Day 17, September 26, Friday, Inverness, Scotland

After a nice breakfast we checked out of our hotel and caught the bus to the airport right across from the hotel.  When we arrived at the airport to pick up our rental car things went downhill.  After a long walk to the car rental center which had 8 different rental companies but not ours, Arnold Clark.  We got directions which had us walk back to the terminal but that turned out to be bad info.  We walked back to the car rental center and into a parking lot and finally found our shuttle bus ride.  Then when we got to Arnold Clark there was a line of 30 people out the door and only one employee inside.  It took us 2 hours to get our car. This made for an especially difficult day as we had a long drive to our next hotel in Inverness.  We stopped in Stonehaven at the Old Pier Coffee House for a late lunch.  Then we visited Dunnottar Castle. A beautiful castle ruins perched on top of a 160 foot rock surrounded on three sides by the North Sea.  Given our late arrival due to the car rental delay, we did not go into the castle.  We also did not visit the Huntley Castle which was in our plans.  Four miles out from Inverness our car’s map screen went dark and would not come back on and my phone would only provide written directions not the map since it thought the map was on the car screen.   We managed to find the Inverness Palace Hotel and checked in at 6:40 pm. After being turned away at a Chinese restaurant, we visited Tesco Supermarket (a 3 minute walk from our hotel) and purchased items for a light dinner and for future lunches.  Not the best of days. 

Day 18, September 27, Saturday, Inverness, Scotland

For the first time on this trip I did not set the alarm clock.  Nevertheless, our noisy neighbors made sure no one would be sleeping in.  Our first stop was the Culloden Battleground, a National Trust for Scotland property.  We spent time in the museum and then had a guided tour of the battlefield.  Our tour guide, Rebekah, did a great job explaining the history of the 60 year civil war that ended in the battle of Culloden with the British defeating Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites.  Next we visited the Cawdor Castle and Gardens.  This castle was built 1370-1372 and the family has resided there ever since.  The castle even has a drawbridge at the entrance.  The audio tour was well done describing the rooms of the castle as well as the family’s history there.  A beautiful castle and gardens.  Next we visited the Clava Cairns historic landmark dating from the Bronze age, about 2000 BCE.  The circular chamber tombs are surrounded with standing stones which mark the midwinter solstice.  We had dinner at the Number 27 Bar & Grill in Inverness. We had a starter of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties.  Everyone knows about haggis but neeps are smashed turnips or rutabegas while tatties are potatoes.  It came with a honey and whisky sauce and was fantastic.  Even Rosemary enjoyed it so I only got to eat half.  My main dinner was local mussels in a creamy white wine sauce and Rosemary had the Traditional Cullen Skink which is a thick Scottish soup of smoked haddock, potatoes and shallots in a creamy base.  The mussels and skink were also fantastic.  And after Rosemary got full, I got to finish the skink!  A great dinner and a slower paced fun day.

Day 19, September 28, Sunday, Inverness, Scotland

Today we visited the Dunrobin Castle, about an hour and a half north of Inverness.  This will be the furthest north on our trip.  It is the most northerly of the Scotland’s great houses and is the home of the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland.  It is also the largest of the Highlands and has 189 rooms.  The castle resembles a French chateau and has been inhabited since the 1300's.  The inside was as spectacular as the outside with beautiful gardens and views of the North Sea.  We spent a good 2 and a half hours there.  Then we went on the Big Burn Walk in the town of Golspie.  The hike along a forested gorge to a waterfall took us about an hour.  Next we visited the Dornoch Beach. A local Scot told us not to miss this sandy beach which he compared to Florida’s beaches.  It was a nice sandy beach but the water temp kept everyone out of the water except for 2 kids playing on some rocks.  On the way back to Inverness we stopped at the Chanonry Point which has a lighthouse and a view of Moray Firth.  Dinner at Nar Mediterranean Restaurant.  I ordered a lamb dish that although photographed well, the lamb was very tough and I sent it back.  The next dinner I ordered never came.  Rosemary had a different lamb dish which was not as tough and a large portion enough for the two of us.  Dinner left us room for gelato at Miele’s Gelateria.  A stop at Hootananny’s to listen to some music concluded another fun and sunny day.

