Scottish Coastal trip + Orkney Island – Part 3

Scottish Coastal trip + Orkney Island – Part 3

Highlander outfit at Atholl museum

Last week in – Part 2 – of this three part series on Scotland – I talked about the road trip up from Aberdeen to Scrabster, the ferry trip and what we did on the Orkney Islands.
 
I bailed early to read again but the girls went up to – Stromness Hotel – for drinks and a meal. The next morning we got up 04.15 to make sure we were ready to catch the 06.30 ferry back to Scotland. This time the swell was much higher and we had to hold on to walk up and down. We had a disappointing breakfast.

Killicrankie

Back at Scrabster the weather was appalling and we drove through – Wester Ross area – in a blizzard. It’s such a beautiful part of the world and it would have great to spend more time there – and have better weather. The hikers we met at the last hostel said they had seen a caravan blow over, that sleet had been falling, and some of them abandoned their walking due to the rubbish weather. The drive was scary as the car was being blown about. It was also a long, long drive and when we arrived at – Achintee Farm – at the foot of Ben Nevis we were glad the day was done. But I did manage a glass of wine at – Ben Nevis Inn.

Eilean Donan Castle

The next morning we hoped to take the cable car up Ben Nevis but the weather was still tricky and we were told that the chairlift would probably not be operating.

We were also told that the cable car was not actually on Ben Nevis but another mountain in the Nevis range and that it only went halfway up as it was meant to be for skiers in winter. An alternative was to drive to – Steall Falls and Gorge – and take a walk that cuts though the scenery surrounding Ben Nevis. Which we did. Brilliant advice and a special place.

Logieriat country market

At the last hostel in – Tyndrum – we encountered people who were walking – The West Highland Way, a few couples and a big hearty group who were most friendly. We took a walk into Tyndrum which wasn’t hard as there isn’t much to it. But worth seeing is the massive souvenir shop come cafe – The Green Welly Stop – and for a meal with an eco friendly bias visit – The Real food Cafe. Our evening meal was self catering which seems to be the norm in hostels and quite frankly I way prefer self catering to eating out.

Working mill Blair Atholl

The last day the girls wanted to see – Blair Castle – which I had already seen. Read about it in – this – blog. On the way to Blair castle near Pitlochry we discovered a country market in – Logierait. We stopped and wandered around the stalls which where mostly fresh and home-made food as well as crafts. We had a quick cup of tea and a snack before moving on.

A Highland cow

I left my friends at the castle and went to – Blair Atholl Watermill, which is a working mill that still grinds flour for their bakery. You can have a drink and a home-baked treat in their tea-room. I also visited the – Atholl Country life Museum – for £3 – afternoons only – and saw how working life in the country used to be. And I went to the Visitors Centre at – Killiecrankie – where they have exhibits and information on the Jacobites vs the Redcoats as well as information on local flora and fauna. There is also a walk to a gorge and a rock where a soldier leapt to escape his opressors.

We re-grouped and had a late lunch at – Mckays – in Pitlochry before resuming our trip back to Aberdeen. We drove through Perthshire and Royal Deeside area via the pretty towns of Dunkeld, Braemar, Banchory and Ballater where we had a final biological break at – Rocksalt and Snails.

Scottish Gaelic road signs

It was one hellava trip. The diversity allowed us a snapsot of much of what Scotland offers. From lush green forests in Perthshire and the mighty mountains of Ben Nevis to the wind swept tree-less plains of Orkney. We explored the fast growing cosmopolitan city of Aberdeen to villages where the only visitors are hikers, and time has stood still. And we saw remains of civilisations dating back 5000 years BC.

We ate rubbish food at the tourist centre in Fort William and fabulous food at the tourist centre at Skara Brae in Orkney. The weather in Aberdeen was glorius and at Wester Ross the weather was atrocious. Needless to say we all want to go back to different places some day.
Fingers crossed.

Ben Nevis Inn

Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.

