Camera Obscura
This is one of my favourite attractions in Edinburgh and it’s brilliant for the kids (and adults too).  Situated in what was once an old tenement block it started life as an outlook tower in the 1890’s.  Each floor has a different theme including magic, optical illusions and 3D holograms.  The Camera Obscura is in the Victorian rooftop chamber and the show is very likely to have the kids in stitches!  Furthermore you get stunning 360-degree views from the roof top so the kids can play interactive games to their heart's content while learning at the same time and also getting pretty photos for Instagram.  Perfect.
Prices £15.50 Adults, £11.50 Children, under 5 Free
Castlehill,
The Royal Mile,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2DN

Inverness is an historic city near Loch Ness and is the gateway to the North Highlands. It’s also the start of Scotland’s North Coast 500, our answer to America’s Route 66 and a route which is being added to every traveller’s bucket list, not to mention bikers, hikers and caravanners.

I finally got my chance to head off on this famous route at the beginning of July.
My last attempt of the North Coast 500 got rained off but not before spending two nights in Applecross, which you can read about here (Applecross), so this time we travelled from Inverness to Gairloch on the west coast. The route offically begins at Inverness Castle, a red sandstone castle build in 1836. There were a castle on the same spot previously however and it's here, after helping Mary Queen of Scots during the seige of Inverness in 1562 that Clan Fraser and Clan Munro took the castle for themselves. The city itself lies on the banks of the River Ness, which runs from Loch Ness to the Beauly Firth. If you believe in such things you could take a little detour here and see if you can find the Loch Ness Monster, I've searched and didn't find so I picked up my map and was ready for a road trip.
I knew before I set off that my journey would be a hell of a lot more than the 517 miles, by the time I took all the detours, to find the beautiful beaches, castles and villages. Not that I minded, I wanted to see everything I could, and couldn’t wait!

Rogie Falls was the first stop, 2 miles past Contin on the A835 to Ullapool. The beautiful set of waterfalls are just a short walk from the car park at the side of the road and you can get some cracking photos from the new suspension bridge. The water tumbles down from Ben Wyvis into the Black Water River and in the summer you might even spot the salmon leaping. I love the crashing, therapeutic sound of waterfalls, especially when it has been raining and there is a lot of water. That day it was raining…..a lot, and it was amazing.
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