Travelblog: More Inverness

After Culloden and the Clava Cairns, I drove up to a tiny village called Strathpeffer to have a look at the Highland Museum of Childhood. Spent about 45 minutes up there, a small but informative museum that shows you children did indeed have a life before Nintendo. The museum is situated in an old railway station which also houses some crafts shops, a wood carver and a small cafe. The surroundings are nice, and there are some walks to be had in the area. On my way back I stopped at a tourist information center along the highway and again showed that I can't be trusted with money. I bought no less than 21 calendars as gifts for friends and colleagues back home (in my defense they were discounted and really, really nice...)

In the afternoon I drove out to Black Isle (which is not an island, but a peninsula). My main goal was the clootie well just outside Munlochy: "The Clootie well, on the A832 just behind the village, is of much more ancient origin. It was originally the home of a fairy to whom a gift of cloth was given before drinking the health giving and luck bestowing water. The well was later incorporated into the Christian religion, and became known as St. Boniface's Well. The trees and bushes for some distance around are festooned with rags, and a visit into the trees beyond the well is a somewhat eerie experience."




Eerie indeed. It is of course incredible that presumably educated, modern people continue with this idiocy, but then people still vote Socialist, so one shouldn't be surprised I guess. When the reward is a percieved peace of mind, the human species has always demonstrated a frightening capacity, even desire, to be fooled.

After the clootie well I drove out to the cozy little village of Fortrose, where I had a decidedly overpriced and mediocre dinner at a local restaurant called The Anderson. Nice people, but their steak was partially burnt and the vegetables had a bitter aftertaste to them. Still, Monday was an eventful and busy day; a good start to my trip!