Scotland is a very beautiful country, known for its historic castles and the beautiful lakes. But certainly also from the of the Scottish Highlands. You can actually divide the country into two areas: the Highlands and the Lowlands. The Lowlands cover the part of the country that has hardly any serious hills or mountains. This is the densely populated area and is concentrated in the south and east of the country. Within the Lowlands are the largest cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. If we have left these cities behind, we will soon be in a completely different environment, the Highlands. These cover the western and northern part of the country, they are often hilly or mountainous, contain many so-called 'lochs' (lakes and coves) and are sparsely populated. In terms of nature, this is by far the most beautiful region in the country. There is much to see and experience on this route. I will highlight 3 highlights below so that you can ultimately make the choice yourself.

The route starts in Fort Augustus on the far south side of Loch Ness, we drive on the A82 and the A87 to the southwest of the Highlands. After about 20 minutes you arrive at 2 lakes, Loch Garry and Loch Loyne, at RP 2 and RP 3 you have a fantastic view over the lakes. After a possible stop, the route continues on the A87 and then turns right onto the A887 to follow the Glenmorston river for a while before arriving at the Loch Ness, we follow this lake on our right for a few more kilometers and arrive then at a great historic location. Castle Urquhart and Loch Ness.

Urquhart Castle:
Urquhart Castle, situated on the shores of Loch Ness, is one of Scotland's most visited attractions. Urquhart Castle is one of the largest castles in Scotland with ruins dating from the 13th-16th centuries. The castle is a silent witness of the Scottish wars of independence, between the Scottish and English armies. The castle has changed ownership several times to eventually fall into the hands of the government forces that used it as a garrison. In 1692 when they had to fight against the Jacobites, they blew it up to prevent the castle from being used by the Jacobites, since then it has fallen into disrepair and became a ruin.
At this beautiful location on the Loch Ness you can visit the remains and the ruins. There is also a visitor center. A large part of the visitor center is furnished as a café and a gift shop. There is a small area with an exhibition about the castle, which contains a large-scale model of what the castle would have looked like at its peak. There is also a short film about the history of the castle.

Loch Ness:
The Loch Ness lake is perhaps the most famous lake in the world. This large and deep lake in Scotland is 37 kilometers long. At the widest part, the lake is 1.6 kilometers wide. The lake is at its deepest point 226 meters deep, which is deeper than the North Sea. The volume of Loch Ness is by volume the largest lake in Scotland, and by area, the second largest lake after Loch Lomond. The lake is in the middle of the Great Glen. This valley is the fault line between two earth plates. The earth plates move in opposite directions from each other, creating the valley. The fault line runs straight through the landscape from Inverness to the Atlantic Ocean.

Nessie, the monster:
According to a legend about Loch Ness, there would be a monster in the lake. The monster, Nessie, has never been shown or seen. Many unclear photos are circulating, but a clear answer to the question "does the Loch Ness monster really exist?" is not there. If you want to know more about this, visit the Loch Ness Exhibition Center.

Our route continues and we leave Loch Ness to the west via the A381, via good roads and characteristic small indoor roads we finally arrive in Inverness. We have not stopped but that is of course very possible. After Inverness we stop at RP 14 to refuel because we still have to go through the Cairngorms National Park and there is no opportunity to refuel there.
We drive on and arrive at the Foyers waterfalls. This is a small waterfall but beautifully situated. The water falls down from a height of 50 meters. We continue our way to start the part of the route that goes through the Cairngorms national park.

The Cairngorms:
The Cairngorms are a mountain range in the Eastern Highlands. The chain is at an altitude between 1000 - 1200 m, with peaks up to around 1300 m. The Cairngorms form an Arctic mountain environment with tundra-like properties and on the peaks eternal snow. There are huge forests of age-old native trees, and waterfalls. Five of the six highest mountains in the UK are located in the park and there are 55 Munros of more than 1,000 m. A Munro is a Scottish mountain or hill with a height of at least 914.4 m. These mountains take their name from Sir Hugh Munro (1856–1919), who was the first to compile a complete list of these mountains, known as Munro's Tables in 1891.

This route through the Great Glenn and the Cairngorms is really beautiful to ride. Along the way are many small parking spaces where you can stop for a photo or just to enjoy nature. This route contains all aspects of the beautiful Highlands, which I have experienced myself, and that is why I rate it with 5 stars.

Special locations:
RP 5 Urquhart Castle
RP 8 Loch Ness Exhibition Center
RP 23 The Glenlivet whiskey distillery