Category Archives: United Kingdom

Leicester Square (London, England, UK)

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Leicester Square

On our third day in London, we all woke up early and, after breakfast, walked all the way to King’s Cross Underground Station were we took the Piccadilly Tube Line, to Leicester Square Station.  From there, Leicester Square, a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, is just a 5-min.walk away.

The square lies within an area bound, to the north, by Lisle Street; to the east by Charing Cross Road; to the south by Orange Street; and to the west by Whitcomb Street. The park at the centre of the square is bound, to the north, by Cranbourn Street; to the east by Leicester Street; to the south by Irving Street and; to the west, by a section of road designated simply as Leicester Square.

Shakespeare Fountain and Statue

At the center of the square is a statue of William Shakespeare standing on a pedestal flanked by dolphins at the center of a fountain. Sculpted by Giovanni Fontana (after an original by Peter Scheemakers), since 1874, it formed the centerpiece of Leicester Square Gardens.

VUE Theater and the Hippodrome

Laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, the square was named after the Leicester House (itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester). Originally a gentrified residential area for nobles (tenants including Frederick, Prince of Wales and the artists William Hogarth and Joshua Reynolds), the square became more down-market in the late 18th century as Leicester House was demolished and retail developments took place, quickly evolving into a hub for entertainment and culture.

Odeon Theatre

Surrounding the iconic and vibrant square are renowned West End theaters (Wyndham’s Theatre, Leicester Square Theatre, Prince of Wales Theatre, etc.), cinemas, fashion boutiques, music stores, souvenir shops, bars, hotels  and restaurants including a Jollibee store which was opened last May 20, 2021.

Map of the interactive “Scenes in the Square”

Upon arrival at the square, we checked out the interactive “Scenes in the Square,” a film-themed sculpture trail which emphasizes Leicester Square’s long association with cinema. Since 1930, the site has been home to cinemas, hosting its first film premiere in 1937.

TKTS

The free exhibition, depicting recognizable classic and contemporary film characters (some even brought to life, at night, with lighting) from the last 100 years of cinema, was organized by the Heart of London Business Alliance, in partnership with Westminster City Council, and is supported by major movie studios. It originally consisted of 8 quirky bronze sculptures.

Mary Poppins Statue

Grace and Paula with the statue of Mary Poppins in the background

On ground level are the statues of Mary Poppins, with her hat, coat, and her bottomless Mary Poppins Bag (depicted landing from flight with her umbrella raised, as featured in the 1964 film Mary Poppins);Looney Tunes’ Bugs Bunny (depicted popping up out of a hole in a flower bed, in front of his mailbox, while eating a carrot); Gene Kelly (depicted, in his role as Don Lockwood, in the 1952 film Singin’ in the Rain), swinging around a lamppost with his raincoat, hat and umbrella smiling for all to see, in an iconic scene where the character sings the title song in the film (Patricia Ward Kelly, Kelly’s wife, granted permission to make the statue).

Bugs Bunny Statue

Statue of Gene Kelly in Singin’ In The Rain

Seated on a benches in the square are the iconic British and well-loved Paddington Bear (Paddington movies premiered in Leicester Square in 2014 and 2017) wearing his signature hat and duffel coat (but has no boots) and eating one of his favorite marmalade sandwiches) and Mr. Bean, who was portrayed by versatile comic performer Rowan Atkinson on television and in film (its erection also marked 30 years since the character’s first appearance).

Jandy seated besidge Paddington Statue ……

…… and beside statue of Mr. Bean

A number of statue are found above street level.  The statue of DC Comics superhero Batman stands 25 m. (82 ft.) above on the roof of the Odeon Leicester Square cinema, keeping watch over London from the rooftops just like he did in the Batman films.

Batman Statue

Wonder Woman (inspired by a scene from the 2017 film Wonder Woman, in which the title character was played by Gal Gadot), another DC Comics superhero, is depicted breaking through the wall of the Vue West End cinema, wielding her Lasso of Truth (which is lit at night).

Wonder Woman Statue

The legendary comedy duo  Laurel and Hardy, perched on top of the TKTS Booth (the best place in London to get cheap theatre tickets) in the square, representing a famous scene from the 1929 film Liberty where the pair playfully teeter and balance on a ledge on a skyscraper.

Laurel and Hardy in Liberty

On September 30, 2020, a statue of Harry Potter  riding a broomstick (Nimbus 2000) and playing Quidditch (the scene was taken from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone which had its world premiere in Leicester Square in 2001) was installed, becoming the ninth statue in the exhibition. In June 2021, a sculpture of the Iron Throne, from the HBO TV series Game of Thrones, was unveiled to mark 10 years since the release of the first episode.

The author with Harry Potter Statue

In July 2021, to mark the July 16 release of Space Jam: A New Legacy in which the character is part of a basketball team, the statue of Bugs Bunny was modified with a basketball and backboard (features a QR code to unlock online content on social media).

In December 2021, ahead of the release of the film of the same name, a bronze statue of Clifford the Big Red Dog was installed, featuring links to pages where visitors can donate to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. The largest sculpture in the series, measuring 3 m. (9.8 ft.) long and 2 m. (6 ft., 7 in.) high and weighing 600 kgs. (1,300 lbs.), it took a team of 15 people three months to create the sculpture.

On May 31, 2023, a life-sized bronze statue of Indiana Jones, the iconic action movie hero portrayed by Harrison Ford, was added to the collection of famous celebrities immortalized in Leicester Square. The statue, created to coincide with the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the latest and final installment of the Indiana Jones film series, was placed in the square in a crate with his fedora and whip. Found near Greggs’s Bakery, it was officially unveiled on June 2023, closer to the movie’s release on June 28.

