Inverness
It was 80 degrees in Portland and I headed to the airport with a heavy sweater. leather jacket and a wool hat, looking forward to 50 degrees and rain in the highlands of Scotland. I had an early afternoon, nonstop to Amsterdam which got in early and after a four hour layover I arrived in Inverness 15 hours after takeoff from Portland. About that time I realized I forgot my European GPS. Oh well, I guess I will have to trust Google Maps and hope I do not lose my cell signal. Thanks to Brexit, we had to go thru immigration and customs in Inverness, in a temporary structure. It took the EU people longer than the rest of us. I met Ginny and Hertz took 30 minutes to pick us up but 30 seconds to give me the car. Driving on the left is starting to feel very familiar, but the car was new and Ginny was not familiar with my android phone so we took a couple of wrong turns which did not delay us much. We stayed at the Waterside Hotel in Inverness right on the Ness River, £94 a night. We were starved and I had the haggis for lunch with a pint £15. We took a nap and ate dinner at the hotel, two appetizers, a huge pot of mussels and wine £40.
Friday broke clear and crisp so we started walking. After a bit, we decided we needed a plan so looked for the tourist office, which had moved, but we found it. They fixed us up with maps and brochures, and the rules for driving on one lane roads. Our first stop of the morning was the Victorian Market, which sounded interesting, but was just an indoor mall with extremely tacky souvenir shops. I had a brief sinking spell and stopped for a cappuccino before we visited the Old High Church cemetery. The view of the river was wonderful. Next to that was Leakey’s used books in an old church, and a more charming used book store you could not imagine. We crossed the river on a footbridge and visited the St Andrew’s Cathedral (Episcopal) which had very nice stained glass. We were still recovering from Jet lag so we opted for the Loch Ness cruise in the afternoon. We drove about 5 miles, with two wrong turns, and then the cruise started down the Caledonian Canal before reaching Loch Ness. The scenery was great, the loch holds the most freshwater of any lake in Scotland and they have taken several extremely large sturgeon which might account for the myth, or maybe it is just the whisky. We saw the ruins of Urquhart Castle, but there was not much there and we were glad we just motored by.
Dinner was at the Contrast restaurant next door to the hotel. I think we were the first table on the first night for the waitress who spoke in a whisper. She could not pronounce the fish of the day, after she found out how to pronounce it she did not know how it was prepared after she checked on that she said it was served whole, but it came in five small fillet pieces. Anyway, it was delicious, two dinners and a bottle of Tempranillo came to £58 and I think that it was wrong on the low side. A good first day and a reasonable number of steps. So then there was a sign in our hotel about music until midnight. It turned out the party was right below us and the people spilled out onto the area right below our window, yakking at the top of their lungs. Every time they went in or out, slamming the door, our room shook. Aargh, bad review coming.
Aberdeenshire
Saturday started out sunny as we drove east, planning on following the Castle Trail. I was getting used to the car and Ginny was getting used to navigating with Google maps. We drove thru rolling farmland and there were baby lambs everywhere. The daffodils were astounding, at the driveways, along the fence lines, in the fields, everywhere. It clouded up as we neared Elgin. We stopped at the Spynie Palace ruins and waited for the rain to stop, but gave up after 10 minutes. We drove south to Dufftown, seven distilleries, and arrived at Balvenie Castle where we became members of Historic Scotland, £38.50 each for a year’s membership and free admission to 77 sites around the country. Climbing up and thru the castle was great. Huntly Castle was closed for renovation so our next stop was Duff House in Banff, a grand manor house from the 18th century, where they gave us a nip of Deveron, the delicious local whisky, with our tour. The house was given to the town in 1904 and restored in the ’90s. MacDuff, just east of Banff takes the cake as the cutest old Scot harbor town. From there we drove the Aberdeenshire coastal trail, narrow roads, and no traffic. We approached Fraserburg but our hotel, the Tufted Duck, £75, was about five miles out of town. It was a new but ordinary motel, right on the cliff above the North Sea. Dinner, roasted cod, arancini, Windswept APA, and dessert was £53 for two and surprisingly good.
Breakfast was exceptional; black pudding, beans, grilled tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, eggs two ways, toast, and a whole cold buffet. Lunch was not even a consideration that day. Our first stop was the Kinnaird Head lighthouse and museum. The museum was quite interesting and the tour was worth the stop. It was the first lighthouse in Scotland and designed by Robert Louis Stevenson’s grandfather. Then we went to Fyvie Castle, which was an opulent 800 year old castle improved by five successive families. But it was £13 each plus three more to park, so we drove thru, took the photo of the front and eased on down the road. Our goal was Tolquhon Castle, home of the Forbes. It was started in 1420 and most was built between 1584-89. I have visited hundreds of castles and this one was delightful in a way that is hard to describe. From there we went to the cemetery in Inverurie to look at some Pictish stones, they had been “removed to be recorded”? So we looked for Brandsbutt which was a Pictish stone left from an old stone circle, 1400 years old. We found it in a neighborhood park. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Strichen stone circle. We hiked in a half a mile over sheep pasture, perseverance is required to find these things. It was fenced off in the middle of a pasture but the fence was down and there was a dead sheep next to the circle. No signage, but interesting because of its age.
