Scotland Wrap-up

Narcissus passionale

All in all, it was a great trip. The weather was meh, but that was expected.  As they say, “Four seasons, every day, welcome to Scotland.”  To paraphrase Mark Twain, the coldest winter I ever saw, was an August in Scotland!  The food was, for the most part, not very interesting, unless you are really into fish and chips.

Edinburgh was pretty much overrun by tourists especially on the Royal Mile and Princess Street, but it was nice once you got away from those areas.  Dundee and Aberdeen were fine but not much to do.  Inverness was our favorite place.  There was a lot of old world charm in every city, with fascinating architecture from times long gone by.

We were somewhat apprehensive about hiking 10 miles a day, but the Fife Coastal Path was beautiful and interesting,  I almost wished we were able to do more of it.  We had mixed reviews of the Isle of Skye.  It had rained so everything was muddy and wet.

Hydrangia

If we were ever to go back, I think I would try to make Fort William my base for exploring.  I don’t think we gave it justice, although it’s another place with way too many tourists/travelers/hikers.  

The busses and trains were great.  All the busses seemed brand new, and the trains well used.  Every bus and train we rode was full, even though they ran very often.

I got to take the Edinburgh Military Tattoo off my bucket list.  It was as awesome as it was sixty years ago,  

Market Street Hotel - Edinburgh, Scotland

 

Our last day in Scotland.  It’s a really nice morning, the sun is out!  A rarity in itself!  The city is chock-a-block with tourists.  There are queues to get into queues.  A long line of breakfast goers waiting at the Milkman, menu in hand, waiting to order a croissant..

We take the back roads to get to Arthur’s Seat.  It’s a popular hiking place.  It’s an easy climb, with on and off drizzle, with on and off sunshine. Raincoats on, Raincoats off, repeat!

The Doric, a popular drinking hole, was recommended.  The sun was shining, and we went in for drink.  Bar was virtually empty.  Then came heavy rain and the bar filled quickly.  Go figure!

By 8:30, we were off to queue for the queue to see the Military Tattoo.  Deb decided to don waterproof boots, rain pants, parka, and rain coats, even though it wasn’t raining.  About ten minutes later, 8,999 people and I were scrambling to get under cover.  The rain stopped before everything began. The Tattoo did not disappoint.  Probably near a hundreds pipers.  It was a little more uptempo than what I saw sixty years ago, with fireworks, and light shows, dancers and singers.  

Tomorrow we head back, so sad!

Market Street Hotel - Edinburgh, Scotland

 

Royal Botanical Garden

Tomorrow is the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.  Today is a free day.  After loosing our bags in Fife, I thought it might be worth it to get some AirTags (okay, it might have been a sort of geeky excuse).  I hope doesn’t forebode the loss of fifty pounds of laundry! (That’s pretty much all that’s left.). After a few moments of reminiscing about the development of the Apple Store, we were on our way.

The owner of the Honey Pot House in Crail (somewhere in the way back times) suggested we visit Stockbridge, a suburb of Edinburgh, to avoid the crowds.  It was a charming little village with cobblestone streets lined with mews houses (I have no idea what a mews house is, but apparently Google does).  We found the Water of Leith Walkway and followed it to the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was originally founded to grow medicinal plants for the Royals.  It has moved a few times but has been around for 350 years.  Lunch on the terrace at the gardens.  A walk back to the hotel, drinks on the seventh floor, and dinner in a Scottish Pub.

We did a dress rehearsal of queueing for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo at 8:30.  They suggest getting there an hour early and we could see why.  We are ready for the real show tomorrow.

Market Street Hotel - Edinburgh, Scotland

Loch Lomond 

 A pure and simple travel day.  We are completing our circumnavigation of Scotland.  It’s an all day event, so we picked up some sandwiches and some chili Doritos for the trip.  The train is full with little luggage space, but most of the riders are hikers, so it’s tons of backpacks which go in the overhead racks, sort of.  Of course, the train is on time, and has dozens of stops (some seemed very very remote).  

