But let's not jump ahead yet. Today we had a magnificent day exploring this natural beauty.
The day began with a scrumptious breakfast of toasted banana bread with creme fraiche, raspberries and toasted pumpkin seeds.
How lovely is that? And quite tasty too!
We headed out to a tiny church known as Medieval Kirkmichael. It is located right on the water and has scenic views across the Udale bay.
Inside the recently restored knave are Medieval Stones, similar to the Pictish variety, but from a more recent era. After the Reformation, gravestones could no longer be displayed within church walls, so many of them were reburied in church graveyards. These treasures have been the interest of a special trust, and this church houses several of those stones who originated prior to 1560.
They are certainly in excellent condition considering how long they lay in the ground before being discovered.
Each one is ornately carved with certain symbols, and there was a board that offered a "cheat sheet" for interpretation. Not that I found it all that helpful as I had difficulty deciphering some of the carvings as some of them have been worn down over the years. But the stop was certainly fascinating, and you couldn't beat the beauty of the location.
We then headed to the Fairy Glen Waterfall trail which is located right on the edge of Rosemarkie. It was actually a very busy place as we passed dozens of people along the trail, most with a dog, or two (or three) in tow. But everyone was very pleasant, and friendly as we headed out to enjoy this gorgeous day.
We came to the mill pond, where this fellow waddled out to say hello. We can only presume that he associates people with food as he sure was extremely friendly. We behaved and offered nothing. But, truth be told, we had nothing to offer.
The trail was fairly easy, running along a bubbling brook.
But it did involve a wee bit of rock climbing on my part to get to the first series of falls.
Moving on involved walking along a platform that loomed over the bottom falls. I'm not quite sure why there was a railing on the interior side and not the outer side. I was sure NOT to look down!
And the trail then brought us to the upper falls. They weren't as dynamic as the lower, but pretty nonetheless.
With the walk complete, we headed into Rosemarkie, named for the "Rose" color stones that make up many of the beautiful houses in the village.
Our aim was to see the Groom House Museum.
It didn't open until 1:00 pm, so we made good use of our time and headed to the beach area where we sat on a bench and watched the water, looking for seals or dolphins. Unfortunately, I saw neither, although there were a LOT of people out on the beach with dogs, and some even dared to enter the water! Considering that it was bout 56 degrees at the time, I'd call that pretty brave!
Time passed quickly, and we headed back to the museum. It is known for its unique collection of Pictish Stone that are traced to a major monastery in the area that had ties with St. Moluag. This particular stone is a Class II Pictish stone, dating to the 8th-9th century AD.
This stone is unique in the fact that the usual stone of this type would feature a hunting scene on the bottom. But this one displays a large Christian cross set within an intricate border. These unusual markings have led to the stone being categorizes as one of the wonders of Pictish art.
Marty is fascinated by these stones, and even picked up a book to read regarding the subject. That and a map of Pictish Stone sites might just be adding in some extra adventures as we continue our gallivanting. You'll be the first to know!
From here we headed to Chanonry Point.
Once again, we saw no dolphins, but we did see a lovely lighthouse!
Nearby, in the village of Fortress, stands the ruins of an ancient cathedral. This archway to the grounds holds a memorial to the fallen soldiers of the great war on one side of the interior, and those from WWII on the opposite side.
A unique feature to the cathedral is the octagon shaped clock tower on its rear edge.
Isn't amazing how the bright blue sky enhances the beauty of the rose color of the stones?
And, how lucky were we to have such a brilliant day? Although I must be honest and admit that there were several sudden showers that came and went through our excursion. I just didn't photograph them.
We headed to the harbor, just for a brief look.
Then returned to the Factor's house, our B&B, to relax for a bit before heading to dinner.
It's a relatively easy walk into town, but we took a wee bit of a detour to get a closer look at the looming statue of Hugh Miller that stands right outside the walls of the cemetery. It had intrigued me as it isn't easy to miss as one ventures about in Cromarty.
Hugh Miller was a famous geologist and writer who was born in Cromarty, which is why you see such an amazing tribute to him high up on the hill.
Dinner was once again at the Fishertown Inn, mainly because there isn't another restaurant open nearby. But the staff is super friendly and we had another enjoyable meal as we finish our NC500 adventure.
It certainly was a memorable tour and I do hope you enjoyed following along. But remember, the adventure continues.
Until tomorrow...
