Tuesday, 6/17:  Highlands, here we come!
We got up early for our taxi ride through the city to EdinburghAirport to pick up our cars.  The taxi drivers had trouble finding the Enterprise office, but eventually we found it.  We were upgraded from the reserved Standard sizes to a minivan and a Standard (later known as the Car from Hell), which worked out fine.  The last week of the trip, one of the cars had to fit me, J, M and D and our luggage, while K and C dropped theirs off and went to wander around London.  There was a problem with my credit card covering the CDW (even if we hadnt been upgraded, it turns out).  The coverage only goes up to $50,000 vehicles, and these were £26,000, so we had to pay an extra £14 a day in insurance. Ouch!  That came to an extra $560 on a $600 rental.  Double ouch!  Warning to intrepid explorers about this!


Roslyn Chapel
I went to the airport itself to find out if I could talk to someone in person regarding my bag, even though it was at GLA (hopefully).  I spoke to the Premier Luggage Courier desk, who sent me to the Flybe ticketing desk, who sent me to the Servisair ticketing desk, who sent me to the Servisair luggage service.  She almost dismissed me instantly, but I convinced her to have a look at the file.  She said the file was closed, as they had delivered the one bag they had (Ds).  She was able to look at the record and left a message for the GLA office, as she got the same maddening recording I did.  She mentioned that since the file was closed the office didnt return my calls very annoying when the file shouldnt have been closed yet!
On the way out of the short term parking lot, the gate stopped working.  While we were waiting for an attendant, there was a car behind us that just kept inching forward closer and closer, while we waved him to go around to the other gate.  He refused to budge, and was therefore blocking anyone else from going around as well.  When we mentioned this to the attendant, he said Well, thats their problem now, isnt it? this kept us laughing (rather hysterically at this point) for quite a bit. 
We searched for gas, as we got the cars with a ¼ tank the first place we went (Sainsburys) had no gas due to a 4 day Shell strike that just ended.  The second place (Shell) wanted £1.66 per litre, and since we had seen it at £1.22 everywhere else, we passed.  We finally gave up for the nonce and headed to Roslyn Chapel.  Everything youve heard about this place is true the carvings are amazing and incredible.  Its a small place, and yes, the outside is covered in scaffolding.  But the carvings are mostly on the inside anyhow, and will take your breath away.  There were little angels cavorting on the columns, devils carved upside down, seashells and sheaves of corn.  I could care little about the connection with The DaVinci Code, but it was wonderful to be there and see all the artistic work.  Outside there were some wonderful memorials as well.  However, it started sprinkling, so we decided it was time for some lunch at the Roslin Hotel.  Fish and chips and steak & ale pie were the favorites, and they were adequate nothing special. The batter was the thick breadcrumb style.  The dining room did rather remind of a great aunties parlor rather stuffy and formal, too quiet for comfort.


Roslyn Chapel
After lunch we drove past Edinburgh and over the Firth of Forth on the Forth bridge, towards Perth.  We stopped at the Hermitage to explore this primeval forest and waterfall if you are in the area, definitely stop by!  There are really three waterfalls in one, and the best spot to see it is a little terrace in Ossians Hall, a small temple-like structure over the falls.  The bridge is a delight as well, though the muddy rocks kept me from exploring too much with my Croc sandals.  I tried to fiddle with my camera to get a longer exposure time to make the waterfalls into velvet streams, but I couldnt figure out how to do it.  This whole area made me feel as if I was on a journey to the Shire, and could see hobbits and elves poking their heads out behind each moss-covered tree.  The sounds of the forest were restful and sweet, and the green-dappled light made everything sylvan and silvery.



Triple waterfall at The Hermitage
After a brief mishap with a falling laptop, we were on our way (officially) into the highlands.  Id been through here before, but it was just as stunning and beautiful the second time around.  The browns, golds, purples and greys jumped out at every sunspot, and whispered back into the earth when the clouds came.  It was like the subconscious mind of an oil painter covering the landscape.  Half-shorn sheep were jumping over streams, little crofter cottages were nestled in deep glens.  Shaggy Hieland Coos looked at us as we drove by, and we saw black sheep lambs cavorting around (yes, cavorting, really!).  We stopped a couple times and just stood, stunned, looking at the alien landscape that surrounded us.  Of course, we didnt stand long the wind threatened to blow us away, especially with our hastily-donned shawls and sweaters.  It was also starting to rain, so we hastened back to our trusty carriages and hied on to a place for dinner.



Path through The Hermitage
We found a supremely ugly square castle (CorgarffCastle), which looked like a white box on a smaller white box.  We opined that it was probably the home of some lawn-mover-driving psycho killer that terrorized the countryside, so we watched out for such a character, intending to run him over.  We found a pub serving dinner called Allargue Arms a peaceful place despite the name.  The food was decent, but I think the poor lad serving us was brand new at the job.  K was brave and tried the sweet & sour pork, while D tried the stir fry.  I had the soup and sandwich, it was filling and warm.


The Grampians (The Highlands, officially)
We made it to Grantown-on-Spey with little trouble, and luckily our B&B was on the first street we came to.  Jane was our host at the Kinross House B&B (http://www.kinrosshouse.co.uk/), and she was delightfully warm and helpful.  The bedrooms were well-appointed, clean, and comfy.  The beds had just the right pillow combo for my comfort (one small firm pillow and a larger soft pillow) and it had a sheet so I wouldnt roast at night. I tried calling Servisair again once we got there, and the girl on the phone insisted that she personally gave the missing bag to the delivery service.  I tried to get her name or ask for a supervisor, but she just hung up.  So, rather than jumping through the phone and strangling her on the spot, I decided it would be more prudent to go wash out my outfits once again, and went to sleep.

-- Edited by Green Dragon at 19:11, 2008-10-02

Thursday, 6/19:  Aberdeen Hell

 

This morning Scott was filling in for Dolly in breakfast duties, and our plan was to Dunnotter, Aberdeen and Aberlour, possibly followed by CawdorCastle, Culloden, and Clava Cairns.  I knew it was ambitious, but not by how much.

 

The Cairngorms

 

We got on the road, without GPS signal.  Evidently there is a local RAF base, and they block out signal in town.  It was fine once we were in the mountains, but by then we had taken the south road, which would take us much longer.  The Car from Hell was giving K trouble, and wouldnt shift gears easily completely refused to shift often, and didnt have enough oomph to get up hills, even in first gear.  It put us all on edge, as it was also raining and the roads were tiny through the Cairngorms.  We stopped and tried to find the Well of Lecht, but all we found were sheep cavorting again.  I did catch a nice photo of a lamb leaping over a creek, but no Well.  We figured it was a bit down the path, but it was raining too hard to be much interested in exploring.  We decided that wed had about enough of the Cairngorms at this point, between the rain and the Car from Hell, so we tried to find our quickest route out of the mountains and into the relative civilization of Aberdeen.

 

Horse that could easily be a Unicorn in hiding

 

We also thought of visiting Balmoral, but the road and car conditions convinced us we were running out of time.  We finally got out of the frustrating mountain roads and on to main A roads towards Aberdeen.  We found Sheilas office without too much trouble, so J and I got out and went upstairs to meet her, while K and C went to DunnottarCastle.  Lunch was at a Scottish Fusion place not far from Union Street we had salmon, soup and burgers, with banoffee pie for dessert (yes, I know that is Irish, not Scottish, but it was very tasty!  Celtic, all right?  It was Celtic sort of).  Sheila was great to chat with about the environment, economics, politics, travel, etc. 

