Highland Folk Museum

After so many beautiful forests and lakes, the next day we ventured out to see the Highland Folk Museum. This reminded much of what it is like here in our western part of the United States the museums of the pioneers. This museum showed what life was like 'back in the old days'. It shows the one-room school house, the thatched roof houses, and the businesses in a small village a hundred fifty years ago.

The one-room school

I guess people were short a hundred years ago!! 

Ruthven Barracks

After the wonderful historic museum, we proceeded on to see Ruthven Barracks. This is where the infantry was housed, along with many other locations across the highlands after the Jacobite Uprising. The purpose was to help prevent future uprisings.
The day was misty, cloudy and cold, so we did not go inside, or get up close, but you can click the link here below to get more information.
The history of Ruthven Barracks

The barracks are built high on a hill, overlooking the village below.
Absolutely beautiful!!

On our drive back to Aviemore, we drove past Loch Alvie. Scenic!! 

Falkirk Wheel

Once we finally found Kinnaird Castle, we took a slight detour over to Falkirk Wheel. It is the worlds only boat lift!  It was quite an interesting site!! The purpose of designing the Falkirk Wheel was to connect two canals. The Forth and Clyde Canal lies about 115 feet below the Union Canal, so this 'wheel' will lift the boat up and around and lower it to the lower canal, thereby making a passage way across Scotland! We watched one complete cycle, as a tourist boat motored into a giant 'wheel', then the wheel began lifting and circling around bringing the boat to the lower level. At that lower level, another boat entered this wheel and was lifted to the upper water level. Here is a video of the Falkirk Wheel in action!! The 'blue' at the bottom of the picture is the tourist boat that has gone into the 'wheel' and it is being lifted up and around to the higher canal.
more info at this link here: Falkirk Wheel