Day 1 - Tuesday 5/26/15 -
Edinburgh
After a night spent at the Newark Airport Wyndham hotel, we spent the day at
the airport waiting for our flight to Edinburgh. At the gate we had to wait a while to find
out if we got business first, and we did, but we weren't seated together.
I sat next to some late 50ish goofball named Gred who was heading to Edinburgh
for 10 days of golf. Dinner was nice but took forever. I finally
got 3 hours of sleep before we landed in Edinburgh.
Immigration and customs went smoothly, and we found the bus into the city center which took about 40 minutes and was pretty packed. It stopped at Waverley Center where we took our bags and started walking. We were near the Scott Monument which is really quite impressive, so we parked me next to it so I could get some photos. Bill went across the street to change a good bit of money.
Then we started the hike to our hotel. The Main Street of old Edinburgh (called the Royal Mile is elevated from both sides. So we had to walk up, over, and then down to the Holiday Inn Express. We are a long block from Royal Mile. We couldn't check in until 3 since they had been full last night (and were also tonight). The nice desk clerk gave us a temporary key to use the bathrooms. We got what we needed and then checked our bags behind the desk.
The clerk told us that we could take the Hop on Hop off bus out to the Royal Yacht Britannia, so we decided to do that to kill time and since Bill really wanted to see it. We hiked back up to Royal Mile but had to wait 45 minutes before the bus we wanted started running. We sat up on the open top of the bus and rode for another 45 minutes to the Yacht. The bus was full, but we followed the queue until we were finally on the Yacht.
We decided to go get lunch in the Yacht Tea Room. It was pleasant. We both got the soup and sandwich combo. I got "eggs mayonnaise" (egg salad) with Cullen Skink (a Scottish pureed soup with fish and potato). That was on my list to eat, and it wasn't bad. Bill got a cheese salad with chutney and split pea soup. His soup was much greener than we are used to with a much stronger pea flavor.
We toured the Yacht quickly and were done in about 2.5 hours. We went back outside and caught the bus back to where we had started and went to the hotel and were able to check in.
We got to the room and basically collapsed in the bed and slept for 3 hours. We both felt crummy after the nap, so we checked the internet connectivity in our room (works but not very fast). I got an email from one of the B&Bs, the last one, saying they had to come to Edinburgh on our last night, but they gave us a couple of options. We decided to be upgraded to their better room for 2 nights, and they will find a room for our last night.
We needed to get something to eat to start living on this time zone, so Bill found a pub on my list that was nearby - The Royal McGregor Pub. We found it after a 10 minute walk and there was a table at the back. Bill ordered a Hoolyrood beer and fish and chips. I had a diet coke and steak and ale pie.
We started seeing dishes delivered to those around us and were astounded at the portion size. Bill's fish and chips covered his whole dinner plate. My steak and ale pie appeared smaller, and had peas, carrots and potatoes on it. The pie was in a little casserole dish and contained kind of roast beef chunks in an amazing sauce covered with a puff pastry. It was outstanding but deceptively large. I could only eat about half of it.
For dessert we split a cranachan - a very traditional dessert sort of like a parfait. It is mainly a whipped cream mixed with finely ground oatmeal, whisky, and honey. This is layered with fresh raspberries. It, too, was quite good. Overall, it was a surprisingly good meal and not outrageously expensive (both of our entrees were about $15).
Bill is now in bed half asleep, and I will be going as soon as I sent this and brush my teeth. Tomorrow we will wander around the Royal Mile since there really is a lot to see.
 |
| Edinburgh Castle |
Immigration and customs went smoothly, and we found the bus into the city center which took about 40 minutes and was pretty packed. It stopped at Waverley Center where we took our bags and started walking. We were near the Scott Monument which is really quite impressive, so we parked me next to it so I could get some photos. Bill went across the street to change a good bit of money.
Then we started the hike to our hotel. The Main Street of old Edinburgh (called the Royal Mile is elevated from both sides. So we had to walk up, over, and then down to the Holiday Inn Express. We are a long block from Royal Mile. We couldn't check in until 3 since they had been full last night (and were also tonight). The nice desk clerk gave us a temporary key to use the bathrooms. We got what we needed and then checked our bags behind the desk.
The clerk told us that we could take the Hop on Hop off bus out to the Royal Yacht Britannia, so we decided to do that to kill time and since Bill really wanted to see it. We hiked back up to Royal Mile but had to wait 45 minutes before the bus we wanted started running. We sat up on the open top of the bus and rode for another 45 minutes to the Yacht. The bus was full, but we followed the queue until we were finally on the Yacht.
We decided to go get lunch in the Yacht Tea Room. It was pleasant. We both got the soup and sandwich combo. I got "eggs mayonnaise" (egg salad) with Cullen Skink (a Scottish pureed soup with fish and potato). That was on my list to eat, and it wasn't bad. Bill got a cheese salad with chutney and split pea soup. His soup was much greener than we are used to with a much stronger pea flavor.
We toured the Yacht quickly and were done in about 2.5 hours. We went back outside and caught the bus back to where we had started and went to the hotel and were able to check in.
We got to the room and basically collapsed in the bed and slept for 3 hours. We both felt crummy after the nap, so we checked the internet connectivity in our room (works but not very fast). I got an email from one of the B&Bs, the last one, saying they had to come to Edinburgh on our last night, but they gave us a couple of options. We decided to be upgraded to their better room for 2 nights, and they will find a room for our last night.
We needed to get something to eat to start living on this time zone, so Bill found a pub on my list that was nearby - The Royal McGregor Pub. We found it after a 10 minute walk and there was a table at the back. Bill ordered a Hoolyrood beer and fish and chips. I had a diet coke and steak and ale pie.
We started seeing dishes delivered to those around us and were astounded at the portion size. Bill's fish and chips covered his whole dinner plate. My steak and ale pie appeared smaller, and had peas, carrots and potatoes on it. The pie was in a little casserole dish and contained kind of roast beef chunks in an amazing sauce covered with a puff pastry. It was outstanding but deceptively large. I could only eat about half of it.
For dessert we split a cranachan - a very traditional dessert sort of like a parfait. It is mainly a whipped cream mixed with finely ground oatmeal, whisky, and honey. This is layered with fresh raspberries. It, too, was quite good. Overall, it was a surprisingly good meal and not outrageously expensive (both of our entrees were about $15).
Bill is now in bed half asleep, and I will be going as soon as I sent this and brush my teeth. Tomorrow we will wander around the Royal Mile since there really is a lot to see.
Day 2 - Wednesday 5/27/15 - Edinburgh
 |
| St Giles Cathedral |
We were up at 8 after sleeping for 9 hours! Breakfast was at 9 down on
the ground floor. It was basically like any breakfast at a budget hotel
in the US. Back in the room, we repacked most of our stuff since they
were replacing all the TVs in all rooms today.
Then we decided it might be smart to book a room for tomorrow night. I used my iPad and the notes I had brought with me, and we got a decent room booked at Hadrian Lodge Hotel near Housestead's Roman Fort in northern England. That is a relief to know we have a bed for tomorrow night. We finally left the room at 11.
First we went to Greyfriar's Kirk and cemetery. The church was small and simple, but the graveyard was old and interesting. I mainly wanted to go there to see the Greyfriar's Bobby statue. Yes, that is the one Disney made movies about. Cute story of a dog waiting by his master's grave site for 14 years. Not sure how much of it I believe.
Then we walked up to Edinburgh Castle to begin our walk down the Royal Mile. The city is really up and down and up and down, and they are fairly steep hills. The first thing we saw/heard was a piper street performer. At the Castle, there was a lot of construction going on, mainly of the stadium seats that they use for the Tattoo. We took a few photos and then began the trek downhill.
I was so glad I had my 10 page guide I had made. We went in to the Tartan Weaving Mill which has many small sections of stores selling most tourist items, but they also had some neat displays of weaving machines from old to a new one that was actually being used. We bought a few touristy items including a book on midges - the nasty black fly like bug that we hope we don't see on this trip.
We walked a short distance and stopped at Ensign Ewert's Pub for lunch. It was crowded but we got one of the last and tiniest tables with stools. I got a brie, bacon, and tomato chutney grilled sandwich. It came with a salad and wasn't bad. Bill got the Ploughman's lunch - ham, bread, butter, pickle, and tomato chutney. He was pleased with it.
Then we went on down the Royal Mile. It had started raining, but it wasn't pouring, so we managed. We found the Writer's Museum (Burns, Scott, and Stevenson) down a small close (alley) and did a quick run through. It was interesting and well done.
We truly enjoyed St Giles Cathedral. First we walked around back in the parking lot where John Knox's grave is. Yup, right under the asphalt of parking site #23. Inside, the church is truly beautiful. We got one audio handheld which Bill used while I took photos (for which I had to pay 2 pounds for the privilege). The Thistle Chapel appeared to be closed, but I went back to the front desk and asked. She told me a guide was inside, and all I had to do was knock on the door.
I got Bill and he had already found a docent who took us right up to the door past lots of people wanting to get in. She knocked on the door, and the two of us were let in. It is a tiny chapel with the most ornate and intricate wood carving everywhere. We spent a lot of time in the church which was fine since it was still raining outside. Luckily it was not pouring, but we had to put our hoods up on our jackets.
We stopped along the road seeing mostly small little details that I had put on my own personal must see list. We lucked out at Canongate Kirk that it was open. It is a simple little church and painted a light blue on the inside - pews, alters, etc. The main thing I wanted to see was the Frobenius organ. They were playing a CD of that organ music as we went in. No one else was there, so it was neat to just sit there listening and looking.
A man was closing up as we got ready to leave, so our timing was just right. I had pointed out to Bill that the economist, Adam Smith, was buried in the churchyard just outside so Bill asked the church man where the grave was. Bill was impressed with that!
Again there were other houses and spots to see as we finished up the walk. One of Bill's favorites was Queensbury House - a large home built around 1667. Around 1707 the owner came home to find his "idiot" grown son had escaped from his room and was roasting a young kitchen boy on a spit.
We finally made it to Holyrood Palace, the residence of the Queen when she is in town. We were really tired by then. Luckily we got the hop on hop off bus close by and rode back up the hill. The driver was apologetic saying that the only seats were wet ones on top. We couldn't have cared less as long as we didn't have to make the steep walk back up the hill.
We came back to the hotel at 5 and rested for a short while. We really wanted to go back to Royal McGregor for another great dinner, but Bill decided we should try another pub on the Royal Mile - Deacon Brodie's Tavern. It was a bit further walk, but it was barely raining. We ran into some 'friends' we had met on the tour to the Yacht yesterday. We exchanged what we had been doing, and then made it to Deacon Brodie's.
The pub is on the ground floor with the dining room above. We had to wait about 5 minutes to be seated. Bill got fish and chips once again. I tried the smoked cheddar, spinach, and potato pie. This was much different than the one last night. Somehow they created a box out of pie crust about 3" square and filled it with an amazing diced potato, spinach and cheese. It was great but even I couldn't finish it. The really neat thing was the drink I got: Crabbie's cloudy lemonade. Crabbie's makes a ginger beer and a few non-alcoholic drinks. This was really interesting and really quite good - lemonade with ginger in it.
We debated about dessert but decided not. As we were walking home, we passed a store called A Taste of Scotland. I told Bill we had to go in and buy some Scottish tablet. This is a medium hard fudge like candy made with sugar, condensed milk, and butter! Bill loved it. While we were in the store, we noticed a small table with samples. I asked the one guy if the green hard candy was Sour Plooms - a sour plum candy. He said yes, but he had a better one to give us: Hawick Balls. All of this stuff was on my list of stuff to try. Hawick Balls are "minty and buttery" hard candy balls. They aren't bad. So we are slowly checking off my food list.
We are back in the room and Bill is "napping" or trying not to. We have ordered a cab at 8:40 in the morning to take us back to the Waverley Bridge to catch the airport bus so we can get the rental car.
We are both starting to stiffen up from all the walking up and down hills today! It may be an aspirin to sleep night!
I must say that everyone in Scotland has been beyond pleasant, nice, and hospitable. And they are sincere in welcoming us to their country no matter what they are: bus driver, waitress, hotel clerk, church docent. They weather may be crummy but the locals are outstanding!
Then we decided it might be smart to book a room for tomorrow night. I used my iPad and the notes I had brought with me, and we got a decent room booked at Hadrian Lodge Hotel near Housestead's Roman Fort in northern England. That is a relief to know we have a bed for tomorrow night. We finally left the room at 11.
First we went to Greyfriar's Kirk and cemetery. The church was small and simple, but the graveyard was old and interesting. I mainly wanted to go there to see the Greyfriar's Bobby statue. Yes, that is the one Disney made movies about. Cute story of a dog waiting by his master's grave site for 14 years. Not sure how much of it I believe.
Then we walked up to Edinburgh Castle to begin our walk down the Royal Mile. The city is really up and down and up and down, and they are fairly steep hills. The first thing we saw/heard was a piper street performer. At the Castle, there was a lot of construction going on, mainly of the stadium seats that they use for the Tattoo. We took a few photos and then began the trek downhill.
I was so glad I had my 10 page guide I had made. We went in to the Tartan Weaving Mill which has many small sections of stores selling most tourist items, but they also had some neat displays of weaving machines from old to a new one that was actually being used. We bought a few touristy items including a book on midges - the nasty black fly like bug that we hope we don't see on this trip.
We walked a short distance and stopped at Ensign Ewert's Pub for lunch. It was crowded but we got one of the last and tiniest tables with stools. I got a brie, bacon, and tomato chutney grilled sandwich. It came with a salad and wasn't bad. Bill got the Ploughman's lunch - ham, bread, butter, pickle, and tomato chutney. He was pleased with it.
Then we went on down the Royal Mile. It had started raining, but it wasn't pouring, so we managed. We found the Writer's Museum (Burns, Scott, and Stevenson) down a small close (alley) and did a quick run through. It was interesting and well done.
We truly enjoyed St Giles Cathedral. First we walked around back in the parking lot where John Knox's grave is. Yup, right under the asphalt of parking site #23. Inside, the church is truly beautiful. We got one audio handheld which Bill used while I took photos (for which I had to pay 2 pounds for the privilege). The Thistle Chapel appeared to be closed, but I went back to the front desk and asked. She told me a guide was inside, and all I had to do was knock on the door.