Dundee
Monday we drove south thru Peterhead and Aberdeen, cities involved in the offshore oil and gas industry. There was a museum for offshore platforms but we did not stop. On a whim, we did drive to Stonehaven, a quaint village with a natural harbor and a free local tolbooth museum. The museum curator was delightfully welcoming. It was just a couple of miles further to Dunnottar castle, sited dramatically on a promontory jutting into the north sea. It was 200 steps down and then a few more back up to reach it. It has been restored by a private family and was £7 each, but well worth it. We drove thru Carnoustie, but it looked like a small golf town anywhere. In Dundee we stayed at the Apex, a nice business hotel £95, right on the quay. We wandered the streets for a bit and had dinner at Bellini £32 each for three courses and a bottle of wine to split, not bad. We were beat from the climb out of the castle so we called it an early night.
Tuesday was clear and we never got near the car (yeah). The breakfast place we had picked out had not opened so we went the Henry’s Coffee Shop for coffee and pastries. Dundee had restored the RRS Discovery, the ship Scott used for his first antarctic expedition in 1901. There was a very well done museum next to the ship which was in dry dock, several short film clips with original photos. The ticket was £15 and included our next stop the Verdant Jute Works. We would not have even considered the Jute works but the reviews all raved about it and there was not a lot to do in Dundee. I knew almost nothing about Jute but that soon changed. We spent over two hours, looking at the displays, watching film clips, watching demonstrations of the machinery, and learning about the rise and fall of a major industry. That same story has been repeated the world over for innumerable industries. Import raw materials from the 3rd world, innovate manufacturing, exploit the local labor, and then move the machinery to the 3rd world country with the raw materials leaving behind a polluted town with empty buildings and lots of unemployment. After that enlightening experience, we went to the McManus Art museum. It is an enormous gothic building build in the late 19th century. The exhibits were nice but nothing memorable, free admission.
Edinburgh
Wednesday it was pouring rain as we headed out to St Andrew’s. We passed the Old Course and a myriad of others too. People were playing in the cold rain, ugh. St Andrews is as cute a village as one could imagine. We did find a parking place and walked to the ruins of the old cathedral, built in 1173 and abandoned in 1540, once the largest building in Scotland. From there we walked along the seawall to the ruins of the St Andrews castle. It had a good exhibit in the visitor’s center and the setting was certainly dramatic. On the way out of town we saw the ruins of the Blackfriar’s chapel and the remaining city gate. And then I accidentally drove the wrong way thru the gate. The rain gradually let up and the sun came out by the time we got to Edinburg. We checked in another Apex Hotel, £ 124 with parking. We could see the castle from our window. Our brief walk took us past The Elephant House Cafe where JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books, and then to the Greyfriars churchyard. Dinner was at a place called The Mussel and Steak Bar and that is what we had. With two beers and a whisky it was £45 each.
Thursday was supposed to be warmer and sunny, they lied. We got a bargain breakfast in the coffee shop next door and were in line for the Edinburgh castle before 9:30. We have now used our Historic Scotland pass enough that we are in the black. There was a cold wind blowing so we did not loiter on the ramparts. We toured the royal chambers, the great hall, the crown jewels (or Scotland Honors as they call them) and the Prison where they held sailors captured in the American revolution. The castle looms over the city and is the top attraction in Scotland. From there we walked the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace. We stopped for tea at Forsyth’s Tea Room run by a grandmotherly woman, and so authentic looking it could have been a movie set, £5 for two cups. Holyrood Palace is the official residence of the Queen when she is in Scotland each year. Then we had to walk back up the Royal Mile to the Royal Museum of Scotland. We were beat and just toured the early people section. They had some amazing exhibits from the bronze and iron ages as well as quite a lot from the Roman occupation period. We had 14,000+ steps and took a well-earned nap. Dinner was at Outsiders, modern decor overlooking the old town. We both ordered steaks, and the menu told who the butcher was, where the cow was raised, and how long the meat was aged. The steaks were perfect and with a bottle of Italian wine, the bill was £ 67.
