Inverness - Thurso

Inverness - Thurso route pictures taken on our Summer holiday 2013.
Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Inverness Cathedral (Scottish Gaelic: Cathair-Eaglais Inbhir Nis), also known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew (1866–69) is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is the seat of the Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness, ordinary of the Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness. The cathedral is the northernmost cathedral in Britain. The architect was Alexander Ross, who was based in the city. Construction began in 1866 and was complete by 1869, although a lack of funds precluded the building of the two giant spires of the original design. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Inverness Cathedral (Scottish Gaelic: Cathair-Eaglais Inbhir Nis), also known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew (1866–69) is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is the seat of the Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness, ordinary of the Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness. The cathedral is the northernmost cathedral in Britain. The architect was Alexander Ross, who was based in the city. Construction began in 1866 and was complete by 1869, although a lack of funds precluded the building of the two giant spires of the original design. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Cathedral Church of St. Andrew interior : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Cathedral Church of St. Andrew interior : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Cathedral Church of St. Andrew interior : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Cathedral Church of St. Andrew interior : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Cathedral Church of St. Andrew interior : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Cathedral Church of St. Andrew interior : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Cathedral Church of St. Andrew interior : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Cathedral Church of St. Andrew interior : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Cathedral Church of St. Andrew interior : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Cathedral Church of St. Andrew Cathedral Church of St. Andrew interior : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
Inverness castle Inverness Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Inbhir Nis) sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness. The red sandstone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th-century defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court. A succession of castles has stood on this site since 1057. The castle is said to have been built by Máel Coluim III of Scotland, after he had razed to the ground the castle in which Macbeth of Scotland according to much later tradition, murdered Máel Coluim's father Donnchad I of Scotland, and which stood on a hill around 1 km to the north-east. The first Inverness Castle was partially destroyed by King Robert I of Scotland and a replacement castle was sacked in the 15th century by the Clan Donald during the Siege of Inverness (1429). The castle was occupied during the Raid on Ross in 1491. In 1548 another castle with tower was completed by George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly (1514–1562). He was constable of the castle until 1562. The castle was later taken by the Clan Munro and Clan Fraser who supported Mary Queen of Scots during the Siege of Inverness (1562). Robert Mor Munro, 15th Baron of Foulis, chief of the Clan Munro was a staunch supporter and faithful friend of Mary Queen of Scots and he consequently was treated favourably by her son James VI. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Ness Bank Church Early Gothic revival style built 1901 by William Mackintosh of Inverness. Congregation founded 1787, belonged to the United Free Church which united with the Church of Scotland in 1929. Constrictions of site led to halls being built below the sanctuary. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Postman Pat Postman Pat waiting for children at Children's Hospice : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Columba Hotel A nice-looking hotel on the bank of river Ness. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
Two churches Free North Church on the left Built in 1889-92 in decorated Gothic style it has the highest steeple in Inverness, a dominant feature by the River Ness. St Columba's High Church on the right The congregation was established in 1843, the present church opened in 1852. A fire in 1940 left only the walls standing. The congregation, servicemen & prisoners of war refurbished the church and it opened nine years later. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Highland House of Fraser Flowers and Highland House of Fraser, a famous Scottish Kiltmaker : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Inverness Town House Built in the Flemish-Baronial style on the corner of Castle Street and High Street in Inverness city centre, the Town House was constructed 1878-82 to the design of local architect William Lawrie as a larger version of Sir George Gilbert Scott's Albert Institute in Dundee. The building comprises two storeys and features slender towers and turrets (tourelles) corbelled out at the corners and above the entrance, together with two plaques showing the Burgh Arms that date from 1686 and were reclaimed from the old Ness Bridge (demolished after it was irreparably damaged in a flood in 1849). This building replaced the Old Town House, which was built in 1708 as the Inverness home of Lord Lovat, became the Burgh Town House in 1716 and was demolished in 1878. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Tollbooth Steeple The Georgian tollbooth steeple was erected beside the adjoining Old Court House and Jail in 1791 and rises 45 metres to where three bronze bells hang in the spire. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
