Glenfinnan

When I last left off, we were driving through the Highlands towards Fort William along the Road to the Isles. One of the better-known villages along this route is the picturesque Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel. The town is particularly known for the Glenfinnan Viaduct and the Glenfinnan Monument, as well as its natural setting in the gorgeousness that is the Highlands. I feel like I've spent half of my blog gushing about how much I love and adore the Highlands...

Have I mentioned I love the Highlands? 

Anyway... Glenfinnan! 

Here we have the Glenfinnan Viaduct. Assuming you don't live under a rock, you are probably already familiar with it. How you ask? Have you seen Harry Potter (the movies, not the books)? If your answer was yes, you have seen the Glenfinnan Viaduct 3 times in Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, and Goblet of Fire. The Hogwarts Express is showing travelling over the Viaduct. There are plenty of really nice pictures of the Viaduct out there, so I was looking forward to a prime photo op, but alas, they fence it off and you can't get anywhere _near_ the viaduct from the tourist carpark. I don't know why I expected anything else; the UK has a particular knack for putting hedges or trees or fences between you and what you want to see. But I digress.

If you can recall several posts back when I gave you a longer lecture than usual on the Battle of Culloden, you can find another piece of Jacobite history here in Glenfinnan. Above is the Glenfinnan Monument, built in 1815 to commemorate those who died in the Jacobite rebellion and to mark the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie first raised his standard in 1745, plunging Scotland into war, ending eight months later at Culloden. So that's Charlie up on top of the tower. 

The area is definitely pretty and a nice spot for a pit stop and a snack bar/concessions area to grab something to eat. The tourist centre carpark is conveniently located next to the Viaduct and the Monument (which, btw, you can pay a pretty penny to go into if you are so inclined). The town proper is a bit further up the road if you want to take a walk. We found this little church to poke around in and then from there walked down to the Loch.

So go forth! See Scotland! Up next, Unplanned Detour #2 to find out just what the heck "Neptune's Staircase" is.