Quick Overnight to Smoo cave and Lands End

Part of our stay in Inverness included a trip to Northern Scotland by rental car. There are very challenging roads up there. They are not really two lanes, more like one and some places a passing lane. You have to be very alert while driving. If you see someone coming you have to head for a passing place which is two lanes wide then you pass each other and head back on the narrow one lane road. You do this a hundred times. It is CRAZY.  I (Sue-) was sitting in the passenger seat and every time we would negotiate a pass the feeling was that you might hit into the stone wall or bushes on the side of the road. Of course we were driving on the wrong side of the road compared to US roads. The  mirrors are all reversed.  When Charles asked me to drive for an hour or two I kept hitting the door trying to find the gear shift. My car at home is a stick but of course the stick is on the left side.  

When we were at the top of the northern Scotland coast there was not much there and we got a little concerned that we would not find a hotel and it was pretty far to go back.  But we were lucky.

There are castles tucked away nearly everywhere. The grocery store carries a few things like a loaf of bread or the items you might find at a seven eleven. The wonderful thing is that they act as post offices too. You bring you items to the clerk and all is well. It makes it easy to send your post cards back.

The Atlantic Ocean at low tide

Beautiful arch letting river water and ocean come together.

Dare to visit at low tide.

Our Overnight B & B owner LOVED sheep dogs and had five. This was next door to the Smoo hotel which was fully booked.

sheep dog dishes

Sheep dog pictures and pillows, etc It was clean and next door to the Smoo hotel. We got a room in a no vacancy town.

Their son and his family in kilts. Beautiful.

A lovely dinner at the Smoo Hotel.

As an appetizer Charles has Scottish Eggs which are eggs surrounded by sausage meat then deep fried.

Sue had their crab meat appetizer.

Scenes from the nearby coast

The Smoo Cave

Smoo Cave was formed over many thousands of year by erosion from the river and the sea.

A building from years ago.

the entrance to the cave- See Charles?

Huge cave.

waterfall inside..

The view outbound.

Lands End.. at John O'Groats.