Hadrian’s Wall and Galloway
Friday was again high clouds, but a bit warmer. Breakfast was at La Barantine Victoria, quiche and cappuccino, £17.50 for two. Our first stop was at Craigmillar castle, nicely preserved. Then we visited the ruins of Melrose Abbey and Jedburgh Abbey. Tall imposing red sandstone churches and cloisters. Our main objective for the day was Hadrian’s Wall and Housesteads is reputed to be the best of the sites. To our surprise, the wall actually lies in England just south of the Scottish border. It was only a half-mile walk, but all uphill. The fort was built in 124 AD and abandoned around 400 AD. WOW!!
That night we stayed at the Surrone Inn in Gretna, £79. Many years ago the marriage laws in Scotland were looser than in England and Gretna became where English couples eloped to get married. It is still the main industry. in town. We asked about the pub on the main road for dinner and our hostess, Christine, said the place next door was much better. When we walked in it looked a bit dated and then they sat us behind a column. The menu was straight out of the 1950s but we gamely ordered. The pints of Belhaven were very good. The stuffed mushrooms were stuffed into a batter and deep-fried until they were rock hard. The prawn cocktail had a very strange pink sauce and the tiny prawns seemed like they came out of a can. We asked for water and they brought a beer pitcher full but we had to pout it ourselves. I ordered sea bass on a bed of asparagus, the waitress came back and said they were out of asparagus. I asked what they would substitute, she checked and said nothing. I asked for some peas and they must have opened a fresh can. The customers all seemed to be locals. There was a party for a woman with a black “Bride to Be” sash who was as big around as she was tall. We picked out her mother because they had matching fuchsia high heels. There was a Friday women’s group with a couple of bottles of rose and when they poured they filled their wine glasses to the brim. The bartender looked like an unmade bed and wandered thru the dining room with drinks that he had no clue where they went. After they brought a trio of sorbets whose flavor we could not identify, I went to the bar and got a double Talisker so the evening was not a total waste. Of course, their credit card machine was broken so had to go to the hotel desk to pay. At least the bill was only £25 each.
Saturday was warmer but with only about 10 minutes of sun. We first stopped at Caerlaverock Castle, one of the few moated castles and the only triangular castle in Scotland. The Romans had a fort there when it was a major harbor. From there we wandered around the narrow farm roads. With no sun you could not tell which direction you were headed. Fortunately, I had picked up a bracket to hold the phone on the windshield, and google maps got us where we wanted to go. We stopped at the cottage where John Paul Jones was born. The cottage was not much but there was a nice video about him, £4. The promised views along the coast road never emerged from the fog and we zigged over to Carin Holy I & II. These are two neolithic tombs about 5000 years old, we both love stuff that old. The dry-stacked stone walls around the farm fields were very nice too. We also stopped at Cardoness castle as it was on the way back and part of Historic Scotland. We had dinner at the Gretna Inn, a traditional pub. There was a raucous wedding party in back but the front was quiet. The fish and chips were great, with beer and a Jura whisky £30 for two. We had a nice conversation with two couples from York who came up for the men to fish for salmon.
Falkirk and Stirling
Sunday was SUNNY and eventually almost got to 70 degrees. We decided to see The Devil’s Porridge Museum in Gretna, which was about the world’s biggest munitions plant in WWI. It was eight miles long, employed mostly women and produced 1100 tons of cordite a week. They had remarkable progressive labor policies but virtually no safety precautions. Girls mixed nitric acid and cotton with their hands. The acid turned their hair and skin yellow. The independence the women found working there helped lead to them getting the vote shortly after the war. From there it was a long drive on the dual carriageway to Falkirk. We wanted to see some of the Antonine wall the Romans built north of Hadrian’s wall in 142AD. The “best” site, Rough Castle, was up a dirt road with only four parking spaces. The wall had been mainly a ditch and earth rampart 37 miles long with forts every four miles. There wasn’t much to see but we were there. Next, we went to the Falkirk Wheel completed in 2002, a marvel of modern engineering. It is a rotating wheel that lifts canal boats, four at a time, 80 feet, replacing 11 locks. Close to it are the Kelpies, 98-foot tall statues of horse heads. In Scottish myth, a kelpie is a water spirit that changes shape, most often a horse but can take human form too. They are surrounded by a huge park that was filled with picnickers, kids, and people strolling in the sun.
Lastly that day we visited Linlithgow Palace, the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. It was started by James I in 1420 and expanded and renovated for the next 300 years. While it is a ruin it is remarkably preserved. We got our 140 stair climbing up to the tower. We stayed at Cladhan Hotel, which was a nondescript looking motel in Falkirk, £80. The room was very nice as was the bar. We ate there and the food was delightful. I gambled on the butter chicken and it was just like I make, Ginny had the steak pie, with appetizers and drinks, £28. In one day we drove every kind of road; Motorways with three lanes in each direction, dual carriageways, nice wide highways with some shoulder, narrower highways still with a stripe in the middle, secondary roads with no stripe, narrow secondary roads, one-lane roads with pull-offs for passing, one-lane roads with no room to pass, a paved road so little used that grass was growing in the middle, nicely graded gravel roads, city streets, alleys, and shopping center parking lots when we missed our turn.
