Portree Day 1 - May 10 2019

Portree Day 1 - May 10, 2019

Today is Peter’s birthday. I wished him “happy birthday” at breakfast and told our host that it was his birthday. She disappeared and reappeared a few moments later with a card, and a lovely box of chocolates for him! How kind!! The Scots that we have met have been very friendly,  and welcoming, and truly lovely people.

After breakfast we headed to the tiny village of Carbost and the Talisker Distillery! This was a busy place, but we managed to get on a tour shortly after 10:00 a.m. We were shown through all of the various processes to produce a single malt of the quality of Talisker. All very interesting and similar to the distilleries I visited on Islay. The Islay single malts tend to be quite peaty and therefore maybe more smoky flavoured. Talisker from Skye is also one of my favourites so I was really happy to see over this distillery too. 

The distillery is set, as with the Islay distilleries, right on the coast. The views are idyllic, so beautiful, but as much as we had beautiful blue skies and sunshine, the distillery can be battered for weeks by raging winds, heavy seas, and blowing rains.

After our distillery tour, we took a short drive to Glen Brittle and the Fairy Pools. It wasn’t  a long walk, about 4-5 k, meandering up the mountain beside the Fairy Pools. The Fairy Pools are magic pools of pale aqua water that lie on the River Brittle at the foot of the Black Cuillins near Glen Brittle. Some people like to swim in them! For us, swimming was way too cold!!!  The pools were pretty, but it was the surrounding mountainous scenery that was far more impressive.

At the beginning of the visit Robin mislaid her purse (handbag) and we all felt sure she had left it in the B & B. After the tour we headed back to Portree and there it was. As it was getting late and we were getting hungry, we thought that Skeabost House Hotel would be a nice place for lunch. Unfortunately, we arrived around 3…..too late! Lunch finished at 2:00 pm! After a few moments of debate we headed towards Dunvegan and found a nice little restaurant there where we had some soup and a sandwich.

My surprise was spotting a sign "Giant Angus MacAskill Museum"! The Giant is one of Ray's ancestors....and he was born on Berneray in the Outer Hebrides. He went to Nova Scotia when he was about 5 or 6. Here is what one site has to say about "why" there is a museum on Skye:
"So why is there a museum dedicated to him in Dunvegan? It was established in 1989 by local man Peter MacAskill (who also established the Colbost Croft Museum) to provide a lasting memorial to a notable member of the clan who, though he may never have come to Skye, spent his first few years on an island less than 30 miles away: before, like so many other MacAskills and so many other highlanders, having to leave for a new future in a new world." (https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/skye/angusmacaskill/index.html

We arrived at Dunvegan castle about 4:45 and were just in time to purchase a ticket to see around the gardens. Peter and Robin had visited around this time last year, and Peter was able to show me some neat views of the castle from the gardens.

We returned to the B & B with time to reorganize our packing for tomorrow, before we headed out to Peter’s celebratory dinner at Scorrybreac Restaurant in Portree. A beautiful meal and a beautiful evening.

Fort William to Inverness; Inverness to Portree, Skye - May 9, 2019

Fort William to Inverness; Inverness to Portree, Skye - May 9, 2019 

We left Fort William this morning, driving, and headed up The Great Glen to Inverness. The Glen travels along Loch Linnhe, Loch Lochy, Lock Ness, and Loch Oich, all of which are connected by the Caledonian Canal. Along the way we encountered many pretty little towns and villages set in the most amazing scenery and flanked by steep slopes up to the mountains on one side, and the loch on the other. We passed sheep, and highland cattle, and their babies; waterfalls; the ruins  of Urquhart Castle – which is said to have been around since 580. We also passed tons of “clear cutting” which is a real gash on the Scottish mountain side. They seem to be leaving the trees and the debris which aren’t used to rot naturally in order to encourage natural growth in place of the lumber! The hills look “devasted”….it is quite ugly, yet fascinating in its magnitude.

We arrived in Inverness in time to visit the shopping mall in the pedestrian only street, walk up to the castle and take come pictures, then headed down to the Fig and Whistle for lunch. Robin and Peter were there a year ago so it was a special moment for them.

After lunch, we headed out of town to Portree, Skye.All of this drive was spectacular. We had time to go and see the famous Eilean Donan Castle which was built in the early 14^th Century and which I think is one of the most beautiful castles in Scotland. Driving over the road bridge onto Skye was amazing. The last time I crossed over the ferry was the only way to go!! Our B & B “Drummorel” was quite beautiful and had a great view over the hills down to the ocean. Catriona was extremely helpful, and helped make our time spent there very comfortable.

We struggled to find a restaurant for dinner and ended up waiting an hour in one. As we could wait at the bar it wasn’t too tough!