I got Bill and he had already found a docent who took us right up to the door past lots of people wanting to get in. She knocked on the door, and the two of us were let in. It is a tiny chapel with the most ornate and intricate wood carving everywhere. We spent a lot of time in the church which was fine since it was still raining outside. Luckily it was not pouring, but we had to put our hoods up on our jackets.
We stopped along the road seeing mostly small little details that I had put on my own personal must see list. We lucked out at Canongate Kirk that it was open. It is a simple little church and painted a light blue on the inside - pews, alters, etc. The main thing I wanted to see was the Frobenius organ. They were playing a CD of that organ music as we went in. No one else was there, so it was neat to just sit there listening and looking.
A man was closing up as we got ready to leave, so our timing was just right. I had pointed out to Bill that the economist, Adam Smith, was buried in the churchyard just outside so Bill asked the church man where the grave was. Bill was impressed with that!
Again there were other houses and spots to see as we finished up the walk. One of Bill's favorites was Queensbury House - a large home built around 1667. Around 1707 the owner came home to find his "idiot" grown son had escaped from his room and was roasting a young kitchen boy on a spit.
We finally made it to Holyrood Palace, the residence of the Queen when she is in town. We were really tired by then. Luckily we got the hop on hop off bus close by and rode back up the hill. The driver was apologetic saying that the only seats were wet ones on top. We couldn't have cared less as long as we didn't have to make the steep walk back up the hill.
We came back to the hotel at 5 and rested for a short while. We really wanted to go back to Royal McGregor for another great dinner, but Bill decided we should try another pub on the Royal Mile - Deacon Brodie's Tavern. It was a bit further walk, but it was barely raining. We ran into some 'friends' we had met on the tour to the Yacht yesterday. We exchanged what we had been doing, and then made it to Deacon Brodie's.
The pub is on the ground floor with the dining room above. We had to wait about 5 minutes to be seated. Bill got fish and chips once again. I tried the smoked cheddar, spinach, and potato pie. This was much different than the one last night. Somehow they created a box out of pie crust about 3" square and filled it with an amazing diced potato, spinach and cheese. It was great but even I couldn't finish it. The really neat thing was the drink I got: Crabbie's cloudy lemonade. Crabbie's makes a ginger beer and a few non-alcoholic drinks. This was really interesting and really quite good - lemonade with ginger in it.
We debated about dessert but decided not. As we were walking home, we passed a store called A Taste of Scotland. I told Bill we had to go in and buy some Scottish tablet. This is a medium hard fudge like candy made with sugar, condensed milk, and butter! Bill loved it. While we were in the store, we noticed a small table with samples. I asked the one guy if the green hard candy was Sour Plooms - a sour plum candy. He said yes, but he had a better one to give us: Hawick Balls. All of this stuff was on my list of stuff to try. Hawick Balls are "minty and buttery" hard candy balls. They aren't bad. So we are slowly checking off my food list.
We are back in the room and Bill is "napping" or trying not to. We have ordered a cab at 8:40 in the morning to take us back to the Waverley Bridge to catch the airport bus so we can get the rental car.
We are both starting to stiffen up from all the walking up and down hills today! It may be an aspirin to sleep night!
I must say that everyone in Scotland has been beyond pleasant, nice, and hospitable. And they are sincere in welcoming us to their country no matter what they are: bus driver, waitress, hotel clerk, church docent. They weather may be crummy but the locals are outstanding!
Day 3 - Thursday 5/28/15 – Edinburg to Houseteads Hadrian’s
Wall
 |
| Melrose Abbey |
Wow, what a day!!! If all of our days are like today, my journal will
fill a book. We were up at 7, down to breakfast at 7:15, packed and down
to wait for the taxi we had ordered last night. We decided we didn't want
to drag our suitcases to the bus stop, so we took a cab there. The bus
came about 15 minutes after we arrived, and off we went to the airport.
It was a sunny day to start with but quite windy - 22 mph. At the airport we went first to the Visit Scotland tourist office to book a room for tomorrow night in Stirling. That took a bit of time since her printer didn't work at first. We got a room at a B&B that I had already looked at.
Then we hiked to the rental car place and got our VW Golf and got situated. Bill got the GPS set up and figured out where everything was. We got away about 10:30 and made it to Rosslyn Chapel (only 7 miles away) with only one missed turn. It really did help that we had looked at Google maps street view since one needed to know what lanes to be in.
Rosslyn Chapel was impressive. We could only take photos outside. We hadn't been there 15 minutes when it started to pour down rain. It only lasted 15 minutes, so we made it around the outside before starting to explore inside.
Inside was extremely beautiful with loads of carved sandstone pillars and ornamentation. We made it down into the crypt (re Da Vinci Files). A guide started to give a presentation, but it was mostly about the history of the church and family. So we left and went in to the little cafe to have a quick lunch before heading off.
I had lentil soup and hovan loaf. I had to ask what hovan loaf was - just a small roll like a Parker House roll. Bill had cream cheese and salmon on a bagel. Then it was off to Melrose Abbey.
Parking was a challenge there, since we had to find a spot in town. We found a lot with a free spot, got parked and headed to the Abbey. It is mostly a hollow shell, but it is oh so beautiful. There weren't many people there when we were, so it was nice to wander around. We did climb the 72 circular enclosed steps up to the tower where there was an outdoor stand. The view from there was beautiful, and I got a great photo of a pig playing the bagpipes which is up on the top of the Abbey. Of course it started to rain again, so down we went.
We wandered around the beautiful grounds (rain stopped quickly) and found the spot where Robert the Bruce's heart is buried. What a lovely spot to spend some time.
We managed to get ourselves on the road to Hadrian's Wall and Hadrian's Lodge where we are staying the night. Five miles from Melrose Abbey, the low tire light came on. Our hearts dropped. We quickly found a BP gas station which luckily was attached to a VW sales and service center. They took the car and discovered we had a nail in the back right tire. Unfortunately it was on the side of the tire, so we had to purchase a new tire which they had! Bad luck/good luck!!! It was less than $100 and they took the credit card.
Bill says we were supposed to call the rental car folks and have them tell us where to take it, but screw it....we wanted to be on our way!! The whole thing took less than an hour, so we didn't lose too much time.
The rains came and went the whole way to Hadrian's Lodge, but the scenery was incredibly beautiful. I got a few photos when it wasn't raining. I even got one of a llama farm. There were lots of black face sheep which I will have to get photos later in the trip. At the border between Scotland and England there is a pull off with a huge rock that says Scotland on one side and England on the other. Bill took my photo on both sides.
So with all of our piddling around we didn't get to Hadrian's Lodge until 6. It stays light until 9:45, so that is not a problem. The Lodge is a rather large, purpose built 10 room guest house. There is a large lounge/bar, game room, and a dining room. Jim and Victoria are our hosts. Luckily they serve dinner (for a fee) since there is truly nowhere to eat within miles. We chatted with Jim for a while after he brought us coffee.
When I went out to the car to get my guide book, I saw the most gorgeous bird out in the grass. I had my camera with me, so I took a few photos. Then he came closer and closer, so I snapped more photos. I took them inside where Jim told me that this was Freddie the pheasant who showed up a few months ago with several different hens. He hangs around and even eats bird seed from Jim's hand. This was the first pheasant I have seen in the wild. What a treat!!
Dinner was at 7:30. There were 5 other people in a group that also ate with us. They kept to themselves. I had a baked mushroom risotto which was really good - Bill said it was the best risotto he has had. It came with mashed potatoes and a bowl of beautiful broccoli, carrots, and swedes (like a turnip/parsnip). Bill had a chicken cordon bleu with fries and the same veggies. Of course the portions are huge, and I could not finish mine. We shared a sticky toffee pudding with ice cream. This was a bit different than we have had before - more date flavor - but still quite good.
Bill went out for a drive after dinner to see one of the Hadrian's Wall's other sites. We didn't make it to Housestead's Roman Fort today so we shall do that tomorrow even though it doesn't open until 10. We will be driving back up to Stirling Scotland tomorrow with just the Fort and a quick stop at Lockerbie.
It is cold tonight - low 40s and still windy.
It was a sunny day to start with but quite windy - 22 mph. At the airport we went first to the Visit Scotland tourist office to book a room for tomorrow night in Stirling. That took a bit of time since her printer didn't work at first. We got a room at a B&B that I had already looked at.
Then we hiked to the rental car place and got our VW Golf and got situated. Bill got the GPS set up and figured out where everything was. We got away about 10:30 and made it to Rosslyn Chapel (only 7 miles away) with only one missed turn. It really did help that we had looked at Google maps street view since one needed to know what lanes to be in.
Rosslyn Chapel was impressive. We could only take photos outside. We hadn't been there 15 minutes when it started to pour down rain. It only lasted 15 minutes, so we made it around the outside before starting to explore inside.
Inside was extremely beautiful with loads of carved sandstone pillars and ornamentation. We made it down into the crypt (re Da Vinci Files). A guide started to give a presentation, but it was mostly about the history of the church and family. So we left and went in to the little cafe to have a quick lunch before heading off.
I had lentil soup and hovan loaf. I had to ask what hovan loaf was - just a small roll like a Parker House roll. Bill had cream cheese and salmon on a bagel. Then it was off to Melrose Abbey.
Parking was a challenge there, since we had to find a spot in town. We found a lot with a free spot, got parked and headed to the Abbey. It is mostly a hollow shell, but it is oh so beautiful. There weren't many people there when we were, so it was nice to wander around. We did climb the 72 circular enclosed steps up to the tower where there was an outdoor stand. The view from there was beautiful, and I got a great photo of a pig playing the bagpipes which is up on the top of the Abbey. Of course it started to rain again, so down we went.
We wandered around the beautiful grounds (rain stopped quickly) and found the spot where Robert the Bruce's heart is buried. What a lovely spot to spend some time.
We managed to get ourselves on the road to Hadrian's Wall and Hadrian's Lodge where we are staying the night. Five miles from Melrose Abbey, the low tire light came on. Our hearts dropped. We quickly found a BP gas station which luckily was attached to a VW sales and service center. They took the car and discovered we had a nail in the back right tire. Unfortunately it was on the side of the tire, so we had to purchase a new tire which they had! Bad luck/good luck!!! It was less than $100 and they took the credit card.
Bill says we were supposed to call the rental car folks and have them tell us where to take it, but screw it....we wanted to be on our way!! The whole thing took less than an hour, so we didn't lose too much time.
The rains came and went the whole way to Hadrian's Lodge, but the scenery was incredibly beautiful. I got a few photos when it wasn't raining. I even got one of a llama farm. There were lots of black face sheep which I will have to get photos later in the trip. At the border between Scotland and England there is a pull off with a huge rock that says Scotland on one side and England on the other. Bill took my photo on both sides.
So with all of our piddling around we didn't get to Hadrian's Lodge until 6. It stays light until 9:45, so that is not a problem. The Lodge is a rather large, purpose built 10 room guest house. There is a large lounge/bar, game room, and a dining room. Jim and Victoria are our hosts. Luckily they serve dinner (for a fee) since there is truly nowhere to eat within miles. We chatted with Jim for a while after he brought us coffee.
When I went out to the car to get my guide book, I saw the most gorgeous bird out in the grass. I had my camera with me, so I took a few photos. Then he came closer and closer, so I snapped more photos. I took them inside where Jim told me that this was Freddie the pheasant who showed up a few months ago with several different hens. He hangs around and even eats bird seed from Jim's hand. This was the first pheasant I have seen in the wild. What a treat!!
Dinner was at 7:30. There were 5 other people in a group that also ate with us. They kept to themselves. I had a baked mushroom risotto which was really good - Bill said it was the best risotto he has had. It came with mashed potatoes and a bowl of beautiful broccoli, carrots, and swedes (like a turnip/parsnip). Bill had a chicken cordon bleu with fries and the same veggies. Of course the portions are huge, and I could not finish mine. We shared a sticky toffee pudding with ice cream. This was a bit different than we have had before - more date flavor - but still quite good.
Bill went out for a drive after dinner to see one of the Hadrian's Wall's other sites. We didn't make it to Housestead's Roman Fort today so we shall do that tomorrow even though it doesn't open until 10. We will be driving back up to Stirling Scotland tomorrow with just the Fort and a quick stop at Lockerbie.
It is cold tonight - low 40s and still windy.
Day 4 - Friday 5/29/15 – Hadrian’s Wall, Lockerbie,
Stirling
 |
| Hadrian's Wall at Housestead's Fort |
It was another full day. We woke up at 7:15 to rain, but we have
found that it is not usually a long-lasting rain. We had breakfast in the
dining room with the other group of 5 that were staying there. Four of
them are walking Hadrian's Wall which is a pretty tough walk. The older
woman walking said yesterday was tough with the wind and the rain, about 10
miles up and down. She looked exhausted.
We had the full English breakfast (since we were in England): 2 kinds of sausage (not black sausage), beans, broiled tomato, sauteed mushrooms, 1 fried egg, toast, and a potato triangle like one gets at Wendy's. We sat by the window and I saw a neat bird - a pied wagtail.
This B&B was large but not that well-kept. The room with twin beds was quite small. We left a little before 10 in the rain, but by the time (5 minutes) we got to Housestead's Roman Fort, it had stopped raining. The fort was built into the wall and the visitor's center was quite nice. However, the walk up to the fort was about a mile up. Sheep were everywhere, most with two small lambs, and there were sheep turds everywhere!!! Made walking a bit challenging.
It took a while to make it up, but we got a rest in the museum next to the fort where we watched a short movie on the fort. We had to walk a bit further up a grassy, turd-filled hill to the actual wall. Bill was quite thrilled to get his photo taken on the wall. It looked like we would have to walk back down the hill to enter the fort (little more that stone foundations) until Bill found a small fence we could squeeze through. I wandered around a little and then started back down.
At the museum, I looked down the hill and spied a huge herd of sheep walking rapidly to the paved road where it looked like they were heading uphill. It was a really funny sight to see almost 50 sheep meandering along a road.
Back down at the Ticket office we went to use the toilets. Good old British humor...next to the toilets was a display of the latrines used at the fort explaining how that worked. I loved it. One of the old Park Rangers took me over and made sure I saw the sponge on the end of a stick in the rendering of the latrines in fort times. That's what they used instead of toilet paper. Ick. He told me that is where the saying came from: don't get hold of the wrong end of the stick!!
Outside there was a doggie water bowl with a sign over it saying: Dogs welcome but please leads at this end (at the head) bags at this end (at the rear). Hydration station - Please drink responsibly.