Part of Ben Nevis mountain range

Weekend in Perthshire Scotland – Part 2

Weekend in Perthshire Scotland – Part 2

Ruined bridge outside Aberfeldy

Last week in – Part 1 – I spoke about what to do in Pitlochry, the theatre festival, Loch Faskally and the fish ladders.

After our mini tour of Pitlochry we washed, changed and went for a meal at – Drummond’s before walking to the theatre to see the first of our two shows. Drummond’s is located in a lovely setting next to the River Tummel. I’m vegetarian and always moan about the lack of vegetarian food on offer. I had the only veg option, a veggie lasagne and my husband had Scottish salmon. Both came with veggies. I would have liked a wider variety to choose from but what we had was good and the service was great.



Blair Castle Ballroom

On day two we only had a morning to spare as we only had to be back at 14.00pm for the matinee show. We took a drive out to see Blair Castle. It’s one of the better castles to visit in Scotland. Entrance was £9.50 each. We walked from room to room . . . to room to room . . . to room. I lost count of how many we passed through.

Each one had either been restored with original furniture or had mementos and souvenirs relating to the Dukes of Atholl, their families, historic visitors and the Atholl Highlanders who are the only private army in Europe.

The Atholl Highlanders were formed as a personal guard for Queen Victoria and her husband Albert. It was at Blair Castle that Victoria fell in love with Scotland and set about building her own castle not too far away – Balmoral Castle. The current royal family still love to escape to Scotland and it’s easy to see why.

Any castle visit takes longer than you think. Allow at least 3 hours to see the exhibits and wander around the gardens. Most castles have cafes so you can plan a lunch stop at a castle.  I can’t promise good food. You can even sleep over in certain castles.

Blair Castle

George Murray, the 10th Duke of Atholl placed Blair Castle into a trust to ensure it’s preservation. His successor the 11th Duke of Atholl was a born and bred South African. John Murray came out from South Africa to Scotland to inspect the guards every year. He was succeeded by his son, Bruce Murray this year (2012), so the 12th Duke of Atholl is also South African. Who knows how many people with royal blood lines live around the world?

McKays in Pitlochry

After the matinee we went to McKays for a meal. McKays is a hearty, down to earth place, done up in contemporary Scottish style. The waitrons, both male and female, wear kilts or tartan skirts. McKays food is reasonably priced and entertainment ranges from a live band to a Ceilidh  (pronounced cay-lee) evening, which is traditional Scottish dance and music. It’s a festive and popular place.

We shared a starter of fried mozarella and salsa. My husband had Shetland salmon with vegetables and said it was the best salmon he had ever eaten. I had a jacket potato with cheese and beans. With a bottle of wine, our meal came to around £35.

Blair Castle Hercules Garden
Big Old Yew in Fortingall

The next morning we had cooked oats for breakfast. My other half had a choice of kippers which came complete with the head, eyes teeth and tail or haddock. I had boiled eggs. The breakfasts at Dundarach were good and their service was excellent. I loved the tartan carpets and old wooden staircase in the foyer.

After brekka we decided to do a round road trip taking in the towns of Aberfeldy, Kenmore on Loch Tay and Fortingall. We passed a few ruined bridges and visited the oldest Yew tree in the world in Fortingall. This poor tree has had so many hardships. It should be much bigger but at least it is still growing and is still the original tree.

We drove back along the beautiful Loch Tay and stopped at Queens View, which is a view point taking in Loch Tummel and the Glencoe Mountains. It’s named after Queen Isabella, wife of Robert the Bruce, but some say it could be named after Queen Victoria.

If you have time you might want to consider doing a bit of cycling. We saw plenty cyclists out enjoying the local sights. We had our car so we took a slow drive back to Aberdeen via Royal Deeside area passing Balmoral Castle and driving through the pretty towns of Braemar, Ballater, Banchory and Crathes. Royal Deeside is the area adjacent to Perthshire. It is similar and just as beautiful. Read more about that road trip – here

Loch Tay outside Kenmore

Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.

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