Charlie Chaplin Statue

There’s also a statue of Charlie Chaplin, sculpted in 1979 by John Doubleday, portraying the actor, comedian and filmmaker in his best-known role, as The Tramp. The four corner gates of the park have one bust each of the scientist Sir Isaac Newton (designed by William Calder Marshall); Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first President of the Royal Academy (by Henry Weekes); John Hunter, a pioneer of surgery (by Thomas Woolner); and William Hogarth, the painter (by Joseph Durham); all famous former residents in the square.

Leicester Square: City of Westminster, Central London WC2H 7LU. 

How to Get There: The nearest London Underground station is Leicester Square, which opened in 1906. London bus routes 24, 29 and 176 run on nearby Charing Cross Road.

Ross Fountain (Edinburgh, Scotland, UK)

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Ross Fountain with Edinburgh Castle in the background

The highlight of our visit to the Princes Street Gardens was our photo ops at the Ross Fountain, the focus of the western end of the gardens and the park’s most important monument.  This fountain, made from cast-iron, is a shining example of magnificent  19th century sculpture.  Photographs of the view up to the famous Edinburgh Castle from the Gardens, with this fountain in the foreground, has featured heavily in some of the iconic imagery of Edinburgh over the years.

Check out “Princes Street Gardens”

At an exhibit at the Great Exhibition of 1862, an exhibition of modern art, technology and invention in London, it was purchased, on a moment of impulse and as a philanthropic gesture, by Edinburgh gunsmith Daniel Ross (who described it as “obtaining universal admiration”), in September 1869, for £2,000 and, subsequently, gifted to the city of Edinburgh.

The four female, greater than life size figures representing Science, Arts, Poetry, and Industry

That same year, it was transported to Leith, in 122 individual pieces, but sat in storage for a decade while the city council considered where they were going to put it. In 1872, it was reassembled, in its current position, at Princes Street Gardens, only a few hundred yards from the Ross Bandstand. Sadly, David Ross died in January 1871, one year before, missing the opportunity to see the masterpiece displayed in the gardens.

Some of the 8 voluptuous mermaid statues, with bared flesh, holding overflowing urns, and sitting on scallop-shell basins with lion’s heads between

In 2001, as broken pipes had made the fountain inoperational, the fountain had some extensive restoration work completed. In 2008, water was turned off and, from July 2017, it was closed again for further restoration work, costing 1.9 million pounds, undertaken by Lost Art Limited of Wigan on behalf of The Ross Development Trust. On July 8, 2018, it was re-inaugurated by Lord Provost Frank Ross and others, including the Head of Mission at the French Consulate in Edinburgh Emmanuel Cocher.

The beautifully modeled and semi-naked female figure, holding the topmost cornucopia, which scandalized Victorian Edinburgh at the time.

The fountain, now with a new pump that will be switched on permanently, is now painted in eye-catching turquoise, brown and gold which, according to the organizers, should last for at least 20 years. The figures were sculpted by artist Jean-Baptiste Jules Klagmann (b. April 1810) whose other work includes figures for the Louvre and D’ Medici fountains in Luxembourg Gardens in Paris.  It is also unusual in that, rather than having been produced by one of the great Scottish foundries of the day, it was produced at the iron foundry of  Antoine Durenne, ‘Maitre de Forges, Sommevoire Haute Marne’ in Sommevoire, France.

The fountain’s circular basin has curved Craigleith sandstone edges and the first elevated basin is decorated with stylized “walrus” heads round the edge. The first tier of the central column has 8 voluptuous mermaid statues, with bared flesh, holding overflowing urns, and sitting on scallop-shell basins with lion’s heads between. Swags and cornucopia abound, and the bowls above have cherub-faced spouts.

The author (right) with Jandy and Grace (photo: Selena Sta. Maria))

Near the top, with water basins held up by mermaid children, are four female greater than life size figures representing Science, Arts, Poetry, and Industry seated between semicircular basins. The structure is surmounted by a final, beautifully modeled and semi-naked female figure, holding the topmost cornucopia, which scandalized Victorian Edinburgh at the time. All this combines to produce a fountain that is over 40 ft. high and over 100 tons in weight. 

Ross Fountain: West Princes Street Gardens, Princes Street EH2 2HG, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 529 7921. E-mail: parks@edinburgh.gov.uk.

Princes Street Gardens (Edinburgh, Scotland, UK)

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Princes Street Gardens

Our third (and first and only whole) day in Edinburgh, we planned to visit Edinburgh Castle but, as it was still very early in the morning (the castle opens at 10 AM), we decided to visit and explore the 150,000 sq. m. (37-acre) Princes Street Gardens, one of two adjacent public parks (East Princes Street Gardens and West Princes Street Gardens) and one of the most important urban parks in the center of Edinburgh.

The National Gallery of Scotland (left) and the Royal Scottish Academy (right) buildings

Lying in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle (on its rock towering above the western end), the gardens, running along the south side of Princes Street, is divided into two parts by The Mound, an artificial hill, on which the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy buildings are located, that connects the city’s New Town and Old Town.

Check out “National Gallery of Scotland”

St. John’s Church

Lying at center of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site, set in the valley between New Town and Old Town Outstanding Conservation Areas (the boundary between the two areas being the north fence of the railway), the Princes Street Gardens is in the very center of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site.

L-R: Paula, Manny, Jandy, Grace and the author at Princes Street Gardens. In the background is St. Cuthbert’s Parish Church

Its landscape, of outstanding refinement and cultural significance, has high geological and some botanical scientific interest. One of the New Town Gardens listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscape in Scotland, it was assessed as outstanding in terms of aesthetic, historical, architectural and scenic values.

Ross Fountain with Edinburgh Castle in the background

The central location of the Gardens makes it a popular choice having the highest awareness and visitor figures for both residents and visitors to the city. Awarded a Green Flag since 2011, the park is beautiful all year round.

Gardener’s Cottage

East Princes Street Gardens run from The Mound to Waverley Bridge, and cover 3.4 ha. (8.5 acres) while the larger West Princes Street Gardens covers 12 ha. (29 acres) and extends to the adjacent churches of St. John’s and St. Cuthbert’s, near Lothian Road in the west.