As we were getting in the car we saw our first midges (tiny black flies/no-see-ums) and a couple got in the car. So they do exist.
We drove a few miles to Steel Rigg, another Hadrian's Wall parking area. This one had a beautiful view and the wall was near the car park. Finally we were off to Stirling, 130 miles away. It started to rain and did so on and off until we reached Lockerbie.
We made a short stop here to see the memorial which is a cemetery at the edge of town. They have a small visitors center with a lovely older woman who was close by when the plane dropped on them. She said it was like a nuclear explosion. The sun was out, and the memorial lovely and touching.
We stopped just short of Glasgow for gas and a quick bite at Costa, a Scottish Starbucks. I got my first toastie - like a grilled cheese but with the filling between 2 slices of bread and also on the top. It is broiled, not grilled. I got it out of the sandwich display and the counter folks broiled it for me. I got a cheese and tomato one, but they come in all kinds of combinations. Bill got a BLT.
We made it safely through Glasgow and on to Stirling in no time. And we found the Ravenswood B&B with no trouble. We even got a place to park. They only have 4 rooms with room for 3 cars, but one group was on Harley's so we all fit.
Stewart the host met us at the door and was totally hospitable (about 40 yrs old). We got the only room left, but it was the only one on the ground floor, so Bill was thrilled we didn't have to haul luggage up and down. It is a huge room compared to last night and has a double and a twin bed.
Stewart recommended a place for dinner that we could walk to...a nice pub in a residential area about a 25 min walk called Birds and Bees. The walk was down a beautiful residential street. The houses were all so neat and tidy and with beautifully kept yards and flower beds. And we got a great view of the Wallace Monument on the way.
We knew it would be crowded on a Friday night, but we were more than happy to sit at the bar. The bar staff was delightful and entertaining. I wasn't sure what kind of beer I wanted so they gave me hefty samples of two to try. I picked one and was happy.
I also saw them serving a soft drink called Irn Brew that I had read about. They gave me a sample of that, too. It is really popular in Scotland but apparently the recipe is secret. It is a strange orange color and has been produced since 1901. I think it tastes a bit like butterscotch. Bill tried it and liked it so much he ordered the diet version with his dinner. He had a whiskey to start.
We shared a starter of fresh sauteed mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce served on a toasted bread that was divine. We both were in the mood for burgers, so we got the one on special tonight with bacon (English style that is like ham) and goat cheese.
Have I said how amazingly pleasant all of the Scots we have met have been? That still holds.
Bill is now in the lounge area reading and with a wee bit of Scotch that is laid out for guests.
Tomorrow we hit the road for Loch Lomond.
We had the full English breakfast (since we were in England): 2 kinds of sausage (not black sausage), beans, broiled tomato, sauteed mushrooms, 1 fried egg, toast, and a potato triangle like one gets at Wendy's. We sat by the window and I saw a neat bird - a pied wagtail.
This B&B was large but not that well-kept. The room with twin beds was quite small. We left a little before 10 in the rain, but by the time (5 minutes) we got to Housestead's Roman Fort, it had stopped raining. The fort was built into the wall and the visitor's center was quite nice. However, the walk up to the fort was about a mile up. Sheep were everywhere, most with two small lambs, and there were sheep turds everywhere!!! Made walking a bit challenging.
It took a while to make it up, but we got a rest in the museum next to the fort where we watched a short movie on the fort. We had to walk a bit further up a grassy, turd-filled hill to the actual wall. Bill was quite thrilled to get his photo taken on the wall. It looked like we would have to walk back down the hill to enter the fort (little more that stone foundations) until Bill found a small fence we could squeeze through. I wandered around a little and then started back down.
At the museum, I looked down the hill and spied a huge herd of sheep walking rapidly to the paved road where it looked like they were heading uphill. It was a really funny sight to see almost 50 sheep meandering along a road.
Back down at the Ticket office we went to use the toilets. Good old British humor...next to the toilets was a display of the latrines used at the fort explaining how that worked. I loved it. One of the old Park Rangers took me over and made sure I saw the sponge on the end of a stick in the rendering of the latrines in fort times. That's what they used instead of toilet paper. Ick. He told me that is where the saying came from: don't get hold of the wrong end of the stick!!
Outside there was a doggie water bowl with a sign over it saying: Dogs welcome but please leads at this end (at the head) bags at this end (at the rear). Hydration station - Please drink responsibly.
As we were getting in the car we saw our first midges (tiny black flies/no-see-ums) and a couple got in the car. So they do exist.
We drove a few miles to Steel Rigg, another Hadrian's Wall parking area. This one had a beautiful view and the wall was near the car park. Finally we were off to Stirling, 130 miles away. It started to rain and did so on and off until we reached Lockerbie.
We made a short stop here to see the memorial which is a cemetery at the edge of town. They have a small visitors center with a lovely older woman who was close by when the plane dropped on them. She said it was like a nuclear explosion. The sun was out, and the memorial lovely and touching.
We stopped just short of Glasgow for gas and a quick bite at Costa, a Scottish Starbucks. I got my first toastie - like a grilled cheese but with the filling between 2 slices of bread and also on the top. It is broiled, not grilled. I got it out of the sandwich display and the counter folks broiled it for me. I got a cheese and tomato one, but they come in all kinds of combinations. Bill got a BLT.
We made it safely through Glasgow and on to Stirling in no time. And we found the Ravenswood B&B with no trouble. We even got a place to park. They only have 4 rooms with room for 3 cars, but one group was on Harley's so we all fit.
Stewart the host met us at the door and was totally hospitable (about 40 yrs old). We got the only room left, but it was the only one on the ground floor, so Bill was thrilled we didn't have to haul luggage up and down. It is a huge room compared to last night and has a double and a twin bed.
Stewart recommended a place for dinner that we could walk to...a nice pub in a residential area about a 25 min walk called Birds and Bees. The walk was down a beautiful residential street. The houses were all so neat and tidy and with beautifully kept yards and flower beds. And we got a great view of the Wallace Monument on the way.
We knew it would be crowded on a Friday night, but we were more than happy to sit at the bar. The bar staff was delightful and entertaining. I wasn't sure what kind of beer I wanted so they gave me hefty samples of two to try. I picked one and was happy.
I also saw them serving a soft drink called Irn Brew that I had read about. They gave me a sample of that, too. It is really popular in Scotland but apparently the recipe is secret. It is a strange orange color and has been produced since 1901. I think it tastes a bit like butterscotch. Bill tried it and liked it so much he ordered the diet version with his dinner. He had a whiskey to start.
We shared a starter of fresh sauteed mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce served on a toasted bread that was divine. We both were in the mood for burgers, so we got the one on special tonight with bacon (English style that is like ham) and goat cheese.
Have I said how amazingly pleasant all of the Scots we have met have been? That still holds.
Bill is now in the lounge area reading and with a wee bit of Scotch that is laid out for guests.
Tomorrow we hit the road for Loch Lomond.
Day 5 - Saturday 5/30/15 – Stirling, Loch Lomond, Inveraray,
Crianlarich
 |
| Rest and Be Thankful Pass |
It was a beautiful day. We got up at 7:30 to the sun shining and a much
warmer day. Breakfast was at 8:30 in a pleasant dining room. An older
couple in their 80s from England and couple of girls (30ish) from Quebec were
there, and we all chatted.
I had "posh porridge" which had cinnamon, honey, cranberries, and nuts and was really delicious but way too much. I also got some really good scrambled eggs. The coffee was French press and stronger than most of the other coffee we have had. The brown bread was freshly made and also great.
We set off at 10 and made it easily out of Stirling with a good look at the castle. The drive to Loch Lomond was about 45 minutes through farmland with rolling hills. I did get to see my first highland cow. These cows have lots of fringed hair hanging over their faces. Sometime I will get a photo of one.
Loch Lomond is not easily visible from the road. I had found a place called Firtin Point about halfway up the Loch. It has a car park and then a 3 mile paved walk along the Loch. I got some beautiful shots of that part of the Loch.
Then we turned off on the military road leading up to the Rest and Be Thankful pass. The original road was so difficult that those traveling stopped and were thankful they had made it to the pass. It is a stunning view with a nice sized car park that was fairly full not only with cars but lots of cyclists. At many of these wayside stops there is a food truck.
Our next stop was two miles farther. I had noticed a cute old bridge that I wanted to photograph. I got a really good shot even though the area surrounding it was fairly wet and mushy - too wet to cross the bridge.
We also got the GoPro out for its first try. Tonight I saw that we needed to put it higher since a third of the videos I filmed have the dashboard of the car on the bottom. Bluebells were also everywhere and a nice spot of color amidst the green. Snow is still on top of the higher mountains.
I had found a restaurant almost to Inveraray called Loch Fyne Oysters. It is a large and popular restaurant out in the middle of nowhere with an amazing view of Loch Fyne and the mountains rising from the loch.
They were full, but we got seats at the bar. I didn't want a large meal, and I am not that fond of oysters, so I got a small eggs Benedict with salmon. Bill was very happy and pleased with the find and got six 'crunchy' oysters that were quite good and a huge bowl of mussels in a garlic/white wine sauce. We also got diet Irn Bru. It was a really interesting restaurant, and I loved the display of really pretty and interesting oyster plates on the wall. It was a fun stop!
It was 7 miles to Inveraray where we were going to turn around and head back. We didn't want to pay to see Inveraray Castle, and from what I could see online, the only way to get a photo was from the road bridge. Bill drove slowly and I got a really great shot.
Bill has been doing well with the stick driving on the left hand side. However, today had some challenges with rock walls next to the road and big tour buses on the right. He had a few white knuckle moments but no mishaps.
After we got back to Loch Lomond and headed north to Crianlarich, we had one last Kodak stop at Inveruglas Visitors Center. I got a cappuccino and we sat outside watching the lake and an impressive hydro power station on the side of the lake. It is only used when there is a huge drain on power and can start generating power within 5 minutes of being started. In the coffee shop I finally saw my first can of SmidgeMidge. This is supposed to be THE midge repellent. I bought a can and was thrilled!
We made it to Suie Lodge at 4:30. It is a huge hunting lodge turned B&B with 10 rooms. It has been family run for ages, and Barbara the matriarch, checked us in and showed us upstairs to our room - small but nice with a double bed.
We sat outside enjoying the sun and the incredible view. Bill finally carried my suitcase up (he isn't bringing his monster suitcase in) and left me here to upload my GoPro videos and other photos. He went six miles down the road to Killian to an ATM. He said it was a lovely little village with a beautiful waterfall.
We ate dinner in the bar/dining room which is open to the public. Bill got Thai shrimp for a starter and then a root vegetable pot pie for dinner. He was quite happy with that. I got a large (7" in diameter) Yorkshire pudding filled with mincemeat and onions and peas. It really was quite tasty, but as usual, it was a huge portion.
We are now sitting in the bar (me with a coffee) since this is where the wifi is and our room too small to sit in. Tomorrow we head to Fort William. We fear we will get a rainy day tomorrow, but we are expecting that.
I had "posh porridge" which had cinnamon, honey, cranberries, and nuts and was really delicious but way too much. I also got some really good scrambled eggs. The coffee was French press and stronger than most of the other coffee we have had. The brown bread was freshly made and also great.
We set off at 10 and made it easily out of Stirling with a good look at the castle. The drive to Loch Lomond was about 45 minutes through farmland with rolling hills. I did get to see my first highland cow. These cows have lots of fringed hair hanging over their faces. Sometime I will get a photo of one.
Loch Lomond is not easily visible from the road. I had found a place called Firtin Point about halfway up the Loch. It has a car park and then a 3 mile paved walk along the Loch. I got some beautiful shots of that part of the Loch.
Then we turned off on the military road leading up to the Rest and Be Thankful pass. The original road was so difficult that those traveling stopped and were thankful they had made it to the pass. It is a stunning view with a nice sized car park that was fairly full not only with cars but lots of cyclists. At many of these wayside stops there is a food truck.
Our next stop was two miles farther. I had noticed a cute old bridge that I wanted to photograph. I got a really good shot even though the area surrounding it was fairly wet and mushy - too wet to cross the bridge.
We also got the GoPro out for its first try. Tonight I saw that we needed to put it higher since a third of the videos I filmed have the dashboard of the car on the bottom. Bluebells were also everywhere and a nice spot of color amidst the green. Snow is still on top of the higher mountains.
I had found a restaurant almost to Inveraray called Loch Fyne Oysters. It is a large and popular restaurant out in the middle of nowhere with an amazing view of Loch Fyne and the mountains rising from the loch.
They were full, but we got seats at the bar. I didn't want a large meal, and I am not that fond of oysters, so I got a small eggs Benedict with salmon. Bill was very happy and pleased with the find and got six 'crunchy' oysters that were quite good and a huge bowl of mussels in a garlic/white wine sauce. We also got diet Irn Bru. It was a really interesting restaurant, and I loved the display of really pretty and interesting oyster plates on the wall. It was a fun stop!
It was 7 miles to Inveraray where we were going to turn around and head back. We didn't want to pay to see Inveraray Castle, and from what I could see online, the only way to get a photo was from the road bridge. Bill drove slowly and I got a really great shot.
Bill has been doing well with the stick driving on the left hand side. However, today had some challenges with rock walls next to the road and big tour buses on the right. He had a few white knuckle moments but no mishaps.
After we got back to Loch Lomond and headed north to Crianlarich, we had one last Kodak stop at Inveruglas Visitors Center. I got a cappuccino and we sat outside watching the lake and an impressive hydro power station on the side of the lake. It is only used when there is a huge drain on power and can start generating power within 5 minutes of being started. In the coffee shop I finally saw my first can of SmidgeMidge. This is supposed to be THE midge repellent. I bought a can and was thrilled!
We made it to Suie Lodge at 4:30. It is a huge hunting lodge turned B&B with 10 rooms. It has been family run for ages, and Barbara the matriarch, checked us in and showed us upstairs to our room - small but nice with a double bed.
We sat outside enjoying the sun and the incredible view. Bill finally carried my suitcase up (he isn't bringing his monster suitcase in) and left me here to upload my GoPro videos and other photos. He went six miles down the road to Killian to an ATM. He said it was a lovely little village with a beautiful waterfall.
We ate dinner in the bar/dining room which is open to the public. Bill got Thai shrimp for a starter and then a root vegetable pot pie for dinner. He was quite happy with that. I got a large (7" in diameter) Yorkshire pudding filled with mincemeat and onions and peas. It really was quite tasty, but as usual, it was a huge portion.
