Home -> Europe -> Scotland -> Travelogue 2000 -> Thursday 20 July

Inverness

After breakfast with scrambled and cooked eggs, we leave for Inverness, to fill up our L.P.G. tank. Iain has given us a list with all gas stations in Scotland where they sell L.P.G. on one of the first days already and we have been to this place in Inverness many times before. A nice man runs the bussiness: 5 minutes to refuel, half an hour to chat. For a few days we hear this strange squeaking noise near the front wheels, probably something with our brakes, so we ask him if he knows anybody who can help us with it. He sends us to a garage at the edge of the town, owned by friends of his. When we arrive there, we leave the car behind and are being driven into the centre of the town. We will call after a few hours.

Inverness is the largest town in the Highlands and lies at the mouth of the river Ness. For one day there is plenty to see, for example the sandstone castle in the centre. And there are of course bagpipers playing on some points in the city.

After quite a lot of walking we deserve a short break. We buy a sandwich and something to drink and sit down in one of the parks along the Ness. All at once, Teije sees a penny lying in the bushes behind us and then another. Elisabeth starts to poke in the bushes as well and after 15 minutes we have gathered more than a pound. A profitable break!

In the afternoon we walk all the way down to the garage, get lost, but in the end find it again. The car is ready and it doesn't cost us more than £ 20,-, for adjusting our brakes on the front, the shoes on the back and 2 liters of oil. We were afraid it would be much more, considering the high prices everywhere in Scotland and the hourly wages.
It was too late to make a long drive, so we stayed in the neighbourhood and just drove about a bit. We can't precisely recall what we did this day, but surely we did enjoy ourselves, we mostly do.

We recall driving to the peninsula northwest of Inverness and along the coast of Cromarty Firth, but that wasn't spectaculair, with all the drilling rigs in the water. I think we were 'home' early to have a good rest and a pleasant time in the pub.

Travel through Europe and Africa

with Elisabeth and Teije