The scenery was usual Scottish highland with mountains and valleys, waterfalls and Loch Lomond. The weather was usual Scottish weather with clouds and drizzle, and some mist.

Table in our room

Deb was concerned that I booked the second leg of the trip between Glasgow and Edinburgh with only ten minutes connect time.   “It’s ScotRail, it will probably be okay.”  It was! (There is a train every 30 minutes and we have an all-day pass - expect the best, plan for the worst!)

Dinner, Kentucky BBQ tender, an interesting choice!?!  Followed by a very peaty whisky, neat. (Aah!)

6 Caberfeidh - Fort William, Scotland

Our B&B Lovely!

I originally planned to take a ferry from Skye to Mallaig then a train to Fort William but it was a Saturday and the Skye bus wasn’t running. So today, we took the train from Fort William to Mallaig and back.  There is a Jacobite Train tour that I had wanted to take, but it sold out the first day tickets went on sale.  So we took the regular ScotRail train, same tracks, just a few more people. What makes this a popular trip is the ten seconds (out of the two hour trip) crossing the famous Harry Potter Viaduct.  But you get to see it again on the way back, too!

Mallaig is a nice little town.  We walked around, ate some fish and chips, played some cards.

Glenfinnan Viaduct

Dinner was much better planned than last night.  We opted for the Tuk-Tuk Indian restaurant. We arrived early enough to get a table.  It was BYOB, so we stopped at the mega grocery store next to the Train Station and picked up two small bottles of wine.  

Tomorrow we leave for Edinburgh. This morning we had gone out for a coffee before the train, but all the coffee shops were full!  Maybe tomorrow, we’ll have a better plan for that, but I doubt it!

Malleag Harbor

6 Caberfeidh - Fort William, Scotland

High St. Fort William

 Today was a travel day with benefits.  We have been travelling by bus recently.  Last year, the Scottish government started a bus fare cap of £2 (less than $3) on any trip in the Highlands to increase bus usage and decrease cars. So our three hour bus ride cost the two of us about $5.  The views from the bus were spectacular (we probably should have taken a picture, but we can always just take one off the web!)

We dropped our bags and sought out lunch around 2:00.  This, of course, is problematic.  We will not be particularly hungry by dinner time.  Fort William is a smallish town with a population of 6,000 but is the base for all sorts of highland activities including sightseeing and hiking.  The main street is pedestrian only. By 7:00 when we were finally hungry enough, all of the restaurants had long lines.  We found a table at a fast food bar (you have a table number, order at the bar, and they bring you the food).  

We have scoped out tomorrow’s dinner place, and should be better prepared for it.  We have a little train trip planned.  We’ll see how it works out.

Royal Hotel - Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

Fairy pools

 Today was our nine hour tour day.  As you might expect, nine hours in a van bus with a dozen other strangers could cause a little angst.  Our little entourage had a family of four Germans (the eldest son slept the entire way), four Americans of unknown origin, three Chinese and us. The driver was a four rosette chef before becoming  driver/tour-guide. These could be the ingredients for a B-rated movie.

Our first stop was the “Fairy Pools.”  There were three or four other tour operators with exactly the same route.  We all had 90 minutes here, to hike down a trail bespeckled with waterfalls. The waterfalls were voluminous due to previous rains,

Kilt Rock

Apparently they dry up once or twice a year when the sun comes out!  At this point, we get the obligatory chase scene where the deranged driver goes sixty miles an hour down a one lane road with lots of oncoming traffic. Back to the 90 minutes to tour Dunvegan  Castle and Gardens, the home of the beloved or dreaded MacLeod clan.  More chase scenes. A brief scene with Highland Coos, followed by a graveyard scene. A few scenic vistas, a few more scary moments and we’re back in Portree for dinner.

We got to see parts of Skye, we would not have been able to see.  We might choose a different driver/tour-guide.

Tomorrow, we take the bus to Fort William.

