After dropping our luggage off at the Auchterawe Country House, we drove down to the town center of Fort Augustus. The Caledonian Canal with its several locks, runs right through the middle of the town and into Loch Ness. It's this canal that provides boat access from Fort William to Inverness, through Loch Ness.

The canal adds a lot of character and beauty to the town. It also seems to be a big point of tourism, as the canal is lined with quiz questions to peak your interest.

We went for an early dinner at a pub called The Lock Inn. 

The Lock Inn was huge with two levels of dining room space. As with most of the pubs that we visited, we ordered directly at the bar and the food was brought to our table. We found a quiet spot on the completely empty second floor at a table with views of the canal. 

Dan was healthy and ordered a salad. I went for a cheeseburger and beer!

I love animals, especially farm animals. Fort Augustus has a really cool place called the Highlands & Rare Breeds Croft. 

It was dusk and the croft was completely void of both staff and other visitors. It looked closed, but we noticed that they had an honor system box for donations and that the gave was unlatched. We dropped our four pounds into the box and went inside.

I don't know enough about these animals to appreciate their rarity, but I can appreciate their cuteness! One thing that stood out is most of the animals were not interested in us. With the exception of a goat when we first entered, none of them wanted to be petted and they often skittered away when we approached the fences. I think that the Highland & Rare Breed Croft might not get very many visitors.

As we walked the grounds, we encountered a sheep that had escaped and was bleating desperately, as it was trying to find its friends. There was no one around to help the sheep and it ran away from us, totally freaked out. Poor sheep.

The Highland & Rare Breed Croft is a great place for animal lovers. Fort Augustus is a worthy town to spend a day on your Scotland vacation. 

Posting soon...our hunt for the elusive Nessy begins in Fort Augustus!