Category: Scotland

November 29th, 2015

11/29/2015

Edinburgh, Scotland to Alicante, Spain

We arrive at Edinburgh International Airport four hours early since our friends Merida and Fergus have a flight that leaves earlier than ours. We breeze through security then occupy our time eating breakfast and wandering through the duty free shops.

We are flying Ryan Air, a lower cost pay-as-you-go airline to Alicante, Spain. Want to check bags? If you pay online in advance it costs less than at the airport. Want a specific seat? Then go online and choose your seat in advance (credit card in hand) otherwise you are assigned a seat at random upon check-in. Want a soda (or any other beverage or snack)? Be prepared with cash or a chip plus pin credit card when the flight attendant comes through the aisle. Our one way fares went from $75 to $130 due to the baggage and seating choice (which also provided priority boarding), but was still less expensive than full service carriers AND the flight is direct to Alicante International Airport.

The plane is loaded based upon the way people have queued in two lines. The priority line boards first. Once we are all settled into our seats the captain comes on with an announcement. The French Air Traffic Controllers are striking today. He will push back, leave the doors open, but we have an approximate two hour delay. A groan goes through the cabin. William and I think back to our honeymoon years ago when the French Air Traffic Controllers went on strike, only we were in the old Athens airport which had only stone benches and no restaurants. In that case it turned out to be 12 hours - the airline even brought in busses to take our plane of travelers to a restaurant after we had been in the terminal for 6 hours.

But, today we a very lucky. 10 minutes later the captain asks everyone to very quickly return to their seats and make sure they seat belts are buckled. We have a short window in which we can take off if ready. 15 minutes after that we are airborne!

When we left Edinburgh the temperature was 11C (50F). It is 25C (77F) when we arrive. The landscape has changed from green hills to semi-arid low mountains and valleys. A 20 minute taxi ride, some of it skirting along the Mediterranean Sea, brings us to the flat we have rented for the next two weeks.

When in Scotland, One Must Whisky

10/30/2015

The genesis for our trip was the idea of a whisky tour of Scotland with friends. At initial conception it would have been reasonable to think of 10 days with 15 distillery tours and a couple of castles thrown in. Over the course of planning it occurred to us that the sights and sounds of Scotland could be experienced along with tasting some of it's 100's of whisky's.

We find the price of whisky in the pubs and restaurants to be quite reasonable - with low prices at £3.50 for a shot of 10 year old single malts to £10 for 18-21 year olds. Most 15 year whisky's are £5 ($7.60 USD). Of course, more can be spent on unique brands and longer aged malts. This compares to the outrageous $30 William paid for Oban 15 year in a casino in Las Vegas and the typical $15 at a bar in Chicago.

In the course of our travels on this trip William and I have tried 12-15 single malt whisky's. Oban was our joint favorite whisky prior to the trip, admittedly slightly influenced by our previous good experience at the distillery. It was there a couple of years ago that we learned that most Scottish distilleries have been purchased by a handful of conglomerates, most with the foresight to consolidate back-office functions but allow the distinctive age-old production to continue largely unchanged.

Along our trip we found that William can enjoy a stronger peaty flavor (such as Laphroaig or Caol Ila) and Anne can enjoy a sweeter taste (such as Belvenie Double Wood). But there are several (in addition to Oban) which we both enjoy, including Springbank and Dalwhinnie 15 year.

Saturday to Church and a Museum

10/30/2015

On a crisp Saturday morning I take a short walk around the Old Town while William catches up on e-mail. Fergus and Merida are also out; hiking to Calton Hill then strolling down Princess Street and exploring the New Town. My walk gives me an opportunity to take photo's including close-ups of the Scott Memorial, the narrow stair filled alleyways (the Scot term for alleyway is "close") off the Royal Mile as well as the street entertainment, both friend and fowl.

William and I start out at the Adam Smith monument then walk the half-block to St. Giles Cathedral. On the top of this impressive building is the lantern tower, which was built in the 1490's. Inside we are treated to an incredible Presbyterian cathedral. As we depart we see that a true Scottish bagpiper is positioned outside in preparation for the upcoming service.

We join up with Fergus and Merida to visit the National Museum of Scotland. The museum is free and explores world cultures, the natural world and Scotland's story. We make time part of the way through the museum to go across the street to Greyfriars Pub for a filling lunch. Then back to the museum to attend a special exhibition - Photography: A Victorian Sensation. It lays out the early pioneers and their accomplishments including Louis Daguerre of France, William Henry Fox Talbot of England and George Eastman of the US, the founder of Kodak. There are over 1,500 early photographs. It is interesting to see the evolution of photography since the 1800's and humorous to compare the early photographic processes to today's instant digital world.