Check out “St. Cuthbert Parish Church”

The Scott Monument

The Gardens were created in the 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town, beginning in the 1760s.  Situated on the north side of the town, the loch,  originally an artificial creation forming part of its medieval defenses, has made expansion northwards difficult and its water was habitually polluted from sewage draining downhill from the Old Town. The Princes Street Gardens has a diverse and fascinating collection of public monuments and memorials. Dating mainly from the 1840s to 1990s, there are three types.

Sir James Young Simpson Monument

The first group commemorates influential Scottish men of the 18th and 19th centuries. In the East Princes Street Gardens are the Scott Monument (the most prominent in the garden, this Neo-Gothic spire was built in 1844 to honor Sir Walter Scott) and the statue of explorer David Livingstone.  Also within East Princes Street Gardens are statues of the publisher Lord Provost Adam Black and Professor John Wilson (the essayist who wrote under the pseudonym Christopher North).

Thomas Guthrie Monument

The second group remembers those who have died fighting in wars, including the Royal Scots Greys Regimental Memorial and the Scottish American War Memorial (designed by R. Tait McKensie, it was erected in 1927). The Royal Scots Monument, a large curved monument to the Royal Scots, stands slightly hidden just south of the very picturesque gardener’s cottage at the east end of the West Princes Gardens. Designed by Sir Frank Mears, with sculpture by Pilkington Jackson, it was described as a “modern henge.”   Dating from 1950, it was added to and “finalized” in May 2007 following the termination of the Royal Scots in 2006. This added additional Battle Honors gained since the 1950s.

Monument of the Royal Scots

The third group includes miscellaneous sculptures and monuments such as the cast iron Ross Fountain The focus of the western end of the gardens, the newly refurbished fountain is the park’s most important monument.  Gifted by Edinburgh gunsmith Daniel Ross, this structure was originally installed in 1872, after having been an exhibit at the Great Exposition of 1862 in London, and repaired, restored and unveiled on July 8, 2018 with the help of The Ross Development Trust.

Check out “Ross Fountain”

The Genius of Architecture crowning the Theory and Practice of Art

At the eastern entrance to the Gardens is the world renowned Floral Clock.  The world’s first floral clock, it was first planted in 1903 and each year the planting scheme, designed by the Technical team in the Parks and Greenspace Service, commemorates a special anniversary. The designs of the colorful displays uses a variety of 30,000 flower and foliage plants (including annuals such as Lobelia, Pyrethrum and Golden Moss and succulents such as Echeveria and Sedum), all of a dwarf nature, suitable for carpet bedding.

Ross Theatre

Along the south side of Princes Street are many statues and monuments such as statues of the poet Allan Ramsay, the church reformer Thomas Guthrie, and the obstetric pioneer James Young Simpson. Within East Princes Street Gardens is a small commemorative stone honoring the volunteers from the Lothians and Fife who fought in the Spanish Civil War.

Mortonhall Baby Ashes Memorial

In the center of the West Princes Street Gardens is the Ross Bandstand, named after William Henry Ross (Chairman of the Distillers Company Ltd.) who, in 1877, gifted the first bandstand on the site. The Princes Street proprietors contributed £500 as a goodwill gesture to the cost of the bandstand. The present building and terraces, dating from 1935, is the site of various concerts and other events including the Festival Fireworks Concert, Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest and during the city’s Hogmanay celebrations. The Ross Development Trust proposed to rebuild the bandstand as a Ross Pavilion based on design by architects wHY following an international competition in 2017.

The Royal Scots Greys Monument

The Genius of Architecture, a statuary group on the lower path, represents crowning the Theory and Practice of Art.   Designed by William Brodie originally for the garden of Rockville, the home of his maverick architect son-in-law Sir James Gowans, it was moved here in the 1960s following the demolition of Rockville.   Nearby is the Mortonhall Baby Ashes Memorial, a new monument in the form of a baby elephant by sculptor Andy Scott.  Added to the gardens on February 2, 2019, it is a permanent reminder of the 250 babies and their families affected by the Mortonhall scandal, which was uncovered in 2012.

Norwegian Brigade Memorial

Other statues and memorials include the Norwegian Brigade War Memorial (donated in 1978 by Norwegian veterans trained in Scotland during the Second World War) and the bronze statue, unveiled in 2015, of Wojtek the Bear, a Syrian brown bear adopted by the Polish II Corps during World War II, with a fellow Polish Army soldier walking together.

Wojtek The Soldier Bear Memorial

Princes Street Gardens: Princes Street EH2 2HG, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 529 7921. E-mail: parks@edinburgh.gov.uk

Pitlochry (Scotland, U.K.)

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Pitlochry

Part of Scottish Highlands Tour

From the Commando Memorial, in Spean Bridge, we drove another 104 kms. (a 1.5 hour drive, via the A86 and A9), to Pitlochry, our last stopover.  This was to be our last toilet break, prior to our return to Edinburgh, and there was a long queue at the town’s public toilet (or the “loo” as they call it), causing a lot of misery (plus they charge 50p per person for using it), so we walked, for about 320 m., along Atholl Road (the main road), to Fishers Hotel where we used the toilet for free.

Check out “Commando Memorial” and “Spean Bridge”

Grace and Jandy strolling along Atholl Road (the main road). On the other side are the unusual period cast iron canopy.

This town, lying on the River Tummel, in the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland is, historically, in the county of Perthshire. Largely a Victorian town, it was developed into a tourist resort after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited the area in 1842 and bought a highland estate at Balmoral, and the arrival of the railway in 1863. Popular as a base for coach holidays, it is particularly known for its Pitlochry Festival Theatre and salmon ladder.

