Inverness

Take a trip to the capital of the Highlands, Inverness. Explore this compact city and discover a slower way of life, but still with interesting things to do and events. Use Inverness as a base to explore Highland scenery, iconic castles, majestic mountains and unique wildlife, including the famous Loch Ness monster. (Source: Visit Scotland)

The picture in this postcard showed part of the city centre of Inverness beside the River Ness. Most of our week-long holiday in Scotland in September 2022 were spent in the Scottish Highlands. We based ourselves in Inverness as we were lucky to be hosted in the beautiful house of my wife's cousin. Unfortunately, we did not get to see much of Inverness but we did saw this postcard view often during our travels to the different tourist attractions of the Highlands.

Highland cattle in Wicken Fen NNR

A Highland cattle and a calf were shown in this postcard of Wicken Fen NNR in Cambridgeshire. The back of the postcard explained why they are found hundreds of miles away from their home in the Scottish Highlands - to keep the ground of Burwell Fen, part of Wicken Fen, free of scrub.

According to the National Trust's Wicken Fen website:

Grazing animals are essential in developing vegetation in new areas of the nature reserve. The animals help to keep the landscape open and help wetland and grassland plants to become established.

Fort William, Ben Nevis & Loch Linnhe

This postcard showed the town of Fort William sandwiched by Loch Linnhe and Ben Nevis. We passed by Fort William and stayed a bit for a stopover lunch and rest before driving down to Glasgow when we had our summer holiday in Scotland last September 2022. We saw Loch Linnhe as we were driving the coastal road but not sure if we caught a glimpse of the Ben Nevis.

Described as the Outdoor Capital of the UK, the town of Fort William is a popular base for weekend breaks and holidays in the Scottish Highlands. It is usually the starting base for many avid walkers and climbers who wish to conquer Scotland's largest mountain, Ben Nevis. The town lies at the northeast end of a sea loch, Loch Linnhe.

The Caledonian Canal, Fort Augustus

 

The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. (Wikipedia)

This postcard shows the five Fort Augustus Locks. These locks are in Fort Augustus, located at the foot of the famed Loch Ness. We visited the village of Fort Augustus during our summer holiday in Scotland last September 2022. We had fish and chips for lunch and took a stroll at this beautiful village teeming with tourists, which included walking in all five locks before driving back to Inverness via the eastern side of Loch Ness.

Glenmorangie whiskey

 

This front photo of the postcard is that of the copper stills used in the Glenmorangie Distillery to produce their famous single malt Scotch whisky. Glenmorangie is classed as a Highland distillery and their stills are the tallest in Scotland.

In our Scotland holiday last August 2022 we spent most part in the Highlands where we based ourselves in the city of Inverness. Our Inverness host, who was a cousin of my wife booked us a classic tour in Glenmorangie Distillery. This one-hour tour was described as thus:

Get to know our creamy, complex single malt as you trace the journey of our signature whisky, The Original, through our distillery. Scent the fruity aromas that emerge in our lighter spirit and see the bourbon casks where our whisky mellows for 10 years. Finish your whisky distillery tour with a two-dram tasting from the Core Expressions range. (Source: Glenmorangie)

Walking Wicken Fen

Wicken Fen, one of Europe's most important wetlands, supports an abundance of wildlife. There are more than 9000 species, including a spectacular array of plants, birds and dragonflies.

The raised boardwalk and lush grass droves allow easy access to a lost landscape of flowering meadows, sedge and reedbeds, where you can encounter rarities such as hen harriers, water voles and bitterns.

Wicken Fen Vision, an ambitious landscape-scale conservation project, is opening up new areas of land to explore. Our grazing herds of Highland cattle and Konik ponies are helping to create a diverse range of new habitats. (Source: National Trust)

Travel information

Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve (NNR) is in Ely, Cambridgeshire and located southeast of Peterborough. Although about a little over than an hour's drive from Peterborough I have to go to March town to meet my work colleagues. March is about 30 minutes drive from Peterborough and was another 45 minutess drive to Wicken Fen. I went down to the NNR last September 2022 for a site visit together with work colleagues.

The North Coast 500, Scotland

The front of this postcard shows the map of the North Coast 500 (NC500) coastal road route while the back explained what it is:

The North Coast 500 is an iconic coastal route that covers over 500 miles of stunning scenery across the north Highlands of Scotland, beginning and ending at Inverness Castle.

Most of our Scotland holiday in 2022 was spent in the Highlands of Scotland, where we based in the northern city of Inverness. I have read a good deal about this coastal road route and it need a great deal of planning with stays from 5-7 days which we cannot afford to do at the time as we wanted to go to many different places in the Scottish Highlands as well.