The Caledonian Bank of Scotland Building, built by Mackenzie & Matthews in 1847, this classical building has Corinthian columns and overhanging pediment. The tympanum has allegorical figures carved by H Hardyside and huge vases have garlanded portraits of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort. This building served as the Head Office of the Caledonian Bank (founded 1838) until 1907. Now it is a branch of the Smith & Jones chain of bars. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel London House No 21-23 is a Flemish Baronial block by Matthews & Lawrie (1878-1879). Built as the 'Royal Tartan Warehouse', the central gable has carvings of the Royal Arms on it. A wide pend leads throughout the building to Lombard Street (formerly Cummings Close). : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel High Street High Street in Iverness, pedestrian zone : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Red House Cute red house with blue door and grey corners : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
British style of housing Terrace houses on Denny street : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Sprooiing! Springlike cat bounching. There's two images in here, not the best result but I'm no Photoshop wizard :). Teddy with an attitude I don't like to see mutilated teddy bears but this was still kinda funny : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel New Mercat Cross Gerald Laing's Mercat Cross Unveiled in June, 2003, a sandstone pillar 37 feet high adorned with a rearing unicorn and a falcon shown spiraling down the column in the four successive stages of its attacking manoeuvre. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
Tight fit A delivery truck trying to negotiate narrow streets of Inverness : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Victorian Market In 1876-70 the Town Council built a covered market on the site of the present Victorian Market. This was destroyed by fire although the original sandstone entrance in Academy Street remains. This entrance consists of 3 round arches with the centre keyblock carved with a bull’s head and the outer ones carved with rams’ heads. Following the fire the Victorian Market was rebuilt by Inverness Town Council in 1890-91. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Victorian Market The Market Arcade is built of brick with round-headed shop fronts. It is linked to the Market Hall with its splendid Victorian cast-iron and wooden-domed roof. The Market hall was formerly a fish market and part of the sandstone arch leading from Church Street has been worn away by the sharpening of the fish merchants’ knives. Over the years the Market Hall became filled with open stalls. The Council has recently refurbished the Market Hall to create small shops that reflect the Victorian character of the Market. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Victorian Market The Market Arcade is built of brick with round-headed shop fronts. It is linked to the Market Hall with its splendid Victorian cast-iron and wooden-domed roof. The Market hall was formerly a fish market and part of the sandstone arch leading from Church Street has been worn away by the sharpening of the fish merchants’ knives. Over the years the Market Hall became filled with open stalls. The Council has recently refurbished the Market Hall to create small shops that reflect the Victorian character of the Market. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
Victorian Market The Market Arcade is built of brick with round-headed shop fronts. It is linked to the Market Hall with its splendid Victorian cast-iron and wooden-domed roof. The Market hall was formerly a fish market and part of the sandstone arch leading from Church Street has been worn away by the sharpening of the fish merchants’ knives. Over the years the Market Hall became filled with open stalls. The Council has recently refurbished the Market Hall to create small shops that reflect the Victorian character of the Market. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Colourful houses Inverness colourful houses : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Happy Butcher Duncan Fraser butcher. This family run business, one of the longest established in Inverness, commenced trading in 1911. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Greig Street Bridge Nice-looking pedestrian bridge over river Ness : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
St. Mary’s Catholic Church Built in 1837, designed by Mr Robertson from Elgin. The first Catholic place of worship to be built in Inverness since the change of religion in the 16th century. The Gothic facade with the curious crocheted pinnacles and open parapets have a charming originality and it may be asserted with perfect sincerity that the Inverenss Chapel is the finest example of revived Gothic at the period. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Dunrobin Castle Dunrobin Castle is the most northerly of Scotland's great houses and the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Dunrobin Castle is also one of Britain's oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300s, home to the Earls and later, the Dukes of Sutherland. The Castle, which resembles a French chateâu with its towering conical spires, has seen the architectural influences of Sir Charles Barry, who designed London’s Houses of Parliament, and Scotland’s own Sir Robert Lorimer. The Castle was used as a naval hospital during the First World War and as a boys’ boarding school from 1965 to 1972. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel North Sea North Sea and somewhat rugged coast line : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Duke's Candlesticks The two crenellated towers on the hillside on the south side of the valley are nothing to do with any castle. They were built to house lights designed to show fishermen the location of the river mouth and are known as the Duke's Candlesticks after the Duke of Portland, who ordered and paid for their construction. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