Surrounded by mountains such as Ben Vrackie and Schiehallion, it also a centre for hillwalking. The town has retained many stone Victorian buildings and the high street has an unusual period cast iron canopy over one side.   The town has two whisky distilleries, whose visitor centers are popular attractions.  The privately owned Edradour, the smallest legal distillery in Scotland, sits to the east of town at the foot of the Moulin Moor and produces only 12 casks per week with a production workforce of three men.

The last example of a traditional distillery, it has remained unchanged since it started making whisky, and is hugely popular with visitors. Blair Athol Distillery, which dates back to 1798, sits on the main road at the southeast of town and, since 1933, has been owned by Bell’s, now part of the Diageo group.  Pitlochry station is home to Pitlochry Station Bookshop. The bookshop was set up in 2005 and is situated on Platform 1.

MacNaughtons of Pilochry

MacNaughtons of Pitlochry, one of Scotland’s oldest retail establishments (dating back to 1835 in the reign of William IV), is a traditional country and highland clothing retail shop with the finest formal kilt wear knowledge of tartans and kilt outfit accessories.

Back on board our bus, we arrived back in Edinburgh by 8:30 PM and we were all dropped off at our original meeting place at Deacon’s House Cafe. From there, we all walked back to our respective hotels.

MacNaughtons of Pitlochry: Station Road, Pitlochry, PH16 5AF United Kingdom.  Tel: 01796 472722.  Open Mondays to Saturdays, 9.30 AM – 4.30 PM. .Email: sales@macnaughtonsofpitlochry.com.

The Hairy Coo:  Suites 6 & 7, Administrative Office Only, St. John’s Studios, 46A Constitution St., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RS, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 212 5026.  E-mail: contact@thehairycoo.com. Website: www.thehairycoo.com.

How to Get There: Pitlochry is located 114 kms. (a 1.5-hour drive, via A9 and M90) from Edinburgh and 134.2  kms. (a 1.5-hour drive via A9) from Glasgow.

Commando Memorial (Scotland, U.K.)

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Commando Memorial

Part of Scottish Highland Tour

From Fort Augustus, we all boarded our coach for the 256-km. (3.5-hour) drive back to Edinburgh.  After 30 mins. (34.6 kms.), we made a stopover at the Commando Memorial, one of Scotland’s best-known monuments, both as a war memorial and as a tourist attraction offering views of Ben Nevis and Aonach Mòr.

Check out “Fort Augustus”

This Category A listed monument in Lochaber, Scotland, dedicated to the men of the original British Commando Forces raised during World War II, overlooks the training areas of the former Achnacarry Commando Training Depot established in 1942 at Achnacarry Castle.

The original plaque on the stone plinth

Chosen because it is on the route from Spean Bridge railway station, arriving prospective Commandos would disembark, after a 14-hour journey, load their kit bags onto waiting trucks and then speed-march the 11 kms. (7 mi.) to the training centre in full kit with weapon, weighing a total of 16 kgs. (36 lbs.). Anyone not completing it within 60 minutes was immediately RTU’d (returned to unit).

A plaque, added on November 18, 1993, to mark the Freedom of Lochaber being given to the Commando Association.

The memorial was used as site for memorial services, including the 60th anniversary of D-Day, and Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Here’s the historical timeline of the memorial:

  • In 1949, the sculptor Scott Sutherland won a competition, open to all Scottish sculptors, for the commission of The Commando Memorial. Sutherland’s design won the first prize of £200. It was cast by H. Martyn & Co. of Cheltelham.
  • On September 27, 1952, the monument was officially unveiled by the Queen Mother.
  • On October 5, 1971, the monument was first designated as a listed
  • On August 15, 1996, it was upgraded to a Category A listing.
  • On March 27, 2010 a 3-km. (2 mi.) long war memorial path was opened connecting two local war memorials, the Commando Memorial, and the former High Bridge built by General Wade, where the first shots were fired in the Jacobite Rising of 1745 in the Highbridge Skirmish.
  • On November 18, 1993 a further plaque was added, setting out the story of the Commandos for future generations, to mark the Freedom of Lochaber being given to the Commando Association.

Award-winning Scottish sculptor Scott Sutherland,  born on May 15, 1910 in Wick, Highland, was schooled at Gray’s School of Art, the Edinburgh College of Art and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. After touring Europe and winning two out of the five open commissions offered for the Empire Exhibition, he served in the Army during World War II, working alongside commandos. In 1947, after the war, he took the post of Head of Sculpture at Duncan of Jordanstone’ College. In 1950, Sutherland was elected ARSA (Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy) and, in 1961, as Fellow of the Royal British Society of Sculptors (FRBS ). In 1975, he retired, and died nine years later, on October 10, 1984, in a hospital in Dundee. Sutherland also later created the Black Watch Memorial at Powrie Brae in Dundee, and the memorial to Air Chief Marshall Hugh Dowding, who was Air Officer Commanding, RAF Fighter Command, during the Battle of Britain, at his birthplace of Moffat.

Scott Sutherland commemorative plaque

The 5.2 m. (17 ft.) tall monument, variously described as a huge, striking and iconic statue, consists of a cast bronze sculpture of three Commandos, in characteristic dress (complete with cap comforter, webbing and rifle), standing atop a stone plinth looking south towards Ben Nevis. The soldier at the front is thought to depict Commando Jack Lewington who frequently attended Remembrance Services at the monument during his lifetime. One of the other two soldiers is Frank Nicholls (rank unknown). The other soldier is Regimental Sergeant Major Sidney Hewlett who originally served with the Welsh Guards. He was handpicked to be one of the founding NCOs of the commandos, and was also held in high regard and noted several times by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The base of the bronze statue is inscribed with the date of 1951.

Inscribed around the top of the stone plinth is “United we conquer” while the original plaque on the stone plinth reads: “In memory of the officers and men of the commandos who died in the Second World War 1939–1945. This country was their training ground.”