This evening the four of us walk up the Royal Mile to the Edinburgh Castle then down again to enjoy dinner at Decon Brodie's. The tavern is named after William Brodie, one of the inspirations for Robert Louis Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde. Born in 1741 Brodie was a deacon of the Guild of Wrights. By day, he was a respectable citizen, a member of the town council but by night, he consorted with lowlife; gambling and drinking. His dark side meant he had to take to burglary to pay his gambling debts, leading to his hanging in 1788.

We close out the night relatively early (certainly before midnight) in preparation or our 6:30 am taxi to airport.

Friday in Edinburgh

10/29/2015

Friday after hot showers and a relaxed breakfast in the apartment we board the Hop-on Hop-Off Bus which stops directly across from our apartment. The live tour guide gives us a wondrous overview of the Old Town and New Town of Edinburgh. We see Edinburgh Castle, the Scott Memorial, New Town, Calton Hill with the Nelson Monument in the shape of an upside-down telescope, Arthur's Seat and may other sites of interest.

We do the full loop then stay on the bus until it drops us off at Hollyrood Palace, the official residence of the Queen in Scotland. Photo's are not allowed within the Palace, but we are able to catch a few photographs of the exterior and of the ruins of the 12th Century Hollyrood Abby.

We have a very late lunch at a pub near the Palace on the Royal Mile and do a little shopping on the way back to the apartment for a short rest.

We bought tickets for a Ghost Tour, which starts at 7 pm close to St. Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile. Our tour guide is in appropriate make-up and costume. We walk around St. Giles learning of John Knox then the 20 of us on the tour walk at a brisk pace to the Greyfriers Kirk and Cemetary. After several stops with goulish tales we walk the seven blocks to the area under the bridges. The guide opens a door between some shops and escorts is downstairs to a dark and hot area where more scary stories are told. He is very entertaining.

Travel to Edinburgh

10/29/2015

We arranged with the proprietor of the B&B for an 8:30 breakfast on Thursday morning. We sit down to a full Scottish breakfast with proper tea and coffee. It is quite tasty and filling. This morning the proprietor is in a bright, talkative mood and the conversation turns to health care systems and then nutrition. Soon she finds a kindred soul in William as they discuss natural alternatives to medications. She definitely has lost the cool attitude toward us. After we check out her husband pleasantly surprises us and announces that they will drive us to the train station. We pile our bags into their two cars and 10 minutes later we are at the ScotRail station.

The train takes us largely along the coast with some wonderful views. I am amazed how close some the oil drilling platforms are to the shore. During the quiet times we are entertained by 2 year old George, who is seated in front of us with his mother.

We arrive at Edinburgh's Waverley Station mid-afternoon and catch a taxi to the apartment. It is amazing how the cabbie fits the six pieces of luggage, two backpacks and four of us into the traditional English cab. The apartment we have rented is directly on the Royal Mile approximately 5 blocks from Edinburgh Castle. The front door to the building is in an ally between a Harris Tweed store and a store specializing in cashmere. Access to the apartment is via a circular stone stairway. We develop a human chain to move the luggage up to the 1st floor where the apartment is located. The front windows allow us to watch the tourists below and across the street. It is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with a nice sitting room and a small galley kitchen. Fergus and Merida are gracious and give us the bedroom in the back of the apartment with the ensuite.

We do some exploring of the extended neighborhood and find a Sainsbury for provisions for breakfasts and snacking. We dine this evening a few blocks down the Royal Mile at the Whiski Bar which has good pub fare. For dessert William and I decide to share a flight of whisky's. It seems only appropriate given the name of the pub.

Dunnotar Castle

10/29/2015

We relax for 30 minutes and then dash down the stairs to the taxi Fergus has arranged to take us to Dunnotar Castle. The castle is on an outcrop of land jutting off a bay on the North Sea. During the Scottish Wars of Independence the Scottish Crown Jewels were supposed to be hidden here. The castle was conquered by the famous William Wallace in 1297.

To get to the castle there is a fairly long staircase down followed by (of course) a stairway up. The afternoon sun is smiling upon us and there are blue skies as we make our way through the buildings and rooms of the castle. There's even a section reported to be haunted. The castle is definitely worth the admission price of 6£. In the distance we see the Stonehaven War Memorial. Surrounding the castle are fields of recently harvested hay. On a day like today it is hard to imagine a more beautiful place to farm.

That evening we stop by a nearby pub which has been recommended. We start with a few local pints. Reading through the menu we find surprising upscale touches on local dishes so we decide to stay awaiting the dinner hour. The food is fantastic.