Church door

St Albans - a historic cathedral city

Cathedral Inside and Outside | Oldest pub | Roman Theatre

Where else would you go first in an English cathedral city but its magnificent cathedral with centuries of history as seen through its architecture and surrounding buildings and gardens, right? Well certainly that was the case with my visit to St Albans in Hertfordshire.

The city took its name from St Alban, the first British Christian martyr, who was executed in 305 AD for refusing to participate in a pagan sacrifice. The ground where the Cathedral stands specifically the north transept was the traditional spot where St Alban was executed.

Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness

This postcard shows the ruins of Urquhart Castle and behind it is the famous Loch Ness. We spent a day here during our dream holiday in Scotland last August 2022.

URQUHART CASTLE

Wild natural beauty and 1,000 years of history - Urquhart Castle offers a taste of the Highlands at their most dramatic.

Discover 1,000 years of drama, experience a glimpse of medieval life and enjoy stunning views over Loch Ness from the ruins of the greatest castle in the Highlands.

Climb the Grant Tower that watches over the iconic loch, peer into a miserable prison cell, said to have held the legendary Gaelic bard Domhnall Donn, and imagine the splendid banquets staged in the great hall. A more comfortable view of the iconic ruins, against a backdrop of Loch Ness and the hills of the Great Glen, can be enjoyed from the café.

Ceiling of the Norman tower at St Albans Cathedral

Story

Ruins of the Roman Theatre of Verulamium

St Albans | Cathedral inside and outside | Oldest pub

In January 2022 I visited the cathedral city of St Albans as I have a few hours to spare waiting for my wife attending lessons from the nearby university in Hatfield. The city is just a 15-minute drive from Hatfield, which is an hour and 15 minutes drive from my city of Peterborough. I decided to just visit two famous places in the city that are close to each other - St Albans Cathedral and the ruins of the Roman Theatre of Verulamium.

In the southwest of St Albans lies the remains of the Roman Britain town of Verulamium. A few remains of Verulamium are still seen at Verulamium Park like parts of the city wall and a hypocaust (a central heating system in the Roman period) as well as items that are found in the museum. The ruins of the Roman theatre, however, is now part of the nearby Gorhambury Estate.

Clock Tower of St Albans

St Albans

St Albans' Clock Tower is the only surviving medieval town belfry in England and is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The people of St Albans built the tower, which was completed by 1405 as a symbol of their resistance against the power of the abbot of St Albans. The Tower allowed the town to sound its own hours and, until 1863, the curfew. The Clock Tower's bell rang out for the first Battle of St Albans during the Wars of the Roses in 1455. Today, the tower - and its 600 year old bell - still stands face to face with the abbey's tower and provides fantastic views across over St Albans and far into the Hertfordshire countryside. (Source: St Albans Museums)

Before I went to have a good look inside St Albans Cathedral I wandered around outside its vicinity as there were a few interesting sites to see including the Clock Tower. I walked a little bit around Market Place, the street where the Clock Tower is located before I had a good look of the tower from the outside. The Clock Tower is only open during weekends and bank holidays and it was a Monday when I visited St Albans. The tower also has a long and interesting history as can be seen by the plaques and from Wikipedia, too.

Fort Augustus, Loch Ness

This postcard shows an aerial view of the small village of Fort Augustus on the southern tip of the famous Loch Ness. We spent a day here during our dream holiday last August 2022.

FORT AUGUSTUS

Situated on the most southern tip of Loch Ness on the Great Glen Way, this historic and scenic hamlet is a popular tourist destination.

Lying on the impressive 60 mile long Caledonian Canal, halfway between Inverness and Fort William, Fort Augustus offers spectacular views down Loch Ness and is a paradise for keen walkers and cyclists with many beautiful walks around the area, the most popular being the Great Glen Way.

St Albans Cathedral from the outside: Gallery

St Albans Cathedral: Outside

If you have not read the story of my visit to St Albans Cathedral please go here or click the link above.

Before I went inside the Cathedral I wandered a bit in the cathedral grounds to see the Abbey Gateway, the Verdun Tree and the Vintry Garden in detail. I also had a quick look at the nearby Clock Tower.

I visited the cathedral city of St Albans in January 2022 when I had a few hours to spare while waiting for my wife attending her lessons from the nearby university in Hatfield. The city is just a 15-minute drive from Hatfield, which is an hour and 15 minutes drive from my city of Peterborough. I decided to just visit two famous places in the city that are close to each other - St Albans Cathedral and the ruins of the Roman Theatre of Verulamium.

