スコットランド高地の観光スポット

The Caledonian Canal is a waterway that runs for 60 miles through Scotland's Great Glen connecting Fort William in the southwest to Inverness in the northeast. The waterway connects several lakes, or lochs, and 22 miles of the Caledonian Canal are manmade to link Loch Lochy, Loch Oich, Loch Dochfour, and the famous Loch Ness. It first opened in 1822 as a way for commercial ships to avoid the more dangerous west coast. However, by the time it opened, the boats the canal was designed for were replaced by steam ships that were too big to use the canal.

Today the canal is a popular recreation area. Pleasure boats and scenic cruises sail up and down the canal and through the lochs. Visitors can also go to a viewpoint to see some of the 29 locks that get the boats from one section to the next. There are also opportunities to go fishing and swimming. For visitors who prefer dry land, there are hiking and cycling trails, including the 73 miles of the Great Glen Way.

The ruins of Urquhart Castle sit on the shores of Loch Ness. Visitors can still climb the Grant Tower, which offers scenic views of the famous loch and Great Gen. It was once one of Scotland's largest castles, and it spent hundreds of years as an important medieval fortress. The castle was frequently invaded and taken over by enemies only to be won back later. It also played a big role during the Scots’ struggle for independence in the 1300s and came under the control of Robert the Bruce after he became King of Scots in 1306. The castle was blown up in 1692 to prevent it from becoming a Jacobite stronghold.

Visitors can learn about Urquhart Castle in the visitor center which includes an exhibition, film show, gift shop and restaurant. Items in the exhibition include a collection of artifacts left by the castle's former residents and historic replicas. Urquhart Castle is also one of the main sites for reported sightings of the legendary Loch Ness Monster.

Just 5 miles from Iverness, the historic Culloden Battlefield is one of Scotland’s most significant battle sites, commemorated by the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre and protected by the Scottish National Trust. It was here, on the Culloden moor, that Bonnie Prince Charlie and an army of 5000 Jacobite Highlanders faced off against the Duke of Cumberland and his 9000 Hanoverian Government troops on April 16 1746. It was one of Britain’s most important battles and the last to be fought on British soil.

Today, the Visitor Centre is dedicated to retelling the events of the battle and the battlefield has been reconstructed in memorial to the Jacobites’ defeat, with burial sites and flags marking out their positions at the battle’s gruesome end.

One of Iverness’ oldest and most unusual historic sites, the Clava Cairns, or the Stones of Clava are a series of stone chambers thought to date back to the early Bronze Age (c 2000 BC). The unique site, also known as the Balnuaran of Clava, comprises three sizable Cairns of stones, the largest measuring 31 meters in diameter, each featuring an outer curb surrounding an inner chamber of larger stones.

Located close to the Culloden Battlefield, the Clava Cairns lie in a picturesque setting surrounded by woodlands and close to the River Nairn. A series of 15 similar stone piles are also dotted around the Nairn valley. The Cairns, thought to be closely linked to other prehistoric stone circles found in the British Isles, might also have been burial sites, with a number of bones found when the Cairns were first excavated back in 1828.

スカイ島はスコットランドの中で一番大きな島で、観光地として有名です。多くの観光客は名所だけを訪れますが、もし静けさを求め一人になりたい場合は、この小さなパラダイスにはその秘密の場所がいっぱいです。

もしお天気が良ければ、スカイ島はマジックに満ちた島です。鮮明な青色の湖や海、鮮やかな緑の岩山が日に輝きとても美しいです。雨天の場合(天気は急に変化する場合もあります)は、濡れることを覚悟して暗い色彩の景色も楽しんで下さい。パブで一杯しながら、窓際から雨のスカイ島を楽しむのもいいのでは？

オークニー諸島は、スコットランド北部の沖合い約16kmに位置する70の島で構成されている諸島で、新石器時代の遺跡が豊富にある場所として有名です。70の島のうち20の島が有人島となっており、8,000年の歴史を誇る島です。

最大の島はメインランドと呼ばれ、ノース・アイルズとサウス・アイルズに二分されています。オークニー諸島は、ヨーロッパにおいても保存状態が良い最古の遺跡がたくさん残っており、新石器時代の遺跡中心地としてユネスコ世界遺産に指定されています。

スコットランドのウェスト・ハイランド鉄道では、ハリー・ポッターの世界に迷いこんだかのような美しい景色が広がります。ハリーポッターとホグワーツ魔法学校の生徒達がホグワーツ特急に乗り込むのは、ロンドンにあるキングスクロス駅のプラットフォーム9と3/4番線で、そこからホグワーツ魔法学校へと向かいます。

「ジャゴバイト号」と呼ばれる歴史ある蒸気機関車が、フォートウィリアムの駅からスコットラン西海岸の島々へ渡るフェリーが発着している海辺の町マレイグまで運行されており、ハリーポッターが乗り込んだ列車もこのルートを走りました。スコットランド山岳地帯のハイランド地方最大の町フォートウィリアムから出発し、美しい峡谷や湖が広がる中、グレート・グレン渓谷の南端に聳えるイギリス最高峰のベン・ネビス山を通ります。最も有名な場所は、21本のアーチを持つ世界最古のコンクリート橋であるグレンフィナンの高架橋です。シール湖のすぐ北側に架かっており、ホグワーツ特急が通過するハリーポッターのロケ地として使用されたことは有名です。グレンフィナン駅で停車するので、シール湖や高架橋の美しい景観を楽しんだり、ウェスト・ハイランド鉄道博物館を訪問することもできます。

The Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition was established in 1980 to give insight and explore the biodiversity of Loch Ness in Scotland. The lake has become famous for the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, also known as Nessie, which has lived here for centuries, according to Scots. The Loch Ness Centre teaches visitors about Scottish folklore, Scotland's geological past, and the environment surrounding the lake. The museum explores the history of the region from its earliest history through present day.

The Loch Ness Centre presents facts about Loch Ness and Nessie in an interesting and entertaining way. There are seven themed rooms and uses a mixture of animations, lasers and special effects. Visitors are given the opportunity to learn about the research that has been done and make their own decision about the legend of the Loch Ness Monster.