 

Small churchyard outside Grantown-on-Spey

 

After lunch we waited at The Filling Station for K and C to find us.  I tried calling Ks cell phone to let her know where we were, but it went straight to answer machine, and she didnt get the message until hours later, but C found us and we hopped in.  We drove back to the B&B the north road, through Keith much less dangerous and frightening than the road through the cairngorms, but then again, not nearly as many sheep butts facing the road, either.  You have to take some bad with the good, I suppose. 

 

We did find a nice little cemetery in Keith for some angel and Celtic cross photograph opportunities I have a morbid fascination with graves and gravestones, especially beautifully carved Celtic crosses.  We tried to stop at BallindalochCastle on the way home, but they had evidently just closed a few minutes before.  Of course, their posted hours said they opened at 10am, and K and C had tried to go by yesterday at 11am and they were closed, so who knows.

 

Small churchyard outside Grantown-on-Spey

 

We got home around 6, and decided that the Car from Hell shifting problem needed changing C called Enterprise and they told her to come into Inverness the next morning and they could switch it for them.  And glory be!  My baggage had arrived!  Jane had brought it upstairs for me, and had tried to call me to let me know, but that signal didnt get through either.  Oh, I was just so happy not to be wearing either of my two outfits for yet another day, I was ecstatic. 

 

Small churchyard outside Grantown-on-Spey

 

Back to the CraigBar for pies for me and J the rest of the group headed into town for another place.  J had a Chicken of Aragon pie, I had the Mr. Porky.  J decided it was time to try different whiskeys in earnest, so sampled 5 of the local nectars (interspersed with a half pint of Guinness each time to clear the palate, of course).  He tried the MacAllan (which was his favorite, and he bought a bottle later to bring home), the Glenfarclas 105 (which was VERY strong and he tried last on purpose), the Highland Park (which he didnt like, it was salty) and 2 others.  K and C wandered in for pints after dinner, and we chatted with another guest who brought her Lurcher dog back in.  Her name was Sabina, and she was a veterinarian on holiday from Germany.  We had fascinating discussions about dogs, education, travel, etc.  We staggered home after several pints each in the warm pub (they have a crackling fireplace, too!)

 

Saturday, 6/21:  Tombs and chapels and wine shops, oh, my!

This morning we had a great breakfast. Morag puts out a selection of interesting jellies, such as lime and lemon, as well as black currant, marmalade and apricot.  There was a couple from Oxford also eating breakfast with us, who specialized in prehistoric archeology.  We figured they had been to Orkney many times, but no, this was their first visit.  How could you not have visited earlier?  The guy had just retired, and had lived all his life just a short distance away in Oxford. 
We visited the Tomb of the Eagles and the Italian Chapel the first day. One of the rare moments of sunshine came while at the tomb. You have to drive all the way to the end of the islands for it, but it's worth the drive and the mile hike. Not just for the tomb, but for the incredible angular cliffs and seabirds around there. Everything was at an angle, which is actually how the discoverer found the tomb - the tomb stones were straight, and seemed out of place. You have to pull yourself into the tomb on a rope and a board with wheels, but it's light inside due to skylights. The walk back along the cliffs is highly recommended!  There were plenty of seabirds and wildflowers dotting the landscape, like a painter just went crazy with the splatter brush.  We saw yellow lichen, white flowers, black birds, and the blue ocean.  On the way back, my Ecco walking shoes (which I finally got when my luggage arrived!) decided to start chafing, as I hadnt worn them since the last vacation the previous year.  I took them off and walked along the cliff in my socks, not caring that they were getting damp.  Then I took the socks off and put the shoes back on, and it was a little better, but it still chaffed in different areas.  Sigh you just cant win, can you?


Tomb of the Eagles

I switched to K and Cs car, and let M and D drive free (J was spending the day back at the B&B, immersed in his laptop for the day).  The Italian Chapel was delightful, and much more moving than I thought it would be. The artistry and story is incredible.  It was built by Italian POWs out of a Quonset hut and scrap parts.  They painted the inside as if it was lined in tiles, created ironwork for the inside, and truly made a magical religious wonderland inside.  Sadly, it was only used as a chapel for a couple years, but I am very glad the folks of Orkney were smart and kind enough to have preserved this little gem.


The Italian Chapel
On the way to Kirkwall, we saw signs for the Orkney Wine Shop, so we had to go find out, especially after K and C had so much fun at the liquid deli.  It was on a little farmhouse down a dirt road, but with a magnificent view of the seaside and ocean.  You were never far from an ocean view on Orkney, wherever you went, and thats one of its enduring charms.  The wine shop was run by a Dutch man who had emigrated to Orkney years before.  He let us sample all his wines, which certainly did a lot towards improving our attitude for the day.  However, I dont care for dry wines, and most of his were dry elderberry wine, whiskey wine, even his strawberry rhubarb wine.  They tasted rather harsh to me, but K bought a bottle of elderberry wine. 


Lighthouse in Scrabster
We got to Kirkwall for lunch, and found the Arnold Hotel for some steak and Orkney beef burgers quite delicious.  We asked the waitress about music venues, as the St. Magnus music festival was going on, but she didnt have much idea about what was going on where.  She did tell us where we could find flyer information, though and we heard the ubiquitous bagpipers practicing in the pub next door.  I love bagpipe music, but dont think that most players have the control necessary to play a set of full pipes indoors.  Its like a tuba a powerful instrument, too powerful for close range unless you have a deft touch. 


Inside St. Magnus Cathedral
We wandered around Kirkwall a while in the afternoon, and visited the Sheila Fleet and Ortak jewelry stores. Sheila Fleet (http://www.sheilafleet.co.uk/) has some spectacular modern/traditional jewelry styles (though not cheap!). My favorite designs were the Cascade (design inspired by a waterfall) and the Breckon design, made for the spouses of the guys who prepared all year for an Up Helly Aa celebration, in thanks for their patience, and inspired by designs in St. Magnus Cathedral.  I saw these carvings in the church itself when I visited later, and it made me feel as if I had been let in on a secret.  We also saw a blackening truck go through - sort of a pre-wedding tradition on Orkney, which involves throwing a molasses/flour mixture on the bride and groom and parading them through the streets before making them wash off in the freezing ocean. And these were their friends!


Orkney Coast
We visited several other stores, such as Judith Glue but we were warned that while this used to be a great local shop, it had a great deal of crap in it now.  I bought some local music and some fudge (tablet).  The fudge in Scotland had a much higher sugar content than Im used to, rather than the creamy texture of most American fudge.  Our search for music ventures was in vain we didnt see any we were interested in at convenient times or prices. 
On the way back to the B&B to pick J up for dinner, we stopped at Coween Hill to climb up to one of the local burial sites/passage tombs.  I stayed in the car, as my evil Ecco shoes still wanted to chew my feet up, but K and C made the long, steep climb up to this hilltop site.  It had a standing stone or two, and a passage tomb, but by this time C had seen enough its another rock, and another cairn woohoo. 