We are now sitting in the bar (me with a coffee) since this is where the wifi is and our room too small to sit in. Tomorrow we head to Fort William. We fear we will get a rainy day tomorrow, but we are expecting that.
Day
6 - Sunday 5/31/15 – Crianlarich to Fort William, Glenfinnan Monument, Glen
Nevis Drive
It was another amazing and unpredictable day. We woke at 7:30 to a nasty,
cold, rainy day. We just never know what the weather will bring.
Breakfast was at 8:30 and there were 12 of us in the breakfast room. The choices were not that many: cereal, juice, coffee, and toast on a buffet table, and eggs and breakfast meats. I had orange juice, coffee, toast, and one poached egg. After breakfast we took our time packing up and loading the car since we were hoping the weather would clear. It didn’t.
It was a 51 mile drive from Crianlarich to Fort William and supposedly a beautiful drive. I got a few photos in, but it was a little disappointing with the clouds covering the upper half of the mountains and rain splattering the windshield. I only had two stops I wanted to make. The first was at the 3 Sisters Mountains - 3 tall mountains side by side with a hidden valley where the Campbells massacred the McDonalds centuries ago.
We stopped at the viewpoint, and I got my photos. Just as we got back in the car, a large tour van parked right behind us. Indian tourists got off and the bus driver started taking all of their photos in front of the 3 Sisters. He totally ignored us until the car parked next to us left, and we were able to squeeze out. Duh.
One last photo stop was St John's Scottish Episcopal Church and cemetery on the road in Ballachulish. I had seen it as I checked out the road on Google maps and thought it made for a wonderful photo. I did manage to get a semi-decent one through the windshield. I had tried to get out, but it was raining too hard.
We finally arrived in Fort William at noon and drove past our B&B, Lawriestone. We couldn't check in until after 3, and we were in desperate need of toilets. We just drove into town and stopped at the first place that had parking and toilets. It was a buffet restaurant attached to a large and semi-decent tourist stuff store. We ate in the restaurant - I had fish and chips and Bill had chicken ticka marsala. Feeling much better, and with the sun starting to come out, we headed out the 17 miles to the Glenfinnan Monument and viaduct (the Harry Potter Hogwart's Express one). We had to hike up to a viewpoint to get a decent photo of the viaduct.
It has been very, very windy the last few days, but we got our photos taken before it started to rain again. The Glenfinnan Monument commemorates Bonnie Prince Charlie landing there to try to fight off the English. The backdrop is a large loch surrounded by high mountains and made an incredible picture. We also drove a half mile farther so I could photograph a lovely old church.
Then we drove the 17 miles back to Fort William and stopped at "Neptune's Staircase", a series of 8 locks on the Caledonian Canal built in 1803. It is the longest series of locks in Great Britian. We found a lovely bench to sit in the sun and gaze at Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Great Britain. It is still covered in snow at the top.
We decided since the sun was still shining to take the Glen Nevis drive 7 miles out to the Steall Falls hike. It is a stunning drive, and we had planned to hike it, but with all the rain we decided to pass and just take the stunning drive out there. And it was!!! Bill was not thrilled with the road since it was the first "one track road" we have driven. There are many pullover spots on both sides, and most drivers are quite conscious of being on a one track. On the way back, as we rounded a hill there were several sheep just meandering down the road taking up the whole roadway. I got a good photo of that.
We were finally able to come and check in at the Lawriestone hotel. We have a large double room on the second story facing Loch Linnhe right in front of the hotel. The decor in our room is a little odd, but I guess it fits the age of the house. The grounds are beautifully maintained with lovely walks and flowers. We are really happy to be staying here for 3 nights. Jim and Susan are our hosts and probably our age.
We got moved in and then decided to go to the Ben Nevis Inn for dinner. I had researched restaurants, and this one had really high ratings. It is at the base of the walk up Ben Nevis and also has a bunkhouse for hikers, so it isn't fancy. The food was really good. At least mine was. I got a strange combination of a tasty whisky sauce with rumbledethumps on top of that. Then there was a layer of fresh green beans cooked a perfect al dente. On top of it all was a chicken breast topped with a slice of haggis.
Runbledethumps are mashed (with some lumps) onion, cabbage, potatoes with cheddar cheese mixed in. Both Bill and I really liked this!!! The haggis (first genuine haggis) was really quite good!! Apparently haggis is like meat loaf - everyone puts their own spin on the recipe, but the waiter said that this was pretty much a standard haggis. It was peppery and whatever is in there was finely chopped. Bill didn't like it because it has oatmeal in it. He has a real aversion to uncooked oatmeal in anything.
Bill had a burger and was disappointed. Both burgers he has had in Scotland have been overcooked and rather dry. He asked the waitress about it, and she said it is a law in Scotland that burger meat cannot be served any other way. We will have to look that up.
We had one of the dessert specials - tightly rolled crepes with a custardy tasting ice cream served with a sticky toffee sauce. It was good.
We came back to the B&B and have watched the sun set over the Loch as it rained! We don't have just one window, but 3 large windows in an alcove. We are both sitting here staring outside. It has stopped raining, and blue sky is now visible.
 |
| Glenfinnan Monument |
Breakfast was at 8:30 and there were 12 of us in the breakfast room. The choices were not that many: cereal, juice, coffee, and toast on a buffet table, and eggs and breakfast meats. I had orange juice, coffee, toast, and one poached egg. After breakfast we took our time packing up and loading the car since we were hoping the weather would clear. It didn’t.
It was a 51 mile drive from Crianlarich to Fort William and supposedly a beautiful drive. I got a few photos in, but it was a little disappointing with the clouds covering the upper half of the mountains and rain splattering the windshield. I only had two stops I wanted to make. The first was at the 3 Sisters Mountains - 3 tall mountains side by side with a hidden valley where the Campbells massacred the McDonalds centuries ago.
We stopped at the viewpoint, and I got my photos. Just as we got back in the car, a large tour van parked right behind us. Indian tourists got off and the bus driver started taking all of their photos in front of the 3 Sisters. He totally ignored us until the car parked next to us left, and we were able to squeeze out. Duh.
One last photo stop was St John's Scottish Episcopal Church and cemetery on the road in Ballachulish. I had seen it as I checked out the road on Google maps and thought it made for a wonderful photo. I did manage to get a semi-decent one through the windshield. I had tried to get out, but it was raining too hard.
We finally arrived in Fort William at noon and drove past our B&B, Lawriestone. We couldn't check in until after 3, and we were in desperate need of toilets. We just drove into town and stopped at the first place that had parking and toilets. It was a buffet restaurant attached to a large and semi-decent tourist stuff store. We ate in the restaurant - I had fish and chips and Bill had chicken ticka marsala. Feeling much better, and with the sun starting to come out, we headed out the 17 miles to the Glenfinnan Monument and viaduct (the Harry Potter Hogwart's Express one). We had to hike up to a viewpoint to get a decent photo of the viaduct.
It has been very, very windy the last few days, but we got our photos taken before it started to rain again. The Glenfinnan Monument commemorates Bonnie Prince Charlie landing there to try to fight off the English. The backdrop is a large loch surrounded by high mountains and made an incredible picture. We also drove a half mile farther so I could photograph a lovely old church.
Then we drove the 17 miles back to Fort William and stopped at "Neptune's Staircase", a series of 8 locks on the Caledonian Canal built in 1803. It is the longest series of locks in Great Britian. We found a lovely bench to sit in the sun and gaze at Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Great Britain. It is still covered in snow at the top.
We decided since the sun was still shining to take the Glen Nevis drive 7 miles out to the Steall Falls hike. It is a stunning drive, and we had planned to hike it, but with all the rain we decided to pass and just take the stunning drive out there. And it was!!! Bill was not thrilled with the road since it was the first "one track road" we have driven. There are many pullover spots on both sides, and most drivers are quite conscious of being on a one track. On the way back, as we rounded a hill there were several sheep just meandering down the road taking up the whole roadway. I got a good photo of that.
We were finally able to come and check in at the Lawriestone hotel. We have a large double room on the second story facing Loch Linnhe right in front of the hotel. The decor in our room is a little odd, but I guess it fits the age of the house. The grounds are beautifully maintained with lovely walks and flowers. We are really happy to be staying here for 3 nights. Jim and Susan are our hosts and probably our age.
We got moved in and then decided to go to the Ben Nevis Inn for dinner. I had researched restaurants, and this one had really high ratings. It is at the base of the walk up Ben Nevis and also has a bunkhouse for hikers, so it isn't fancy. The food was really good. At least mine was. I got a strange combination of a tasty whisky sauce with rumbledethumps on top of that. Then there was a layer of fresh green beans cooked a perfect al dente. On top of it all was a chicken breast topped with a slice of haggis.
Runbledethumps are mashed (with some lumps) onion, cabbage, potatoes with cheddar cheese mixed in. Both Bill and I really liked this!!! The haggis (first genuine haggis) was really quite good!! Apparently haggis is like meat loaf - everyone puts their own spin on the recipe, but the waiter said that this was pretty much a standard haggis. It was peppery and whatever is in there was finely chopped. Bill didn't like it because it has oatmeal in it. He has a real aversion to uncooked oatmeal in anything.
Bill had a burger and was disappointed. Both burgers he has had in Scotland have been overcooked and rather dry. He asked the waitress about it, and she said it is a law in Scotland that burger meat cannot be served any other way. We will have to look that up.
We had one of the dessert specials - tightly rolled crepes with a custardy tasting ice cream served with a sticky toffee sauce. It was good.
We came back to the B&B and have watched the sun set over the Loch as it rained! We don't have just one window, but 3 large windows in an alcove. We are both sitting here staring outside. It has stopped raining, and blue sky is now visible.
Day
7 - Monday 6/1/15 – Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness, Highland Coos
Another rainy start to our day. It appears that 7:30 is our new normal wake-up time. This gives us time to shower and dress before heading down for breakfast. It is strange having everyone seated at the same time, but this is how the owners like it. We were given our standard Scottish breakfast minus the canned baked beans: an egg, bacon (really dried out thin ham slices), sausage, mushrooms, broiled tomato half, and a potato triangle. I had some cereal to start and didn't eat my bacon. Toast is served on a toast rack which guarantees that it is not warm when it reached the table.
We headed out for Urquhart Castle about 10. Our first stop was at the edge of Fort William to see the old Inverlochy Castle ruins. The sun was peeking out by this time and the rain was barely a mist. We did luck out in that we noticed the train bridge over the river in front of the ruins and figured that the 10:15 Jacobite steam train would soon be appearing. This is the Hogwarts Express that we are taking tomorrow. It was a neat viewpoint to see and photograph the train. A bonus!!
We headed on out with our next stop at the commando's Memorial to WWII just outside Spey Bridge. I had seen it doing my research, and I didn't think it would be much. It was just a statue of 3 men, but the views of the snow-capped mountains from there was truly beautiful. The memorial area was quite crowded, mostly with older folks. It was worth the stop.
Our next stop which we overshot and had to turn around and go back was the Bridge of Oich built in 1854 by James Dredge. The design was apparently an innovative one, but it was a nice Kodak moment.
We made it to Urquhart Castle (which is in semi-decent ruined state). I wanted to come here because it had glorious views of Loch Ness. We sat through an 8 minute movie and then went to the small buffet/cafe to grab a bite for lunch. Good move on our part.
We sat outside overlooking the grounds and the castle. We shared soup and a sandwich. The soup was a leek/potato soup which was a large bowl and really excellent. The sandwich was pre made and wrapped, so I wasn't expecting much. Wrong!! It was a cheddar/chutney on some beautiful seeded brown bread. What a great lunch - good food, great view!
Bill wandered around the castle while I chatted with a grounds keeper. The other yellow bush we have seen everywhere is called gorse. It is a thorny bush with a bright yellow flower that blooms everywhere all year. I did go through into the castle and get some more great photos of Loch Ness. Lovely day with more sun that we had even hoped for! I did find some wonderful Christmas ornaments for all the nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. And one for me!!! A Highland cow on the front and tartan on the back.
On the drive back to Fort William I spied some Highland Cows in Invermoriston. I called it and spotted a parking lot right there, so I got my first photos of highland cows!!! As I was walking back to the car I spotted a guy with a Quad Drone and his GoPro camera. I had to talk to him about it and get his picture with the drone. He was from Germany and quite pleasant.
It was fairly rainy on the way back, but not awful. Bill dropped me off at the B&B and then went into town to find an ATM to draw out money to pay our B&B bill. They now said that they couldn't accept credit cards, so we just took the money out and paid them so we don't have to worry about it on Wednesday.
After a relaxing time in our lovely room, we drove down the mile to Crannog's Seafood restaurant. Jim, our host, had made the reservation last night for us. It was pouring down rain at 6:30 when we left the B&B, and we had to walk a couple of blocks to Crannog's from the car park. We did get a window seat to look at all the rain coming down. However, within an hour the sun was shining.
We both got specials from the blackboard. I got the baked cod filet with parsley mash, asparagus, and lemon hollandaise. It was good, but cod doesn't seem to have much flavor. Bill got the Mallaig langostines which were huge! It came with salad and fried potatoes. We shared dessert: apple and rhubarb crumble with vanilla ice cream. The wait staff were really pleasant and the meal decent.
It wasn't raining when we walked back to the car park, but it was blowing like crazy. And of course it started pouring again when we got back to the B&B. I rinsed out some clothes and am now totally ready for bed.
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| Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness |
Another rainy start to our day. It appears that 7:30 is our new normal wake-up time. This gives us time to shower and dress before heading down for breakfast. It is strange having everyone seated at the same time, but this is how the owners like it. We were given our standard Scottish breakfast minus the canned baked beans: an egg, bacon (really dried out thin ham slices), sausage, mushrooms, broiled tomato half, and a potato triangle. I had some cereal to start and didn't eat my bacon. Toast is served on a toast rack which guarantees that it is not warm when it reached the table.
We headed out for Urquhart Castle about 10. Our first stop was at the edge of Fort William to see the old Inverlochy Castle ruins. The sun was peeking out by this time and the rain was barely a mist. We did luck out in that we noticed the train bridge over the river in front of the ruins and figured that the 10:15 Jacobite steam train would soon be appearing. This is the Hogwarts Express that we are taking tomorrow. It was a neat viewpoint to see and photograph the train. A bonus!!
