Scotland to Home

Last full day in Scotland started with departing Edinburgh and returning to Glasgow; about an hour ride on the train. Mostly sunny, the ride seemed pretty short. When we got to Adelaides we discovered that the power was out there, and several streets in the neighbourhood. Not a big deal, as we were off to get some lunch and for me to find a bag for my few souvenirs to safely travel home in. Had lunch at The Butterfly & the Pig. It was quiet (not sure if it was the timing, or perhaps people assumed the power outage extended that far?), and we enjoyed that along with some cider and more great food. My second meal with haggis, along with the tatties & neeps—it was a tasty meal that was far too big for me to finish!

Found a bag at the Visit Scotland office (so handy those places), enjoyed tea & empire biscuits at Bradfords, and ended the day with a tasty meal at Café Antipasti.

Up early the next morning, after very little sleep (thanks in part to a car/building alarm that seemed to go on for much, much too long). An uneventful ride on a full plane. Home again, home again…  with thoughts of Scotland still dancing in my head :)

Scotland—Edinburgh

No frost or snow in Aviemore in the morning, but low-lying fog. Train to Edinburgh, so we saw new scenery on the trip. Once we cleared the highlands and the fog, we were in a mix of sun and cloud. Went through some nice looking villages and countryside; saw more golf courses, and of course lots and lots of sheep. We arrived in a bustling train station, which was a hint of what was to greet us outside--lots and lots of people! After quite the steep, uphill walk we managed to find the Argyle Backpackers [found out later that Edinburgh is built on seven hills… and it felt like we walked up & down all of them!] where we had to walk up/down three flights of winding stairs for every outing! It was okay, but we did end up missing our guest houses.

 

Back down & up hill, we found the local Visit Scotland office and had a lovely long chat with one of the staff. We were able to book one of our city tour tickets there, and got information about other things to see & do. Saw the massive monument for Sir Walter Scott -- yes, massive!! Returned to the hostel for a quiet night in.

The next day we started out by wandering down a few side streets we'd seen the day before. Lots of great, old buildings in the city. The side streets and alleys are quieter—that is, fewer people—but interesting and worth checking out.

  

We eventually made our way to Edinburgh Castle. It was still grey and drizzly with a bit of chilly wind up there, but not enough to deter us from our visit. As tourist attractions go, it was okay, but there were others on the trip and in the city that I preferred. Several buildings are closed to tourists, as they're used by the government/military, so not as much to check out as we thought there'd be. We didn't even stick around for the 1pm canon fire.

 

After we left the castle, we went into the Tartan Weaving Mill & Exhibition… and didn't stay long there either. Feeling a bit let down, but not defeated, we started the long walk along the Royal Mile. Many shops, pubs, and restaurants along there! Had a quick lunch at Deacons House Cafe; very good. Continuing along the Mile, we went into St Giles' Cathedral. It is beautiful! And it has the biggest pipe organ I've ever seen! We were lucky, as there was someone practising so we got a taste of the wonderful music that can be made with that organ. There's a statue near the cathedral for Scott; how many memorials does one man need?? Continuing along the Mile, checking out various shops, taking more pictures. At some point, near the end, we started to notice some unusual architecture. Turns out it's the Scottish National Parliament building. So modern and different, compared to most buildings in the city centre and certainly along the Mile!

Because we were there, at the end of the Mile, we decided to tour the Palace of Holyroodhouse. A great tour, well worth the cost of admission; nice that audio is automatically included. Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures inside the Palace; we could outside and in the remains of Holyrood Abbey. Similar to Scone Palace, it is a working palace; members of the Royal Family, including the Queen, stay there when in Edinburgh and host events there as well. Fascinating, the furniture and memorabilia they have on display, and the events that have taken place there through the centuries!

After a hike back up the Mile, we had dinner at the Beehive Inn (good food, and okay until the volume of the music jumped) as the Literary Pub Tour started there. A great tour, hosted by a couple of well-informed actors, we learned about mostly long-dead authors and about the city itself. More walking up & down hills, both during the tour and back to the hostel.Whew!

After a few brief hints of sun the previous day, we finally had a full day of sunshine. Great timing, as we found the city bus to take us out to Leith and the docks, for our Royal Yacht Britannia tour. Another fantastic tour, and well worth the price of admission. Audio included, which again was quite interesting and featured clips from various people (including Prince Charles), and allowed us to move along at our own pace. Even though the sun brought out lots more people, and it was the weekend, it never felt crowded on the yacht.

 

  

Lunch at the Ocean Kitchen & Bar, in the Ocean Terminal, then off to find a woollens outlet (disappointed, once we finally found it), and bus back to the city centre. Rested at the hostel for a while, then off for our Hidden & Haunted tour. Quite good, and got to visit some of the underground sections of the city. Not as scary as I thought it'd be, so easy for me to handle ;)

Sunday we took it easy, visited any shops we hadn't already been into along the Mile, and enjoyed the warm sunny day along with almost everyone else in the city it seemed. Saw a bit of the fundraising challenge (run with increasingly tough obstacles), and looked at the film exhibit at the National Library of Scotland. Supper at a pub up the road from the hostel, The Earl of Marchmont; very good and another one that allowed dogs (as long as they were quiet and didn't bother other patrons).

