Today dawned grey and drizzly. Before breakfast, a hardy handful of guests joined Alex for a photo walk down to Loch Ness. Lord of the Glens then descended the four Fort Augustus locks to the level of Loch Ness, where it patiently waited for the swing bridge to open, allowing us entry into the loch. The journey along Loch Ness was calm and spectacular. The scenery is impressive with wooded hillsides sloping down to the water’s edge. All too soon, we were at the northern end, entering the last section of the Caledonian Canal.

Lord of the Glens docked in Inverness, and after lunch, the guests boarded a coach to visit the Battlefield of Culloden, where the government army defeated Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebels. The site is well-preserved, making it easy to imagine the slaughter that occurred there in 1746.

From Culloden, we drove a short distance to the Clava Cairns. This is a site of three Bronze Age burial mounds, dating back 4,000 years. Looking at these mounds, it was easy to imagine the area inhabited by our distant ancestors.

This was the final outing of our fascinating and diverse expedition.