Day 7, July 8th BUS TOUR BITZ

[WARNING: Lots o’ TEXT here! If you’re not interested in “INFO,” just SCROLL THROUGH the PIX!]

Plz recall the fact that I had only a FEW DAYS to plan and reserve stuff for this trip, a task I’ve spent years accomplishing prior to ANY International trip in the past. (Seriously! – YEARS!)
Considering that, I really, really lucked out when I found the Discover Loch Ness Tour!

I also found Tony Harmsworth’s website:
“In 2000, Tony Harmsworth, local historian and naturalist, began his Discover Loch Ness guided tour. Not satisfied with the idea of Yesteryear's Bus Tours, he reinvented the genre, coming up with a whole new concept in guided experiences. … What point is there in driving through the scenery having this mountain, that loch, this tree or that shrub named and pointed out, which is what most guided tours do?” Tony describes the tour’s objective; “to educate and entertain, enthrall and fascinate!”

I originally booked the Half-Day Tour.
When Tony Emailed me my receipt (“ticket”) and itinerary, he included the note:

Incidentally, the Half Day tour returning at 3:15 pm was designed primarily for people arriving from Edinburgh on the morning train and departing on the late afternoon train. If you have all day to spare then the All Day tour is far more relaxing and gives you more time at the various venues. If you would like to upgrade your ticket please let us know when you arrive at the bus. Show this email to the guide and you can upgrade for £6 instead of £8.

The differences are: Half Day 30 minute boat trip, All Day 90 minute cruise; Half Day 30 minutes at Castle, All Day 65 minutes at Castle; Half Day choose between excursion and exhibition, All Day do both excursion and exhibition. Half Day returns 3:15 pm, All Day returns 5:30 pm.

BTW: This Bus was VERY comfortable!

Essentially, Tony’s tour includes very well-formatted educational information, expertly delivered by the Tour Guide while DRIVING the bus, augmented by short videos projected on a screen IN the bus! The Guide provides information about “the famous characters in the story of our nation – Kenneth, Macbeth, Wallace, The Bruce, the Stuarts, Jacobites, Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Hanoverians,” relating all of it to the specific sites as they are seen along the tour.

Since it is a Loch Ness tour, the guide also addresses “whether or not there is a monster; the story of how the locals' ‘big fish’ became a dinosaur, then a plesiosaur; … using archive [video] footage compiled by Tony himself. It leads to a logical and surprising conclusion ... This is no ‘monster tour’ however, for we pledge the truth about Loch Ness ... but presented with humor and integrity. Our passengers often tell us that they have learned more about Scotland on our tour than in all the museums, castles and exhibitions they had previously seen.”

“We pride ourselves in attention to detail, quality of information imparted and providing a good deal of fun and entertainment too. Our main guide is Alison Cameron (seen left with our old bus), who has a huge amount of experience and has also conducted tours to Skye, the Orkneys, Cawdor, Culloden and John O'Groats with other companies.”

Alison was my Tour Guide. She’s a HOOT!!! This – the only pic I took of just her – does NOT do her justice! She’s quite pretty, incredibly knowledgeable, and funnier than hell! (And, YES, I managed to plant my butt in the FRONT SEAT, directly behind her, for the WHOLE TRIP!)

Why is Alison such a “hoot”? Well … for instance: When I stepped on the bus, she was helping another woman with her ticket. So, I sat down nearby and waited for her to finish. When finished, Alison turned to look at me and said (in her terrific Scots accent), “Ah. You must be Tchaerley.”

I freaked! Sure, my reservation probably identified me as a “woman” (in spite of my name). But, there were plenty of OTHER women (even at least ONE other “unaccompanied” woman) waiting to get on the bus … I hadn’t sent Tony a PIC of me … AND, I hadn’t SAID a THING to her!

Howthehell Alison knew that I was me, I’ll never understand. When I asked her about it, she simply said that she had a “knack” for knowing who was who when they showed up!
(Multiple Twilight Zone “do-do-do-do’s” here!)

Oh, SurpriZe!!! Alison & I ended up
thoroughly enjoying each other as the day progressed!

