In a recent episode of The Bachelorette, a situation between the two Lukes forced the former Miss Alabama USA to put her high heel down. But it's a new week and a new chance to find love which means it's time to take this journey abroad. Hannah takes the remaining men overseas to Inverness, Scotland to forget about the drama and dive into a new culture. I'm totally looking forward to all the kilt-wearing, but as someone who's never left U.S. soil, exactly where is Inverness in Scotland?
Full transparency: I had to dig around to find the correct location because geography was never my thing. According to Brittanica, Inverness is a "royal burgh" which is a fancy way of saying it's a "town." The burgh, in the northeast coast, is considered the center of the Highlands, situated along the River Ness which flows into Loch Ness (yep, that's the one).
Inverness was one of the chief strongholds of the ancient Pict people of the Iron Age, so that's cool. Though the burgh's main castle was strictly a "royal residence and fortress" for centuries, it was destroyed in 1746. A new fortress was built on the same site and that's what people still see today.
Aside from The Bachelorette taking over, Inverness is a big fish processing, agriculture, forestry, and electronics engineering burgh. All that's cool and everything, but I came for the men in kilts, castles, and lush greenery. Oh, and Loch Ness monster sightings — because this is the place to do it. So basically, if Hannah fails to find love by the castle on the hill, love probably doesn't exist.
If you're wondering how the crew can travel abroad and keep everything under wraps for so long, the visit did hit a minor snafu. According to The Daily Record, The Bachelorette was banned by the Royal Air Force from filming in helicopter over the Highlands for the scenic views. To get those shots, they'd be in violation of the no-fly zone around two airbases. Sorry, Han, but it looks like the episode will have to stick to the ground-level shots. In the meantime, maybe Hannah and the guys will visit The Old High Church, which is the oldest in Inverness (it goes all the way back to Celtic times), or take a boat trip to see who can spot the monster in Loch Ness first.
Of the high-ranking places the Bachelor franchise has traveled, this might be one of my favorites. I'm all for Thailand, which the franchise has visited a couple of times, or some other warm and sandy locale, but there's something about Scotland that feels particularly soothing.
And soothing is exactly what Hannah's going to need seeing as this trip is coming right on the heels of her major Luke drama. When the guys were playing rugby in Rhode Island, some of Hannah's boyfriends claim they watched Luke P. knee Luke S. in the face. Luke P. had a very different story, and make Luke S. look bad to Hannah in the process. It's all very dramatic. So maybe participating in some feats of strength in the Highland Games will help the dudes release some aggression. Then again, maybe not.