We headed on out with our next stop at the commando's Memorial to WWII just outside Spey Bridge. I had seen it doing my research, and I didn't think it would be much. It was just a statue of 3 men, but the views of the snow-capped mountains from there was truly beautiful. The memorial area was quite crowded, mostly with older folks. It was worth the stop.
Our next stop which we overshot and had to turn around and go back was the Bridge of Oich built in 1854 by James Dredge. The design was apparently an innovative one, but it was a nice Kodak moment.
We made it to Urquhart Castle (which is in semi-decent ruined state). I wanted to come here because it had glorious views of Loch Ness. We sat through an 8 minute movie and then went to the small buffet/cafe to grab a bite for lunch. Good move on our part.
We sat outside overlooking the grounds and the castle. We shared soup and a sandwich. The soup was a leek/potato soup which was a large bowl and really excellent. The sandwich was pre made and wrapped, so I wasn't expecting much. Wrong!! It was a cheddar/chutney on some beautiful seeded brown bread. What a great lunch - good food, great view!
Bill wandered around the castle while I chatted with a grounds keeper. The other yellow bush we have seen everywhere is called gorse. It is a thorny bush with a bright yellow flower that blooms everywhere all year. I did go through into the castle and get some more great photos of Loch Ness. Lovely day with more sun that we had even hoped for! I did find some wonderful Christmas ornaments for all the nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. And one for me!!! A Highland cow on the front and tartan on the back.
On the drive back to Fort William I spied some Highland Cows in Invermoriston. I called it and spotted a parking lot right there, so I got my first photos of highland cows!!! As I was walking back to the car I spotted a guy with a Quad Drone and his GoPro camera. I had to talk to him about it and get his picture with the drone. He was from Germany and quite pleasant.
It was fairly rainy on the way back, but not awful. Bill dropped me off at the B&B and then went into town to find an ATM to draw out money to pay our B&B bill. They now said that they couldn't accept credit cards, so we just took the money out and paid them so we don't have to worry about it on Wednesday.
After a relaxing time in our lovely room, we drove down the mile to Crannog's Seafood restaurant. Jim, our host, had made the reservation last night for us. It was pouring down rain at 6:30 when we left the B&B, and we had to walk a couple of blocks to Crannog's from the car park. We did get a window seat to look at all the rain coming down. However, within an hour the sun was shining.
We both got specials from the blackboard. I got the baked cod filet with parsley mash, asparagus, and lemon hollandaise. It was good, but cod doesn't seem to have much flavor. Bill got the Mallaig langostines which were huge! It came with salad and fried potatoes. We shared dessert: apple and rhubarb crumble with vanilla ice cream. The wait staff were really pleasant and the meal decent.
It wasn't raining when we walked back to the car park, but it was blowing like crazy. And of course it started pouring again when we got back to the B&B. I rinsed out some clothes and am now totally ready for bed.
Day 8 - Tuesday 6/2/15 – Fort William to Mallaig on the Harry Potter
Train
It was another long but fun day! We awoke to more rain, but we always
have hope for sun. Breakfast again at 8:30. Today we just had
cereal, scrambled eggs, and a link of sausage.
We started the walk into the train station at 9:10 and made it there by 9:30 - fast but unpleasant in the rain. We boarded the train and had to have someone help us find our seats since it was rather confusing. To our delight we got a Harry Potter type compartment for 6 people. We got to ride facing foreword, and my seat was by the window. We had thought we would be in an open car on the right side of the train (not as good a view), so I was thrilled. Bill sat next to me in the center seat. These were nicely cushioned, rather fancy seats. The couple across from us (Stewart and Caroline) were in their mid 40s and were (he) from England and (she) from Germany. Stewart had just moved to south of here, and Caroline was waiting for school to be over in Germany to move here too.
The other couple, Kyle and Jackie were from down near London. They had the crummy seats on the end next to the passageway. They did have a large window on the other side of the passageway.
The sun finally came out, and the train took off at 10:15. We saw the Neptune's Staircase (the 8 locks we had seen on Sunday). At 10:45 we came to the Glenfinnan viaduct that we had also seen on Sunday. This viaduct is shown in a couple of the Harry Potter movies. Bill bought a book in the train gift shop about all the places where Harry Potter movies were made. Caroline had to go buy one, too.
We got coffee served to us in real mugs along with shortbread cookies. We had a half hour stop at Glenfinnan, and we wandered around. I got another cup of coffee at the station cafe.
The scenery was lovely, and the company was, too. We arrived in Mallaig at 12:25 and had until 2:10 to grab lunch and look around. I had researched the restaurants in this tiny village and liked The Tea Garden. We hurried there ahead of the large crowd and got a good seat on the covered porch. This was good as it did start to rain again. The restaurant soon filled up, and they were turning people away.
We got the fish and chips and a potty stop. After lunch we walked down to the pier and saw mainly older, less modern fishing vessels. We also saw a couple of seals in the harbor.
We made it back on the train, and Bill wanted to get photos of me and the train car from the outside. Caroline and Stewart made it back on the train, but Kyle and Jackie never showed. We don't know if they missed the train or made arrangements to take the afternoon train back to Fort William.
It was a little rainier going back, and there was not the need to take more photos. We arrived back in Fort William at 4pm. In the station the line for the ladies room was long and cost 20 pence. Finally we were ready to walk back to the B&B. We stopped at a shop to get Bill a T-shirt that we had seen on the way to the train. It says "Malt Whisky" but it is done in the Walt Disney font, so one has to look twice. We both thought it was cute!!
It drizzled all the way back to the B&B. We came up to the room where Bill napped, and I transferred photos to the iPad and posted a couple on Facebook.
At 6:30 we decided to get something light for dinner and went to a place called the Food Shop in the Alexandra Hotel across from the train station. By this time we knew where to park right near the hotel. They don't charge for parking after 6pm, so we went on in.
Bill had a pureed vegetable soup and a prawn cocktail. He was disappointed that the prawns were really just tiny shrimp. I got a steak and ale pie which came with mashed potatoes, carrots, and green beans. It was okay, but the green beans had to be de-strung before I could eat them.
When we went out to the car park, we were trapped by a huge tow truck just starting to load a hotel van. That took about 15 minutes, but it was entertaining to watch and wasn't raining.
 |
| Barb on the Harry Potter (The Jacobite) train |
We started the walk into the train station at 9:10 and made it there by 9:30 - fast but unpleasant in the rain. We boarded the train and had to have someone help us find our seats since it was rather confusing. To our delight we got a Harry Potter type compartment for 6 people. We got to ride facing foreword, and my seat was by the window. We had thought we would be in an open car on the right side of the train (not as good a view), so I was thrilled. Bill sat next to me in the center seat. These were nicely cushioned, rather fancy seats. The couple across from us (Stewart and Caroline) were in their mid 40s and were (he) from England and (she) from Germany. Stewart had just moved to south of here, and Caroline was waiting for school to be over in Germany to move here too.
The other couple, Kyle and Jackie were from down near London. They had the crummy seats on the end next to the passageway. They did have a large window on the other side of the passageway.
The sun finally came out, and the train took off at 10:15. We saw the Neptune's Staircase (the 8 locks we had seen on Sunday). At 10:45 we came to the Glenfinnan viaduct that we had also seen on Sunday. This viaduct is shown in a couple of the Harry Potter movies. Bill bought a book in the train gift shop about all the places where Harry Potter movies were made. Caroline had to go buy one, too.
We got coffee served to us in real mugs along with shortbread cookies. We had a half hour stop at Glenfinnan, and we wandered around. I got another cup of coffee at the station cafe.
The scenery was lovely, and the company was, too. We arrived in Mallaig at 12:25 and had until 2:10 to grab lunch and look around. I had researched the restaurants in this tiny village and liked The Tea Garden. We hurried there ahead of the large crowd and got a good seat on the covered porch. This was good as it did start to rain again. The restaurant soon filled up, and they were turning people away.
We got the fish and chips and a potty stop. After lunch we walked down to the pier and saw mainly older, less modern fishing vessels. We also saw a couple of seals in the harbor.
We made it back on the train, and Bill wanted to get photos of me and the train car from the outside. Caroline and Stewart made it back on the train, but Kyle and Jackie never showed. We don't know if they missed the train or made arrangements to take the afternoon train back to Fort William.
It was a little rainier going back, and there was not the need to take more photos. We arrived back in Fort William at 4pm. In the station the line for the ladies room was long and cost 20 pence. Finally we were ready to walk back to the B&B. We stopped at a shop to get Bill a T-shirt that we had seen on the way to the train. It says "Malt Whisky" but it is done in the Walt Disney font, so one has to look twice. We both thought it was cute!!
It drizzled all the way back to the B&B. We came up to the room where Bill napped, and I transferred photos to the iPad and posted a couple on Facebook.
At 6:30 we decided to get something light for dinner and went to a place called the Food Shop in the Alexandra Hotel across from the train station. By this time we knew where to park right near the hotel. They don't charge for parking after 6pm, so we went on in.
Bill had a pureed vegetable soup and a prawn cocktail. He was disappointed that the prawns were really just tiny shrimp. I got a steak and ale pie which came with mashed potatoes, carrots, and green beans. It was okay, but the green beans had to be de-strung before I could eat them.
When we went out to the car park, we were trapped by a huge tow truck just starting to load a hotel van. That took about 15 minutes, but it was entertaining to watch and wasn't raining.
Day
9 - Wednesday 6/3/15 – Fort William to Dornie, Eilean Donan Castle
We awoke to a beautiful day with sun and blue skies. Of course we had to get a few sprinkles throughout the day, but for the most part it was glorious!
Breakfast was once again at 8:30, but today I had porridge. It was good, and the fruit salad on the buffet table made for a nice breakfast. At 9:45 we checked out. Jim and Susan came out to say goodbye. Susan must have liked me because she gave me a parting gift of 12 notecards and a kiss on both cheeks. It was hard to tell with these two since they were rather quiet and reserved.
We parked downtown and walked to the Bank of Scotland for Bill to change money. Of course banks here don't change money, and he was sent to the Post Office just down the street where he got a horrible exchange rate. He is finding much better rates using an ATM.
While he was doing all of that, I went into a Tesco grocery store to pick up some things for the road like a roll of paper towels, some nuts, and some water. Bill came in and added diet Pepsi to the cart. I love going through grocery stores in foreign countries. My favorite here was a large display up by the checkout counters of SmidgeMidge. I already had mine, but I took a photo.
We had one more stop for gas, and then we really were on our way out of town at 11am. The sun was still shining, and we had an amazing drive all the way to Dornie and Eilean Donan castle. I had my GoPro ready to film, but I didn't want to start until we had reached Cluanie Inn where I knew the really amazing scenery would begin. However, we also had some rain roll through, so I asked Bill to stop for a latte while the rain passed. He was lured in at the promise of a scone.
It took a while for the coffee and scone (which was warm and quite tasty), but when we left the sun was out, and the 11 miles between Cluanie Inn and Shiel Bridge was just breath-taking! Even Bill was impressed. We stopped at a few viewpoints and I got some awesome photos.
We arrived at Eilean Donan at 2. Bill had saved our tea box snacks from the train, so we sat in the sun on some rocks starring at the castle. Best picnic spot ever! Both of us took lots of photos and then bought our tickets to go into the castle. It was a decent tour, and quite a bit of the castle was open and had furniture in it replicating the owners in the 1700s.
I especially liked the kitchen. They had done an excellent job with a ton of fake food, lifelike mannequins, binders with old recipes and tidbits of info. They even had a nook where "freshly caught" game was hanging. A scullery maid had a grill tip over on her in one section, and the sink was full of "dirty dishes".
We got to Ceol Na Mara (music of the sea) just 4 miles down the road. It will be a beautiful spot to spend 2 nights. They only have 2 guest rooms, but Jayne and Ross are delightful and very laid back. We have a small double room looking over Loch Duich and can see the bridge to Skye in the distance. The tide was out when we checked in, but now it is almost up to the road in front of the B&B. Other than being very windy, it couldn't be more perfect.
After moving in and crossing the road to sit amongst some rocks (windbreaks) to watch the tide come in and the sea gulls trying to find fish, we went a half block down the road to Balmacara Hotel to their pub to have a light dinner. I was thrilled that they had Scotch broth which I had read about. Jayne said it was really Scottish comfort food and one didn't often find it in pubs and restaurants. It is a beef and barley soup with other veggies. This version tasted and looked like it had a light split pea base. It came with great bread, so I was a happy camper.
Bill got some "chef's chicken liver pate" with a small salad, crackers, and cranberry jam. I ate part of that because it was good. For his entree he got spicy beef curry with rice and naan. We were almost the only people in the bar, so the bartender chatted with us for quite a while. I have decided I love local pubs!!
Now we are in our room looking out over the loch. It is still at least an hour before sunset which is lovely. Tomorrow we drive the Isle of Skye and spend another night here.
 |
| Bill at our picnic spot at Eilean Donan Castle |
We awoke to a beautiful day with sun and blue skies. Of course we had to get a few sprinkles throughout the day, but for the most part it was glorious!
Breakfast was once again at 8:30, but today I had porridge. It was good, and the fruit salad on the buffet table made for a nice breakfast. At 9:45 we checked out. Jim and Susan came out to say goodbye. Susan must have liked me because she gave me a parting gift of 12 notecards and a kiss on both cheeks. It was hard to tell with these two since they were rather quiet and reserved.
We parked downtown and walked to the Bank of Scotland for Bill to change money. Of course banks here don't change money, and he was sent to the Post Office just down the street where he got a horrible exchange rate. He is finding much better rates using an ATM.
While he was doing all of that, I went into a Tesco grocery store to pick up some things for the road like a roll of paper towels, some nuts, and some water. Bill came in and added diet Pepsi to the cart. I love going through grocery stores in foreign countries. My favorite here was a large display up by the checkout counters of SmidgeMidge. I already had mine, but I took a photo.
We had one more stop for gas, and then we really were on our way out of town at 11am. The sun was still shining, and we had an amazing drive all the way to Dornie and Eilean Donan castle. I had my GoPro ready to film, but I didn't want to start until we had reached Cluanie Inn where I knew the really amazing scenery would begin. However, we also had some rain roll through, so I asked Bill to stop for a latte while the rain passed. He was lured in at the promise of a scone.
It took a while for the coffee and scone (which was warm and quite tasty), but when we left the sun was out, and the 11 miles between Cluanie Inn and Shiel Bridge was just breath-taking! Even Bill was impressed. We stopped at a few viewpoints and I got some awesome photos.