Near the Tomb of the Eagles
The dim days were beginning to get to me, because except for a little sunshine earlier near the Tomb of the Eagles, it had been grey and lifeless, overcast and misty all day.  The dimness affected me more, I think, because my glasses have built in UV filters.  They will darken with UV rays, even if the sunlight isnt making the landscape any brighter.  It was about 40 degrees F, and a good strong wind and rain made it seem even colder.  There were still amazing subtle blues and greens, pale lavenders and pinks in the sky, the landscape, and the islands in the distance of the sea.  Incongruent shades of aquamarine peeked out here and there, and tiny yellow wildflowers peppered every hill.  There was an abundance of cows with impatient calves, ewes with their lambs (cavorting, of course), some huddling together for warmth in the biting wind that swept over the desolate isles.  While lush green was everywhere, it seemed oddly lonely and bereft, as you rarely saw another human being out and about.  I loved seeing the distant and near islands disappearing in the mist and then reappearing in the brief bouts of sunshine.


Lamb in search of stew
M, J and I went out in search of dinner, as D was sleeping.  We went into Kirkwall and picked a place at random along the dockside street the Kirkwall Hotel.  At first they were snippy because we didnt have a reservation, but we got a table.  Service, on the other hand, was evidently harder to get.  The food was great, but at first they completely forgot our soup (we ordered lentil soup), and we had to flag down one of the servers to find out what happened to it.  Then they admitted they had forgotten to put in our order at all, so gave us dessert on the house.  It seems there was no one server assigned to any table, so things fell through the cracks and as big as we were, it seems we were crack-fallen.  The seafood penne I got was very sweet and vinegary, like the red sauce was made with brown sauce or something.  I didnt really care for it, but Ms roast beef and Js roast lamb was very good.  Desserts again made the day fudge and whiskey cheesecake was creamy and delightful.  Its amazing how many sins can be made good with a good sweetie. 
We drove home via the Stones of Stenness, and walked around a bit, annoying the sheep who seemed to be using the altar as a toilet.  There are a few stones there, but they are rather impressive.  We went on to the Ring of Brodgar, which was more than impressive.  However, thats when the weather decided to come back with a vengeance, and we quickly took cover.  But I did visit the stones on Midsummers Eve, as I said I would.  No way in hell was I going to spend all night out there in that weather, though!


Stones of Stenness


-- Edited by Green Dragon at 19:08, 2008-10-02

Monday, 6/23:  Horton hears a Smoo?

 

Oh, I hate getting up early, early for a long day of travel!  But, the good news is its already light out at the 4am wake up time.  We skipped breakfast, as our hostess was still sleeping and we could get food on the ferry (well, except for K and C, who would wait until afterwards).  And guess what!  The bloody sun was bloody shining.  Sure, now that we are leaving, it decides to come out and taunt us like a bratty kindergartener.  So, nah!

 

Calm inlet on Orkney

 

I seriously debated running over to the Ring of Brodgar for some brief sunny shots of the stones and K was thinking the same thing in her car.  But we both did the mature thing and drove towards Stromness and the morning ferry instead.  Sigh.  I bet if we had been in the same car we would have gone!

 

We did get some shots of seals on the rocks as we left the harbor.  While we did see and get photos of the Old Man of Hoy, it wasnt in the sun yet the sun had yet to rise high enough or strong enough so it was in the shadows of the cliff it was near.  It was still spectacular and worthy of reverence, though.  You could see the layers of rock form colors and lines, and how it might look with the sun shining on it, but it wasnt something you could capture on camera for remembering.

 

Hoy

 

We had a full breakfast on the ferry and started our drive along the north road to our fist stop, Durness.  Along the way we saw deer, sheep butts (cavorting), shaggy coos, and some of the most spectacular scenery I saw on my entire trip.  There were sheer cliffs, sandy beaches, blue and aquamarine bays, diving seabirds, and rolling green hills.  Each time we turned another corner, came around another bend, we would scream Oh, this is the most beautiful thing Ive ever seen!  And then we would turn another corner, and scream it again, and again, and again.  Why had no one mentioned this delightful part of Scotland to me in my research?  I never came across anything talking about the incredible beauty of this drive.  I had imagined it would be a fairly boring drive across barren cliffs and sere fields, but I was so very, very wrong.
Underground waterfall in SmooCave

 

Looking out from inside SmooCave

 

After near sensory overload along that fantastic drive, we came across SmooCave, near Durness.  We had thought we would meet up with K and C here, but after having lunch at the Smoo Cave Café, we didnt see them (it was around noon).  Nobody but me really wanted to go down to the cave itself, but I didnt let that stop me.  Mom came as far as the top of the cliff, and then hung out while I climbed down the steps to the cave.  It was definitely worth a trip!  It is not difficult to climb down, though there are many, many steps.  Some are a bit tricky, but its in good repair.  Once down at the mouth of the cave, you can see that there is a cave stream coming out of the mouth of the cave, walk over the bridge, and then into the cave.  Normally there are tours, but there was a sign saying the tours were cancelled due to threat of flooding there was lots of rain lately, after all.  Ignoring the danger, I walked into the underground waterfall cavern oh, so powerful, so incredible!  There was a whole in the cave itself that let in some sunlight, so you could see this strong, massive waterfall pushing the water out.  It wasnt some mountain stream trickle, this was a full blown, powerful cascade.  I got soaked from the spray just standing and gazing at it. 

 

Near Bettyhill

 

After some heartbreaking moments, I tore myself away.  I dont know why Im so fascinated by powerful waterfalls. The wimpy ones dont do it for me, its got to be thousands of gallons of pumping water to get me going and this one did.

 

North coast of Scotland

 

I started the trek back up the stairs, and met a German tour group coming down.  We got back together with the boys and went on to the second half of our tour of the north.  It was as spectacular as the first half, though more trees once we drove inland.  There were glens and valleys, mountain tarns with crystal clear reflections of the puffy clouds above.  Tantalizing glimpses of the seaside peeked through mountains to the right.  By the time we arrived at Ullapool, we were almost drained from the constant beauty and stunning landscapes we had driven through (and stopped often for photos!)

 

North coast of Scotland

 

 

North coast of Scotland

 

We found a pub for some refreshments before we were due to the ferry checkin; the Argyll Hotel didnt seem very interested in our custom, and so we just had some sweets and drinks.  The owners looked to be a couple of retired hippies, complete with a flowing dress and long hair. 

 

Hieland Coos!

 

Waiting in line for the ferry, we saw K and C doing the same.  They had had a similar reaction to the landscapes on their trek of the day, and took some Dramamine for the ferry trip.  Unfortunately, the ferry loading was delayed, so they were very loopy before they had to drive onto the boat they almost fell asleep. 

 

 

 

This ferry trip, we found another local to chat with.  This one was Willie, who was coming back from a motorcycle drive down to South Wales for a wedding.  Fortunately, though his bike broke down on the way back, it was only a couple minutes out of Ullapool.  He should probably be thanking his guardian angels or gods or whoever is looking out for him, I would think.  We talked a lot about the education system on the islands; evidently a parent can choose for his children to go to a Gaelic school, and they will be taught English as a second language, or an English school with Gaelic as a second language.  We talked about the economy, prices, weather, etc it was a very pleasant chat, and he also told us that the B&B was very easy to find, just outside of the ferry terminal. 

