Wednesday, September 11, 2019, The Highlands (Invergordon), Scotland

THE HIGHLANDS (INVERGORDON)

The Scottish town of Invergordon lies on the doorstep of the mountainous, heather-covered Highlands.  Nestled between a patchwork of farmland and a deep glacier-carved harbor, the small community celebrates itself with a series of stunning murals painted by local artists.  A walking trail leads visitors to them all, passing colorful window flower boxes along the way.  Whisky is another mainstay here, produced in a local grain distillery.  This charming port is the gateway to the sparsely populated Scottish Highlands, a breathtaking region that provided a fascinating glimpse into the days of warring clans, and into the legend of "Nessie," the fabled monster said to lurk in Loch Ness in the shadow of the lakeside Urquhart Castle.

Building used to make repairs on oil drilling rigs.

This rig is old and obsolete, waiting for demolition.  The wait may take years as the priority is lower than for making repairs on more up to date rigs.

The town is well known for the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931.  More recently it has also become known for the repair of oil rigs which line up in the Cromarty Firth on which the town is situated.  In the 1970s and 1980s nearby Nigg was known for the construction of these rigs.  The yard used for this is now attempting to re-establish itself as a fabricator of large offshore wind turbines and oil rig refurbishment since being purchased by Global Energy Group.

For a number of years Invergordon was the site of an aluminium smelter until 1981 when British Aluminium closed it down.  The pipeline that covered the conveyor belt from the smelter to the BA pier was not dismantled until the early 2000s and the two large tanks still stand today as well as a water tower.

It still has a grain whisky distillery, operated by Philippines-owned whisky giant Whyte and Mackay, the output of which contributes to many blended whiskies.  Connected to the distillery was the Invergordon Distillery Pipe Band.

At present the port is visited by many large cruise liners each year, as the deep water port allows disembarkation for coach tours in the northern Highlands.

Since the 1970s some would perceive the town as a 'Glasgow colony', since many workers were recruited from southern Scotland to work in the oil rig fabrication and aluminium smelting industries.  As a result, the residents' accents often show more influence from Glasgow, than the surrounding Easter Ross dialect of Highland English although this has changed in recent years.

In recent years Global Energy Group have been expanding, with the purchase of the Nigg fabrication yard it has also brought much appreciated work to Invergordon's Docks with the town again full of oil company workers through the day.

The population of Invergordon was 1,000 before World War I.  During World War I the population was 20,000 and during World War II 25,000.

Inverness Scenic Drive

Our primary goal at this port stop was to see the Inverness Castle.  After a short stop in Invergordon, we were on our way by bus.  We explored "Inversnecky," as Scotland’s northernmost city on the banks of the Ness River is known locally.  From Scottish Gaelic, meaning "mouth of the Ness River," Inverness is the largest city and cultural capital of the Scottish Highlands.  It sits astride the Ness at the spot where the river meets the Moray Firth, at the northern end of the Great Glen.  We took a panoramic tour of the city, featuring a drive by Inverness Cathedral, Eden Court Theater, and Inverness Town House—one of the city’s most impressive and historic buildings.  We enjoyed free time to explore on our own or browse the shops for the perfect memento of your visit.  We had the chance to admire views of Inverness Castle from the River Ness and climbed to the "top of the mountain" to see the castle close.  Built in the 1830s on the original site of several castles dating as far back as the 11th century, this castle is renowned for its role in the legendary Shakespeare tragedy Macbeth.

 On our way in our tour bus.

Farm fields along the salty harbor.

Summer flowers reminded us of Alaska summer flowers in planters and hanging baskets.  This area is at the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska.

  

First sighting of Shetland Ponies.  We will be on Shetland Islands tomorrow, the furthest point north in Great Britain!

Pine trees.  Until the early 1800s, lumber had to be imported to build homes, barns, etc.  The government offered land owners property tax incentives to plant and grow pine trees:  First year, 50% discount, second and following years, 25% discount.  The 25% incentive continues until today.  The pine tree growers built saw mills about 30 years after the initial planting, using and selling pine lumber.  This arrangement was a win-win for the land owners.

 Arriving on bridge at out skirts of Inverness.

 Saw mill below bridge.

 Homes as saw as we entered Inverness.

  

  

 High Street.  There is one in all towns and cities.  This is the shopping mall.

 Cemetery.

 Yep, another RV park.

Baptismal near front entrance.

 Beautiful, bright interior - not at all like most European cathedrals.

 Diane again noticed quilt patterns on the church floor.

These were hanging on a display rack.

  More beautiful flowers and hanging baskets in the city.

 City Hall.

 Castle from on top.

Flora MacDonald (1722 – 5 March 1790) was a member of the Macdonalds of Sleat, who helped Charles Edward Stuart evade government troops after the Battle of Culloden in April 1746.  Her family supported the government during the 1745 Rising and Flora later claimed to have assisted Charles out of sympathy for his situation.

She was arrested and held in the Tower of London but released under a general amnesty in June 1747. She later married Allan MacDonald and the couple emigrated to North Carolina in 1773.  Their support for the British government during the American War of Independence meant the loss of their American estates and they returned to Scotland, where Flora died in 1790.

A business along the River Ness.  By the way, we did have a false sighting of Nessie!

Salmon "farm" in the seawater we noticed on our way back to Invergordon.

 Anchor as we interred town.

 The town is embellished with murals.

A local Invergordon family came on board for a 4 PM performance on the stage of our cruise ship.  Very professional and entertaining.

After our entertainers finished their performances and got off the cruise ship, we set sail for Shetland Islands.  We will arrive there around 8 AM tomorrow.