 

Chanonry Point

Day 20, September 29, Monday, Inverness, Scotland

Today we drove to Dufftown, about an hour and a half from Inverness, to attend two tours that I booked in June.  First was an 11:00 guided tour of Speyside Cooperage.  Our guide, Gary, a former cooper, did a great job explaining the history and process of the cooperage.  They have 9 coopers that we watched do their work.  Although not one we watched, one of the coopers from here is the world record holder for assembling a barrel in just over 3 minutes.  The Cooperage although not a distiller does have a 10 year old single malt made to its specifications in its barrels which we sampled at the end of the tour.  Next was our 2:00 guided tour of the Balvenie Distillery.  Balvenie is my favorite scotch and is owned by Wm. Grants & Sons who also owns Glenfiddich Distillery which I visited in 1979 and is right next door.  Our guide Brian was very entertaining and the tour lasted two and a half hours.  Balvenie controls the entire process of the whisky including having its own cooperage.  It even malts it own barley which very few distilleries still do.  During the visit to the cask storage, there were two casks that we were offered a samples from.  One cask was American Oak and the other a European Oak  Sherry cask. Brian took a draw of the American Oak cask and told us to cup our hands.  He then poured the whisky into our hands and we stuck our faces into our hands to taste.  He then did the same with the other cask.  Both samples burned causing coughs.  Of course sticking your face including your nose into the whisky can lead to a cough.  What Brian did not tells us until after the tasting that the first cask was 117 proof and the second was 122 proof.  The tour was followed by a tasting of 5 different whiskies which were selected by Brian.  He chose some high end whiskies including a 25 year old which sells for 660 pounds or $886.00.  To my surprise, when we arrived, they asked if I was driving.  Drivers are not allowed to drink the samples so they provided 5 small labeled bottles and a tiny funnel to bottle my samples together with a nice little case for the 5 bottles.  For those thinking I did not have samples, not so fast.  I sipped Rosemary’s samples and we asked for another 5 bottles to use for Rosemary’s samples that we did not consume at that time.  We finally finished our Balvenie tour at 5:00 and drove the one mile into Dufftown City Center and ate dinner at Spice of India.  We had Chicken Tikka Bahar with spinach, almonds and cheese in fresh cream and the Rajshie, chicken tikka marinated in spices, mango and coconut cream sauce.  A delicious meal capped off a fantastic day!

 

 

 

 

Day 21, September 30, Tuesday, Portree, Scotland

After 4 nights we departed Inverness. Our drive was along the west bank of the Loch Ness.  Our first stop was at the Urquhart Castle.  This is a lovely and large castle ruins right on the shore of Loch Ness.  A short film tells the history of the castle.  This spot first occupied by the Picts at least as of 580 AD.  The castle dates from the 1200's. It changed hands several times between the British Government and the Scots and/or Jacobites.  It was an important location controlling the river passage.  The Government finally left it in 1692 and blew it up so it could never be used as a military stronghold again.  Our next stop was to the Eilean Donan Castle.  This was a ruin but partially restored from 1912 to 1932.  It is located at the intersection of three sea lochs.  The descriptions of the  castle we read prior to our visit were overstated as the interior was like a boring antique shop.  I would recommend just the exterior walk around the castle and skip the interior.  We continued on to the Isle of Skye and drove by the Broadford Hotel which claims to be the original home of Drambuie.  We arrived in Portree and checked into the Marmalade Hotel.  We had dinner at Cuchillin Restaurant with the Lopers who happen to be staying at our same hotel tonight on their Scotland trip.  I had the mussel starter and we shared the seafood of the day - trout on butternut risotto.  Dinner was good.  Weather not so much as we got rain and fog as we entered the Isle of Skye.

Eilean Donan Castle

Day 22, October 1, Wednesday, Portree, Scotland

Today on our first full day in the Isle of Skye, we visited the Trotternish Peninsula.  Our first stop was to the Bride’s Veil Falls.  It was raining and very windy so a quick photo and we got back in the car.  Our second stop was to Old Man of Storr.  This would have been a 2 hour hike to view a 160 foot tall basalt rock standing alone but the weather was miserable - raining, windy and very poor visibility so we declined and got back in the car.  The third stop was to the Lealt Gorge which had two powerful waterfalls.  At first the rain and wind continued but while we were there the sun came out forming a rainbow.  So we hiked around the gorge carefully since the wet conditions and the strong wind persisted.  Next we went to the An Corran Beach to look for dinosaur footprints since it was low tide.  Many others were also looking but no one found them.  Made me wonder if the alleged dinosaur footprints were merely marketing.  Next we went to the Kilt Rock. A 200 foot sea cliff with a waterfall and while we were there, another rainbow.  Next stop was the Quiraing where we hiked at high altitude but the rain and wind returned and visibility was poor again.  No rainbows here.  Next we headed to the Fairy Glen an area of ruffled conical hills called fairy towers.  This was an enjoyable hike with light rain on and off but very strong wind making it difficult to hold still to take a photo or to not fall off a cliff.  We returned to Portree and had a pizza and salad dinner at the Caberfeidh Bar & Restaurant.  A stroll around town concluded a packed and fun day.

