Edinburgh, we were going to stay at Inverness and try and make our way to Loch Ness. Our train ticket was open-ended, afterall.

So we parted ways, and took a bus to Urquhart Castle, which is a ruin of a castle that was at one point one of the largest strongholds of Medieval Scotland. It sits right on the Loch, which makes it such a fantasticly mystical setting. No sightings of Nessie yet, but we held out hope.

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Jessica and me in front of the ruins of Urquhart Castle
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Then we decided to walk to Drumnadrochit, since the lady at the bus centre told us it was a 15 minute walk. An hour and a half or so later, we finally found Drumnadrochit. On the way though, we had a lot of fun eating blackberries by the side of the road and taking pictures of the beautiful scenery.

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Thistle with Loch Ness in the Background
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When we made it to Drumnadrochit finally we didn't really have time to do a whole lot, but we did stop in at the Original Loch Ness Monster Center, which was mainly a souvenir shop. But, at last, we had our first Nessie sighting!

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We found Nessie!
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Lastly, we ate a cup of soup and chips in a small cafe/bar, and then went to the bus stop to wait for the bus back to Inverness. Standing there in the rain for 1/2 an hour we realize that the bus is not going to come, and that the lady at the bus center told us the wrong time, and the bus had in fact been scheduled to arrive 5 minutes before we actually got to the bus stop. So we called a private taxi hire, who drove us all the way back to Inverness. She was a very nice Scottish lady, who talked to us about her dogs and Scotland and made the extra cost bearable. Plus, we weren't in the rain anymore.

Back at Inverness we had time for a bit of coffee and then got on the train back to Edinburgh. Despite the trip being amazing, I was quite glad to be sleeping in my own bed in my own space!