Mr Grumpy goes to Castle Urquhart

A rest day in ‘Drum’ before the final push to Inverness tomorrow. Drum is Nessie central with various honey traps offering monster 'experiences’ and Loch Ness cruises.
I wasn't quite prepared for this place. I took a bus to the nearby Urquhart Castle, but it was completely heaving with coach tours. After trying unsuccessfully to negotiate a non-existent footpath along the scarily fast A82 in search of a waterside view of the castle, which i know is there somewhere because Gitama took a shot from it, I gave up and joined the long queues for tickets, slower than necessary because every sale was accompanied by a set of questions about where one was from and would you like to join this and that, and what about a glossy guide book? Herself will know how much I hate that stuff and how Mr Grumpy finally went in.
I wandered about for a while and while the view and location are certainly stunning, in the end it's just a castle and once you've seen one……
It started to rain, so outdoor sketching was off. I noticed a boat tour pier and went down to ask the guys manning it if I could get a ticket but bloody hell they all completely ignored me and turned their backs. WTF?
So back to a quiet seat on the café patio which had a good view and I started a sketch. After being bumped into by selfie sluts, smoked over and stood in front of by large people from a certain latin Mediterranean country (have they no manners?) I gave up. This one was done from a photo back in the calm of my B&B.
On a lighter note, I can attest that Nessie is alive and thriving. In fact there are many of them, blue ones, green ones and pink ones all of the monstrous kitchosarus species (see extra for proof).
It's the big one 29km (18.25 miles) tomorrow and I am more than a little apprehensive, but also determined to give it my best shot. See you at the other end!