Royal Hotel - Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

 

Breakfast is included. The Scottish Breakfast has Bacon, Ham, Sausage, Black Pudding, Bean, Pancakes, Fried Tomato’s, Mushrooms, and an Egg. I thought some of those would be either/or’s but they were all ands!  I’m just a little ill.  Smart Deb had fruit!

According to some official internet source, we have had 8.72 mm of rain in the past 72 hours, so if you go hiking expect some muddy conditions!  Yup, we had muddy conditions, wet bushes, and slippery rocks. Then we had drizzle, and then real rain.  It did not make our hike that enjoyable, but we did climb to the top of Ben Chracaig which had some spectacular views.  Deb was a trooper, but was not her favorite day in Scotland.

Even with our rain gear, we got pretty wet, including our waterproof boots.  Once we got back to the room, we changed into some dry clothes and waited for the rain to stop. It didn’t, we found some soup for lunch, went to the hotel pub and played cards, went out for a drink, ate dinner.  And then the rain finally stopped for awhile.  

Since our boots are wet, and the trails are even muddier, tomorrow we are going on a tour of Skye.  The only one I could find lasts 9 hours!  

Royal Hotel - Portree, Skye, Scotland

 

Bridge to the Isle of Skye

Today, we travelled from Inverness to Portree, on the Isle of Skye.  You can either go by train to Kyle of Lochalsh and take Citylink bus to Portree, or you could just get on the same bus in Inverness instead. The train was much more scenic than the bus, and we had a two-hour layover in Kyle for lunch.  We were looking for a light lunch, but the meals were MASSIVE! Soooo, no dinner.

At the hotel, the receptionist plopped out some laminated instructions.  If you want your room tidied, you must put a towel outside your door!  Suitcases are not to be put on the beds.  Okay then!  The room has a nice view of the harbor.

Portree

pint of Guinness at the West Highland was my dinner.  Deb finally ate her tangerine sometime during the day (she got the tangerine as part of a packaged lunch over a week ago).

Tomorrow we’ll probably do a hike, if it’s not raining.

Highland Apartments - Inverness, Scotland

 Today we do a Nessie watching cruise.  This is a day fraught with danger!  We are taking a Jacobite Cruise to find the Loch Ness Monster.  The cruise leaves from a rural location in the Scottish Highlands. We did get off at the right stop…phew!  We didn’t find the monster…phew!  

It would be impossible to spend more than thirty seconds in the Highlands without hearing about the Jacobites. The Jacobites were supporters of the exiled Catholic Stuart King James VII of Scotland.  We don’t know if they were the good guys or the bad guys.  “It’s complicated.”  But every time we see a castle ruin, it turns out that the Jacobites had something to do with it being blown up!

After raining in the morning, the sun came out and we walked along the Caledonian Canal and the River Ness back to Inverness.  Dinner was Bangers and Mash in a Scottish Pub with a guitar and violin playing Scottish tunes!

Highland Apartments - Inverness, Scotland

 Laundry Day.  We have a wee little washing machine and a wee little drying rack.  She has done several loads and there are clothes drying everywhere.  So it’s time to do some exploring.  Inverness is not very large but it has a great vibe.  Plenty of pedestrian only streets, a Victorian Era covered Market and plenty of gritty pubs where you  can buy a pint and listen to some local musicians. Lunch was bangers and mash and a McClucken.

Dinner was Indian, the food was excellent, but we were the only ones there.  Awkward! (Or maybe romantic?)

Kings Corner

Tomorrow, a cruise boat on Loch Ness.  I guess it’s going to be sort of like a whale watching cruise.  Who knows, we might get lucky!

*When we lost our dominos we bought some Chinese manufactured playing cards.  The blurb with the cards was clearly a direct translation from Chinese but I was stuck with “Its feel and quality is obviously larruping” Larruping is an obsolete old west cowboy term for “excellent”.   Go Thesaurus!