A Garden of Remembrance, which was subsequently added to the site, is used by many surviving World War II Commandos as the designated final resting place for their ashes. It has also been used as a place where many families have scattered ashes and erected tributes to loved ones who belonged to contemporary Commando units and who have died in more recent conflicts such as the Falklands War or in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Garden for Tributes

Commando Memorial: Spean Bridge, Lochaber, Scottish Highlands, PH34 4EG, United Kingdom.  Coordinates: 56°53′52.42″N 4°56′38.51″W.

How to Get There: the memorial is located approximately 1.5 kms. (1 mi.) northwest of Spean Bridge, at the junction of the A82 road and the B8004 road.

Loch Ness Cruise (Scotland, U.K.)

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Loch Ness Cruise

Part of Scottish Highlands Tour

The highlight of our Scottish Highlands Tours was our cruise of Loch Ness courtesy of Cruise Loch Ness which has been operating from Fort Augustus since May 1968 as an e-RNLI lifeboat carrying 12 passengers.

Check out “Fort Augustus”

Grace and Jandy waiting to board the Spirit of Loch Ness

One of the leading tour providers in the Scottish Highlands, it offers a range of boat tours on the loch, including scenic cruises and exhilarating high-speed RIB cruises (which can carry 12 passengers). The scenic cruises run daily, all year round, and they are a great way to see the sights of the loch.

The 210-pax Spirit of Loch Ness

The smaller, 108-pax  Legend of Loch Ness

The 56 sq. km. (22 sq. mi.), Loch Ness, an elongated freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands, is the second-largest Scottish loch by surface area (after Loch Lomond), but due to its great depth it is the largest by volume in Great Britain. Its deepest point is 230 m. (126 fathoms; 755 ft.), making it the second deepest loch in Scotland after Loch Morar.

Now boarding …..

It contains more water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, and is the largest body of water in the Great Glen, which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south. With a capacity of 23,000 cu. ft., it is almost three times that of Loch Lomond and more that three times that of Loch Morar.  Its surface is 16 m. (52 ft.) above sea level. There are nine villages around the loch, as well as Urquhart Castle.

The author (left) with Grace and Jandy

L-R: Manny, Paula, Selena and Sean

We boarded the Spirit of Loch Ness, one of two custom built vessels (the other is the smaller Legend of Loch Ness which can carry 108 passengers). It had a top speed of 20 knots,  can carry 210 passengers and had a fully-stocked bar.  It was still raining and quite foggy along the loch when we left the dock.

Loch Ness View Point

The River Oich carries water from Loch Oich (to the SW) to Loch Ness (to the NE) and runs in parallel to a section of the Caledonian Canal for the whole of its 9 km. (5.6 mi.) length.

Loch Ness is best known for claimed sightings of the legendary  cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, a cryptid, reputedly a large unknown animal, also known affectionately as “Nessie,”  and both ships have state-of-the-art sonar equipment (with 14 sonar monitors) on board, which beams live images from beneath the water.

Eilean Muireach (Cherry Island)

We departed Fort Augustus by 3 PM. Our daytime cruise was to take around 50 minutes.  We cruised past the over 150 year old, 3-storey Inchnacardoch (meaning “field” or “meadow”) House which was formerly a hunting lodge built in 1878 by Lord Lovat and, later, used as a base for the Royal Air Force during World War II.  Today, it is now the 3-star Inch Country House Hotel, with 17 rooms and a restaurant.

Inchnacardoch House

In front of the Inch Hotel is Cherry Island, the loch’s only island. Also called Eilean Muireach, meaning Murdoch’s Island, it is located 140 m. from the shore of the southern end of the loch.  The island, an example of a crannog (a man-made island composed of loose rubble stones, was originally 49 m. by 51 m. but is now smaller since the level of the loch was raised when it became part of the Caledonian Canal.

Fort Augustus Abbey (left) with the Boathouse (a restaurant) on the right

We also had a loch-side view of the impressive Fort Augustus Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery begun in 1876 and completed in 1880.  It has been transformed, in 2012, into The Highland Club, a luxury hotel consisting of 97 apartments and 12 cottages.

Steamship Landing Stage

We also passed the Old Pier, built for paddle steamer ferries, which was built in 1896 and closed in 1924.  Behind is the Old Pier House.  Formerly a small cottage built in 1903 to accommodate the railway station master, it was renovated into a home of the MacKensie family in 1977. It now provides guests with accommodation both in the house and in three log cabins.

Old Pier House

Loch Ness is a clear example of a U-shaped valley (like a bathtub), a characteristic feature of the higher ground in the Scottish Highlands.  This valley was eroded, along its length, by glaciers into a series of rock basins now occupied by the loch.  Its shores are so steep that aquatic vegetation is virtually non-existent.

The steep granite cliffs

When the fog cleared, we saw some of the almost vertical granite cliffs along the sides of the loch, with slight grooves and scratches made by rock fragments as they were dragged along the ice. The absence of islands in the loch shows the power of ice scouring.  It is also too rocky for agricultural improvement.

The diverse flora in the coastal forest includes Caledonian Scots pine, sessile oak, hazel, downy birch, rowan, eared willow and quaking aspen.

Cruise Loch Ness: Caledonian Canal, Fort Augustus, PH32 4BD, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)1320 366277. E-mail: info@cruiselochness.com  Website: www.cruiselochness.com. Rates: £20 (adult), £13 (child), £18 (concession) and £60 (family).

Old Pier House: Fort Augustus PH32 4BX, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 7593 580373.  E-mail:  bookings@oldpierhouse.com.  Website: www.oldpierhouse.com. 

Inch Country House Hotel: Fort Augustus, Inverness-shire, Scotland PH32 4BL, United Kingdom.  Tel: 44 145-450900.  Fax: 44 1320-366248.  E-mail: happy@inchhotel.com. Website: www.inchhotel.com.

The Highland Club: St.Benedict’s Abbey, The Highland Club, Fort Augustus PH32 4BJ, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 20 3478 3897. E-mail: reservations@thehighlandclub.co.uk. Website: www.thehighlandclub.co.uk. 

