Part three of our holiday and we again go sightseeing in the morning prior to an organised "Afternoon Tea" with the dogs.

There's plenty to visit in this area, so we start at the iconic Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness.

We also had time for extra exploring before lunch and after the tea today, so lots to do, no time to waste . . .

Urquhart Castle, sadly not National Trust for Scotland but Historic Environment Scotland, so we had to pay !

We booked on-line the night before as it was busy, but only noticed the small print about no dogs when we walked in.

The ticket office guy was very nice, but adamant that they could not enter . . . so they had to return to the car.

The castle is built on a raised outcrop of rock, with a moat or ditch surrounding it for added security.

Loes is standing on the modern fixed bridge, but no doubt it would have been a mechanical drawbridge to prevent attacks.

Seen in the last photo but only really obvious when you are up close.

These lumps of masonry originally were part of the towering gatehouse that was blown up in 1692 to prevent it being used as a military stronghold.

The original castle was smaller and built on the top of the rocky outcrop seen here to the right.

The lower parts of the castle were newer and included kitchens, the Great Hall, the stables and all the ancillary buildings of a major castle.

On the lake-side of the mound is the Water Gate which gave access to the loch down an easily protected slope.

Boat travel would have been easier and quicker than roads in the old days, but boats weren't usually available to invaders.

The catamaran we saw at Dochgarroch yesterday, was today giving tours of the castle, here viewing it from the water.

Loes and I climbed to the highest and oldest point of the castle,

where you could look down and appreciate the overall design of the structure.

Looking down on the moat and drawbridge

and a whole group of people by the piers who had disembarked from one of the boats.

The afternoon event was scheduled for 3pm so, as we were early, we drove on through the village,

past the Slater's Arms which we would use one night for an evening meal.

Glen Affric is famous for being a remote Scottish glen with plenty of trees and lakes.

On the way up we saw a sign to "The Dog Falls" so just had to stop to check them out.

The Water Take-off Tower and the start of the pipeline that heads off towards the generators near Cannich.

3pm, back at Cannich and time for afternoon tea.

This afternoon's get together was so that people could meet and socialise.  A lovely tea followed by a "pub quiz" on "most things Golden Retriever".

The tent had been decorated with bio-pics of various Scottish breeders.	One of our older dogs had Camrose pedigree in him like this one.

A video on a projector screen was playing in the background.

Strangely it was a "no dogs" event, one of three in the week.

After putting them in the car at Urquhart we had to once again put them in the car this afternoon, I (and others) were not overly pleased.

The organisers said it was because of the presence of the food, but in fact if you look at the first photo,

there was no room inside the tent for all those people and all their dogs anyway !  Perhaps it was a good thing after all.

- - - o o o - -

Afterward the event there was still time for a walk so we headed up the valley to try and find Guisachan House

where Thursday's event was to be held.

Along the way we passed the Post Office and Stores at Tomich.  When open they serve teas and refreshments to visitors.

In the village was a memorial to Lord and Lady Tweedmouth.	He was a rich brewer and Liberal Member of Parliament.

Golden Retrievers were first bred here in 1868 when Lord Tweedmouth mated a yellow Wavy-Coated retriever with a Tweed Water Spaniel

in order to develop a hunting dog with stamina and the ability to swim. He wanted a dog capable of retrieving, to accompany him whilst out hunting.

Along the way he had managed to created one of the best all-round and popular of family dogs we know and ones we cherish to this day.

Several years back the Friends of Guisachan got permission to erect a statue of a Retriever in the village.

- - - o o o - - - The Golden Retriever Beloved the world over. First bred on the Guisachan Estate by Lord Tweedmouth in 1868 This tribute statue was erected on 10th August 2014 by the friends of Guisachan. - - - o o o - - -

Dylan tries to live up to his heritage . . . a pretty good likeness I think.

This one's even better, full of brown peaty water . . .	. . . then we come across a wooden walkway !

The falls on  the Eas Sochach stream were impressive . . . but nothing compared to what we were about to find !

Walking out to the end of the viewing platform, we looked down !	All we had seen before was dwarfed by a 150 ft (45m) waterfall.

We were looking down on the river Abhainn Deabhag which has carved a deep gorge into the landscape.

The rich waters from our stream cascade over the edge in an uncontrolled drop to the river below . . . check out the platform in the second photo !!

Following the path down we view the falls from below . . .	eventually dragging ourselves away, to continue the walk back to the car.

- - - o o o - - -

The time had moved on and the walk had made us hungry, so we back-tracked to the village and found the Tomich Hotel.

An early supper was enjoyed . . . along with the photos in the foyer that gave us a taste of what might follow in just two days time.