After a stroll around the harbor William and I decide to end the day with a wee dram at a local bar/restaurant which claims to have 50 whisky's. It is a fun filled bar and true to it's word has an incredible array of whisky.

Stonehaven

10/29/2015

The next stop on our Scottish adventure is Stonehaven. It lies in Aberdeenshire along the northeast coast. The town was essentially an old fishing village along the North Sea, but it has grown to have a population of approximately 12,000.

Once again we take ScotRail to our destination, this time changing trains in Aberdeen. The train isn't luxurious, but it is clean, reasonably comfortable and a decent price. When we arrive at the Victorian Stonehaven station we ask the ticket attendant for suggestions on how to reach Twenty-four Shorehead, the B&B we have booked for the night. He describes a "short walk" all downhill to the marina which the B&B faces. There's also a comment about calling a taxi if we want, with numbers listed in front of the station. The four of us pull our wheeled bags outside and stand around debating our approach for 10 minutes. While Fergus is off looking at the signs regarding taxi's the three us us decide what the heck - we'll just walk it. After all, it is all a "short walk" and all downhill.

Fergus catches up. We are quite the sight - four tourists walking single file two with backpacks and all dragging our bags behind us. At one point we stop to rest and discuss directions when a local woman comes out of her charming stone home. She offers to help and tells us to take the road that T's in front of her home, follow it as it curves down to the harbor then take a right. Sounds simple enough, and it is, but the walk is not something none of us would call "short". It turns out to be somewhere between 1 1/2 and 2 miles when we finally arrive at Twenty-four Shorehead, the building furthest along the harbor around 2 pm.

Fergus rings the bell of the B&B. No answer. He tries again. No answer. A few minutes later the proprietor opens the door and says she wasn't expecting us until later. Check-in begins at 5 pm. We start to ask about her storing our bags and she says the rooms are mostly ready. Her attitude toward us is cool, and she is especially not fond of me as I start to drag my roller suitcase up the stairs. She admonishes us to have two people carry it - one in front and one in the back. The stairs and stairway are narrow and it is a challenging feat not to scrape the walls or carpet with the bag while simultaneously not falling. At last we reach the top floor and are treated to a delightful room which is tastefully decorated and smells incredibly fresh and clean ... without the cleaning product smell. The window is open and just beyond we see the boats bobbing in the harbor.

Clava Cairns and Culloden Battlefield

10/28/2015

By Tuesday William's cold is bothering him and he needs some down time, so Fergus, Merida and I leave him at Hotel Columba for a morning of exploring Clava Cairns and Culloden on our own.

John Alasdair Macdonald provided an excellent suggestion - take a taxi to the Cairns, have the driver wait while we explore, then have the driver drop us off at Culloden which is perhaps 15 minutes away. We chat with the taxi driver along the way and learn that he is originally from Poland and has been living in Inverness for over 5 years. His wife is working on a master's degree and his oldest son is pursuing a bachelor's degree at the local college.

Clava Cairns has three well-preserved ancient burial cairns, each enclosed with stone circles. It is believed they were built approximately 4,000 years ago. There is an unusual quiet as we walk around the cairns and the stones in the mid-morning sun. The cairns are part of the inspiration for the Outlander series, which I have to admit I have not read. I know, I know... sometimes I am so out of synch with the rest of the world!

Culloden Battlefield is where in 1745 the Jacobites had their famous battle against the British forces lead by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. It is believed that over 1,500 Jacobites were killed either directly in the battle or in the subsequent days of "no mercy". We are lucky to arrive at the museum 30 minutes prior to a tour of the battlefield by one of the staff archeologists. This gives us sufficient time to walk through the museum and learn the perspectives of both sides, then join the battlefield tour. The archeologist is both informative and enthusiastic as she walks us through the field and explains the background leading up the the battle as well as the events of the day and days following.

After the tour and walking through the monuments on our own, we take up the task of figuring how to get back to Inverness. John had advised us that there is a local bus, so Fergus inquires at the admissions desk. He is informed it will arrive in 20 minutes. We take a quick stroll through the gift shop then go stand at what appears to be the bus stop. We try to read the schedule posted on the light pole, but it makes no sense to us. The bus is 5 minutes late, then 10 minutes late, then 12 minutes late. Just as we are beginning to think about going back to the museum for suggestions on taxi's the bus arrives. Almost an hour later we depart the bus at a stop in Inverness city center - just six blocks from our hotel.

We meet up with William at Hotel Columba then try to find a place open for a late lunch. After several stops and inquiries we find that Hootenanny's is serving for another 30 minutes, so we decide to give it a try.