The Hairy Coo:  Suites 6 & 7, Administrative Office Only, St. John’s Studios, 46A Constitution St., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RS, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 212 5026.  E-mail: contact@thehairycoo.com. Website: www.thehairycoo.com.

How to Get There: Fort Augustus is located 161 kms. (100  mi.) from Edinburgh and 692 kms. (430 mi.) from London. The village is served by the A82 road and lies approximately midway between Inverness (56 kms.) and Fort William (51 kms.) in the Scottish Highlands.  Coordinates: 57.1432°N 4.6807°W.

Fort Augustus (Scotland, U.K.)

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Fort Augustus and the Caledonian Canal

Part of Scottish Highlands Tour

From Spean Bridge, it was another 36.7 kms. (a 30-min. drive), via A82, to Fort Augustus, a charming settlement and popular and busy tourist destination in the parish of Boleskine and Abertarff, at the south-west end of Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands, home of the famous Loch Ness Monster (fondly called Nessie).  Here we were to have lunch and, afterwards, go on a boat cruise around Loch Ness. It was raining throughout when we arrived and we had to bring out our umbrellas to get to Monster Fish & Chips, adjacent to the Jet Petrol Station, where we first tried out a huge serving of its namesake.

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Monster Fish and Chips

Jet Petrol Station

Until the early 18th century, the settlement was called Kiliwhimin. After the Jacobite rising of 1715, it was renamed Fort Augustus after  Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, one of the sons of King George II.  From 1903 until 1933, the village was served by a rail line, from Spean Bridge, to a terminus on the banks of Loch Ness.  It was built by the Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway in the hope of eventually completing a line to Inverness and latterly operated by the North British Railway and its successor, the London and North Eastern Railway, but initially operated by the Highland Railway.

Caledonian Canal

 

After lunch, I proceeded to explore the village on foot.  Fort Augustus is centered around the impressive, 96 km. (60 mi.) long Caledonian Canal.  The canal, connecting Fort William to Inverness, passes through Fort Augustus in a dramatic series of locks stepping down to Loch Ness. The canal was built, between 1804 and 1822, under the direction of William Jessop and Thomas Telford.  Boats using the canal are raised and lowered 13 m. by a “ladder” of 5 consecutive locks, all completed in 1820.  The A82 road crosses the canal on a swing bridge at the foot of the 5 locks.

War Memorial Hall

The single storey War Memorial Hall, a public hall converted to the Territorial Drill Hall (and later returned to its original function), was designed by Inverness-born architect John Robertson (1840-1925) and built from 1891 to 1892.  It Italianate style detailing includes round arch windows with unusual convex moldings and deep overhanging beams.  The interior includes a good hammerbeam roof in the main hall.

The Clansman Centre

A memorial plaque, set in a round arch recess at the porch front of the hall, has a battlemented parapet and was built in 1918.  It commemorates the residents of Fort Augustus who were killed or missing in the First World War (21 names) and the Second World War (5 names).

The Mill Shop

The village’s economy is heavily reliant on tourism and all around the town are many gift and souvenir shops selling tartan treats (scarves, blankets, woolen jumpers, etc.), traditional Scottish souvenirs and Nessie souvenirs such as the Caledonian Canal Visitor Centre, The Mill Shop (a converted church), the Fort Augustus Gift Company, the Clansman Centre, etc.

Caledonian Canal Centre

The Caledonian Canal Visitor Centre, beside the lowest lock, offers visitors and locals a wealth of local heritage and internationally renowned local features of the Caledonian Canal (designed by Thomas Telford and opened in 1822), Great Glen and Loch Ness. This world-class visitor and destination hub also offers all year round facilities for visitors, a gift shop promoting relevant and locally sourced goods and a café serving homemade, Scottish produce. There is also a grab and go offer, boasting fresh coffee and local artisan ice cream from the Black Isle Dairy.

Fort Augustus Gift Company

The Clansman Centre, housed in a historic 19th century Victorian schoolhouse, is a quaint little craft and gift shop specializing in Celtic and locally produced crafts and gifts such as silver jewelry, Harris Tweed, tartan, whiskey barrel clocks and frames, Celtic plaques, clan scarves and Nessie souvenirs. An interactive museum, it also offers shows on the Clansmen, featuring live re-enactments with weapons demonstrations, by costumed actors dressed in traditional Highland garb, in a recreated Highland turf house theater.

Bothy Restaurant & Bar

Aside from Monster Fish & Chips, you can also dine at Bothy Restaurant & Pub, The Moorings and the Boathouse.

The Moorings

The Boathouse

Monster Fish & Chips: 6, A82, Fort Augustus PH32 4DD, United Kingdom.

Fort Augustus Gift Company: Main Street, Fort Augustus PH32 4DD, United Kingdom.

The Mill Shop: Mackay Hall, Fort Augustus PH32 4DJ, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 1320 366404. Open daily,10 AM to 4 PM.

Caledonian Canal Visitor Centre: Canal Side, Fort Augustus PH32 4AU, United Kingdom. Open daily, 9 AM to 5 PM. Tel: 01463 725581.  E-mail: stay@scottishcanals.co.uk.

Clansman Centre:   Old Schoolhouse Canal Side, Fort Augustus PH32 4BD, United Kingdom.  Open daily, 11 AM to 4 PM.  Tel: +44 1320 366444.  E-mail: clansmancentre@gmail.com. Website: www.clansmancentre.uk. 

The Hairy Coo:  Suites 6 & 7, Administrative Office Only, St. John’s Studios, 46A Constitution St., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RS, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 212 5026.  E-mail: contact@thehairycoo.com. Website: www.thehairycoo.com.

How to Get There: Fort Augustus is located 161 kms. (100  mi.) from Edinburgh and 692 kms. (430 mi.) from London. The village is served by the A82 road and lies approximately midway between Inverness (56 kms.) and Fort William (51 kms.) in the Scottish Highlands.  Coordinates: 57.1432°N 4.6807°W.