Highland Apartments - Inverness, Scotland

 

View of River Ness from our apartment

We have made it to the most northern point of our trip.  An easy travel day with no problems.  We were sent a code via email for access to the building and to the apartment that would activate at exactly 4:00.  We arrived in Inverness about half an hour early so we stopped at a tavern and watched the end of a soccer game until it was time.

Okay, there was one small problem.  On the first floor of our apartment there are two restaurants, one a Scottish pub and the other a pizza style Italian restaurant…best of both worlds?…a pizza with haggis, blood pudding and mozzarella cheese toppings.  Well, ya gotta try everything, at least once!  And probably, once is enough!

Tomorrow is laundry, and a little exploring.

Royal Atheneum Suites - Aberdeen, Scotland

 

We try to stay a full day at each stop so we can kinda get an idea of what each place is like.  So Aberdeen, today is your day.  This is clearly on of those four seasons day, warm and sunny in the morning, cloudy and windy in the afternoon with showers later on.  

Aberdeen is primarily a seaport.  In the beginnings it was all about fishing, and then shipbuilding and trade and now North Sea Oil.  The city started to flourish in the 1800’s.  The Royal Anthenium, where we are staying was the social hub of the elite.  As the use of granite became more refined there was an apparent war of one up-man-ship in this area of the city, leading to some fairly outlandish buildings.

We were about fifteen minutes too early for the lunch places, so we ducked into the free Maritime Museum for a bit.  Had skink for lunch.  It was too early for our afternoon beverage, so we ducked into the free Maritime Museum for a bit. (We accidentally left our travel domino set in Dundee, so we played Kings Corners)  Dinner was haggis and shepherds pie.  

Tomorrow, after some more skink, we’re heading for Inverness.

Royal Atheneum Suites - Aberdeen, Scotland

All is normal, as we start the day: two pastries, a latte and a mocha.  A walk through the largest indoor downtown mall in Dundee (that seems a little too specific).  Oh yeah, we don’t really like shopping.  Okay? A walk down some random street that led to a park which led to the river path back to the hotel. Then lunch.

So ScotRail lets you buy a ticket that’s good for the whole day, but you buy it for a specific train (I guess that means that they guarantee a seat on that train).  We have tickets for the 1:00 train to Aberdeen, but opt for the 2:00 train, so we could have a leisurely lunch. What? The 2:00 train just got cancelled! We rush to get the 1:00 train with minutes to spare. What? The 1:00 train just got cancelled.

V&A Museum

 We wait two hours for the 3:00 train, it’s now on track 1 instead of track 4, then, guess what! It’s suddenly cancelled.  Deb has called “Uncle!” We are taking the bus, but the bus station is a half mile away and we have about 10 minutes to catch it.  As we are running out the station Deb says, why don’t we take that fancy bus over there, in front of the train station…the one that says “Aberdeen.”  WOW, this gorgeous all electric brand new intercity bus, sure, why not!.  And the kicker!  It was a half mile walk from the train station in Aberdeen to the hotel…the bus stop was across the street from the hotel.

This place is sort of a condo hotel, it’s a suite with a mini kitchen, so after dinner, we bought a couple of bottles of wine and wound down some TV shows.  Tomorrow, we explore Aberdeen.

Four Seasons - Dundee, Scotland

 

RRS Discovery

Today was an explore Dundee, and we Dundat.  Our first stop was the Victoria and Albert Museum.  For the decade or so that I have been blogging, I have tried to stay positive.  I was having trouble with the architecture of the V&A Museum, so I asked chatGPT for help in how to say I think it’s ugly. “I haven’t yet learned to appreciate its uncompromising sculptural qualities.”  I guess it’s suppose to represent the cliffs of Scotland?!?  It’s a huge building with very few exhibits, but the coffee was good.

On to the Discovery Museum.  The RRS Discovery was a three masted tall ship with steam power, and was the first ship built from the keel up as a research ship.  The mission was to explore Antarctica.  As you walk from one exhibit room to the next you start to realize how difficult this trip was going to be.  

