Scotland 2025 – Day 7 – Cawdor Castle and Inverness
The Scots have a word for fine, drizzling rain — a ‘smirr.’ Today is a smirr day. The rain has been constant. It’s dreary, but at the same time, rather mystical and atmospheric. It was a perfect day to visit Cawdor Castle.
Despite the rain, tour buses beat us to the castle at opening time. We stood in the rain not he drawbridge for a few minutes and I followed James’ suggestion to get a hot cuppa at the Café. It was a TTFU (Trust the Friendly Universe) time. We saw our lovely waitress from the Cawdor Tavern a few days ago. With the crowded bus tour, and most of the tables reserved, she led us to the rear of the Café seating. It was fine. Hot tea and steaming of some of the dampness was our only thought. Our waitress appeared moments later, asking if we could share our table. We agreed.
It was then we met Mairi and Michael, local tour guides. Michael is a fellow author and has a blog and podcast on Substack. We had an informative conversation and I drank in facts about the Culloden battle.
My research in the last few days makes me realize that the more I learn, the less I know. It’s been an eye-opening experience and hand rumbled and tumbled Elen’s plot. My head is spinning with plot changes and possibilities.
We toured Cawdor Castle, awed by its beauty and variety of art and gardens. Kudos to the Countess for sharing her home and art.
Inverness exploring, more Jacobite fact learning, and a lovely dinner at The Mustard Seed, a restaurant owned by our Air BnB host.