[Alison! I swear that, ONE DAY, I’ll send you the Nebraska info you asked for!
In the mean time, here’s a link to the CAR HENGE info! LOL]

“All tours start on the same deluxe minicoach from Inverness Tourist Board in
Castle Wynd at 10.30am. All day and half day tours split up later.”

“You will be taken alongside the River Ness learning about the town's architecture and the river.” Alison’s professional descriptions of the town’s architecture were educated, informative, and interesting. Yet, she also effortlessly managed to include hilariously entertaining bits of trivia in her descriptions!

“When we leave [Castle Wynd] the folklore of the Highlands and the natural history

of the Great Glen is introduced as the tour progresses towards Loch Ness. Along the way the Caledonian Canal is seen and the site of King Brude's sixth century stronghold as you are taken beyond the Inverness city boundary.” As a matter of fact, Alison pulled the Bus into a PRIVATE DOCK AREA along the Caledonian Canal, so that we could get out and see it up close …

AND FEED THE DUCKS! (Put your MOUSE on the pic!)

It was here that I noticed this TRULY KOOL manner of hanging plants (off a fence, or anywhere)!

As you can see, it’s just a flippin’ rectangular PLASTIC BAG, filled with potting soil, and slits made where little cuttings can be inserted. Clearly, it’s ingenious, practical, and WAY KOOL!!!

Thereafter, we returned to the road and soon were driving along the bank of LOCH NESS.

One of the MANY interesting bits that Alison pointed out is the BIKE PATH that traverses the UK (including Ireland), and runs alongside sections of Loch Ness! It’s part of an organization called, SUSTRANS – “the Sustainable Transport charity – works on practical projects to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport in order to reduce motor traffic and its adverse effects.”

[YO, DREW! (and any OTHER interested HIKERS or BICYCLISTS) The SUSTRANS link is your UK HIKE or BIKE TRIP information site!]

As the tour progressed along the banks of Loch Ness, we first viewed Aldourie Castle.

Somewhere along here, Alison described the history surrounding the Jacobite Rising of 1745 – humorously testing us about the information as she went along! Between my knowledge of Gabaldon’s books and the fact that I’d visited Culloden Battlefield just the day before, I did pretty damn GUDE! Thereafter, Alison launched her Loch Ness Monster history presentation (with video): “Getting the bad news about Nessie out of the way! Faked footprints and monsters running across the road are all part of the fun side of the early monster story.”

A Couple Bitz o’ Loch Ness Info:
“Loch Ness is the largest and best known of the lochs in the Great Glen that, along with the connecting canals, make it possible to travel by boat from coast to coast in the Scottish Highlands. Loch Ness stretches from 5 miles outside of Inverness in a south westerly direction alongside the A82 Inverness, to Fort William road, starting at Lochend and passing close by Drumnadrochit, where the river Enrick flows out of Glen Urquhart into Loch Ness and washes round Castle Urquhart on its way to Fort Augustus at its southernmost end.”

“Loch Ness is the largest body of fresh water in Britain, holding more than all the lakes and reservoirs in England & Wales put together. 380 million years ago the earth’s crust fractured and moved which resulted in the formation of the Great Glen of which Loch Ness is part. It is 39km long with an average depth of 132m. It is possible to drive right round Loch Ness. You will find explanatory plaques giving an excellent explanation of the loch and its history. Plaques situated in a lay-by 6.8 miles from Drumnadrochit on A82.”

Next, we stopped at a point along the Loch-Side, and piled out of the Bus to read a plaque about a PLANE that crashed into the Loch at this location, sinking to the bottom – where it remains to this day! Also, those who wished to, could safely climb down to the beach here.

After the beach visit, we piled back in the bus and headed to the Loch Ness 2000 Exhibition Centre, just past the village of Drumnadrochit [“drum-nah-DROCK-it” – which means “Ridge by the Bridge” (I didn’t forget, Alison!)]. Since I’d spent a whopping £6 to upgrade to the ALL DAY trip,
the Exhibition Centre admission (normally £5.95) was included in my tour!

Next DAY SEVEN Pix Options (in order of trip occurrence):
LOCH NESS EXHIBITION CENTRE
CORRIMONY CAIRN
HAIRY COO
URQUHART CASTLE
LOCH NESS CRUISE

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