Monday was a bank Holiday, sunny and beautifully clear, so we set out early and were the second car in the Stirling Castle car park. We went in as soon as it opened and toured most of the castle without seeing anyone in the rooms, great for pictures. They have tried to restore the interiors to their original look, even recreating the tapestries. It was very impressive. The castle was under siege 8 times and seemed to change hands every year from 1296. It was a short drive from there to Doune Castle which was featured in Monty Python and now the TV series Outlander. They were having technical issues with their credit card machine, but, as members, we went right in. Stirling is a darling village although the streets are quite steep.
From there we wound thru the back roads to Inchmahome Priory which sits on an island in the middle of a lake. We lucked out when in 20 minutes they called for two more on the next boat and we jumped ahead of a few families. The boats only held 12 and by the time we got back to the mainland, the line was two hours long. The ruins are from 1238, were nice enough and the stroll around the island was pleasant in the rare Scottish sunshine. You can go out for free but have to buy a ticket to get back and the boats and ticket office shut for lunch. Our last stop was at the ruins of an old iron forge abandoned in 1870, surprisingly interesting. We arrived in Oban, the seafood capital of the UK and our Hotel Muthu Alexandra just before five. The hotel, £95 was a grand old dame sitting right on the esplanade looking over the harbor. Walking down the corniche in the warm sunshine felt fantastic. The best seafood restaurants were packed and we finally sat at the bar of the Waterfront Fishhouse, which is on a pier, and ordered oysters and wine. They were very good so was ordered the scallop starter which was great. By then they had a table for us and we had the freshly caught langoustines, the best we had ever had. A meal to remember, £102.
Oban
The front desk staff at our hotel are completely clueless and have a very limited grasp of English. It took three people to decide that they did not do laundry, and none of them knew where we could get it done. The cleaning staff spoke no English at all. But the location is great and the room is fine. We elected to find our own breakfast, and Abies Cafe was one of the few open before 9. A five item breakfast was £5. The Visitor center provided some information and we worked on planning our time in the Hebrides. We got in the car, and I promptly missed a roundabout and found myself driving on the wrong side and had to jump the median, my first screw up in two weeks of driving. Google found a laundry and we got turned around from there and wound up at McCaig’s tower, which looks like the exterior of a coliseum. It was built at the end of the 19th century to provide work for the stonemasons and make a monument and park overlooking the city. We stopped at the ferry office to buy our tickets, four trips with the car came to £162.
After that, we drove down the coast a wee bit to visit the Isle of Seil. You cross the Bridge over the Atlantic, a beautiful high stone structure built in 1791, to get there. There is not much to see but the cliffs would be dramatic if the sun were shining. It seemed to be mainly a base for sea kayakers. On the north side of Oban are the ruins of Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel which were interesting. As soon as we got back to the hotel for a nap, the sun came out. We had a reservation at EE Usk (rated the best in town) for dinner and got a window seat at the end of the pier. We started with mussels and Ginny had a huge piece of halibut, and I ordered the monkfish scampi. Scampi is usually broiled in garlic butter but this was nuggets deep fried, very tasty but not what I was expecting. With a bottle of wine, £77. Afterward, we wandered down the esplanade to the castle and war memorial at the end, soaking up the precious rays of sunshine.
The next day we headed out at 7:30 to try to see a bit before the rains came. We drove south on the Argyle Coastal Trail stopping to see the Nether Largie standing stones, erected 3200 years ago. After that, the road started hugging the coast and the vistas were stunning. We stopped for breakfast at Tarbert, a quaint fishing village, a larger version of Stonehaven. A full Scottish breakfast was £6 at the Cadora Cafe overlooking the harbor. The rain started promptly at 10 so we gave up shortly after that and turned back. There was one castle to visit but it was a 20 minute walk uphill, across farmland, in the rain, so we passed on by. We got back to the hotel around one as the rain and wind picked up almost to a gale. So this actually was our first real downtime since we got to Scotland. The rain let up around 6 so we walked down the esplanade and after trying a few places that were fully booked, we settled on Olive Garden (not like ours) and had a nice crab pate followed by excellent fish and a bottle of Italian wine, £77.
