Inverness 3 - heading North

 The next tour was up the east coast to the most northern point of the UK - John O'Groats

We stopped briefly along the way, but the first big stop was Dunrobin Castle. It was built as the Summer House for the Duke of Cumberland. It has been continuously lived in by the family since the early 1300s, although the building has been substantially increased in more recent times.

It is perched high, with beautiful formal gardens below, modelled on Versailles, and a view out to the sea.

The house has exquisite tapestries in it, in amazing condition

and very French furniture

Here are some sumptuous robes and dresses

There was a falconer's display at the bottom of the garden. He only had 2 birds, a hawk and falcon, and most of the tine they were on the tether, but he explained how they were used for hunting the grouse, with the dogs and the men shooting.

At the bottom of the steps there was a lovely bed of flowers

and as I was going up the stairs, some people were looking at a plant and wondering what it was:

I was able to tell them!

One of the Dukes was a renowned hunter, who loved denuding Africa of its wild animals. He took a taxidermist with him on the ship, so that the animals could be processed as he travelled. Most of the specime

ns were in a museum on the grounds, which I didn't go to, but ... doesn't everyone need a stag in their music room? It looks like it is ready to sing

And the stairways had a few heads.

Speaking of music, this was also in the music room. I think it is a pianola organ

There were cases of jewelry and other memorabilia, including this:

I wonder who had to produce one of these for each of his visits.

Further up we stopped briefly to see a memorial for the Highland Clearances.

A very moving statue - the father is 'bravely' forging ahead to a new land, with their child, trustingly but scared, clinging to him, and the mother looking back sadly at what they were leaving behind.

There were lots of the old crofts along this stretch - I suspect the Duke of Cumberland would have been the one turfing them out. Apparently, if the crofters weren't willing to go, their crofts were burnt with them inside.

Here we are at the most northern point of the UK - John O'Groats

Here's how it got its name   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_o%27_Groats

So now I have been to the most Southern and the most Northern

Paddington gets around! Last time I saw him was in Wales.

The stretch of water next to it is the Pentland Firth - a very treacherous strait which has taken many fishermen's lives, and some naval vessels

This shows the complexity of the currents

We stopped a little further along the cliffs, hoping to see puffins.

No, but the walk was great

and we did see lots of other birds.

One the way back I got a couple of random photos

This building faces on to the shortest street (Guinness Record)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebenezer_Place,_Wick

And wind turbines are a growing source of energy - there were waiting to be transferred to a site close by.