 

North coast of Scotland

 

 

 

He was quite right, you couldnt miss the place, there it was, the Hal O the Wynd (http://www.halothewynd.com/)!  Graham, our host, was quite nice, though he giggled a bit at the end of everything he said.  He showed J and I up to the family room, which gave us two double beds to stretch out on (one had a bunk on top), while the girls were settled in a twin downstairs, and M and D had two singles upstairs.  Everything was clean and neat, not fancy.  The area was close to everything, right on the dockside street.

 

Lost little lamb

 

 

K and C and I went out in search of dinner, and found the Caledonian Hotel where we had a couple pints and watched a young girl with purple hair flirt with her guys.  However, they only had pints, so K had to overcome her objections and go to the Indian place, Balti House.  The guy who prepped the takeaway order was quite nice raised in Aberdeen, but born here in Scotland.  Its quite surreal to hear someone speak English in a Scottish accent one moment, and then start speaking Hindi to his brother the next.  He said there wasnt much around for trad music, perhaps MacNeils might have some.  K and C got their takeaway dinners, and we headed back home for an early night after a very long day of travel.

 

From the ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway

Wednesday, 6/25:  The Golden Road

 

K and C were going to get up early to go see the sandy beaches in the sunlight, but alas, the weather refused to cooperate and was once again overcast and windy, with frequent promises of rain.  We went into the breakfast room, surprised to see a group of young men finishing up their meal we didnt think there were enough rooms in this B&B to fit us and them!  However, Jean told us they were staying in one of their other properties, a self-catering place, working on contract at the airport. 

 

Arnol Blackhouse

 

K and C went off to Uig in search of beaches and longhouses.  The rest of us went searching for beaches as well, but headed south to Harris instead.  It was rainy on the way down, and very misty on the way into Harris itself.  As we went south, the terrain got rockier, higher, more mountainous, less peaty.  There were surely some beautiful mountain vistas as we crossed the passes, but there was too much mist to see the mountain we were on, much less anything farther away. 

 

Luskentyre Beach

 

First stop was Luskentyre beach, which is the most fabulous and beautiful.  Even in the dark, overcast sky, the waters were a bright aquamarine, and the sand was white and pristine.  It looked like a postcard out of some Caribbean vacation spot, so out of place on this northern, rainy, windswept morning.  The bay was like a shining jewel set in pale, blond gold.  I went down to the inlet and stuck my toe in the water, just to say I had it was much less cold than I thought it would be.  Perhaps some of this sand had traveled up the Gulf Stream from the Caribbean itself.

 

Isle of Harris

 

We drove around the other beaches on that one lonely road Scarista, Leverburgh, and onto Rodel.  There was a marshy area that looked like a puzzle maze near the shore, with dots of white sheep jumping around the twisted water channels.  I saw a little black lamb and had to stop and take a photo of him, he looked so sweet just standing there, staring at us daft tourists.

 

Sheep maze on Harris

 

The road north of Rodel to Tarbert is evidently called the

Golden Road

, and it is not for the faint of heart.  There was only about 10 miles, but it took us about an hour to traverse the whole thing.  By this time, we had gotten used to single track roads for the most part.  However, usually one had some sort of shoulder on which to retreat if there was an oncoming car.  This road was very narrow (though it looked like they had thoughtfully freshly painted the white lines on each side!), and there were several parts where there was NO edge on either side just a white-edged black twisted ribbon going from one cliff to the next, with very few passing places.  When there was a side, it was fairly sheer cliff on both sides, one going up and one going down (if we were lucky).  It also went up and down steep grades at the same time.  Yikes!  It certainly honed my driving skills better than any other experience had yet done.  I think I was in either 1^st or 2^nd gear the entire trip, especially when there was a small bus coming my way a bus!  On this bloody road! (whimper!)

 

Random mountain

 

After we got through the third circle of hell that is the

Golden Road

, we rested in Tarbert for lunch at the HarrisInn.  I treated myself to a steak and black pudding sandwich (which was very tasty and savory) and a pint of cool, clear cider.  Ahhh, cider never tasted so good and refreshing.

 

D drove the remainder of the trip home, to my great relief.  We got back with little ado, and picked up laundry, and took a well deserved nap.  We went out to walk around about 5:30, and couldnt find anything open.  Not that I expected it to be, mind you, but I still cant get used to how all shopping is closed around 5pm.  Dont most people work until 5pm here?  Anyhow, J and I decided to try the Indian place for dinner, Balti House, and it was fabulous.  I had the chilli garlic lamb, and J had the chicken tikka curry. It was spicy, but not hot, lots of flavor, very tender.  The couple next to us was from Sweden, it took us a while to figure out what language they were speaking (we had to ask, finally).  The waiter, though obviously of Indian descent, was born and raised here in Stornoway (his brother had been from Aberdeen, the one that helped K and C the other night).  There was a guy that sat next to us on the other side that looked a little strange, like he was homeless.  He muttered a bit from time to time and had trouble talking when he ordered, perhaps he was foreign or partially deaf?  Regardless, he ordered dinner and white wine (which doesnt really fit the theory of homelessness). 

 

Stornoway

 

After dinner, we staggered to our B&B and watched a show on a divorced woman with two daughters go to live with a South American tribe.  She ended up being married to one of the locals while she was there, but still left to go home.  There was also a Wallace and Grommit style cartoon on called Shawn the Sheep one episode where the farmer wanted a brand new tractor, so Shawn had everyone build one (but it exploded), and another episode where the farmer had a metal detector less said about that episode, the better; it was very strange, and involved a metal cow and a bull.

 

Very windswept tree

Friday, 6/27:  Three Chimneys Yum!

 

Sunshine?  Yes, sunshine!  Woohoo!  Alas, it was not to last, but it was nice to see the landscape of Skye as beautiful as it always is in the dappled sunlight peeking through the clouds now and then.  We had 1:00 lunch reservations at Three Chimneys near Dunvegan, so decided to come at it from the south, and did a circle to Struan.  There was a little B road that avoided Portree, so we got adventurous and took that and came across our first true Scottish Traffic Jam (a herd of sheep in the road).  We had previously seen several individual sheep (cavorting, of course) in the road, but this was the first full herd we had seen taking over the road.  They were quite reluctant to give up their prime spot, as well.

 

Dunvegan Castle

 

We could see glimpses of the Black Cuillin and the RedCuillinMountains in the distance, and rolling green hills in the near foreground, but the mists kept threatening to snatch our view away again.  I was rather cross with the mists, as they had been keeping the view to themselves much to often on this trip, and I figured it was my turn to have it for a while.

 

Dunvegan CastleGardens

 

The first time I had visited Skye, 8 years ago, I almost got hit by an ambulance.  Never one to oust tradition, we once again almost got hit by an ambulance.  This was on a single track road to Struan, and it came right around the corner lights on but no sirens.  You would think sirens would be de rigueur on a single track windy road, so people knew you were coming, no?  

 

 

 

The hills, what we saw of them, were beautifully soft, gently rolling.  The few mountains we saw had strange flat tops on them, as if they were wearing pillbox hats of stone and rock.  It was highly frustrating to KNOW in your heart what a fantastic view you would have if only the mists would lift or the rain would clear. 

 

Curious horse

 

We stopped to look at a little chapel signed St. Johns Chapel.  It had a beautiful iron gate, rusted almost away to nothing.  The path down was very muddy and slippery, and I decided it was the better part of wisdom to forgo this part of the adventure I probably would have fallen on my butt several times on the way down, which would leave me somewhat too muddy to have lunch at Three Chimneys.