Mull
On Thursday we headed for the island of Mull. The ferry ride was uneventful, partly cloudy, and about 50 minutes, £18. When we rolled off, we tried to head south as quickly as possible. All the roads on Mull are single lane with passing pull-offs. Some of the road was OK but some of it had potholes that could take a wheel off. It was about an hour’s drive to Fionnphort, thru some very barren countryside, We just missed the ferry to Iona and had a wait, arriving on Iona just before one, £7 each. Iona was settled in 563 by St Columba from Ireland with the intention of converting the Scots to Christianity. It was often raided by the Vikings in the 800’s. The Book of Kells was produced there and then sent to Ireland for safekeeping. We visited the abbey which has been restored and the nunnery which has not been.
We decided to take the scenic route along the west coast of Mull. It was potholed and very narrow, with sheep on the road. A couple of ewes were nursing their lambs in the middle of the road and gave us a withering look when we wanted to go thru. The views were otherworldly, breathtaking, stupendous, I cannot describe them and pictures do not capture the grand isolation and expanse looking out over the open Atlantic. About three hours of tense, and sometimes hair raising driving, after leaving Fionnphort we arrived in the capital, Tobermory, a tiny hamlet hanging on a cliff that led down to a picture-postcard harbor. We wandered a wee bit and had dinner at the Mishnish Hotel. Another great meal with local oysters, salmon, and cod, £72 with a bottle of wine. We finally reached the Arle Lodge, £129, six miles from Tobermory and right on the water. It was a very small step above a hostel, primitive, unstaffed, cold vegan make it yourself breakfast. The can of coffee looked real and there was a french press next to it, but it turned out to be instant. They even asked you to do your own dishes. But it was the only place available on the island.
Skye
Friday morning, after the wretched start, we got some good coffee and something to eat in Tobermory and got on the ferry to Kilchoan back on the mainland. We drove out to the Ardnamurchan lighthouse on the narrowest road yet. It was windswept and barren, but picturesque and the had a nice exhibition of old lighthouse lore. We meandered along the coast stopping for pictures and once for tea. The day was overcast and occasionally spit a bit of rain. We reached Mallaig for the ferry to Skye in plenty of time only to learn that all the ferries had been canceled and we had a 3 ½ hour detour to get to Skye by bridge. We thought gas would be cheaper on the mainland, but it later turned out to be cheaper on Skye. When we arrived at the Dunollie Hotel it was almost seven and I was a zombie from all the driving and the traffic and the rain. The hotel was packed and £175 with dinner and breakfast.
Saturday broke crystal clear and a bit warmer. We wanted to take an easy day exploring Skye. Out first stop was Portree, the capital. It was a small tourist oriented town but not as cute as some of the other little fishing villages we had already visited. From there we went to Dunvegan Castle, home of clan Macleod, £ 11 each. The castle was started in the 13th century and is still occupied by the same family, although they had not heard of Duncan Macleod of the Highlander series. They trace their origins to the Vikings. The 42,000-acre estate has spectacular gardens. The guide book recommended the Oyster Shed in Carbost, home to the Talisker distillery. When we got there, there were 12 people in line. After 15 minutes a very young kid had shucked three oysters so we decided we did not have that much time and left, what a letdown. At least everything is only 30 minutes apart. Lastly, we drove up the east coast of the island stopping first at Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls. The falls come over a cliff falling 177 feet into the ocean. Then we drove up the impossibly narrow and twisty one-lane road to Quiraing, a stunning rock formation formed by land slipping. There we ran into a couple from Kamloops, who complained about Portland’s hockey team always beating theirs. Our hotel, The Flodigarry Hotel in the Skye, five stars, £ 275, and a view worth every penny. For dinner, we had the scallop and the venison appetizers followed by salmon and monkfish, with a bottle of wine £ 110. The service certainly met our expectations.
Outer Hebrides
In the morning we walked down to the beach before breakfast. I thought breakfast was included but it was £ 15 extra, each. The smoked salmon and scrambled eggs were to die for. We drove around the tip of Skye, seeing bunnies everywhere, and arrived just in time for check-in at Uig for the ferry to Lochmaddy on North Uist, £ 43. Less than two hours later we disembarked on North Uist. Lochmaddy is barely a hamlet and the museum and visitors center were closed on Sunday. There was no cellphone service ( therefore no Google Maps) so we made do with our paper map. All the signs are in Gaelic and a few have English subscript. We heard that most of the people speak Gaelic too. North Uist has no trees but innumerable lochans (little lakes) They seem to raise salmon in some of them. In a wee bit we came to Pobull Fhinn, a stone circle about 5000 years old, the trail was narrow and muddy so we had tea at the Langass Lodge after our hike. The whole island gave a new meaning to desolation, there are only 1200 residents and all are dispersed around the island. At the south end of the island, we drove out a gravel road to “Roadsend Sculpture” a community project dating from 2000 AD. We saw a few other ancient tiny sites and arrived early at Berneray for the ferry to Harris, £20. We did not have a ticket for this ferry and as more cars started showing up we started to sweat, but there was plenty of room. The ferry took an hour and Harris was as desolate as Uist but all rock instead of peat bog. About 25 minutes brought us to Tarbert and the lovely Hotel Hebrides, £190, right on the harbor. Their restaurant was booked so we ate in the bar.