The exhibit culminates with the ship itself.  By this time you know so much about everything you are looking at.  Absolutely excellent.  We were so engrossed we didn’t realize it was after 1:00…we almost missed lunch - Italian.  

After a one-one tie in Dominos we did an African-Caribbean dinner. BBQ ribs, Jimaca coleslaw, and of course, French fries.

Tomorrow off to Aberdeen.

V&A Museum

Four Seasons - Dundee, Scotland

“We are not the Americans who raised your petrol prices by 50%. We are from Boston where you fellow Scots drained all our beer kegs during FIFA!”  This is our battle cry!  There were four women hikers who have been ignoring us for four days (they say they didn’t notice us).  Deb got them to open up a little and exchange a few pleasantries.

McManus Museum

We caught the bus to St Andrew’s and then on to Dundee with no problem.  Dropped our bags off at the Malmaison Hotel.  Found the McManus Museum.  All about the history of Dundee.  An interesting part was about the arch that Queen Victoria had built to celebrate her visit.  After  a while it was deemed “unloved” and taken down and reused.  Dundee has always been a gritty industrial city.  The major industry is Michelin Tyres.  A decade or so ago, they decided to become the “coolest” city in Scotland.   An interesting challenge.

Strawberry lime cider

We were having lunch at the Barrelman when we got a call from the hotel.  The Malmaison Hotel is a refurbished old building with a quirky vibe. I thought it would be fun to stay there.  Unfortunately, there was a torrential flood last night and they temporarily lost seven rooms. They had called to tell us the good news that they were able to get us a room at the Marriott Four Seasons across the street.  This is the hotel where quirky went to die!  At least the Four Season has a bar;  I beat Deb two more time in Dominos.  Deb said it was time for dinner, and put the domino set in her purse (they may be gone forever). Dinner was lamb kabobs at Milah’s Turkish Kitchen.

Honey Pot Guesthouse - Crail, Fife, Scotland

 

The weather forecast for our last day is rain, thunderstorms, gail-force winds.  Reality was a little drizzle in the morning and partly cloudy sky’s in the afternoon.  The guide said that the path was completely washed out and we had to walk on the highway for the first three miles.  On the way there was a hand made sign that said the guide was WRONG!  We hiked the beach instead of the highway and it was absolutely gorgeous.  This was actually the best part of the entire walk.  Waves crashing on the rocks, a dozen or so castle ruins.  A coffee shop every mile or so in the morning and a tavern in the afternoon.

We were a little angsty about hiking thirty miles in three days, but in reality, each day actually got easier(that’s a very relative term!).  Could we do it again? absolutely!  Would we do it again? Can we get back to you on that!  

We got to the Honey Pot, which is right next to the Golf Hotel where they accidentally dropped our bag yesterday, it seems everyone in Crail was in on the snafu.  I brought the bags up to the room in my mud encrusted hiking boots.  This did not go over well with the owner.  She was very friendly to that point, but we haven’t seen her since.  I don’t think I did any permanent damage, but I won’t feel safe till I am on the bus at 9:50 tomorrow (she suggested that I be on it, even though the bus runs every hour!)

We had dinner at the Golf Hotel.  Chili over French fries!?!  The other restaurant in town sells Fish and Chips. So far we have not had a meal that didn’t include French Fries.  Tomorrow is Dundee.

Ship’s Inn - Elie, Fife, Scotland

 

Today is a little overcast, with drizzle!  We asked the bartender if it always rains in Scotland.  He said he wasn’t sure, he’d only lived here for three years (old Scottish joke).  Had a nice chat with the owner of the Lomond Guest House where stayed last night.  He used to work at the University at Aberdeen, but after Covid all the students seemed so apathetic.  So last year he quit and bought a Bed & Breakfast. So far his guests have been far from apathetic.  He made us focaccia sandwiches with Italian salami, roast peppers and mozzarella. Delicious!

We made a morning stop at the Crusoe Inn in Lower Largo. Named for Robinson Crusoe.  It’s said that Daniel Defoe based his novel on Alexander Selkirk who lived in the town.  Well it makes a good story, and provides an interesting motif for the Inn (including the Men’s Room - I’ll just leave that part to your imagination!)