We arrived at Eilean Donan at 2. Bill had saved our tea box snacks from the train, so we sat in the sun on some rocks starring at the castle. Best picnic spot ever! Both of us took lots of photos and then bought our tickets to go into the castle. It was a decent tour, and quite a bit of the castle was open and had furniture in it replicating the owners in the 1700s.
I especially liked the kitchen. They had done an excellent job with a ton of fake food, lifelike mannequins, binders with old recipes and tidbits of info. They even had a nook where "freshly caught" game was hanging. A scullery maid had a grill tip over on her in one section, and the sink was full of "dirty dishes".
We got to Ceol Na Mara (music of the sea) just 4 miles down the road. It will be a beautiful spot to spend 2 nights. They only have 2 guest rooms, but Jayne and Ross are delightful and very laid back. We have a small double room looking over Loch Duich and can see the bridge to Skye in the distance. The tide was out when we checked in, but now it is almost up to the road in front of the B&B. Other than being very windy, it couldn't be more perfect.
After moving in and crossing the road to sit amongst some rocks (windbreaks) to watch the tide come in and the sea gulls trying to find fish, we went a half block down the road to Balmacara Hotel to their pub to have a light dinner. I was thrilled that they had Scotch broth which I had read about. Jayne said it was really Scottish comfort food and one didn't often find it in pubs and restaurants. It is a beef and barley soup with other veggies. This version tasted and looked like it had a light split pea base. It came with great bread, so I was a happy camper.
Bill got some "chef's chicken liver pate" with a small salad, crackers, and cranberry jam. I ate part of that because it was good. For his entree he got spicy beef curry with rice and naan. We were almost the only people in the bar, so the bartender chatted with us for quite a while. I have decided I love local pubs!!
Now we are in our room looking out over the loch. It is still at least an hour before sunset which is lovely. Tomorrow we drive the Isle of Skye and spend another night here.
Day 10 - Thursday 6/4/15 – Isle of Skye
 |
| Black face lambs |
We awoke at 7:15 to another rainy day. Life in Scotland, I
presume!! We went down to breakfast at 8. We met the other couple
staying here - newlyweds from Iowa. Jayne, our host, was quite
pleasant. Turns out she is 52 and looks 10 years younger.
I had scrambled eggs and salmon on toast this morning after I had some muesli with a banana. Many of the B&Bs serve eggs and salmon. It wasn't really my cup of tea. Bill had the full Scottish breakfast - fried egg, broiled half tomato, sauteed mushrooms, ham passing for bacon, and sausage. They serve coffee and toast with everything.
I did ask Jayne about the many bags of scallop shells along the shore in front of their house. Turns out the scallop divers shuck the scallops out and bag the shells for export to China for plaster and paving materials.
When we were ready to leave, we stopped at Ross's (Jayne’s host husband) workshop right next to the B&B to see how he makes small bagpipes for sale. He showed us around his shop and the beautiful wood and tweed that he uses to form and assemble his pipes. He also demonstrated on one of them. He seems to be a really nice man.
We finally took off at 9:30 headed for the Isle of Skye. We can see it from our B&B, but we needed to go down to Kyle of Lochalsh to cross the Skye Bridge. The rain seemed to come and go throughout the day.
The first stop was at Sligachan Bridge, an old bridge built in the 1820s. We drove on through the main town of Portree which seems to be a "cute" tourist town. We did stop to get more cash from an ATM.
Then we continued our drive up the east side of Skye. The Old Man of Storr, a large vertical outcropping that can be seen for miles down the road seemed to be a huge hiking attraction as many people were parked along the road and starting the hike even in the rain.
I got one of the best photos of the day when two black face lambs stopped in the middle of the road in front of us. I had wanted a photo of black face sheep, and to have two lambs show up was wonderful.
We did stop at another car park to see some neat waterfalls at An Leth Allt while the rain was stopped. Just a bit farther down the road was Mealt Falls and the Kilt Cliffs. The sun actually came out here which was an awesome sight!! A poor tourist car had broken down on the single track entrance road. We were able to get into the area but just barely. By the time we were ready to leave, a tow truck had arrived, but it took a while to load the car. It was interesting to watch, and we were so glad it wasn't us!!
Bill wanted a hot dog for lunch, but I prevailed and we went to a place that had a brochure at Kilt Cliffs. It was just down the road a bit and off on a side road. It was called Ellishadder Art Cafe and turned out to be an amazing lunch. It is a vegetarian (frou-frou) cafe, but the food was wonderful.
I got the potato scone with crowdie (sort of like a fine cottage cheese but drier - reminded me of my favorite Michigan Cottage Cheese), butter, and chutney. The scone was moist, freshly baked and wonderful. It came with 4 small salads - couscous, carrot, potato, and a green salad. Each one of the salads was fresh and amazingly good. On the table was a vinaigrette made from lime and seaweed. Even Bill liked the dressing!!! It was beautifully presented, and I finished every bite!
Bill got a leek, caramelized pear, and blue cheese slice on a puff pastry. It was served with the same salads. It sounded really strange, but it was really good. I got an elderflower presse (soft drink) to drink. Look it up!! I loved it. Bill got sparkling rhubarb to drink. I thought it was a bit powerful, but he really liked it. What an amazing little stop.
We continued driving around the north tip of Skye, sometimes on single track roads, sometimes with no rain, sometimes with a light rain. We did manage to see the ruins of Duntulm Castle from the road. This castle was built by the MacDonald clan in the 14th or 15 century. Thanks to zoom cameras as this is a very inaccessible ruin.
Our next stop was the Kilmuir cemetery where there is a monument to Flora MacDonald who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after his defeat at Culloden. There were some interesting tombstones and a great view of the coast.
Our final stop was at the Fairy Glen just outside Uig. Bill was skeptical since there was no signage and nothing in his tour books. It is off the road about 4 miles on a single track road, but it is an interesting geological area with strange mounds, trees, etc. We parked, and looked around. Many people were hiking, and there was even a tour bus parked along the road in a small turn-out.
There is no parking, and people just sort of pull off the road. The big tour bus started to leave as a BMW came around the curve. Both were going slowly but not paying attention, and the bus ran into the front right side of the BMW. There was some damage done and a whole lot of raised voices on the part of both drivers. I saw it happen, but there wasn't anything I could do. Scary.
We got back on the main road and headed back to the B&B (about an hour's drive). It started to rain heavier, so we were thankful we had done most of it before the heavy rain. We got back across the bridge to Kyle of Lochalsh and decide to drive the 5 miles to Plockton. Rick Steves stayed here and it is supposed to be one of the prettiest little villages on the coast. We thought we might eat dinner here, but as Jayne had told us, there was some music thing going on tonight, so the town had little to no parking left.
We came on back to the B&B and then walked down to the Balmacara Hotel once again for a light dinner. It was essentially the same menu as last night. I got the Cullen Skink soup (just like our white chowder) which comes with wonderful bread. We shared the pate again, and Bill got a huge bowl of mussels.
We are now back in the room resting. It is weird that it stays light until 10pm which makes going to bed early a little strange. It is supposed to rain all day on our beautiful long drive to Ullapool. Hopefully there will be periods of sun or at least, not rain. It should be 156 miles as we have planned it, but I think we might skip the pass we had thought about taking since it really wouldn't be worth it in the rain.
I had scrambled eggs and salmon on toast this morning after I had some muesli with a banana. Many of the B&Bs serve eggs and salmon. It wasn't really my cup of tea. Bill had the full Scottish breakfast - fried egg, broiled half tomato, sauteed mushrooms, ham passing for bacon, and sausage. They serve coffee and toast with everything.
I did ask Jayne about the many bags of scallop shells along the shore in front of their house. Turns out the scallop divers shuck the scallops out and bag the shells for export to China for plaster and paving materials.
When we were ready to leave, we stopped at Ross's (Jayne’s host husband) workshop right next to the B&B to see how he makes small bagpipes for sale. He showed us around his shop and the beautiful wood and tweed that he uses to form and assemble his pipes. He also demonstrated on one of them. He seems to be a really nice man.
We finally took off at 9:30 headed for the Isle of Skye. We can see it from our B&B, but we needed to go down to Kyle of Lochalsh to cross the Skye Bridge. The rain seemed to come and go throughout the day.
The first stop was at Sligachan Bridge, an old bridge built in the 1820s. We drove on through the main town of Portree which seems to be a "cute" tourist town. We did stop to get more cash from an ATM.
Then we continued our drive up the east side of Skye. The Old Man of Storr, a large vertical outcropping that can be seen for miles down the road seemed to be a huge hiking attraction as many people were parked along the road and starting the hike even in the rain.
I got one of the best photos of the day when two black face lambs stopped in the middle of the road in front of us. I had wanted a photo of black face sheep, and to have two lambs show up was wonderful.
We did stop at another car park to see some neat waterfalls at An Leth Allt while the rain was stopped. Just a bit farther down the road was Mealt Falls and the Kilt Cliffs. The sun actually came out here which was an awesome sight!! A poor tourist car had broken down on the single track entrance road. We were able to get into the area but just barely. By the time we were ready to leave, a tow truck had arrived, but it took a while to load the car. It was interesting to watch, and we were so glad it wasn't us!!
Bill wanted a hot dog for lunch, but I prevailed and we went to a place that had a brochure at Kilt Cliffs. It was just down the road a bit and off on a side road. It was called Ellishadder Art Cafe and turned out to be an amazing lunch. It is a vegetarian (frou-frou) cafe, but the food was wonderful.
I got the potato scone with crowdie (sort of like a fine cottage cheese but drier - reminded me of my favorite Michigan Cottage Cheese), butter, and chutney. The scone was moist, freshly baked and wonderful. It came with 4 small salads - couscous, carrot, potato, and a green salad. Each one of the salads was fresh and amazingly good. On the table was a vinaigrette made from lime and seaweed. Even Bill liked the dressing!!! It was beautifully presented, and I finished every bite!
Bill got a leek, caramelized pear, and blue cheese slice on a puff pastry. It was served with the same salads. It sounded really strange, but it was really good. I got an elderflower presse (soft drink) to drink. Look it up!! I loved it. Bill got sparkling rhubarb to drink. I thought it was a bit powerful, but he really liked it. What an amazing little stop.
We continued driving around the north tip of Skye, sometimes on single track roads, sometimes with no rain, sometimes with a light rain. We did manage to see the ruins of Duntulm Castle from the road. This castle was built by the MacDonald clan in the 14th or 15 century. Thanks to zoom cameras as this is a very inaccessible ruin.
Our next stop was the Kilmuir cemetery where there is a monument to Flora MacDonald who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after his defeat at Culloden. There were some interesting tombstones and a great view of the coast.
Our final stop was at the Fairy Glen just outside Uig. Bill was skeptical since there was no signage and nothing in his tour books. It is off the road about 4 miles on a single track road, but it is an interesting geological area with strange mounds, trees, etc. We parked, and looked around. Many people were hiking, and there was even a tour bus parked along the road in a small turn-out.
There is no parking, and people just sort of pull off the road. The big tour bus started to leave as a BMW came around the curve. Both were going slowly but not paying attention, and the bus ran into the front right side of the BMW. There was some damage done and a whole lot of raised voices on the part of both drivers. I saw it happen, but there wasn't anything I could do. Scary.
We got back on the main road and headed back to the B&B (about an hour's drive). It started to rain heavier, so we were thankful we had done most of it before the heavy rain. We got back across the bridge to Kyle of Lochalsh and decide to drive the 5 miles to Plockton. Rick Steves stayed here and it is supposed to be one of the prettiest little villages on the coast. We thought we might eat dinner here, but as Jayne had told us, there was some music thing going on tonight, so the town had little to no parking left.
We came on back to the B&B and then walked down to the Balmacara Hotel once again for a light dinner. It was essentially the same menu as last night. I got the Cullen Skink soup (just like our white chowder) which comes with wonderful bread. We shared the pate again, and Bill got a huge bowl of mussels.
We are now back in the room resting. It is weird that it stays light until 10pm which makes going to bed early a little strange. It is supposed to rain all day on our beautiful long drive to Ullapool. Hopefully there will be periods of sun or at least, not rain. It should be 156 miles as we have planned it, but I think we might skip the pass we had thought about taking since it really wouldn't be worth it in the rain.
Day 11 - Friday 6/5/15 – Dornie to Ullapool, Inverewe
Gardens
 |
| Beinn Ghobhlach and Little Loch Broom |
Once again we awoke at 7:15 to rain!!! We showered
and went to breakfast at 8. Today we both got the continental
breakfast: hard-boiled egg, ham, cheese, tomatoes, toast, coffee, and
cereal and fruit. We never know when or where lunch will be, so we eat
when we can.
We said our goodbyes to our lovely host Jayne. Her husband Ross had left very early to catch a train down to England to buy a car. Both of them had been perfectly delightful hosts.
We set off in wet, cloudy, rainy weather. There was no need to drive the pass to Applecross since we couldn't see anything and the road was a single track. We were impressed with the number of bicyclists on the road in the nasty weather on single track roads.
We made it to Shieldig and sat down by the harbor hoping the rain would let up. There was a public toilet in the car park, so we could at least do that. The next several miles would be pretty, so I hoped by waiting, the weather would improve. It didn't. It wasn't constant rain....just a drizzle at times, so we could at least see some of the amazing countryside.
We were just about to Kinlochewe when Bill hit a pothole hard. I saw the left front hubcap fly off, so he pulled over quickly. As soon as I got out, I could hear the hissing of air coming from the left front tire. Bill walked back down the road to find the hubcap (which he did). We figured we could make it to Kinlochewe since we were in the middle of nowhere!!!
Kinlochewe is a tiny town. It had a gas station/small cafe but no services. At least it wasn't raining at the time. Bill got out the luggage and started reading about how to put on the space-saver spare. I got him to try and call the rental people, but his cell phone couldn't call the 800 number. The older man inside the station made the call for Bill on his landline. The rental lady asked him if he had a spare, and when he said he did, her options were to either send a man out to put on the spare or have Bill change it himself. Bill chose the latter.
With the tire finally changed, we headed out in the rain again! We finally reached Inverewe Gardens. This is a lovely garden on 2000 acres of estate land and now owned and managed by the British Trust. It was started in 1862 by Oswald MacKenzie and contains an awesome display of flowers, plants, and trees.