Monday was overcast, but the included breakfast was eggs benedict with smoked salmon and asparagus, yum. The tourist office was right across the street and there was a line to get information. While I waited I found a Harris tweed hat in my colors and I always need a new hat! We started driving north thru the rocky hills of Harris when we crossed that imaginary line that denotes Lewis the country turned to peat bog. Our first stop was the Calanais stones, a stone circle dating back 5000 years (older than Stone Henge) though modified over the next 2000 years. When it was excavated in the 19th century over a meter of peat had grown up around them. A few of the stones are missing and a couple had fallen and were stood up again, but most of it was in situ. Wandering thru something so ancient was inspiring. Next, we visited the impressively preserved Dun Carloway broch. A broch is an iron age, dry-stacked stone tower and some were 13 meters tall. They think they were fortified farms but they seemed to stop building them in the first century BC. We stopped briefly at a replica thatched village but it was too touristy so we did not stay. A wee bit further down the road was a restored Norse grain mill and kiln near Shawbost, interesting but obscure. Then, with a bit of hunting, we found the Clach an truishal standing stone. It is massive, 5.8 meters tall, and just in a field by a farmhouse. By Arnol there is thatched roof Black House (part of Historic Scotland) that has been restored, with period furniture and even a peat fire burning. It was last occupied in 1966! Our last stop was at the Steinacleit cairn and stone circle. This is an unexcavated site up a muddy bog trail but eerie it its own way. After that, we drove to the north end of the island before heading to Stornoway and the Cuanna house B&B, £ 110. This is in a stately old house with four rooms and a communal table for breakfast. We wandered around the town in the wind and had dinner at the Boatshed in the Royal Hotel, right on the harbor. I had langoustines (huge) to start and monkfish with scallops as a main, with a bottle of wine £45 each. Absolutely the best meal of the trip so far.
Tuesday was kind of misty so we just lollygagged around Stornoway. We walked down and checked out a couple of tweed shops and then went to Lewis Loom center, a funky place jammed with bolts of fabric, bins of remnants, and the best prices on made to measure clothes. We drove up to the Lews Castle, a restored Victorian mansion that now has rooms to stay and rooms for weddings and events. The attached museum was very well done with interesting, interactive installations on the history of the area. The ferry across the Minch to Ullapool, back on the mainland £ 70, was 2.5 hours with not much view. We had no cellphone service in Ullapool so we had to rely on our map to find the hotel. While it was probably only a couple of miles from Ullapool if you could fly, it was 40 some miles by car thru terrain that made Lewis and Harris look verdant. The Dundonnell Hotel did not look like much but it was right on the water, £100. For dinner we had four small plates; seared scallops, shrimp (12) in garlic butter, Haggis, and a salad with figs, beets, goat cheese and greens £51 with two drinks apiece. I insisted Ginny try the haggis, shortly later she asked for seconds. It would be a great meal even in NYC.
Dundonnell and Nairn
Wednesday was warm and sunny as we started driving around the headland toward Gairloch. Just past Gairloch, we came to Victoria Falls, not as dramatic as Africa, but quite nice. The first part of the drive had great scenery but once we turned inland it became humdrum. Eventually, we came to Fort George, an historic fort that is still a military garrison. It was moderately interesting but walking around in the sun without a jacket felt wonderful. Our hotel was the Muthu Newton Hotel, in an old manor house with an extensive front garden, £90. Charlie Chaplin used to vacation there every year, and they named the bar after him. Our room was very elegant. As we walked past the front garden we spotted some Highland Cattle in a pasture, one by the fence mugged for the camera. It was Ginny’s last night so we went to the best place in town, the Sun Dancer. It was right on the harbour and as the sun got low in the sky the light danced on the water. Scallops and mussels to start and lamb for our main, a bottle of Italian wine and it came to £ 77. The seafood in Scotland has been such a delight in every town.
Back up North
Wednesday was again warm and sunny as we drove to the airport. After dropping Ginny off, I headed north but got tired of driving in about an hour. I saw a sign for the Dunrobin castle and turned in not knowing what to expect. While started in 1295 it looks like a French Chateau and the furnishings and formal gardens would make Marie Antoinette feel right at home. It is the home of the Earl of Sutherland and they still live there. The interior was awe-inspiring and the formal gardens stretched to the sea. They even do falconry demonstrations, weather permitting. Behind every great fortune is a great crime. In Sutherland’s case it was the Clearings. In the early 19th century the aristocracy drove the farmers off the land and converted it all to sheep. The farmers could starve or emigrate, nobody cared which. It wiped out the Gaelic culture in northwestern Scotland. My next stop was the Liath Broch, not as well preserved as the one on Lewis, but it did have a stairway and the foundations of outbuildings. The setting, on a bluff overlooking the North Sea, was spectacular.