The West Highland Way - May 1 - May 8

The West Highland Way

I decided to do a separate blog for the hike. Why?? No idea!! It just seemed appropriate since I had done a separate one for The Bruce Trail.

Here is the link for that if you are interested. I have no idea what Internet will be like from here on. So please be patient and keep checking if you don't find anything posted.

https://8daysonthewhw.blogspot.com/

Stirling to Milnagavie - Tuesday April 30

Stirling to Milnagavie

We were up early this morning and had our bags packed in the car by 7:45. Ate a delicious breakfast at Castlecroft, our B & B, and were on the road by 8:50.

We drove through the transition from east coast and lowlands to west coast and the Scottish Highlands! The difference is stark. Our drive up the East coast to St. Andrews was all about small fishing villages and the ocean. Our drive today was varied; we travelled through the green fields of the farming area in the East to the craggy rock and mountains (well maybe hills - 4440 feet?? -  of the west. The land became more remote, the villages smaller, and a view of craggy rocks and mountains coupled with lochs and moors such as Rannoch Moor, filled our vision. It is all so beautiful. This is my country!! I love the sense of wildness, tipped with a little drizzle and mist and hints of kings and queens, battles, and historical characters such as Rob Roy,  The sad part  is the dark side of Scottish forestry i.e. the clear cutting. It is ugly with no apparent attempt at nurturing a continuous cover model of forestry where a canopy is always maintained. Really??  It's hard to believe. Robin spied two deer on the journey, and we saw several of the iconic highland cattle!

We arrived in Fort William in good time for our train journey to Milnagavie. The trains integrate seemlessly into the lifestyle, and we slid onto the train in Milnagavie around 11:41, changed at Dalmuir for four stops and exited at Westerton; caught the train 10 minutes later for the 10 minute journey to Milnagavie, all as if we were riding the subway. We walked the last 400 metres to our B & B - Best Foot Forward!

We dropped off the bags and went out to check out the town. Walked down through the pedestrian only area in the centre; not too exciting. We checked out the obelisk at the start of The West Highland Way, took a few steps on the route so that we knew which way to go in the morning. We only have to walk 19k and apparently, it is the easiest day of the hike!! Don't know how good that is!! I'll let you know tomorrow.

On the way back from our stroll we stopped of at the Burnbrae Inn Pub & Grill for dinner. Not quite the standard of the other meals we have eaten but it satisfied the hunger pangs. We had missed lunch....well a chocolate caramel biscuit hardly counts as lunch!!

So tomorrow morning we are off on the unknown. The trail looks amazing and we are all excited and looking forward to the journey.

Strathkinness to Stirling - Monday April 29

Strathkinness to Stirling

We had a lovely breakfast this morning at Mansedale House, packed up the car, and were on our way to Stirling. Its not a long drive, but I am revelling in the Scottish countryside: horses, sheep, wooly lambs, cows, and green, green fields separated either by straight lines of perfectly manicured hedges or stone walls. The little Scottish villages are quite unique and all adorable.

Peter wanted to check out Rumbling Bridge, which we did, and had a lovely walk along the side of the river. At first, it was miles below us, tumbling between rocks, and rock arches, and roaring in our ears. We were looking for the "lower bridge" to cross river, 300 metres from the "upper bridge" which had been wiped out. But, we never found it. When we got back we discovered we were walking "upstream" and the bridge was "downstream"...oh well!! The walk was very pretty. When I got back into the car, I noticed I had a phone call. Cursing Vodafone, who has sent me umpteen texts, and a couple of phone calls, I opened the phone message. It was Elaine from Mansedale House. She had found a "car shelf" in the drive way right where our car was parked and wondered if it was ours! It was!! So, we headed back to Strathkinness (about 30 miles back and 45 minutes driving).  After picking up the shelf and thanking Elaine we headed into Cupar and found "the best coffee shop in the world". They had delicious scones, and coffee!! I don't think we stopped again until Stirling.

We first climbed up the Wallace Monument commemorating William Wallace. We walked the short distance to the monument and climbed up the 264 steps to amazing views over the grounds of the Battle of Stirling Bridge, a sad time for the English!!

We drove to our B & B, parked the car, and headed up to Stirling Castle. This castle is the largest and most important castle in Scotland. Although its not known exactly when it was constructed there is mention of the castle in history in 1110. It has been nicely restored, and there are some good historical actors in various rooms as you wander around. It was far more entertaining than Edinburgh...I hate to say!!!

After our tour we headed for dinner, then back to the B & B to arrange our bags for our hiking trip. Tomorrow we drive to Fort William, drop of the car at the B & B there, and take the train down to Milnagavie for the following morning's start of our 8 day hike on The West Highland Way. No idea what WiFi will be like along the way, but I will do my best to up date this blog. Till then....