Bride Veil Falls

Lealt Gorge

Corran Beach

Kilt Rock

Quiraing 

The Fairy Glen

Day 23, October 2, Thursday, Portree, Scotland

Our first stop today is the Dunvegan Castle.  This was the home of the McCleod Clan.  Built over several periods beginning in the 1200's.  The waterside revealed many seals sunning themselves on the land, if only there was sun.  There was not.  The castle has several gardens which includes two waterfalls.  Our next stop was Neist Point which had a lighthouse on the very tip of the western most peninsula.  It was a 30 minute hike on a paved walkway after descending many stairs.  It offers fantastic views if it is a sunny day.  It was not.  It was raining and the wind was making the rain go sideways and stinging our faces.  We almost got to the lighthouse when headed on a slight downslope, with my hiking shoes on, my left foot slid and down I went.  I would have been ok but my right shoe decided to stay firmly planted.  The bending of my ankle reminded me of times watching a football game with a player injury that one knew the body part was not supposed to go in that direction.  After the initial pain subsided, I was helped up by other visitors.  I was able to walk slowly and we headed back to the car and to the hotel.  By the time we got to the hotel, it was pretty swollen so Advil and ice the rest of the day.  Dinner in our Marmalade Hotel was Chicken Supreme with cauliflower au gratin and Rosemary had the cod with broccoli.  The dinner was delicious and Rosemary said this was the best fish she has had on the trip and I think the same of my chicken.  Hopefully I can walk tomorrow but our hiking plans have been changed.

Dunvegan Castle

Neist Point

Day 24, October 3, Friday, Loch Lochy, Scotland

Today’s plan got entirely overruled.  Our 2:45 pm ferry which would have allowed us the morning to visit the Fairy Pools got changed to 12:30 due to bad weather expected later in the afternoon.  We were told to arrive by 12:05.  So after a leisurely breakfast we checked out and drove to the ferry arriving just after 12:00.  The ferry ride was about 30 minutes and was relatively smooth.  We planned a stop and hike to the Glenfinnan Monument and Viaduct (made famous in the Harry Potter movies) but the weather was miserable and given my swollen ankle and foot we decided to pass.  On the way to our next hotel, we went through Fort Williams and decided to stop at its hospital to check out my ankle.  We were directed to the emergency room where a very friendly nurse practitioner, Eilidh (pronounced “ay-lee”), examined my ankle and foot X-rays were negative for fractures and the diagnosis was a sprain.  We were provided with some ice packs and a tubee (a medical wrap) and she wrapped my ankle and foot.  We checked into the Whispering Pine Hotel about 6 pm just in time for Storm Amy, remnants from two tropical storms in the Atlantic.  The hotel is on Loch Lochy and the very strong winds made whitecaps on the loch. While at the hotel for dinner the hotel lost power for a few minutes.  My dinner was butter chicken for me and Rosemary had the chicken stir fry, both of which were quite good.  After dinner we discovered the power failure took out the hotel boiler system and internet.  By the time I got to shower, there was no hot water.  It almost felt as cold as if I was outside but fortunately, no wind.

Day 25, October 4, Saturday, Loch Lomond, Scotland

We departed Whispering Pine Hotel only to find the impact of Storm Amy all over the roadways.  Most of the roadways are very narrow, barely two lane roads lined with trees/brush. Fallen trees/branches partially blocked many of the roads causing them to become one lane roads. Our first destination was the Inveraray Castle, made famous as the Downtown Abbey residence. The  route to the castle was a very mountainous area which afforded beautiful views even in the foggy rainy weather.  We stopped at a gushing waterfall for some photos.  As we got close to the castle we came upon a roadblock due to both lanes of traffic being blocked by fallen trees.  Fortunately, there was a crew already at work cutting and removing the trees. As we arrived at the castle entrance, we found that the entrance gate was closed.  We parked nearby and asked some locals if the castle was open to which we were told yes.  We walked the 600 meters to the castle which we found out was closed. The closure was likely due to the storm. Got some good photos of the outside of the castle, and although we were not the only ones to make the walk, there were no people in the way of our photos.  We continued toward our hotel, Loch Lomond Guesthouse & Lodges, on A83 which is a main roadway (two lanes of course).  We came upon a temporary stop light, of which there are many throughout Scotland when there is construction.  Usually the stop light lasts a minute or two.  However, this one was at an intersection and lasted 15 minutes.  Finally a traffic control officer appeared from a side road with a very long line of cars going the opposite way we were.  Turns out A83 was impassable due to a landslide from the storm.  We eventually were escorted off A83 in a procession along the Old Military Trail through the Ardkinglas Woodland Garden back to a subsequent A83 intersection.  We checked into our hotel and relaxed.  We ate dinner at La Vista Italian where we ordered a lasagne al forno and a margherita pizza.  The pizza came without basil which made it a plain cheese pizza.  We were then told they were out of fresh basil so they removed the charge for the pizza from our bill.  A slower paced day but still a fun day.

