Now in Scotland, we on the second portion of our 20-day adventure in Great Britain and Ireland, a trip we’ve always hoped and dreamed we could make one day. We hope you enjoy coming along with us vicariously!

Today we were looking forward to touring the Highlands, the Isle of Skye, and Loch Ness. The day exceeded our expectations.

Stunning landscapes surrounded us as we journeyed further into the highlands. A visit to Lochcarron was followed by crossing over the Skye Bridge to the Isle of Skye, a 50-mile long fusion of velvety moors and angular mountains. For those of you who have read or watched the Outlander books and/or TV series, you’ll be familiar with the opening tune of each season which is explained below and in more detail here.

The origins of the Outlander theme song, “The Skye Boat Song,” can be traced all the way back to a Scottish song titled “Cuachag nan Craobh” (“Cuckoo of the Tree”), first composed by writer William Ross around the year 1782.

However, the version that appears in the series is based on lyric edits that were made to the original song by Sir Harold Boulton in the 19th century, which illustrates how Bonnie Prince Charlie was taken away under cover of the night to the Isle of Skye after the Jacobite Rebellion for his own safety. Alternate lyrics were also written later, likely in 1885, by the author Robert Louis Stevenson:

Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye.
Billow and breeze, islands and seas,
Mountains of rain and sun,
All that was good, all that was fair,
All that was me is gone.

Assuredly, the lyrics do mimic how the show’s protagonist was spirited away through stones into 18th-century Scotland — and then later, how she is also sent away before the Battle of Culloden.

We enjoyed a delightful lunch and visit to the small village of Portree and then back into the highlands.

On the way to Loch Ness, we pass the romantic 13th century Eilean Donan Castle perched at the center of three Scottish Lochs and the striking Invermoriston Falls. After riding “Nessie,” Barb had to choose between two highland suitors. I was blessed she chose me! 🙂

The panorama of Loch Ness unfolded before us — one of the most storied sites in all of Scotland, home of the fabled Loch Ness monster.

We then returned via more outstanding highland vistas, including sheep, lambs (as it is lambing season), and plenty of highland cos (cattle).

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Finally, we returned to Inverness for a fabulous Scottish dinner before “casting ourselves into slumber.”

Tomorrow, more of the highlands, a loch cruise, and into Glasgow.

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