Day 7 - Monday 6/1/15 – Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness, Highland Coos

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

Barb on the Harry Potter (The Jacobite) 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.

Day 9 - Wednesday 6/3/15 – Fort William to Dornie, Eilean Donan Castle

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.