We went first to the Garden Tea Room for a bit of lunch since it was already 2:30. We barely beat a large tour bus full of people. Bill just got a scone and some tea. I got a latte and a goat cheese/caramelized onion puff pastry. We decided to go on in the Garden since it is really well-known in Britain. We spent about an hour there wandering around in the beautiful woodsy setting. The sun had finally come out, and it was also warming up a bit.
The next 20 miles were absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. There were several pull-outs where we stopped and just stared. We made it to Ullapool and our B&B, Ardvreck, and boy were we REALLY amazed by this place. It sits on a hill above the loch with an indescribable view. The woman who built this place 24 years ago is named Evelyn, and I fell instantly in love with her!! She is 55 and lives in a house next door with her husband who has Parkinson's. He seems to be doing well so far, but she is thinking about selling this place.
This is a 10 room guest house, and we got a large (1 double bed and 1 twin bed) room facing the loch. I so wished we had booked a week here instead of just one night. There is a large breakfast room with a lounge facing the loch. We are sitting here right now at 10pm, and even though the sun has set, it is still fairly light. Sheep are all over the place except in her yard - mostly ewes and their lambs.
Apparently there is some cycle race in town this weekend, so Evelyn recommended a hotel/restaurant just down the road that we passed on the way up. So off we went. It is called the Morefield Hotel/Mariner's Steakhouse. We got seated, and even though the place was slammed, we ordered and enjoyed a lovely meal.
I got an elderflower/strawberry cordial that was just as good as the one I had yesterday. I am going to have to figure out how to make one if I could even find elderflower!! I got a small (for Scotland) seafood risotto which was wonderful - salmon, shrimp, scallops, and haddock topped with mussels. It was really good. Bill got fish and chips which was good.
We bypassed on dessert in favor of coming back to the B&B to watch the sunset. It was warm enough to be comfortable outside! I am in heaven. Tomorrow we head to Grantown-on-Spey for our last 3 nights in the Highlands. The weather should be better tomorrow.
We said our goodbyes to our lovely host Jayne. Her husband Ross had left very early to catch a train down to England to buy a car. Both of them had been perfectly delightful hosts.
We set off in wet, cloudy, rainy weather. There was no need to drive the pass to Applecross since we couldn't see anything and the road was a single track. We were impressed with the number of bicyclists on the road in the nasty weather on single track roads.
We made it to Shieldig and sat down by the harbor hoping the rain would let up. There was a public toilet in the car park, so we could at least do that. The next several miles would be pretty, so I hoped by waiting, the weather would improve. It didn't. It wasn't constant rain....just a drizzle at times, so we could at least see some of the amazing countryside.
We were just about to Kinlochewe when Bill hit a pothole hard. I saw the left front hubcap fly off, so he pulled over quickly. As soon as I got out, I could hear the hissing of air coming from the left front tire. Bill walked back down the road to find the hubcap (which he did). We figured we could make it to Kinlochewe since we were in the middle of nowhere!!!
Kinlochewe is a tiny town. It had a gas station/small cafe but no services. At least it wasn't raining at the time. Bill got out the luggage and started reading about how to put on the space-saver spare. I got him to try and call the rental people, but his cell phone couldn't call the 800 number. The older man inside the station made the call for Bill on his landline. The rental lady asked him if he had a spare, and when he said he did, her options were to either send a man out to put on the spare or have Bill change it himself. Bill chose the latter.
With the tire finally changed, we headed out in the rain again! We finally reached Inverewe Gardens. This is a lovely garden on 2000 acres of estate land and now owned and managed by the British Trust. It was started in 1862 by Oswald MacKenzie and contains an awesome display of flowers, plants, and trees.
We went first to the Garden Tea Room for a bit of lunch since it was already 2:30. We barely beat a large tour bus full of people. Bill just got a scone and some tea. I got a latte and a goat cheese/caramelized onion puff pastry. We decided to go on in the Garden since it is really well-known in Britain. We spent about an hour there wandering around in the beautiful woodsy setting. The sun had finally come out, and it was also warming up a bit.
The next 20 miles were absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. There were several pull-outs where we stopped and just stared. We made it to Ullapool and our B&B, Ardvreck, and boy were we REALLY amazed by this place. It sits on a hill above the loch with an indescribable view. The woman who built this place 24 years ago is named Evelyn, and I fell instantly in love with her!! She is 55 and lives in a house next door with her husband who has Parkinson's. He seems to be doing well so far, but she is thinking about selling this place.
This is a 10 room guest house, and we got a large (1 double bed and 1 twin bed) room facing the loch. I so wished we had booked a week here instead of just one night. There is a large breakfast room with a lounge facing the loch. We are sitting here right now at 10pm, and even though the sun has set, it is still fairly light. Sheep are all over the place except in her yard - mostly ewes and their lambs.
Apparently there is some cycle race in town this weekend, so Evelyn recommended a hotel/restaurant just down the road that we passed on the way up. So off we went. It is called the Morefield Hotel/Mariner's Steakhouse. We got seated, and even though the place was slammed, we ordered and enjoyed a lovely meal.
I got an elderflower/strawberry cordial that was just as good as the one I had yesterday. I am going to have to figure out how to make one if I could even find elderflower!! I got a small (for Scotland) seafood risotto which was wonderful - salmon, shrimp, scallops, and haddock topped with mussels. It was really good. Bill got fish and chips which was good.
We bypassed on dessert in favor of coming back to the B&B to watch the sunset. It was warm enough to be comfortable outside! I am in heaven. Tomorrow we head to Grantown-on-Spey for our last 3 nights in the Highlands. The weather should be better tomorrow.
Day 12 - Saturday 6/6/15 – Ullapool to Grantown on Spey,
Corrieshalloch Gorge, Rogie Falls, Culloden
 |
| Rogie Falls |
Another day awakening to cloudy skies and rain and/or mist. We went down
to breakfast at 8:30. It was a full dining room since all 10 rooms were
full last night. I got some cereal and a poached egg on toast with a
banana. Bill had the same with bacon (thin ham).
We packed up and left this wonderful B&B at 9:45. Our host, Evelyn, could not have been nicer or more fun. The B&B was at the top end of our B&Bs, and I just wish we could have stayed longer.
We drove south from Ullapool in the rain and mist and several bicyclists. It was only 12 miles to Corrieshalloch Gorge, but it took us about 20 minutes. We pulled into the parking lot along with several cars and a tour bus. Bill debated whether he wanted to do the hike to the gorge and falls, but then decided to brave the rain. We needed our umbrellas, and started the walk down (4 switchbacks so it wasn't too bad). The busload of people came slogging their way up as we were going down, so it was nice.
At the bottom of the hike was a suspension bridge over the gorge. It was very narrow, and the large falls were directly below the bridge. We took some photos, and I hiked another half mile to the viewing platform out over the gorge to look back and see the long, straight falls. The rain started to lighten up as we headed back up the trail to the car park.
We got back in the car and continued south. It was still drizzling but we could see brightness here and there. We stopped at a little rest park with toilets and found another old bridge and falls right there at the park. That was fun.
We started to see some sun as we got to Rogie Falls. This was a shorter hike and not quite as steep and wandered through a pretty wooded area. These falls are more spread out and have several short drops. There is also a rock fish ladder alongside, but we didn't see any fish. It was a lovely spot and neat falls.
Just south of Inverness we veered off course for a few miles to Culloden Battlefield. This is where Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobites were defeated in a bloody battle by the English. It only lasted an hour and a half and 1200 men were killed. This is a big Scottish site, so we couldn't miss it.
At the lovely new visitor's center, we had lunch in the cafe. I had a haggis/neeps/tatties pastry. I really kind of like haggies. The neeps (mashed turnips) and tatties (mashed potatoes) were layered with the haggis on top, rolled in a flaky pastry crust and baked. It came with a salad with thyme and elderflower dressing that was also quite good. They had bottled Elderflower soft drinks, so I got one of those again. Bill got a hamburger (over-cooked as they all have been), but he said it had a good flavor. I couldn't resist the Banoffee Pie - toffee, bananas, cream! Look it up!! It is to die for!!!
We went through the museum which was quite well done! I was impressed with several of their graphic exhibits on the battle. The movie was a bit too gory for me. I got a head set and headed out to the battlefield. The wind today was really strong: 20-30 miles an hour, so I didn't stay out there long even though the sun was shining. I almost got blown over a couple of times. Outside by the car park, they had a small enclosure with 4 Highland cows. More photo ops of this neat cow.
From there it was only a 30 mile drive to Grantown-on-Spey. We made a quick stop in Carrbridge to see the old Packhorse Bridge. It was built in the 1700s to allow people access to the church and cemetery on the other side of the Dulnain river. It was a neat little bridge. We saw a whole herd of Highland cows, and later right next to the road was the biggest one we have seen.
We finally made it to Ardconnel House, our B&B for the next two nights. We were supposed to stay here for 3 nights, but our hosts Tom and Francoise have to go to Edinburgh on Monday, so we got the biggest, most luxurious room in the house for the same price for two nights. The room and bathroom are huge. We have a lovely old sofa and coffee table and even a French press on the tea and coffee tray. Tom even left a couple of miniature bottles of Glenlivet Scotch for us. On Monday they will move our luggage to the B&B next door for our last night in the Highlands.
It turned out to be a sunny, low 50s, but still windy day! The B&B book in the room had the menus for several restaurants in town. Bill wanted fresh fish (not fish and chips) so we went to a small hotel downtown called Seafield Hotel. There was only another older couple in there, so we had a lot of attention from the 3 waitresses and the female manager. Lots of fun.
I got the soup and bar supper special. The soup was once again Scotch broth (pea soup base with barley and chopped veggies) and I got the roasted vegetable tart. It came with a salad and roasted potatoes. Bill got a pan seared cod loin. I about choked when the entrees came they were HUGE!!!
My plate had a large puff pastry bowl crammed with sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, topped with goat cheese and a creamy chili sauce. It took up half the dinner plate. I didn't even get it finished nor touched the salad or potatoes. But it was delicious, and Bill even tried to help me finish it.
His cod came with barley in a butter sauce on the bottom, topped with a large mound of mashed potatoes with a large portion of cod on top. He finished the fish but left half of the other stuff. However, he has been wanting apple pie that has appeared on many menus, so he got a slice of pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a berry (strawberries, cherries, blueberries) compote.
We drove back to the B&B totally stuffed!! Our hosts have family in town and have gone out to eat. Bill is allowed to sit on a lovely bench out front with the beautiful lawn before him to smoke his cigar.
Tomorrow we need to be out of the B&B between 10-4. This is a rather common practice so the hosts can clean the rooms and have some time to themselves. Bill's Glenlivet tour is at 2:30 so we will have to find something to occupy us before then. The weather is supposed to be a bit nicer the next two days which would be a treat.
We packed up and left this wonderful B&B at 9:45. Our host, Evelyn, could not have been nicer or more fun. The B&B was at the top end of our B&Bs, and I just wish we could have stayed longer.
We drove south from Ullapool in the rain and mist and several bicyclists. It was only 12 miles to Corrieshalloch Gorge, but it took us about 20 minutes. We pulled into the parking lot along with several cars and a tour bus. Bill debated whether he wanted to do the hike to the gorge and falls, but then decided to brave the rain. We needed our umbrellas, and started the walk down (4 switchbacks so it wasn't too bad). The busload of people came slogging their way up as we were going down, so it was nice.
At the bottom of the hike was a suspension bridge over the gorge. It was very narrow, and the large falls were directly below the bridge. We took some photos, and I hiked another half mile to the viewing platform out over the gorge to look back and see the long, straight falls. The rain started to lighten up as we headed back up the trail to the car park.
We got back in the car and continued south. It was still drizzling but we could see brightness here and there. We stopped at a little rest park with toilets and found another old bridge and falls right there at the park. That was fun.
We started to see some sun as we got to Rogie Falls. This was a shorter hike and not quite as steep and wandered through a pretty wooded area. These falls are more spread out and have several short drops. There is also a rock fish ladder alongside, but we didn't see any fish. It was a lovely spot and neat falls.
Just south of Inverness we veered off course for a few miles to Culloden Battlefield. This is where Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobites were defeated in a bloody battle by the English. It only lasted an hour and a half and 1200 men were killed. This is a big Scottish site, so we couldn't miss it.
At the lovely new visitor's center, we had lunch in the cafe. I had a haggis/neeps/tatties pastry. I really kind of like haggies. The neeps (mashed turnips) and tatties (mashed potatoes) were layered with the haggis on top, rolled in a flaky pastry crust and baked. It came with a salad with thyme and elderflower dressing that was also quite good. They had bottled Elderflower soft drinks, so I got one of those again. Bill got a hamburger (over-cooked as they all have been), but he said it had a good flavor. I couldn't resist the Banoffee Pie - toffee, bananas, cream! Look it up!! It is to die for!!!
We went through the museum which was quite well done! I was impressed with several of their graphic exhibits on the battle. The movie was a bit too gory for me. I got a head set and headed out to the battlefield. The wind today was really strong: 20-30 miles an hour, so I didn't stay out there long even though the sun was shining. I almost got blown over a couple of times. Outside by the car park, they had a small enclosure with 4 Highland cows. More photo ops of this neat cow.
From there it was only a 30 mile drive to Grantown-on-Spey. We made a quick stop in Carrbridge to see the old Packhorse Bridge. It was built in the 1700s to allow people access to the church and cemetery on the other side of the Dulnain river. It was a neat little bridge. We saw a whole herd of Highland cows, and later right next to the road was the biggest one we have seen.
We finally made it to Ardconnel House, our B&B for the next two nights. We were supposed to stay here for 3 nights, but our hosts Tom and Francoise have to go to Edinburgh on Monday, so we got the biggest, most luxurious room in the house for the same price for two nights. The room and bathroom are huge. We have a lovely old sofa and coffee table and even a French press on the tea and coffee tray. Tom even left a couple of miniature bottles of Glenlivet Scotch for us. On Monday they will move our luggage to the B&B next door for our last night in the Highlands.
It turned out to be a sunny, low 50s, but still windy day! The B&B book in the room had the menus for several restaurants in town. Bill wanted fresh fish (not fish and chips) so we went to a small hotel downtown called Seafield Hotel. There was only another older couple in there, so we had a lot of attention from the 3 waitresses and the female manager. Lots of fun.
I got the soup and bar supper special. The soup was once again Scotch broth (pea soup base with barley and chopped veggies) and I got the roasted vegetable tart. It came with a salad and roasted potatoes. Bill got a pan seared cod loin. I about choked when the entrees came they were HUGE!!!