 

Waterfall in DunveganCastleGardens

 

We ended up in Carbost and Three Chimneys too early for lunch, so we explored the CarbostFolkMuseum (a blackhouse set up for show) and gazed at seals on the shore.  There wasnt anyone at the ticket window, but a sign asking for the admission price and a small box we put in our coins, signed our name on the guest list, and went up.

 

From Kilt Rock observation deck, straight down

 

Having seen a couple blackhouses already, there wasnt anything profoundly new about this one, so it only held our interest a short time.  We decided to explore up the road a bit, and found the Skye Silver shop.  I finally went ahead and made my big purchases of the trip, a pin/pendant set and a pair of somewhat matching earrings (the set didnt have earrings that matched perfectly). 

 

Are you my Mommy?

 

Back to Three Chimneys, we met up with K and C and settled down to a lovely lunch.  Our table was near the front window, so half of us could look out at the bay during the meal.  The wait staff was very attentive and helpful, and the food was simply superb.  For starters we had the seafood bisque, fennel soup (bright green!) and roast pigeon.  For lunch itself I had the roast lamb, which was lightly drizzled with a wonderfully savory/sweet sauce.  Dessert was a simply melt-in-your-mouth lemon sorbet parfait.  I also had a glass of tawny port, while K and C made the mistake of ordering the Gaelic coffee.  I think they expected something sweet, like a latte but it was not!  C tried to sweeten it up by adding a piece of fudge (very sugary fudge) served with the coffee, but it didnt help.  Hey, it was worth a try!

 

Js lunch at Three Chimneys

 

After lunch, we decided it was time to tackle DunveganCastle and gardens.  It wasnt on the GBHC, but it was definitely worth a visit.  By this time we were getting castled out, but the fairy flag is worth a visit, if only to say you had seen it.  I was somewhat prepared for disappointment, as I knew it was not much more than scraps of fabric left.  However, it was cool to see it and imagine that it may have indeed been the shawl of a fairy girl.

 

Dunvegan CastleGardens 

 

The gift shop had some neat things, and J decided to buy a nice pewter tankard and flask there (that had been what he was looking for in this trip, as far as souvenirs).  However, the clerk took so long to fill out the paperwork for the VAT refund, I almost gave up and left.  I did end up going out to the gardens to go to the bathroom while she went through her line of people before getting back to me.  I am reasonably certain she was waiting for me to give up, but I didnt.  One woman also waiting did give up, but I stuck to my guns.

 

Dunvegan CastleGardens

 

 

As lovely as the castle was, the gardens were fantastic.  They were wild and wandering, filled with flowers and foliage, bamboo and butterflies.  We walked up to the waterfall, to the walled garden, and all around the pathways.  The sheer variety and beauty of the flowers was almost overwhelming.  We even saw a bright colony of mushrooms growing in the knot of a tree, protected by some mesh screen from vandals (sad, isnt it?).  I felt like Alice in Wonderland, seeing plants Id never seen before.  I expected a caterpillar to be around every bend, smoking his hookah.

 

Dunvegan CastleGardens

 

After a long and tiring day, dinner was a no-brainer.    Back to the Lodge for some dinner and pints!  Dad tried the cheese salad, which does sound strange, but looked tasty a nice salad of greens and veg with several different cheeses on it, including brie, cranberry stilton, feta, etc.  K, C, J and I continued to have drinks at the pub until almost midnight, out-waiting several locals who were shepherds drinking in the bar.  One decided that he should start serenading us.  It would have been lovely if we could have figured out what he was saying or singing!

 

Dunvegan CastleGardens

Sunday, 6/29:  Shilasdair and cullen skink

 

 

J had a migraine, so we left him at home to go chase the little sun we saw peeking through the everpresent clouds.  Today we were heading south to explore that part of the island, but first we went to see TrumpanChurch this was a nice seaside ruined church with some lovely graves on the edge of nowhere.  On the way back we visited Shilasdair Dye and Yarn Shop (http://www.shilasdair-yarns.co.uk/), where she hand dyes all her fibers, many from locally gathered plants.  We got a fascinating tour of her workshop, and purchased some items from her I got some yarns for my friend who knits.  Oh, and K had to go scramble among the rocks at the shore to gather some of the abovementioned locally gathered lichens!

 

Lamb shivering, and trying to keep out of the wind

 

Afterwards we went to Skyskyns (http://www.skyeskyns.co.uk/), a leather tannery nearby.  This, too, had a great tour of the workshop and the process each of the skins go through to become salable.  Then we went into the loft shop, and there were so many lovely skins!  Lambs wool and sheep wool, beautiful colors and shades of white, cream, grey and black.  K and C bought some gloves and things, though the register computer seemed to give the clerks some trouble, we eventually made it out of the store in one piece (into the rain, of course). 

 

Funky sheep

 

We had lunch in the Sligachan Hotel, and I had some Cullen Skink soup its like a smoked fish chowder, and very tasty, full of lumps and chunks.  I also had a roast veg, pesto and feta grilled sandwich, and was quite full.  I had a cider that was something 70, and a bit sour I didnt care for that one very much.  We went into Portree to see if we could find some packing materials for K and Cs liquor storeuh, I mean the bottles from the liquid deli that they had to carefully pack to get home properly.  Everything was closed, of course, because it was Sunday afternoon.  However, we did get some boxes at the Co-op, and went on to the Fairy Glen. 

 

Pretty flower

s

 

Uig

 

K and C hadnt visited it yet, so I guided them there.  The sun was really trying hard to shine through at this point, so I wanted to see it in the sunlight.  We ran into one of the women that had been dancing way too early at the concert last night (think grunge-fairy), but she was very nice and told us to make sure to go all the way to the top of the hill.  We did, and found an area where people had been arranging stones in little shapes and piles for years.  There was also a little cave, but we didnt get up that far.  I did slip a bit on the way down, but no real damage. 

 

Waterfall near Sligachan

 

We headed down towards Broadford, and I pointed out the all-in-one gift shop, launderette, dental surgery, real estate agency building that I remembered from my other trip to Skye.  About halfway down the road to Armadale, we took stock, and realized that the only thing we were really interested in was the gardens and it was pouring rain.  Who wants to tour gardens in the rain?  So we reluctantly headed back.

 

The pub in the Lodge at Edinbane

 

Dinner was once again at the lodge, where I had a very strongly flavored smoked haddock I dont think Ill chance that again.  We watched the last game of the Euro Cup, and when Spain beat Germany we thanked our lucky stars we werent vacationing in Spain at that moment the party looked like a riot! (and not the good kind)

Tuesday, 7/1:  Columbas Island

 

I tossed a lot in the night as the bed was a little hard, and there was no sheet.  However, we discovered in the morning that the duvet cover came off, so I had a sheet and we could spread the duvet under both of us to add some to the comfort of the bed.  

 

Mull sunset over the Isle of Iona

 

We went down for breakfast, and chatted with the other guests.  One was an Italian cyclist who was cycling to Iona today and off to Oban later on (idiot).  We had seen him briefly the night before as we were checking in; he had just showed up and was inquiring about vacancies.  The other visitor was Ian, the Mobile Librarian.  He spent each month driving around the Isle of Mull, stopping for a while in each area for people to check out or return books from the van he drove.  A great idea for rural areas, really!  He was staying in town for two days and then heading back up the road to Craignure.