Sandy beach A bit like Norwegian scenery : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Two lighthouses Duncansby Head lighthouse on the left. Duncansby Head is overshadowed in name but not in stature by its westerly neighbour, John o' Groats. It sits atop high cliffs that rise to the east of John o' Groats and is home to a lighthouse built in 1924 and automated in 1997. Muckle Skerry lighthouse on the right. Pentland Skerries Lighthouse was constructed in 1794 by the Commissioners of the Northern Lights. The engineers were Thomas Smith and his stepson by Robert Stevenson (this was the first light that Stevenson officially worked on). : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel South Ronaldsay I think this is South Ronaldsday seen from the Scottish mainland. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Dunnet Head lighthouse Dunnet Head lighthouse stands on the 300-foot (91 m) cliff top of Easter Head on Dunnet Head. Dunnet Head Lighthouse is 66 feet (20 m) tall and was built in 1831 by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
Dunnet Head Lighthouse Dunnet Head lighthouse stands on the 300-foot (91 m) cliff top of Easter Head on Dunnet Head. Dunnet Head Lighthouse is 66 feet (20 m) tall and was built in 1831 by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Dunnet Head Dunnet Head (Scottish Gaelic: Ceann Dùnaid) is a peninsula in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, that includes the most northerly point of the mainland of Great Britain. The point, known as Easter Head, is at 58°40′21″N 03°22′31″W, about 18 km west-northwest of John o' Groats and about 20 km from Duncansby Head. Dunnet Head can be seen also as the western limit of the Pentland Firth on the firth's southern, or Caithness, side. Near the Dunnet Head lighthouse are minor fortifications built during World War II to protect the naval base at Scapa Flow, including a Chain Home Low radar station and a bunker used by the Royal Observer Corps during the Cold War. Burifa Hill on Dunnet Head was the site of the master station and a monitoring station of the northern GEE chain of radio navigation stations during World War II. There was also an artillery range on Dunnet Head during WWII. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Dunnet Head Dunnet Head (Scottish Gaelic: Ceann Dùnaid) is a peninsula in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, that includes the most northerly point of the mainland of Great Britain. The point, known as Easter Head, is at 58°40′21″N 03°22′31″W, about 18 km west-northwest of John o' Groats and about 20 km from Duncansby Head. Dunnet Head can be seen also as the western limit of the Pentland Firth on the firth's southern, or Caithness, side. Near the Dunnet Head lighthouse are minor fortifications built during World War II to protect the naval base at Scapa Flow, including a Chain Home Low radar station and a bunker used by the Royal Observer Corps during the Cold War. Burifa Hill on Dunnet Head was the site of the master station and a monitoring station of the northern GEE chain of radio navigation stations during World War II. There was also an artillery range on Dunnet Head during WWII. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Dunnet Head Dunnet Head (Scottish Gaelic: Ceann Dùnaid) is a peninsula in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, that includes the most northerly point of the mainland of Great Britain. The point, known as Easter Head, is at 58°40′21″N 03°22′31″W, about 18 km west-northwest of John o' Groats and about 20 km from Duncansby Head. Dunnet Head can be seen also as the western limit of the Pentland Firth on the firth's southern, or Caithness, side. Near the Dunnet Head lighthouse are minor fortifications built during World War II to protect the naval base at Scapa Flow, including a Chain Home Low radar station and a bunker used by the Royal Observer Corps during the Cold War. Burifa Hill on Dunnet Head was the site of the master station and a monitoring station of the northern GEE chain of radio navigation stations during World War II. There was also an artillery range on Dunnet Head during WWII. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
Dunnet Head Dunnet Head (Scottish Gaelic: Ceann Dùnaid) is a peninsula in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, that includes the most northerly point of the mainland of Great Britain. The point, known as Easter Head, is at 58°40′21″N 03°22′31″W, about 18 km west-northwest of John o' Groats and about 20 km from Duncansby Head. Dunnet Head can be seen also as the western limit of the Pentland Firth on the firth's southern, or Caithness, side. Near the Dunnet Head lighthouse are minor fortifications built during World War II to protect the naval base at Scapa Flow, including a Chain Home Low radar station and a bunker used by the Royal Observer Corps during the Cold War. Burifa Hill on Dunnet Head was the site of the master station and a monitoring station of the northern GEE chain of radio navigation stations during World War II. There was also an artillery range on Dunnet Head during WWII. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Highlanders Highland cow and her calf : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel Royal Hotel Royal Hotel, Thurso. Over 100 years old. Food was terrible when we were there. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel St Peter's & St Andrew's Church Built in 1832 to a design by William Burn, the church is the centre point of the town, fronted by the town square garden and war memorial. Substantial Gothic building with buttressed walls and a tall square tower. Impressive U-plan gallery. Pipe organ, Norman & Beard 1914. Stained glass includes 'The Sower' by Oscar Paterson 1922. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel
Sir George's Fountain Erected in 1894 by Sir Tollemache Sinclair in memory of his father, George Sinclair. : Holiday, Scotland, Skotlanti, kesäloma, matka, travel