My plate had a large puff pastry bowl crammed with sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, topped with goat cheese and a creamy chili sauce. It took up half the dinner plate. I didn't even get it finished nor touched the salad or potatoes. But it was delicious, and Bill even tried to help me finish it.
His cod came with barley in a butter sauce on the bottom, topped with a large mound of mashed potatoes with a large portion of cod on top. He finished the fish but left half of the other stuff. However, he has been wanting apple pie that has appeared on many menus, so he got a slice of pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a berry (strawberries, cherries, blueberries) compote.
We drove back to the B&B totally stuffed!! Our hosts have family in town and have gone out to eat. Bill is allowed to sit on a lovely bench out front with the beautiful lawn before him to smoke his cigar.
Tomorrow we need to be out of the B&B between 10-4. This is a rather common practice so the hosts can clean the rooms and have some time to themselves. Bill's Glenlivet tour is at 2:30 so we will have to find something to occupy us before then. The weather is supposed to be a bit nicer the next two days which would be a treat.
Day 13 - Sunday 6/7/15 – Grantown on Spey, Ballindalloch
Castle, Glenlivet Distillary
 |
| Bill at the Glenlivet Distillery with his scotch |
Once again we awoke at 7:45 to a gray, drizzly day, but we have found that we
will get some sun during the day, so we are not discouraged. After
showering and dressing in our lovely, huge room, we went down for
breakfast. There was only one other couple here (our age) doing a whisky
tour for 3 days from Holland.
I had porridge (which was excellent) and a poached egg on toast. Bill had 2 poached eggs with the ham/bacon. It was a pleasant breakfast. At 10 we left to go kill some time before Bill's Glenlivet tour at 2:30. Tom, our host, had recommended Ballindalloch Castle which was on our way to Glenlivet, so we did that.
The castle is lovely and on a huge 'estate'. The grounds around the castle are lovely too - an enormous front lawn to rival any golf course green and a wonderful rock garden with blooming flowers on the hill up to a woods. We went through the rock garden and found a spot up near the woods overlooking the castle to sit a spell. Bill had a cigar and was quite happy with our time-waster.
We finally went in to tour the castle. It was originally built in 1564 and is still inhabited by the original family. It has been renovated and expanded over the centuries, but it was still quite beautiful and fun to tour. And it wasn't too crowded. There were lots of family photos and portraits throughout the house along with autographed photos of royals. I was especially impressed with the wood paneled dining room with tons of silver bowls, plates.
After the tour we popped into the tea room/gift shop. It wasn't much, but we got an Angus steak sandwich to split. Sandwiches here are really funny - meat or whatever filling and some butter. That's it. So we mainly opened the sandwiches and ate the roast beef that was quite good.
Before we left, we used the toilets which are in a separate building and are "award winning loos". They really were quite lovely with tartan carpet, gold sink fixtures, etc. They also had some amusing cartoon pictures on the wall.
On the way out, we were quite surprised to see some oyster catcher birds (the black and white ones with the large orange bills). One was even sitting on an egg right by the road in the middle of gravel. I got a photo of the egg but mama flew off. I couldn't believe oyster catchers would be as far from water as this castle is, maybe 30 miles from the ocean.
Glenlivet Visitors Center was only about 7 miles away, so we made it there before 2. It is an impressive set-up with a reception area, store/gift shop, cafe, and a small section of exhibits. The free 45 minute tour left at 2:10. I got on that with 20 other people. It wasn't a bad tour, but I already knew all I wanted to about Scotch production. The cask storage area was the most impressive to me.
At the end of the tour we could taste one Glenlivet product. I chose the Nadurra because Bill has never bought any of that. I am NOT a Scotch lover, and I came to find that the Nadurra was 124 proof, and I choked on the tiny sip I took. After my tour, I had another hour and a half to kill before Bill's deluxe tour finished. I looked in the gift shop and went to the cafe and got a latte.
Bill's tour ended at 4:30 and then he bought a "fill your own bottle". He got to pump it from a cask, cork it, seal it, and then fill out his label, fill out a form (the bottle actually had a bottle number) and then pay the $100 for it! He was thrilled.
We got back to Grantown-on-Spey at 5:30 and went to the Craig Bar for the only thing they serve: booze and "pies and chips". Our B&B host, Tom, was at the bar with his dog Mollie. We chatted for a bit before he walked back to the B&B. The owner's son, Robbie, is quite the character. Tom had warned us about him last night. We both found him entertaining. The language in the bar was quite colorful from all the oldies who seem to make this their "Cheers" bar. I heard the f-bomb a few times and some name calling including "fagot". It was all in good food, and so very British.
I got the mushroom/asparagus pie and Bill got the chicken/ham hock/leeks/cheddar pie. There were about 9 different pies to choose from. They were good but simple bar food pies.
We made it back to the B&B at 6:30 which is about as early as we have gotten home this trip. After Tom and Francoise had dinner at 8, they invited us to their living area for a chat. Bill had a "wee bit" of Scotch with Tom before we all called it quits at 9:45.
I had porridge (which was excellent) and a poached egg on toast. Bill had 2 poached eggs with the ham/bacon. It was a pleasant breakfast. At 10 we left to go kill some time before Bill's Glenlivet tour at 2:30. Tom, our host, had recommended Ballindalloch Castle which was on our way to Glenlivet, so we did that.
The castle is lovely and on a huge 'estate'. The grounds around the castle are lovely too - an enormous front lawn to rival any golf course green and a wonderful rock garden with blooming flowers on the hill up to a woods. We went through the rock garden and found a spot up near the woods overlooking the castle to sit a spell. Bill had a cigar and was quite happy with our time-waster.
We finally went in to tour the castle. It was originally built in 1564 and is still inhabited by the original family. It has been renovated and expanded over the centuries, but it was still quite beautiful and fun to tour. And it wasn't too crowded. There were lots of family photos and portraits throughout the house along with autographed photos of royals. I was especially impressed with the wood paneled dining room with tons of silver bowls, plates.
After the tour we popped into the tea room/gift shop. It wasn't much, but we got an Angus steak sandwich to split. Sandwiches here are really funny - meat or whatever filling and some butter. That's it. So we mainly opened the sandwiches and ate the roast beef that was quite good.
Before we left, we used the toilets which are in a separate building and are "award winning loos". They really were quite lovely with tartan carpet, gold sink fixtures, etc. They also had some amusing cartoon pictures on the wall.
On the way out, we were quite surprised to see some oyster catcher birds (the black and white ones with the large orange bills). One was even sitting on an egg right by the road in the middle of gravel. I got a photo of the egg but mama flew off. I couldn't believe oyster catchers would be as far from water as this castle is, maybe 30 miles from the ocean.
Glenlivet Visitors Center was only about 7 miles away, so we made it there before 2. It is an impressive set-up with a reception area, store/gift shop, cafe, and a small section of exhibits. The free 45 minute tour left at 2:10. I got on that with 20 other people. It wasn't a bad tour, but I already knew all I wanted to about Scotch production. The cask storage area was the most impressive to me.
At the end of the tour we could taste one Glenlivet product. I chose the Nadurra because Bill has never bought any of that. I am NOT a Scotch lover, and I came to find that the Nadurra was 124 proof, and I choked on the tiny sip I took. After my tour, I had another hour and a half to kill before Bill's deluxe tour finished. I looked in the gift shop and went to the cafe and got a latte.
Bill's tour ended at 4:30 and then he bought a "fill your own bottle". He got to pump it from a cask, cork it, seal it, and then fill out his label, fill out a form (the bottle actually had a bottle number) and then pay the $100 for it! He was thrilled.
We got back to Grantown-on-Spey at 5:30 and went to the Craig Bar for the only thing they serve: booze and "pies and chips". Our B&B host, Tom, was at the bar with his dog Mollie. We chatted for a bit before he walked back to the B&B. The owner's son, Robbie, is quite the character. Tom had warned us about him last night. We both found him entertaining. The language in the bar was quite colorful from all the oldies who seem to make this their "Cheers" bar. I heard the f-bomb a few times and some name calling including "fagot". It was all in good food, and so very British.
I got the mushroom/asparagus pie and Bill got the chicken/ham hock/leeks/cheddar pie. There were about 9 different pies to choose from. They were good but simple bar food pies.
We made it back to the B&B at 6:30 which is about as early as we have gotten home this trip. After Tom and Francoise had dinner at 8, they invited us to their living area for a chat. Bill had a "wee bit" of Scotch with Tom before we all called it quits at 9:45.
As usual it was a cold (high of about 50), windy, rainy/sunny day. It rains for half an hour, then the sun peeks through for half an hour, and the cycle repeats all day. As long as we have a bit of sun during the day, I am happy.
Day 14 - Monday 6/8/15 – Grantown on Spey, Caringorm
Mountain
 |
| View from the base at Caringorm Mountain |
It was a typical day for us in Scotland - rain/shine/rain/shine, but we always
managed to get some sun. We were the only guests last night at Ardconnel,
so Tom sat and chatted with us over breakfast. After we got served,
Francoise came in to say goodbye and went off to work. They were lovely
hosts!
We got organized and left about 9:30 for our daily adventures. It was a
little rainy, but we had hopes it would clear up at some point, so off we went
to Caringorm Mountain. Last night as I was checking the weather for the
mountain, I saw where the funicular was closed for annual maintenance from Jun
7-12!!! Bummer!!!!! However, it wasn't all bad since I knew the
drive up there would be awesome.
We drove about 12 miles to the Loch Garten RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) Osprey Center. It was on the way and only $5 each, so we thought it might be fun. They have a viewing area focused on an osprey nest. There were a ton of birders in the center along with several rangers explaining who the birds are, why they are there, etc. Ospreys became extinct in Scotland the first half of the 1900s, and returned in 1954 to this area. So there is a great deal of interest in osprey here. It was fun watching the people almost as much as watching the birds. They have a live nest camera that we can watch inside the viewing area. We spent about an hour here.
The drive up to the base of Cairngorm Mtn was gorgeous. We stopped at a parking area overlooking Loch Morich and Cairngorm up high. It was a little cloudy but not raining. I got out to take some photos when a mallard couple waddled up. I am sure they were looking for food. I ignored them, so they went around to Bill's side of the car, and the male even started pecking at the car door. So Bill got out and had a stare down with the male. They only went away when another car parked a ways down. A pretty merganser duck swam by with a gaggle of babies swimming out along behind her.
The car park at the base of Cairngorm Mtn was huge since it is a big ski area, but it was mostly empty today without snow or funicular. We had lunch in the cafe and both got the special - a bbq shredded beef sandwich that was huge. It came on a lovely bun with cheese, greens, tomato, pickle. We should have gotten one to share since it came with the usual huge portion of chips (fries). I got a latte, and Bill got his last Irn Bru.
At the base center, they have a beautiful rock garden showing some of the plants in the area and a camera obscura which I had never seen before. The views from here were incredible. I took a 360 video and even that doesn't compare to what we saw. I was slightly disappointed that the funicular was down, but the view from the base was great.
We drove back to Grantown on Spey and came right to the Rossmor B&B next door to Ardconnel where we spent last night. Tom had hauled our suitcases over for us, and they were waiting in our room. Tom had to go to Edinburgh today, so he made arrangements for us to sleep here tonight at Karen and Neil's B&B. They are all friends so it worked out fine.
Poor Neil lugged both our almost 50 pound suitcases up to the 3rd floor where our room is. It is a lovely room (except for the climb) and Karen and Neil (probably in their early 40s) are really nice people. It was 4pm when we arrived, and it is just so nice to just relax. We did not even go out for dinner since we have eaten well already today.
Tomorrow is our last day touring. We will head to Edinburgh (136miles, 4 hours driving) with a stop at Balmoral Castle. We have a room at the Holiday Inn Express at the airport. It will be interesting when we turn the car in with pieces missing. We did recover the wheel cover, but we are minus two tires.
We drove about 12 miles to the Loch Garten RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) Osprey Center. It was on the way and only $5 each, so we thought it might be fun. They have a viewing area focused on an osprey nest. There were a ton of birders in the center along with several rangers explaining who the birds are, why they are there, etc. Ospreys became extinct in Scotland the first half of the 1900s, and returned in 1954 to this area. So there is a great deal of interest in osprey here. It was fun watching the people almost as much as watching the birds. They have a live nest camera that we can watch inside the viewing area. We spent about an hour here.
The drive up to the base of Cairngorm Mtn was gorgeous. We stopped at a parking area overlooking Loch Morich and Cairngorm up high. It was a little cloudy but not raining. I got out to take some photos when a mallard couple waddled up. I am sure they were looking for food. I ignored them, so they went around to Bill's side of the car, and the male even started pecking at the car door. So Bill got out and had a stare down with the male. They only went away when another car parked a ways down. A pretty merganser duck swam by with a gaggle of babies swimming out along behind her.
The car park at the base of Cairngorm Mtn was huge since it is a big ski area, but it was mostly empty today without snow or funicular. We had lunch in the cafe and both got the special - a bbq shredded beef sandwich that was huge. It came on a lovely bun with cheese, greens, tomato, pickle. We should have gotten one to share since it came with the usual huge portion of chips (fries). I got a latte, and Bill got his last Irn Bru.
At the base center, they have a beautiful rock garden showing some of the plants in the area and a camera obscura which I had never seen before. The views from here were incredible. I took a 360 video and even that doesn't compare to what we saw. I was slightly disappointed that the funicular was down, but the view from the base was great.
We drove back to Grantown on Spey and came right to the Rossmor B&B next door to Ardconnel where we spent last night. Tom had hauled our suitcases over for us, and they were waiting in our room. Tom had to go to Edinburgh today, so he made arrangements for us to sleep here tonight at Karen and Neil's B&B. They are all friends so it worked out fine.
Poor Neil lugged both our almost 50 pound suitcases up to the 3rd floor where our room is. It is a lovely room (except for the climb) and Karen and Neil (probably in their early 40s) are really nice people. It was 4pm when we arrived, and it is just so nice to just relax. We did not even go out for dinner since we have eaten well already today.
Tomorrow is our last day touring. We will head to Edinburgh (136miles, 4 hours driving) with a stop at Balmoral Castle. We have a room at the Holiday Inn Express at the airport. It will be interesting when we turn the car in with pieces missing. We did recover the wheel cover, but we are minus two tires.
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