A completely miserable day so we decided to stay local and visit a couple of museums.
First was a scenic drive up to the Clan Cameron Museum at Achnacarry. It was interesting learning about the history of Clan Cameron from the early beginnings in Lochaber to the present day and their involvement with Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite cause. The estate was a secret basic training centre for the Commandos between 1942 and 1945, there is a room there dedicated to the men who trained here on one of the toughest assault courses in the world. A monument to these men can be seen just out of Spean Bridge.
We took a short walk to view Achnacarry Castle which is the private home of the Clan Chief. We would have liked to have gone further to see the Beech Avenue, which was planted before the 1745 Jacobite Rising by the 19th Chief of Clan Cameron, and the old castle ruins but the heavens opened so we made a dash back to the car.
Our next stop was the West Highland Museum in Fort William in Cameron Square where it would seem that everyone and their dog (literally) had gone in to shelter from the rain. It was too cramped to be able to appreciate anything. The one thing I did want to see was The Secret Portrait, an anamorphic hidden painting of Price Charles Edward Stuart, I had first seen this about 55 years ago.
We had hoped to find somewhere to eat but again all the cafes were overflowing so we headed home for an earlier end to the day than usual.
