Checking out of the hotel, we walked down the hill to the train station to wait for our train. While waiting, Jonathan spotted Don and Sharron Nelson who were sporting the “CW” luggage tags and introduced ourselves.
The train to Inverness takes about 4 hours with a just over dozen stops. The scenery leaving Edinburgh was typical of urban rail lines, although the view from the Forth Bridge crossing the Firth of Forth was an excellent view. Once the train got north of Perth the scenery got more pastoral, with forest and mountains visible in the misty, rainy distance. Travelling along a river (from the map I’m guessing the River Garry), a fisherman in waders stood deep in the shallows and was plying the waters with his rod. A little further upstream, around the bend, a boat with a pair of anglers sat in the middle of the stream.
Passing numerous fields which alternated bright green (frequently peppered with sheep) and freshly plowed brown, I noticed numerous pheasants in the plowed fields with the characteristic white neck collar, the red-orange-brown body, and the long tail feathers. There were other similar shaped birds with lighter brown and less distinctive markings that I assume were either females or juveniles.
Between Blair Atholl and Dalwhinnie the forest shifted with few evergreens to bare trees (probably birch) with the tips blushing reddish purple in anticipation of spring. The hills were grassy and low scrub reminiscent of California coastal chaparral. Low clouds obscured the higher peaks, the sides of the hills were golden brown form last year’s grass and low brown scrub.
Approaching Inverness, the yellow bloom of gorse reappeared with the Mornay Firth in the misty distance. Debarking from the train, we met up with Don and Sharron and together we hired a taxi to Culloden House. The driver did a great job fitting all our bags in the trunks, and drove us out of town to the hotel in the country side.
After dropping our bags in the room about 1445 we repaired to the bar, another shot of whiskey to work on our journals. Currently there are seven other folks in the room – all CW guests.
Prior to dinner there was a reception for both parties of walkers – we are to split up after leaving Culloden and reunite on the Royal Scotsman. At the reception we had a storyteller/re-enactor tell the story of the Jacobite uprising that ended at the Battle of Culloden. He discussed his garb, a kilted plaid (pronounced plade, rhymes with spade), a length of fabric ~15 feet long that was a forerunner to the modern kilt. He also discussed his weapons – a long sword, dagger, shield (targe), and musket, after which he told the story of the Jacobite uprising from the point of view of the Jacobites, culminating in the battle nearby in 1746.
Afterwards, we retired to a dinner of Scottish salmon and lemon tart dessert.
Crossing the Firth of Forth rail bridge, a cruise ship was entering the harbor.
The overhead structure at the Perth rail station - I was attracted to the pattern of the ironworks.
Painting of Culloden House - the lower/front structure is still in place, but the higher/rear structure is gone.
Bonnie Prince Charlie slept here? Per our bellman, the Prince slept here the night prior to Culloden in 1746.
I let Jonathan choose the whiskey for journaling as I am uninformed on those spirits.
The re-enactor (I want to call him John) telling us about the local history. …
… His introduction made our visit to the Battlefield visitors center the next day a lot more interesting. His description of how he donned his plaid was very interesting - he hand pleated on the ground, then lay on top of it to belt it around his waist.
The menu for our first meal on tour.
The salmon dish.
And dessert!