Inverness and the mainalnd

The day before I left New Zealand I developed an ear infection that started discharging on the flight over.  Three visits over a 5 week period to doctors in both Wales and Lochmaddie and it had not improved so I was referred to an ENT clinic at Inverness hospital.  Given the reputation that the National Health Service has I was expecting this to take weeks - how wrong.  Doctor's referral on Monday, appointment date given on Tuesday, appointment on Friday at 9.30am, seen, treated and discharged by 10.30am.  As the treatment was at Inverness the cost of my ferry trip, car petrol and a nights accommodation was subsidised by the NHS.  Even more surprising, despite sounding like a forienger, my eligibility was never questioned.
Seeing as I had to go to Inverness I took a couple of days off and made a trip of it.  The ferry trip over from Lochmaddy to Uig (on Skye) was really calm and we had a lovely relaxing drive across to Inverness.

Sunrise leaving Lochmaddy

Uig on Skye

From Uig you drive for about an hour down to Kyle of Lochalsh, where the bridge joins the island of Skye to the mainland.  We stopped for lunch at the Kyle of Lochalsh hotel.

The bridge to Skye

Inverness is at the mouth of the river Ness, fast flowing shallow river, and out accommodationg   was on the river bank below the castle.  We had a day and a half in the city so Maureen had a chance to do some retail therapy.

Cathedral, Inverness

Ness river and bridge at night.

On the Saturday we drove to Aviemore, Scotland ski town.  We had had a family holiday here in the 1970's when Dad was still in the RAF.  We stayed at in military R&R huts at Rothimerchus, just out of the town on the slopes of Mt Cairngorm.  When we asked at the information office they said - "oh that will be Rothemurchus lodge, it's up a locked road but here is the code so you can get through and drive up there."  It was still quite recognisable as the place we stayed in 40 years ago.

Rothimerchus lodghe

We took the fenicula up the Mt Cairngorm ski field.  The snow was quite patchy but people were still skiing, before driving to Fort Augustus for the night. (Stopped at the Commando memorial on the way). 

Above the top cafe, Mt Cairngorm

Fernicula up Mt Cairngorm

Commando memorial with Ben Nevis in the background

Fort Augustus is at the bottom of Loch Ness and has a flight of locks that joins the Caledonian canal to the Loch.  A very pretty place and probably overrun with tourists in Summer.  (One advantage of travelling out of season is the lack of crowds.  The disadvantage is that a lot of places are closed)
On Sunday drove back to Skye and the ferry home.

Caledonian canal locks at Fort Augustus.