I hear from reliable sources that yesterday was Monday. Let me show you a few pics of where we went after we left Nairn.

First stop was Cairn Liath, for a reminder that we are in a place that has been inhabited for thousands of years.  

As this sign tells us, there are several hundred of these considered probable cairns, and then several hundred more considered possible cairns.

Moving on up the east coast, we came to Dunrobin Castle and its wonderful gardens, modeled on the gardens of Versailles.

Some people like a clock on the mantle. Not Clan Sutherland.

I didn’t take any pics inside (see Vicki’s post), but here are the gardens and some of the falconry demonstration.

I strongly suspect Vicki is thinking about ways to get some of these plants back home.

No one said anything about a dungeon or prison on the tour.

Having a bite of lunch behind a castle wall

We were told that a good hawk could hunt 4-5 rabbits and 3-4 pheasant in an hour or two of hunting. No need for ammo - just some bird snacks.

This owl is beautiful. 

Moving on down the road, we tried to visit a couple of other places, but either the road was blocked or not accessible unless we hiked a bit. Since we were on a schedule, we moved on.

Next we visited the Castle of Old Wick. It is a ruin precariously located between two gorges, gorges that have sheer drops and no signage or warnings or fences. In the USofA, an accidental death from falling would lead to lawsuit. Here, it seems that would be considered Darwin at work. 

Clearly, no one would send the kids out to play in the yard. 

In our travels, as Vicki has mentioned, we have been greeted by rainbows. I have never seen so many. These are our 22nd and 23rd rainbows on this trip.

And this morning’s, #24:

We finally checked in at our B&B, and it was wonderful. Louise was our host. She left the rat race in Manchester, England, buying this place unseen, and she has spent several years renovating it. She has a three legged cat named Bradley who greeted us every time we came to the door. Louise chatted with us over tea, and we learned about her past, such as riding racehorse Red Rum (three time winner of the Grand National) in the stable area as a teen, and serving wine to the Queen. 

Louise made reservations for us at the Village Inn just down the road, and we had delicious fresh scallops. I may have sampled another scotch or two. I also may have slipped in another sticky toffee pudding. Yum.