Just outside of the darling town of Wick was The Old Castle at Wick, a 12th-century Norse structure. It is the best-preserved Norse castle in Scotland, but after I hiked 800 meters over some treacherous terrain, it was closed due to wet conditions. Fortunately for me, there was a young Scot flying his drone and he showed me live video from inside the castle. When the Norse ruled the Orkney Islands, this was their largest stronghold on the mainland. A short drive further brought me to the Alba Sunrise B&B, £77, prairie all around and a view eastward of the sea. As I pulled into the parking area, my car was surrounded by chickens, so I knew the eggs at breakfast would be plenty fresh. The hostess was a fountain of information and the room was large and lovely. The Seaview Hotel was a few miles down the road in John o’Groats. It had a 12 table restaurant and a tiny bar but 100 kinds of whisky. I ordered the house hot smoked salmon £15 which was quite good but passed on the whisky.
Orkneys
Friday was again warm and sunny and breakfast was terrific, venison sausage and eggs right out of the nest. I stopped at the point in John o’Groats which is not even a village and there was just a dramatic coastal view. I had some time to kill so I visited the Castle of Mey, the summer place of the Queen Mother, £10. It was huge but not opulent. On the mandatory tour, I got 60 minutes of mindless trivia about the most innocuous of the royal parasites on British society. While the entire estate has been donated to a public trust, the royals still use it as their own private property whenever they want. I decided to get petrol but the only station was completely out. Luckily a tanker had just arrived to correct that problem.
I took the Pentland catamaran ferry from Gills Bay to St. Margaret’s Hope in the Orkneys, it ran a bit late, was completely packed, and they parked the cars so close the driver had to get out before the next car parked six inches away. I turned right off the ferry and drove to the Tomb of Eagles. A farmer discovered this neolithic tomb in 1968, but after waiting 18 years for the government to do something, he hired some archaeologists and developed one of the most important sites on the Orkneys. It gets its names from all the eagle bones and talons found inside. It is a mile hike out to the cliff and then the entrance is about 18 inches high. You can crawl or lay on a trolley and pull yourself along with a rope to get in. Inside you can stand, and there are five side rooms plus one at each end. Quite a feeling standing in a 5000 year-old tomb. In the visitor’s center, the introduction includes letting you handle 5000-year-old skulls and stone tools. There is also a small bronze age site current being excavated halfway back from the sea to the visitor’s center. One of the presenters of the orientation told about her village on Orkney not getting running water and electricity until the 1960s. On the road to Kirkwall, I passed the Scapa Flow where the German WWI fleet was held after being captured, and then the Germans scuttled the entire fleet at once. You can still see some of the wrecks sticking up out of the water Kirkwall is a sizable town with some very narrow streets. I stayed at the Orkney Hotel, £108. The room was great, the bar raucous and the restaurant only so so. I did try some Kirkjuvagr gin from Orkney which is the best I ever tasted.
Saturday made four days in a row of sunshine. People have lived on these islands for 9000 years and there are more neolithic sites as well as Viking sites than anywhere else in the UK. My first stop was a Viking site, Earl’s Bu, with the foundations of a drinking hall dating from the 11th century; and the ruins of a round church from the same period next to it. Next were the Stenness Standing Stones, possibly the older than Stonehenge. There once were 12 stones but now there are only three. In the early 19th century a farmer started dynamiting the stones but the community stopped him after two. There are also the foundations of a village from the same period with 13 houses and what looks like a comunal cookhouse. Less than a mile up the road is the ring of Brodgar, 104 meters in diameter, originally 60 standing stones but only 27 remain. It was built in 2500 BC and sits on a hill looking over the sea. Only one word is appropriate, WOW. They are currently excavating a new massive site in the same area.
Skara Brae is the most complete Neolithic village discovered to date, the rooms even have stone furniture. It was partially uncovered by a massive storm in 1850. The access is a bit controlled but you can see everything from the walkways. The amount of preserved detail is remarkable. The setting, right next to the sea, just adds to the drama. Adjacent to the site, the house of the man who discovered the site is also open to visitors. A wee bit further up the road is the Brough of Birsay, an island accessible at low tide with the ruins of a Norse settlement. As it was high tide, I settled for the Earl’s Palace ruins on the mainland. The palace was built by “Robert Stewart, the unruly illegitimate half brother of Mary Queen of Scots.” On the way back south I saw a sign for the Barony Mill, 1872. This is a water-driven mill that is still in use milling Bere barley, an ancient grain, 50 tons each winter. The original French millstones are still being used. Almost everything inside is made out of wood. It was free but I gave them £5.