 

Mull sunset over the Isle of Iona

 

 

J decided to stay in as he didnt sleep well either, so M, D and I went off to the Iona ferry after breakfast.  The rain and wind picked up considerably on the trip over, and I was the only one willing to brave it to see the Abbey, so off I went, leaving M and D at the café.  I first visited the little ruined nunnery, which was very peaceful despite being smack dab in the center of the village.  The rain probably helped with that impression, and the stones were dark with rain.  There was a very female feel to the whole island, its hard to explain (especially considering St. Columba started his monastery here!)  The wind seemed a bit warmer and more friendly somehow not as biting or harsh as the more northerly islands.  Perhaps it was just more summery; regardless, it was invigorating and empowering.  I can see why the monks wanted to live here.

 

Fionnphort

 

The Abbey itself is being beautifully restored, and has an incredibly serene and peaceful courtyard in the center.  There is a sculpture there, very liquid and organic in shape, but the green of the wet grass contrasted beautifully with the color of the stone palisade.  There was singing from somewhere, and that added to the experience as if I was in a movie, and had started a soundtrack in the background.  I was entering the main hall just as a huge tour group was leaving, and had it pretty much to myself for quite some time.  The light was diffuse through the windows, and it added an air of mystery and mysticism to the room.

 

Nunnery on Iona

 

On the way out, I visited the small graveyard and St. Orans Chapel.  This is a little room in the graveyard that has a very simple altar and bench, and it seemed a much more primitive religious icon than the Abbey. 

 

Iona Abbey

 

I saw signs for some local artisans gallery, and went to look, but didnt find anything that was either in my price range or struck my fancy.  I liked the Skye Silver and Sheila Fleet stuff better, personally, but they did have a great location on the road to the Abbey.

 

Iona Abbey

 

 

Iona Abbey

 

 

On the way back, the rain started up again with a vengeance, so after the ferry ride we hid out in the ferry lounge a bit, and then dashed home (well, as much as we can dash).  We rested a bit and then all went to lunch at Keel Row.  They had delicious stacked burgers for lunch, and they werent cooked to a hockey puck, yay!  We went into the gift shop for some browsing, and I picked up a magazine for my friend Vicki it has all sorts of Doctor Who stories in it, I know shell appreciate that, being a huge fan.  We then napped and watched TV while it poured outside.  I had asked our host, John, about boat trips to Staffa, but they wouldnt be going out in windy/rainy weather, so I was out of luck for the day.

 

 

 

We tried the Keel Row again for dinner, and regretted it.  I think it suffers from being the only dinner option in the area.  Lunches were great, but they offered a different menu at dinner, and it wasnt nearly as good.  I had the steak (which was an awful cut) and J had the Italian Veg and Lentil Soup which turned out to be a sauce like in Spaghetti-Os, with some spaghetti swimming inside it, and a few lentils.  The look on Js face when he stirred it and saw the spaghetti was priceless.  Now, J is a bit of a food snob, and especially with Italian food, as he can cook a mean marinara sauce.  This was just bleh.  We passed on desserts.  Disillusioned, we headed down to the beach for a walk, and the sun actually came out for a bit!  Long enough for a fabulous fiery sunset over Iona, but it lasted longer than we did we went back into the B&B for some TV.

 

Iona harbor

Thursday, 7/3:  Glen Coe is calling

 

John had thoughtfully left us some cereal for breakfast, and told me where to grab the milk from in the fridge, so we looked hopefully at the sun peeking through the clouds, and set off on the 30 mile Evil Single Track Road.  I was in the drivers seat this time, D having done is time on the way in.  It wasnt as bad when it wasnt raining, though there were still some nail-biting moments (though its harder to bite your nails when they are embedded in the steering wheel, I must say).  The scenery, now that we could actually see it, was stunning. The mountains were green and gold, and simply took your breath away. The bumply hills were dotted with sheep and, very occasionally, a lonely croft or farm.  We saw a couple coos as well, and we figured theyd be the last ones we saw this trip.  While there were a couple cars passing us, most were at places we could see them in advance, with plenty of time to pick a layby and wait for them to pass.  We stopped lots for photos and scenery and sunspots. 

 

Fingal's Rock on Mull

 

We got into Craignure in plenty of time for the ferry, and saw our friends from the BBC in a car also waiting in line.  We saw a blue heron, and eagle, a kestrel, and an owl flying across our path on the way, but no deer.  This was odd, as there are supposedly more deer on Mull than people, but they were all hiding. 

 

Eagle on Mull

 

The crossing was very pleasant, and I went out for photos of DuartCastle as we passed by.  The sun started playing hide and seek in the clouds, and I got some great shots of a single sailboat, white sail picked out by the sun, with darkened hills in the shade behind it. 

 

Sound of Mull on ferry trip to Oban

 

Sound of Mull on ferry trip to Oban

 

 

Once in Oban, we struck for the north road, wanting to drive through Glencoe on our way to Killin.  We stopped and explored DunstaffnageCastle and the little ruined Chapel in the woods.  Again, the woods and the chapel were the more fascinating part, in my opinion.  The woods changed character about three different times as we walked along the path, changing from gloomy to sprightly to menacing.  There were some neat skull carvings and gravestones around the chapel.  We decided to skip BarcaldineCastle and press on towards the fabled Glen Coe site of the Glen Coe Massacre between the Campbells and the MacGregors, and mountains majesty.  As we drove through the sun peeked more, offering us tantalizing glimpses of what the glen would look like on a fully sunny day.  There were greens and greys, snow on some of the peaks, and trickling streams became strong streams as the rainwater washed through them.

 

Oban

 

I would find it hard to decide which was more beautiful, the mountains in Glen Coe or those on Mull.  But I think Mull wins me over, if only because they are less accessible and less traveled.  There were many buses and construction stops through Glen Coe, and I found it rather distracting from the surrounding beauty, breathtaking as it was.  Perhaps I expected too much from Glen Coe.  Dont get me wrong it was incredible.  It just didnt seem AS incredible as some of the other sights I had already seen on this three week trip around Scotland.  Or maybe I was just getting jaded by incredible mountains and lush glens.

 

Tree at DunstaffnageCastle

 

Castle Stalker, aka Castle AARRRGGGGHHH (Monty Python)

 

Glen Coe

 

As we got onto Rannoch Moor, the rain started falling again, and in earnest.  It was pouring for most of the rest of the trip to Killin, and for a good portion of that trip we were stuck behind several tractor trailers going very slowly.  I was fine with this, as anything coming the other way would hit them first, I figured.  Visibility was very poor, and we were weary of driving in the rain. 

 

Glen Coe

 

 

Glen Coe

 

 

About 1pm we got into Killin.  At first we thought we had missed it we saw a sign, and then there was nothing but woods.  But it turned out just to be a sign TO Killin, and we finally found it.  A beautiful little town!  Right on the Falls of Dochart, the bridge over is right on the main road.  We had lunch at the Falls of Dochart Inn.  It was a great lunch brown trout, open salmon sandwich on focaccia bread.  Then we went off across the bridge in search of Craigbuie House (http://www.craigbuie.com/), our B&B for the night, the last stop before home.  We were running out of street by the time we found it, just at the end before it turned.  It was an 1887 house, and our host Vic welcomed us and showed us up to our rooms.  And up.  And up.  They were on the top floor, but these rooms were all newly renovated, with nice big bathrooms (and showers!)  The family room had two double beds (one with a bunk) and a single bed in two separate areas, both of which had TVs.  The other two rooms were doubles perfect for us.  We napped a bit to get the awful rain-driving out of us, and then I went exploring.  I drove north for a bit, looking for a castle ruin.  I over shot quite a bit, and almost ended up going over the next mountain, so I backtracked.  I took a detour to a disappointing long house exhibition, and finally found the right track to the castle.  Again, I overshot, and ended up at the end of a long, muddy dirt road, with very little room to turn around, but I did.  Coming back, I found the place I should have stopped and walked to the castle, right near the entrance.  I stopped and chatted with a gent walking his two spaniels he was on vacation with his family from near Edinburgh. 

