For day three of our four-day stay in Scotland, I scheduled a day trip (12 hours round-trip) from Edinburgh through Rabbie’s Tours for a journey to Loch Ness, Glencoe, and the Highlands in Scotland.  They take smaller groups (16 and under) on their tours which provides a more intimate experience.  Here I am on the boat ride (an additional cost) on Loch Ness.  I purchased a new rain coat that was both functional and stylish for the trip and it came in handy a number of times, although we had wonderful weather for the most part!

Our first stop was at one of the many “lochs” (lakes) along the way before reaching our final destination of Loch Ness.

Traveling North over the flat fertile plains of the lowlands eventually gave way to shimmering lochs, rugged mountain tops and forest-filled glens.

The knobby hills (the Scots call them mountains) rose dramatically over the lush green glens in the most famous of them all, Glencoe.  The area is very popular with hikers and rock climbers.  Glencoe was the home of Hagrid from Harry Potter and was also the backdrop for a James Bond film.

Upon arrival to Loch Ness we were greeted with beautiful blue skies!  The larger boat on the right is the one my friend and I took a ride on for spotting Nessie.

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