My last stop was at Maeshowe Chambered Cairn. This is by pre-booked, guided tour only. They shuttle bus you up close to the site and then you walk about 700 meters. It is considered one of the finest Neolithic structures in western Europe. Massive stones up to 8 tons. All the stones were very well fitted. At the winter solstice the sun shines thru the entrance. Unfortunately, the entrance is one meter high and ten meters long, but I made it without getting on my knees. The inside looks to be five meters high. The Vikings broke in about a thousand years ago and left a lot of Norse graffiti. I could not absorb any more sites so I retreated to Kirkwall. I wandered down to the harbor but was early for my dinner reservation, so I ducked into a local pub. I had a pint and watched the end of the Chelsea – Man United match. Dinner was at the Kirkwall Hotel’s elegant dining room. I asked about wine and the waiter said they had red, white, and rose. I asked him to be more specific and he got someone else who explained that it was ordinary white; I ordered a glass and it was exceptionally ordinary. The salmon and herring pate was very good and the grilled salmon was the best of the trip, £25 with two glasses of wine.
Sunday was high overcast with no rain. I walked to the St Magnus cathedral build in the 12th century when the Orkneys belonged to Norway. Very high with impressive stained glass. Across the street were the ruins of the Bishop’s palace built at the same time. Also there, were the ruins of the Earl’s Palace built by Patrick Stewart in 1601, a depraved tyrant who was beheaded in 1615. Then I drove up to the Broch of Gurness, a once mighty iron age settlement with a village surrounding a massive tower. The Eynhallow Sound was once lined with brochs. The site was discovered in the 1920s and you can wander thru all the building foundations. This tower looked the most like the nuraghe of Sardinia. I was pretty well overwhelmed with prehistoric sites, so I just drove around a bit aimlessly and eventually wound up in Stromness, a cute harbor town with impossibly narrow two-way streets. My hotel bar boasted 600 kinds of whisky, up to £195 a shot, so I had to try a few before I left. The first one was quite good but too peaty for every day, Ailey Bay from Ayrshire was quite nice.
The west coast
I guess the sunshine had to take a break because Monday was misty. As I drove to the ferry I stopped at the Italian Chapel, built by Italian prisoners of war in WWII. It is a Quonset hut plastered inside with incredible fresco work. The seas were a bit rougher and even the catamaran ferry was pitching and took a bit longer than scheduled. I was looking forward to some dramatic scenery along the northwest coast, but it was too rainy and foggy. Halfway I took a detour to the Dun Dornaigil Broch, 10 miles down a very poor single track road. It is completely unexcavated, 2300 years old and there is still seven meters of the tower standing. As I headed down the west coast the vistas were stunning even in the rain. The road was the busiest single-track road in Scotland and quite tense driving. Unfortunately google maps lead me to the wrong hotel, fortunately, they knew where the right one was, Newton Lodge, £115, great view, no wifi, no plugs, no chair, and cold breakfast. They did, however, make me a dinner reservation at the Kylesku hotel. I had a delightful discussion with David, a local, at the bar while I waited for my table. The starter was a couple dozen “spineys” in garlic butter. These are squat lobster tails, a bit bigger than crawfish tails, and amazingly tasty. Then I had mussels from the bay right outside the window. With three drinks £43, a wonderful penultimate dinner.
And it comes to the end
Tuesday the sun came out and the views were such that I stopped several times just to stare out across the glen. Eventually, I arrived at Dallas Dhu, a Victorian era distillery that did not update and went out of business in 1988. It was an educational tour and I was five minutes ahead of a bus tour, phew. From there I stopped at the Sueno standing stone, over six meters high, This is a Pictish stone dating from the 4th century and the carving is in great shape. I went to Elgin and the Gordon MacPhail’s whisky shop but decided that I did not want to pay that much for a bottle of Ailey Bay £73. Since I was close, I stopped at Spynie Palace for a quick visit. Construction started in the 1180s but most dated from the 14th and 15th centuries. I had a nice discussion with the curator who was quite the history buff. My last night was at Nairn Classic B&B £85, maybe the nicest of the trip. Big beautiful room in an old stone house, and Mary, the hostess, had the right balance between information and leaving me alone. My last meal was at the Bandstand restaurant, looking out over the North Sea. Salt and pepper squid followed by a fish pie, salmon, haddock, and shrimp in a white sauce, covered with mashed potato and cheese, then baked. Delicious and £34 with a few drinks.