By late afternoon we had come to the outskirts of Elie.  After a steep climb of about 400 ft, we came to the pillboxes and gun emplacements built to defend Scotland in WWII.  Of course, no one has attacked Scotland since the Jacobites in 1746.  (In fairness, we have pillboxes and gun emplacements in New Hampshire and no one has ever attacked New Hampshire)

Our only tiny, wee little problem was that our luggage did not arrive.  After a few phone calls our luggage was found in Crail, one town away and was delivered by dinner.  All’s well, that ends well.

Rosebay Willowherb

Lomond Guest House - Leven, Fife, Scotland

 This is the day of our highly anticipated, some angsty first day on the Fife Coastal Path.  Someone is going to remember to take our bags from Kirkcaldy

to Leven, while we walk along the shore for ten miles or so.   Deb has checked the weather and it’s suppose to be gorgeous all day. What could possibly go wrong?  As it turned out, the only thing that was slightly askew was that it was Sunday, so many places were closed!  Not sure why I didn’t think about that when I booked it last fall!

Much of the walk was beautiful, right along the coast.  For the most part it was an easy walk.  Along the way, we came to a Castle ruin.  A local was coming the other way, and explained in a fairly heavy brogue how he had lived here all his life and never noticed it until recently. I bet we got at least every tenth word!

We had already been warned that the last three miles or so would be just walking through towns, not on the shore. And there…across the street….all bright and shiny…the Brig Pub…it’s doors wide open…inviting us in!

A pint of Tennents, and a pint of dark berry cider (and a wee stop at the loo!), and we’re off to finish the first day of our walk (two more days to go!)

Tomorrow we are off for Elie, but it’s an easy walk.  Less than nine miles with only one little hill to go over.

Strathearn Hotel - Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland

 

We planned our day carefully, and made some adjustments to our schedule.  We had breakfast at 8:00 and second breakfast at 10:00.  We finished the morning with a walk-about (we got all the way to the end of the Royal Mile at Holyrood Palace, the Scotland “cottage” that the king of England stays at) ending up with lunch at 12:00.  Took the train across the famous red bridge that goes over the Firth of Forth to Kirkcaldy, in time for a few pints at the bar (Dominos - I won one, lost one).  Promptly at 6:00, we were escorted from the bar to the dining room (more like an eviction than an invitation). Back to the room by 8:00. And so ended the day.

We have morphed ourselves from tourists to hikers.  Got our hiking boots, hiking pants, granola bars, trekking pools, rain gear, first aid kit, flares (just kidding about the flares).  There is a little park that connects to the Fife Coastal Path right across the street from the hotel.  There is also an eight foot high stone wall.  We think we have a solution….we’ll find out tomorrow.

Market St Hotel - Edinburgh

 

Deb wants to get “the lay of the land.” Who are these Scottish people, where did they come from, what are they like… so we decide to do a walking tour of Edinburgh Castle.  There was a little sign in a store front that said “You get all four seasons every day. Welcome to Scotland.”  What we learned today is always bring your raincoat and a warm jacket, always!  

The tour was great.  The oldest parts of Edinburgh Castle are 900 years old, the newest parts are 90 years old.  We found out that all the stupid parts of the castle (like a fake moat) were all done by the English in the 1800’s.  We learned that the Romans thought Scotland was uninhabitable.  The Scots were always the underdogs and ya gotta love them for it.

For lunch we had halloumi sandwiches.  Neither of us knew about halloumi.  It’s a cheese that comes from Cyprus.  It has a high melting point, so you can grill it. It’s more popular in the UK than in the US, but we may look for it when we get home.

We had our afternoon cocktail at the hotel.  They have a nice bar on the top floor.  We played a couple of games of dominos (I won both!) before heading out for a more traditional dinner of Scotch Pie.

Tomorrow we leave for Fife, but we’ll be back in a couple of weeks.