Eric Kruszewski, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
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Daily Expedition
Reports
28 Jun 2017
Inverie-Eigg-Tobermory, 6/28/2017, Lord of the Glens
Aboard the
Lord of the Glens
Scotland aboard Lord of the Glens
This morning we enjoyed sunshine and blue skies as we sailed from Inverie to the Isle of Eigg. On our way, Eric gave a presentation about iPhone photography.
We arrived in Eigg late morning, with beautiful weather for exploring the island. Like Knoydart, the entire island of Eigg is a community-owned estate, purchased when the land went up for sale in the 1990s.
The natural world has always been central to Robin’s life. At an early age, she was out exploring the Montana backcountry, learning natural history through experience. She went on to earn a PhD in ecology from Colorado State University, and later exp...
Eric is an editorial and commercial photographer, videographer and FAA-certified drone pilot based near Washington, D.C. His work focuses on travel and documentaries and is represented by National Geographic Image Collection.
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Lord of the Glens sailed into Loch Ness this morning, leaving Fort Augustus behind. As we traveled across the Loch’s calm waters, we all kept a lookout for Nessie, but no luck. Before leaving the Loch, we sailed past the spectacular ruins of Urquhart Castle. Then the ship entered the last stretch of the Caledonian Canal as we made our way to Inverness, our final berth of the trip. Culloden Battlefield lies on the outskirts of Inverness, the site of the final battle of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. We had a guided tour across the battlefield during our afternoon visit to Culloden, then ventured a bit further on to explore Clava Cairns, a Bronze Age site. The guest slideshow, toasts, and a presentation of the haggis were part of our final evening, with traditional Scottish dance to end the last full day of our excellent week.
Today, we started our journey up the Caledonian Canal, leaving the ocean behind. The 60-mile-long canal follows the Great Glen, a fault line that began forming 430-390 million years ago. We will sail within the canal to our final destination at Inverness. Our canal venture began with a morning climb up Neptune’s Staircase, a series of eight locks that raises the canal by 19 meters. Almost two thirds of the canal consists of freshwater lochs. Today we crossed over several of these, including Loch Oich, the canal’s high point at 106 feet above sea level. After lunch, we had a chance to stretch our legs with the opportunity to disembark and walk the last couple of miles into Fort Augustus, our berth for the night. The activities weren’t over though. Just before dinner some headed off for another walk, looping through the outskirts of Fort Augustus, while others explored the town on their own. The day was capped off with a presentation on the Scottish kilt and plaid.
Oban is a bustling town that provides services for surrounding communities as well as transportation for visitors and locals alike. Ferries, busses, and trains all leave from here. We had the morning to explore Oban before setting sail onto Loch Linnhe, heading towards our day’s destination at Corpach at the beginning of the Caledonian Canal. The ship tied up at Corpach, with the UK’s highest mountain Ben Nevis rising above. From there, many disembarked for Glenfinnan Estate, historically significant as the point where Prince Charles landed in the 1745-46 Jacobite rebellion. A few ventured out to kayak in Loch Linnhe, while others walked the canal bank. All of us enjoyed the sunny, calm weather. Glenfinnan’s Estate Manager Alistair Gibson joined us after dinner, providing a bit of insight into what it takes to run an estate like Glenfinnan.