Scotland—Aviemore, Cairngorm Mountain, Newtonmore

On a bit of a grey day, we took the train from Inverness to Aviemore. [Angus kindly offered to drive us to the train station, and wouldn't take no for an answer; he & Margaret are so nice, and made us feel so welcome!] Turns out that Aviemore is the country's main ski village (I think), thanks to nearby mountain runs; between winters it's a hub for hill walkers. A nice little village, and relatively flat along the main street so no uphill walk to our guest house, Eriskay Guesthouse. After dropping off our bags, and warming up with coffee & tea, we were off to check out the village and get in our daily walk. Found the pub recommended by our guest house owner, The Old Bridge Inn. Perfect country inn, restaurant, and pub. Great cider on tap, lovely warm fire in the pub section. They allow dogs in the pub, as long as they're quiet and well-behaved; seemed strange at first but then just felt right. After we left, stopped at The Ski-ing Doo for supper; not great.

Next day, woke to a sparkling world—everything covered in frost! Hopped on a local bus, which took us to the base station for Cairngorm Mountain, and from there we took the funicular train to the Ptarmigan Top Station. Because of the snow that day, we couldn't take the guided hike from there to the top. We'd have been at over 3,000ft above sea level, on Scotland's sixth-highest mountain. We did walk around the base station a bit when we returned, and as clouds/fog/mist cleared we had great views; saw some heather too! It was fun seeing the kids playing with snow.

Back in Aviemore, we went for a walk and ended up at the Old Bridge Inn. We managed to get a table for dinner, after relaxing in the pub by the fire again, and so happy we did. An absolutely deeelicious meal of melt-in-your-mouth venison for me!

  

Next day was grey and damp, but we set off early for Newtonmore to check out the Highland Folk Museum. Arriving early, we made the short (but felt long) walk into that village in search of something hot. Found that at Betty's Pantry and Tearoom, and after we warmed up left for the walk back to the museum. An outdoor museum, it has a section dedicated to 18th Highland rural life (amazing that people survived it). We chatted with one of the knowledgeable costumed guides, and checked out the various huts and such. As we then made our way to newer sections (representing the early 20th century), snow started falling! Luckily not heavy, but it did add to the general cold damp feeling for the day. It's a good outdoor museum, well worth the time for a visit.

  

Return to Aviemore, relax in the afternoon, then supper at PapaRock; fairly good, definitely American-themed restaurant.

Scotland—Inverness, Culloden, Loch Ness

It was a rainy/drizzly bus ride back to Kyle of Lochalsh, then in & out of rain on train ride to Inverness. Another walk, but not uphill all the way, to the guest house (Ach Aluinn; love the hosts Margaret and Angus),

 

and then out to take care of some laundry. Note: with so many people using mobile phones that have Internet access, Internet cafes are tougher to find these days. The next day we took it easy, and just wandered around city centre. Rained most of the day. Checked out the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery (good and quite informative). We had supper at Johnny Foxes (good steak & mushroom pie and good cider).

The next day we took the city bus out to Culloden to see the Jacobite battle site, and learn more about the battle itself. They have a great exhibit in the main building, and we enjoyed the guided outdoor tour (good job by the guide, given how soaked by the rain she must've been!).

 

Back to Inverness, where we walked along the great path they have beside & across the River Ness. Too bad we couldn't get inside Inverness Castle—currently used for government business—but at least I could take some pictures outside. Finished the day with a delicious dinner at Urquharts; first haggis of the trip!

  

Next day off to see monsters! Well, where a monster supposedly lives, in Loch Ness. Bus ride to the drop-off point, then a boat ride along Loch Ness; sun came out! We arrived at the ruins of Urquhart Castle. Nice spot, but very busy (a few busloads there at the same time we were). After checking out the castle, off to the Loch Ness Centre. Unfortunately, it's rather cheesy and we didn't feel it was worth the extra money (we thought there'd be more information about the geography, geology, and history of the loch and area).

 

  

Scotland—Huntly, Portree

Train from Perth to Huntly, via Aberdeen.
Sunny day to walk to guest house (Hillview) from train station. Wind up with one-bedroom apt, sweet!
Walk to see remains of Huntly Castle. Cool place (could use more informative signs). Brief rain shower, then sunny again.
Okay supper at Gordon Hotel bar (although I understand their mac & cheese is pretty good).

Train from Huntly to Kyle of Lochalsh, bus to Portree (Isle of Skye).
Arrive Portree and B&B (Balloch); grey, drizzly afternoon. Walk around Portree early evening; nice place. Supper at Caledonian Cafe. HUGE piece of tasty fish, and chips.
Next day turns out to be another sunny one. Walk around, checking out most of the local businesses. Met many nice people.
Another big meal, lunch, at Caledonian Cafe.
Boat trip around the harbour in the afternoon. Guide/captain caught a couple of fish, for neighbours' supper, while we were out.
Good breakfasts at the B&B, but just when did salmon (smoked or otherwise) qualify as part of a vegetarian meal?