Spean Bridge (Scotland, U.K.)

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Spean Bridge

Part of Scottish Highlands Tour

From the Three Sisters Viewpoint, another 45-min. (49.56 km.) drive brought us  to Spean Bridge, a small and attractive village This prominent landmark, visible from the A82, offers views across the River Spean valley to the peaks of Ben Nevis and Aonach Mòr to the south.

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The village, nestled at the southern end of the Great Glen, was named for the Highbridge, over the River Spean, built by famed military road and bridge-builder Gen. George Wade in 1736 (only the piers now remain).

Mhor Health Pharmacy

This was believed to be the place of the first Jacobite Uprising action in 1745, called the Highbridge Skirmish, where a small force of 11 men and one piper, all Keppoch MacDonalds, fooled government troops into thinking the bridge was heavily defended. These forces were then reported to be chased to Loch Oich, at which place they then surrendered.  The village is best known for its iconic Commando Memorial.

Check out “Commando Memorial”

Spean Bridge Mill

During our short stopover, we dropped by Spean Bridge Mill which has a wide selection of knitwear, accessories and gifts.  Homemade food, tea and coffee is also available at the coffee shop.  The resident weaver there demonstrates his craft on impressive Hattersley Looms. The Whisky Shop beside it boasts over 150 different Scottish malts.

Spean Bridge Mill

Spean Bridge Mill: Station Rd, Spean Bridge PH34 4EP, United Kingdom Tel: +44 1397 712260.   E-mail: speanbridge@ewn.co.uk.

The Hairy Coo:  Suites 6 & 7, Administrative Office Only, St. John’s Studios, 46A Constitution St., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RS, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 212 5026.  E-mail: contact@thehairycoo.com. Website: www.thehairycoo.com.

How to Get There: Spean Bridge is located around 15.1 kms. (9.4 mi., a 15-min. drive), via the A82, northeast of Fort William in the Scottish Highlands.

Three Sisters Viewpoint (Scotland, U.K.)

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Three Sisters Viewpoint

Part of Scottish Highlands Tour

One of the highlights of our Highlands tour was our visit to Glen Coe, one of the most scenic and beautiful places in the Scottish Highlands. The area around this beautiful green valley is simply unique and breathtaking, a magical land straight out of a medieval story book and worth the visit.

Gearr Aonach and Aonach Dubh

There are various places to pull over and photograph and relax along the A82 (one of the most beautiful roads that the Scottish Highlands has to offer) in Glen Coe, with many trails to hike and scenic vistas. One of the easiest yet most rewarding places to visit in the Scottish Highlands is the Bidean massif’s Three Sisters, one of the most iconic sights in the Highlands and a view that’s emblematic of Glen Coe.

Beinn Fhada and Gearr Aonach

From Rannoch Moor Viewpoint, it was an 8.85-km. drive to the Three Sisters Car Park and its viewpoint where there’s plenty of room for motorists to pull in and take in the sights here.  Along the way, we saw, from a distance, the waterfalls at Allt Coire nam Beithach Glen.

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Waterfalls at Allt Coire nam Beithach Glen

Also known as Bidean nam Bian Mountain (the highest point in the county of Argyll) in the Scottish Highlands, the “Three Sisters of Glen Coe” are three distinctive, steeply-sided ridges extending into the north.

Jandy and Grace with Gearr Aonach and Aonach Dubh in the background

Also known as Bidean nam Bian Mountain (the highest point in the county of Argyll) in the Scottish Highlands, the “Three Sisters of Glen Coe” are three distinctive, steeply-sided ridges extend into the north.  Residing in the Valley Glen, right off A82, going towards the town of Glen Coe northwest of Glasgow and Stirling, it is a great way to experience the Highlands and learn about the history of Scotland.

This part of Scotland, filled with rolling hills and waterfalls, is accessible year round.  In the summer, green grass surrounds the area and, in late fall/early winter, the grass turns a beautiful yellow brown if it is not covered by snow.

The author

From this classic viewpoint, you have a gorgeous view of the road-facing trio of siblings in question – the 952 m. high Beinn Fhada (or Ben Attow), the 692 m. high Gearr Aonach in the middle and the 892 m. high Aonach Dubh. Each sister is a termination of the northeast reaching ridges that protrude from the main spine of the complex and awe-inspiring Bidean.

These mountains have volcanic origins dating back hundreds of millions of years and the area was carved by glaciers from the last Ice Age, creating this stunning landscape. Gearr Aonach (Short Ridge) and Aonach Dubh (Black Ridge) converge at Stob Coire nan Lochan, a 1,115 m. (3,658 ft.) high subsidiary peak of Bidean nam Bian that lies about 1 km. to the northeast of the actual summit.

Beinn Fhada (Long Hill), the final, most easterly sister, joins the Bidean nam Bian massif at the summit of Stob Coire Sgreamhach.  It is separated from Gearr Aonach by a glen known as Coire Gabhail (translated as “Glen of Capture”).  However, the glen is more normally known as the Lost Valley, as it has a wide flat area concealed from Glen Coe by the landslip which blocked the entrance and allowed a loch to form. The Clan Macdonald  used the valley to hide their livestock from raiders, or hide cattle they themselves had stolen.

Hikers also use the car parking as a starting point for either adventures on the Bidean or to begin an ascent to the Aonach Eagach ridge to the north. However, for the latter, there is more suitable parking along the main road to the east.

Manny, Selena and Paula

Three Sisters Viewpoint: A82, Ballachulish PH49 4HX, United Kingdom.

The Hairy Coo:  Suites 6 & 7, Administrative Office Only, St. John’s Studios, 46A Constitution St., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RS, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 212 5026.  E-mail: contact@thehairycoo.com. Website: www.thehairycoo.com. 