 

Finlarig Castle

 

The ruins to FinlarigCastle have a big sign saying they are unsafe, and to please be careful.  That would so not work in the US you would need to have shrink-wrapped the entire thing because people are too stupid to read or obey signs.  It was very spooky and rainy in the ruins, and I carefully picked my way among them.  The forest was taking them over, and I imagine in 100 years, there will be nothing left but some oddly shaped hills.

 

Hamish, the enormous Hieland Coo

 

As it was raining again, I figured a crumbling castle would probably not be the best place to hang out, so I hightailed it carefully back to my car and back to the B&B.  We went to the Killin Hotel for dinner, but it wasnt the best meal I have had.  I tried the curry, and the chicken was rather dry, the rice pasty.  There was a huge tour group in the next room, seated after us, so perhaps the kitchen was just busy with them.  J had the chicken with haggis, but again, not as good as the one he had at Oakwood.

 

Near Killin

 

Long travel days (even the shorter ones) warrant an early night.  Perhaps I was just getting tired of vacationing?  Nah. We watched some Celebrity Master Chef and slept.

 

Viaduct near Killin

Saturday, 7/5:  Not-so-Stirling

 

My last day in Scotland, sigh.  In all honesty, I was tired of living out of my suitcase.  I was tired of traveling with my family.  However, I could have easily set up house somewhere and settled right in.  My first guess would have been either Portree or Grantown there seemed to be plenty going on in either place to keep me happy, and plenty within easy visiting reach for many years to come.  I love them to death, but I would have had to send my family back first!  I could bring the friends back, but the family had to go.  OK, you get the point J

 

Running black lamb

 

We had several options for our last day.  Should we go on a cruise on Loch Katrine or Loch Lomond?  Howe about Loch Etive?  Perhaps back to Stirling to do the Hop-on/Hop-off tour?  Well, we figured it looked like rain again (surprise!) so we decided Stirling would offer drier options throughout the day.  On the way we took a detour to find Balquhidder Chapel, where Rob Roy MacGregor was buried.  Im glad I did, though it was a very tiny, windy road.  Like I wasnt used to these already?  Right.  The Chapel itself was sweet, tucked away in a tiny village on the edge of said tiny windy road.  Im glad we found it, and the road continued on through a very dark and gloomy forest.  I expected a Black Rider, a Nazgul, to come down that path towards us any minute. 

 

Balquhidder Priory

 

The first stop was the WallaceMonument.  Not too hard to find with the GPS on our side, but it wasnt on the GBHC.  The guy still gave us 10% off anyhow, but M and D decided to wait for us in the car.  J and I took the shuttle up the hill, boy were we glad we did!  Even with our newly created stamina, this climb would have about killed us.  The bus almost did kill several of the pedestrians trying to make their way up this twisted road around the hill.  There isnt much room for the bus, much less the people walking next to it!  However, we made it up, listened to a fascinating re-enactor tell the story of the Battle of Stirling Bridge. He was good enough to recount some of the real history behind the battle and the politics, as opposed to that in the movie Braveheart. 

 

Re-enactor at WallaceMonument

 

We decided against the heart-stopping climb up the 248 steps into the monument itself, and satisfied ourselves with photographs of the building.  I was in the gift shop and got stuck behind a couple French school children buying gifts.  That would have been fine, except their friends kept coming up and giving them more things to buy, so that we almost missed our bus. 

 

Stirling Castle garden

 

Back down in the car, we thought we could catch the hop-on/hop-off bus nearby and we could.  However, waiting for the bus the rain picked up and felt like we were back in the islands, so we skittered off to the car for warmth and dry safety.  We thought about lunching in Callander, especially as we found the one Italian restaurant in the area (Ciros), but we couldnt find parking ANYWHERE.  We went in and out of streets, got lost in residential areas with cul-de-sacs, and finally escaped back to the main road.  Instead, we pushed on to the Falls of Dochart Inn again.

 

Falls of Dochart

 

Lunch this time wasnt as good as before.  Part of it was that the dining room was full, so we had to eat at the microscopic bar tables, and thus split up into two tables.  Part was the smoky fire right next to us.  Part of it was that my venison burger was overdone and resembled the feared hockey puck.  The Cullen Skink I ordered, in contrast to the last time, was thin and runny, and I couldnt find any bits of fish in it at all.  Sigh.

 

Near Killin

 

 

I was rather low and depressed because here I was, my last afternoon in Scotland, and I was sitting in the B&B, watching TV.  It was raining again outside, we had already explored north, south, east and west of the area, and tomorrow we would be leaving at the break of dawn.  Sigh, again.

 

Inchmahome Priory So, I watched a Frank Sinatra movie (Joey?) with Kim Novak and Rita Hayworth.  Then Kindergarten Cop was the only non-Wimbledon, non-Big Brother option.  Wimbledon was on two of the four stations, come on now, folks!  Another program later was How Television Changed Britain, on game shows, and their decline in intellectualism.

 

We had dinner at a small café down the road (Shutters?), while D watched the season finale of Doctor Who (which wont air in the US for several months, Im sure).  I tried the lasagna, fully expecting to be horrified.  J had the chicken kiev.  Mine was weird, but tasty there was more cheese than pasta in it, and very little red sauce, but it worked.  J pierced the thick coating on his chicken kiev, and poured out the garlic butter over the veggies.  It worked J

 

Blackhouse, sort of they used tin roofs?

 

The dessert was a last sticky toffee pudding and a last strawberries and cream, and we went home.  I repacked everything, putting all my gifts in my carryon and all my clothing in the checked baggage.  We had to wake at around 4am to make our 9:30am flight out of Glasgow, so I went to bed around 9pm, despite the light streaming in the lightly shaded window. 

 

Sunday, 7/6:  A case of mistaken identity

 

This was it!  We are leaving.  Three glorious, wet weeks in Scotland were coming to a close.  I had to get up the next morning and go to work (both jobs, even!).  We got all packed up and left and then it hit us.  Which airport did we fly into?  GPS said there were two Glasgow Airports, one at Paisley and one at Prestwick.  I had no idea!  I knew it started with a P big help that was.  Our tickets simply had the airport code, GLA.  No help there, either, as the GPS didnt know airport codes.  Stupid me for not knowing this!

 

Stirling Castle

 

The question racked my brain all the way down, though I did get distracted with lovely views of Loch Lomond as we drove around it.  It is truly a beautiful loch, and the tourists certainly knew it, from the number of boats and B&Bs around the shoreline. 