A Day to be Long Remembered

10/28/2015

Several months ago we researched day trips from Inverness and Fergus, Merida, William and I agreed that a trip to the Island of Skye sounded very interesting. After a few online searches and e-mails we booked John Alasdair Macdonald, a.k.a. The Hebridean Explorer. At 8:30 in the morning John picks us up at the Columba hotel in his seven passenger SUV. He quickly reviews the plans for the day and graciously makes a slight adjustment so that we can also stop by a whisky distillery on Skye.

As we begin chatting we learn that John has a quick wit and vast knowledge of the area and the history of Scotland. He claims he arranged for the rainbows ahead of us with a fun Scottish accent and twinkle in his eyes. Of course we all smile. John drives us south along Loch Ness passing by Urquart Castle then turns west. We travel along through Glen Moriston on the way to Glen Shiel and the Five Sisters of Kintail mountains. We stop for photo's and have a brilliant time. The scenery is beautiful.... but it is just the start!

Shortly John takes us on some back roads to give us a view of Eilean Donan Castle in the distance. 15 minutes later we are at the castle. We delight for 60 minutes walking through the castle and staring out at the views. We happen to be there on a day when local musicians are making a promotion video, which adds wonderful music and added excitement to the experience.

Then we are back in the SUV. John fills us in on more Scottish history as he drives us toward and over the bridge to Skye. The landscape brings a certain intensity - with the lack of any significant trees and the Red Hills then the Black Cuillin Mountains. We stop near an old bridge at Sligachan for views of the mountains.

We wanted to see the Talisker Distillery, the only distillery on Skye, and John takes a detour to bring us to the small town of Carbost. Needless to say, Talisker is a big draw in a very small town, but the scenery is equal in our opinion.

We arrive in Portree, the main city on the Isle of Skye. It is a wonderful fishing village which is perhaps three square blocks plus the buildings along the harbor. We enjoy a late lunch at the pub - local, fresh fare. After a quick stroll we are back in the SUV and headed back to Inverness. We discuss our plan for the next few days and John gives us tips on places to eat and good approaches for seeing the sights. We stop for a couple of photo's along the drive and at 6:30pm John is dropping us off in front of Columba Hotel.

This will be a day all of us remember for a very long time.

Laundry on the Road

10/25/2015

One of the challenges of traveling an extended period of time is figuring out laundry. I can always rinse a few things in the wash basin, but in humid climates even the quick dry clothing may not dry before we need to move on. In addition, many bathrooms/showers are not designed to be conducive to hanging clothing to drip-dry. Most hotels provide a dry cleaning/laundry service, but it is often very expensive. When we rent apartments they often include a washer and occasionally a dryer, which makes life much more simple.

I inquire about laundry at Hotel Columba and the smiling front desk clerk provides me with a form. Slacks cost £8 each, shirts are £6 and socks and underwear are £1. We have a weeks worth of laundry! The front desk clerk also mentions that there is a self-serve laundry a couple of blocks away if I want to sit and do the laundry myself. Neither the cost of the hotel service or sitting In a self-serve laundry for a couple of hours is very appealing. In addition tomorrow is a Bank Holiday (who knows what will be open) and we have booked a tour from 8:30am to 6:30pm.

On Sunday evening we take an exploratory walk to find the self-serve laundry. It is closed and the sign says the hours are 8 - 6. I notice that some of the signage says laundry service. I decide to break our laundry into a bag of "must haves" which is enough to get us to the Edinburgh apartment with a washer and a second bag of everything else. I prepare the hotel laundry slip for the "must haves." The cost will be £38 . If I add in the second bag it would be a total of £52 ($80 USD).

Monday morning at exactly 8 am we arrive at the self-serve laundry with the two bags. I am happy it is a) open and b) there is a woman attendant. I inquire if she performs a wash and fold service and smile broadly when she says yes and it will be ready before 6 pm. We hand her the two bags and explain that we will be a back Tuesday morning to pick it up. The woman talks a bit about the cost of laundry in the hotels and laughs that people are better off buying new socks than having them laundered by hotels.

Tuesday morning right after 8 am we are at the self- serve laundry. The woman greets us and hands us two bags of freshly cleaned and folded clothes. Total cost is £14.40 ($22.16 USD). What an incredible savings over the hotel rate, and I didn't have to sit in a laundromat for hours!

<<Previous

November 29th, 2015

Edinburgh, Scotland to Alicante, Spain

When in Scotland, One Must Whisky

Saturday to Church and a Museum

Friday in Edinburgh

Travel to Edinburgh

Dunnotar Castle

Stonehaven

Clava Cairns and Culloden Battlefield

A Day to be Long Remembered

Laundry on the Road

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