All photos were taken with a micro four thirds camera (https://amzn.to/2Qjtg8h) attached with a telephoto zoom lens (https://amzn.to/32TeGWA).

St Albans Cathedral from the outside

St Albans | Cathedral inside | Oldest pub | Roman Theatre

I visited the cathedral city of St Albans in January 2022 when I had a few hours to spare while waiting for my wife attending her lessons from the nearby university in Hatfield. The city is just a 15-minute drive from Hatfield, which is an hour and 15 minutes drive from my city of Peterborough. I decided to just visit two famous places in the city that are close to each other - St Albans Cathedral and the ruins of the Roman Theatre of Verulamium.

St Albans Cathedral was named after St Alban, the first British Christian martyr, who was executed in 305 AD for refusing to participate in a pagan sacrifice. The ground where the Cathedral stands specifically the north transept is the traditional spot where St Albans was executed.

Who was St Alban?

Alban was a citizen of Verulamium, the Roman town that grew to become St Albans. During the reign of the Emperor Diocletian many Christians were persecuted for their beliefs. One such was Amphibalus, a deacon who fled from the authorities. Alban, though himself a pagan, offered shelter to Amphibalus.

During the time he hid the deacon from the Roman authorities Alban himself became converted to Christianity. Eventually both men were captured by the Romans and put to death. Alban could have escaped his fate if he agreed to sacrifice at a pagan altar, but he refused, and was executed. (Source: Britain Express)

A Last Supper (2009) by Lorna May Wadsworth

A Last Supper is a 2009 interpretation by British contemporary artist Lorna May Wadsworth of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper (1495-1498). What is striking about this painting was the depiction of Jesus Christ as a black man, represented by Jamaican-born fashion model, Tafari Hinds. I came across this painting, actually a high resolution print instead of the original oil on aluminium art piece while wandering inside St Albans Cathedral during a previous visit. Apparently, this fine art print was displayed in the Altar of the Persecuted in the North Transept since 2020 in support of the Black Lives Matter movement by the cathedral.

When asked to explain why she used a black man to portray Jesus Christ in her painting, Wadsworth explained:

Painting the Last Supper altarpiece made me really think about how we are accustomed to seeing Jesus portrayed. Experts agree he would most likely have had Middle Eastern features, yet for centuries European artists have traditionally painted Christ in their own image. I cast Tafari as my Jesus to make people question the Western myth that he had fair hair and blue eyes. My portrayal of him is just as ‘accurate’ as the received idea that he looked like a Florentine. I also knew that, from a previous portrait of Tafari, there is something in his countenance that people find deeply empathetic and moving, which is the overriding quality I wanted my Christ to embody. (Source: Lorna May Wadsworth)

Eilean Donan Castle

This postcard shows the view of the 13th century Eilean Donan Castle from the east side while the next postcard showed the castle from the western side. In the late summer month of August 2022 we visited this iconic castle when we spent our dream family holiday in Scotland especially in the Scottish Highlands.

According to the Eilean Donan Castle website:

As one of the most iconic images of Scotland, Eilean Donan is recognised all around the world. Situated on an island at the point where three great sea lochs meet, and surrounded by some majestic scenery, it is little wonder that the castle is now one of the most visited and important attractions in the Scottish highlands.

Although first inhabited around the 6th century, the first fortified castle was built in the mid 13th century and stood guard over the lands of Kintail. Since then, at least four different versions of the castle have been built and re-built as the feudal history of Scotland unfolded through the centuries.

Comes in trees

St Albans Cathedral from the inside: Gallery

St Albans Cathedral: Inside

If you have not read the story of my visit to St Albans Cathedral please go here or click the link above.

After wandering outside the cathedral grounds enjoying the beautiful gardens and nearby Clock Tower, I entered the Cathedral through the gift shop. I managed to see some of the highlight places inside the cathedral. I come from a cathedral city myself and St Albans is just as magnificent as our very own Peterborough Cathedral. Our cathedral looks bigger from the inside because of its open plan design while St Albans have walls separating the different parts of the Cathedral.

I visited the cathedral city of St Albans in January 2022 when I had a few hours to spare while waiting for my wife attend her lessons from the nearby university in Hatfield. The city is just a 15-minute drive from Hatfield, which is an hour and 15 minutes drive from my city of Peterborough. I decided to just visit two famous places in the city that are close to each other - St Albans Cathedral and the ruins of the Roman Theatre of Verulamium.

All photos were taken with a micro four thirds camera (https://amzn.to/2Qjtg8h) attached with a telephoto zoom lens (https://amzn.to/32TeGWA).