How to Get There: The Three Sisters viewpoint is located 1795 kms. (a 2-hour and 35 min. drive via A82) from Edinburgh and  138.7 kms. (a 1-hour and 50-min. drive via A82) from Glasgow.

Rannoch Moor Viewpoint (Scotland, U.K.)

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Rannoch Moor

Part of Scottish Highlands Tour

From Loch Tulla Viewpoint, a further 6.76-km. drive brought us to roadside car park by the Loch Ba, off to our right, that lead up a small mound. From here, we had a 360° view across the exposed moorland of the 130 sq. km. (50 sq. mi.) Rannoch Moor (also known as the Great Moor of Rannoch) and the inlets of Loch Ba grasping like fingers at the land.  Here, we could also see the 1,021.4 m. (3,351 ft.) high Buachaille Etive Mor,  Scotland’s most photographed mountain known for its iconic pyramidal shape.

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Buachaille Etive Mor

At an average altitude of 300 m., Rannoch Moor is a a vast, boggy landscape that sits on an elevated grand plateau in the Highlands of Scotland in the Bridge of Orchy near Glen Coe. It is located to the west of Loch Rannoch in Scotland, where it extends from and into westerly Perth and Kinross, northerly Lochaber (in Highland), and the area of Highland Scotland toward its south-west, northern Argyll and Bute.

The author (left) with Grace and Jandy

Here, at every angle, we virtually see water, whether it is a loch (lake), a lochan (small lake), stream or bog. Its desolate rugged landscape of peat swamps, flowing streams and untouched land, gave me an unsettling sense of “nothingness.” This wild territory, known for its insects, plants and wildlife, is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation and is often referred to as “the last place of wilderness in Britain.” Much of the western part of the moor lies within the Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland.

Whilst some patches might look dry, a short walk, without proper boots, soon proved to us how wet and waterlogged the land is as the Rannoch Moor is actually 82% water or bog, making it the largest area of blanket bog in Britain.   Beneath the watery surface of Rannoch Moor lies granite, a hard rock that is impermeable, which means water cannot easily soak through it but collects in pools on top.

During the end of an Ice Age, approximately 12,000 years ago (when much of western Scotland was covered by a large ice cap), the center of the massive ice cap was over Rannoch Moor and, in some places, the ice was more than 400 m. thick. Although ice sheets look vast and immovable, ice does flow inside them very slowly and, over the years, the movement of the ice scraped out holes in the tough granite. Pieces of the rock and sand scoured away by the ice then became frozen within the ice cap.

When the climate improved and the ice melted, the fragments of rock and sand were scattered across the granite. This left a landscape with lots of hummocks where the rocks had been deposited, and lots of holes where the granite had been gouged out. The holes filled with water creating lochs and lochans in the bedrock.

Notable for its wildlife, it was frequently visited by Horace Donisthorpe who collected many unusual species of ants on the moor and surrounding hilly ground. Today it is still one of the few remaining habitats for Formica exsecta, (the “narrow-headed ant”), although recent surveys have failed to produce any sign of Formica pratensis, which Donisthorpe recorded in the area in the early part of the 20th century.

Though only a few plants could grow on top of this watery plateau, it is particularly famous as being the sole British location for the Rannoch-rush, named after the moor. The cold and wet conditions meant there was always plenty of water around, with the constant dampness preventing plant and animal matter from decaying fully and, over thousands of years, this created peat, a thick, dark material rather like soil, that spread across the area, forming an unusual waterworld that is known as a blanket bog.

Dwarf birch (Betula nana)

Not many have tried to inhabit these lands as the boggy territory makes this unlivable. However, this is close to the site of the Massacre of Glencoe between Clan MacDonald and Clan Campbell on February 13,1692 when, as narrated by our driver and tour guide Michael Mitchell, an estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, allegedly for failing to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs, William III and Mary II.

Marsh fern (Thelypteris palustris)

In the 19th century, the West Highland Line railway, which gently crosses the moorland for 37 kms. (23 mi.), was started to provide a link from Glasgow to Fort William. It took several years as they had to build on soft peat and soil and float the tracks by bringing thousands of tons of earth and ashes over the land and laying a mattress of tree roots, branches and brushwood to stop the railway line from being absorbed by the bog. Today, the railway line still runs but has been extended to Mallaig. Corrour railway station, the UK’s highest, and one of its most remote being 16 kms. (10 mi.) from the nearest public road, is located on this section of the line at 408 m. (1,339 ft.).

Fans of the Highlander  novel series will recognize Rannock Moor in in the fictional novel The Element of Fire where Duncan and Connor MacLeod track the antagonist Khordas to Rannoch Moor. There Duncan defeats Nerissa, Khordas’ female companion.

Many people may also recognize it as a filming location for a number of movies and TV series. This moorland was featured in the TV series Outlander and Kinloch Rannoch was the location for Craigh Na Dun.  It also briefly appeared in the 2010 movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 when the Death Eaters board and stop the Hogwarts Express train looking for Harry Potter and Neville then gets up and says “Hey losers, he isn’t here.”  Corrour railway station was also used for the remote rural location scene in 1996’s Trainspotting.

Rannoch Moor Viewpoint: A82, Bridge of Orchy, Highland PA36 4AG. Coordinates: 56°39′15″N 4°35′37″W. Click here for a Google Pin for the viewpoint.

The Hairy Coo:  Suites 6 & 7, Administrative Office Only, St. John’s Studios, 46A Constitution St., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RS, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 212 5026.  E-mail: contact@thehairycoo.com. Website: www.thehairycoo.com. 

How to Get There: Rannoch Moor viewpoint is located 165kms. (a 2.5-hour drive via A85) from Edinburgh, 116 kms. (a 1-hour 45-min. drive via A82) from Glasgow, and 105.6 kms. (a 90-min. drive via A82 and A84) from Stirling. The A82 road crosses western Rannoch Moor on its way to Glen Coe and Fort William.