 

Church near Grantown-on-Spey

 

We drove by Paisley airport, but it didnt look like the one we flew into.  So, instead of being smart and asking someone, we decided to go on down to Prestwick, a good half hour south of Glasgow.  We got stuck in Paisley itself for a while, and finally made it to Prestwick, only to realize it was a MUCH smaller airport back to Paisley it was.  I felt like I was in a Three Stooges movie somehow, but we were still making good time.  We got into Paisley (again) around 7:30, and dropped our car at Enterprise.  The clerk had just arrived herself, but couldnt find the key to get into the shop.  She did take our paperwork, though, and we went on into the airport.  As soon as we got inside, of course, we recognized it from our arrival, but hey, its an adventure, right?

 

Eagle with mouse in claws, Royal Mile, Edinburgh

 

We waited in line to check in, and a very helpful guy got us e-checked in, our luggage tagged, and ready to go.  We were in the security line by 8:20, and it was absolutely empty another hurdle done!  Mom was selected for secondary screening, but that went quickly, too.  We made it to our gate without any other problems.

 

Roslyn Chapel

 

Our flight to London (we were connecting in Heathrow) was without incident.  However, when we got to Heathrow, we had to wait in a very slow line to get our boarding passes.  Evidently, someone had accidently put half the flight on standby the night before, so it was a huge mess.  We finally got our boarding passes for this flight, but not the connecting flight from PHL to JAX.  But, we got some (without seat numbers) and headed off.  I had to ask about 4 different people to find the customs office to get my VAT receipts stamped, and found it tucked into a little corner on the opposite end of the concourse from my gate.

 

St. Giles Cathedral

 

Panting and out of breath, I made it back to the gate with my carry-on in tow. Thats when we realized that other people were missing their seat assignments as well.  We all waited in line until they started boarding, and then they had all of us missing seats wait while they assigned them and reprinted passes.  This took a while as no one could seem to get the system working properly, but we did get seats together. 

 

Door near EdinburghCastle

 

Once on the plane, we waited.  And waited.  And waited. I think we were there for about an hour and a half, waiting for more people to get their seat assignments, and presumably to get the luggage all on board (it had all been tagged Stand-by, I found out later, and therefore hadnt been loaded until someone realized that).

 

Hoy

 

When we finally started, I moved to a different seat, as sitting next to my husband on a transatlantic flight isnt comfortable for either of us (both overweight).  With the flight attendants help, I found a seat next to a French woman and her 4-year-old.  They were all traveling (mom, dad, three kids) to San Francisco.  About a half hour into the flight, the 4-year-old started to fuss about being in the seat belt, and then just cried, howled, yelled, screamed, and threw temper tantrum after temper tantrum until about a half hour before we landed, when she fell into an exhausted sleep.  If there had been another empty seat, I would have moved, but there was none. (There were several single seats, but as an overweight person myself, I wont crowd into someone else unless I have to).  Mom did nothing to stop her but pet her like a puppy.  She never said stop crying or anything like that.  She didnt pick her up and walk around, or even in her lap. 

 

Door on a church

 

Luckily, the IFE was working on this flight, so I watched three movies, with the volume up loud enough to drown out the little Hellions cries.  I watched National Treasure II, The Golden Compass, and P.S., I Love You.  The meals served on the flight were ok, nothing special.  The flight attendants were all very nice, especially the young lady who helped me find another seat, and they all laughed and joked good naturedly with everyone.  (This was a US Airways flight)

 

Leaping lamb in the Grampians

 

We got late into PHL, but only by about an hour.  Since we had had a three hour layover, it should have been plenty of time.  Should being the operative word here!  The plane sat on the tarmac for quite a while (45 minutes?) before we could deplane.  We then had to wait for our luggage so we could bring it through customs and recheck it.  Of course, of our six checked bags, three didnt show up so we were told to file a claim at JAX, and go on to our flights.  We rechecked our remaining bags, and still needed boarding passes, so had to go under the ropes, and back into a long line.  The line had people who already missed connections, people checking new baggage, as well as those (like us!) about to miss connections.  They were just starting to reorganize, moving people with connections coming up, when my parents (who were ahead of us in line) got to the counter. 

 

Urquhart Castle

 

We got our boarding passes, and made our way to the gate.  We would have been fine in that line for longer, as the flight was an hour and a half late.  The gate crew were great, though, giving us a blow-by-blow description of where the plane was, how long it would take to turn around the cleaning crew, etc.  We waited next to a young mother and her two kids, who were very well behaved. The older girl, about 4, decided that D was her new best friend and started showing him her coloring book.

 

The Hermitage

 

Boarded finally, and off we go to sit on the tarmac again.  But we did get in the air eventually!  Unfortunately, Hellion part II was on this flight. This child was screaming at the top of her lungs that she wanted to sit next to mommy, she wanted her mommy, she wanted her mommy.  I didnt learn until we disembarked that mommy was on the plane, just three rows up!  Jeez, cant you move, and spare the entire plane 2-1/2 hours of screaming child?  How selfish do you have to be to not at least try to give the child what she is screaming for?  I was at least imagining the child must be traveling with her grandparents only, or maybe mommy had just died trying to be charitable.  We later saw this family while waiting for D to get the car they were running all over, no discipline whatsoever.  One even ran into the road until someone brought them back to a negligent mother.

 

Isle of Lewis

 

Well, we got off the plane, finally.  The last plane!  It had landed at 11pm, though it was scheduled at 9:30pm.  We got our remaining luggage, looking hopefully for the rest, but in vain.  We went to file a claim, and I will have to say, theyve got that process down to a science.  It was very quick to get a claim number (much faster than it had been in Glasgow on our arrival).  D went to get the van, and then we drove home, there by 2am.  And collapsed!

 

Dutch house near Edinburgh Castle

 

We did get our luggage Wednesday after our return, nothing harmed but some papers and bumper stickers J had put in his outer pocket (they had been soaked). 

Maith Thu! Well Done!

I thoroughly enjoyed your report! I am glad to see that you made it to the Orkneys and to Skye. On my trip in 2006, it was storming too much for us to make the crossing, either by ferry or bridge, to Skye, which was a huge disappointment as that is where my Gran was born.

I was delighted to see that you stopped over in Killin. It was one of my Favorite places. Again, because of the storms, I have some fabulous photographs of Dochart Falls in full roar. I also have a wonderful photo of the the MacNab pipers performing in the rain just off the side of the falls. Hamlin is also well represented. His image is one of my best sellers!

On your next trip over, you will have to visit Linlithgow Palace and Scone Palace. Linlithgow being the birth place of Mary Queen of Scots. Scone Palace is still occupied but the rooms open to the public, the grounds and the gardens are stunning.

What did you think of the Tapestry at Stirling Castle? Had I not had my boys with me, I could have spent hours watch the weaver at their task.

Thanks again for the Report and the phenomenal photographs. I have bookmarked the lodgings.

Slan Beo, Bit

-- Edited by CowboyCraic at 16:47, 2008-10-03

I could well imagine you notice those 25% grades in a bike!  I noticed them in a car! :)  Glad you both enjoyed the report and the photos.  We're planning a 2010 west Ireland trip, including (hopefully) a week in Donegal taking Irish :)

I agree - Scotland is beautiful whether sunny or cloudy. The storms add atmosphere and drama :) Ireland is the same way!

Yeah, my camera doesn't have a flash unless I tell it to - so I was able to snap a few. 

I am already aching to go back, but this time to west Ireland.  :)