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Day 5: April 21, 2025
Today's journey kicked off with our coach journey through the Scottish Highlands to the famous battle sight of Culloden Moor, the setting of the last pitched battle fought on UK soil, signifying the end of the Jacobite rebellion in the 18th century, and the further erosion of Highland culture. Students got a chance to walk amongst the very ground upon which the battle was fought, and saw the various memorials in honour of three fallen warriors. Next we were monster hunting, onwards and southwards towards Fort Augustus and Loch Ness, supposed homeland of the mythical Loch Ness monster, affectionately referred to by locals simply as "Nessie". On our boat cruise of that mystical Loch, we were treated to commentary explaining the various alleged sightings of the beast through the ages, from early Christian times in the 6th century AD, to as recent as the 21st century, with modern sonar readings detecting strange movements from massive aquatic creatures living far beneath the loch's surface. Though none of our group were able to snag a picture of Nessie this time, a few did claim they saw her head pop up to wave us goodbye as we departed the Loch and made our journey back northward to sleepy Tomintoul, managing a quick visit to Inverness along the way, where we caught a glimpse of the city’s castle, famed for its utilisation by legendary playwright William Shakespeare, in his epic tragedy "Macbeth"