Day 26, October 5, Sunday, Edinburgh, Scotland

Today we headed back to Edinburgh but first we had a few stops planned.  First we wanted to see the Doune Castle ruins made famous in Trojan rabbit scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail but it was closed and no view was available.  Next we visited Stirling Castle home to generations of Scottish monarchs and the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots.  The castle was very large with lots of different buildings built at different times including the Great Hall built in 1503.  Then we headed to Falkirk to see the Kelpies, the world’s largest equine sculptures.  Kelpies are malicious, shape-shifting water spirits from Scottish folklore that inhabit rivers and lakes, often appearing as a beautiful or tame horse to lure victims to a watery grave.  The sculptures are huge and impressive.  We passed taking the tour to climb to the top inside the mouth of the Kelpies.  Next was the Falkirk Wheel, the world's only rotating boat lift, connecting the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals, replacing 11 locks.  We saw the wheel but did not see it in action as we were running late getting to our hotel, the Roseate Edinburgh.  We checked in and then walked to the Khukuri Nepalese Restaurant.  We had the traditional steamed dumplings starter “Momo”, then the Durbar Tikka Masala, Saag with chicken and Jeera Rice all washed down with Khukuri Lager.  The meal was very good and we were stuffed.

The Kelpies

Day 27, October 6, Monday, Edinburgh, Scotland

We did not set an alarm and got some extra needed sleep.  After a leisurely breakfast we took the bus to the city center.  A walk along Princes Street and down the Mound for a view of Edinburgh Castle.  We passed the Harry Potter Museum with a long line out the door which did not seem to be moving at all.  We walked West Bow to Victoria Street.  We saw the Greyfriars Bobby Statute and watched crowds of people touching the dog’s nose.  We walked to the South End and the University of Edinburgh.  We walked back to the Royal Mile and all along the street downhill to the end which is Holyroodhouse Palace.  This is one of the Royal family’s Scotland homes.  We did not go inside.  We continued walking back to Princes Street which was uphill and we took a shortcut through the train station which had several escalators to Princes Street.  Then we looked for a gelato place.  We found one a 7 minute walk away.  As we got near it turned out to be inside a huge and beautiful shopping mall on the forth level.  The mall map was no help finding it and we finally found it inside a marketplace and it was closed.  So we decided to go to Black Sheep Coffee which was on the third level.  Again, mall map was no help and we could not find it.  As we were walking away we noticed a door to the outside, on the third level, and found it outside.  The mall is on a hill so the third level on this side was ground level.  We had an almond croissant and Rosemary got her decaf latte and we hung out and rested.  After awhile, we walked to the Chaophraya Thai Restaurant, another Aaron recommendation.  We had the Pad Thai with chicken and the Royal Lamb Massaman with a side if tenderstem broccoli and Singha beer made in Thailand.  The food was fantastic.  This was the best Pad Thai I have ever had and I have had many. The Massaman was also great as was even the broccoli.  After dinner a short walk to the bus stop on Princes Street and back to the hotel.  A very enjoyable and relaxing day despite the 16,000 steps.  My injured ankle seemed to improve the more I walked as long as I kept it level which was a challenge on Edinburgh sidewalks/streets. 

Day 28, October 7, Tuesday, Dublin, Ireland

Travel day.  Returned rental car and flew to Dublin.  Checked into the Clayton Airport Hotel.  

Day 29, October 8, Wednesday, Tampa, Florida

Travel day.  Flights from Dublin to Atlanta and Atlanta to Tampa.  With 2 hour 45 minute scheduled layover we did not expect to make our connecting flight with a 3-1/2 hour delay.  However, second flight also delayed.  Arrived home 8:45 pm after 21 hour travel time.