I’ve now been in ‘Scotland’ for six weeks! I put the ‘’ around it, because I’ve spent the last month in Shetland and Orkney; they really do feel a million miles away, and I keep forgetting that I am still in the same country.
Things got off to a good start on arrival in Edinburgh. Usha (my friend from Australia) and I arrived by plane (ridiculously, flying was a fraction of the cost of taking the train), and caught the bus into town. My first glimpse of the old town - with the castle perched on that spectacular rock – was just ‘Wow’. Even after travelling through lots of different cities (and having come to the conclusion that big cities are fundamentally all the same) Edinburgh was inspiring.
On our first morning we did two very important things: (1) found a café that was to become our ‘local’ (The Food Larder – just off the Royal Mile), and (2) inducted ourselves into Edinburgh via one of the popular free walking tours. Our tour guide was dubbed ‘Hagrid’ (Ush pointed out that he looked a bit like Hagrid, and it turned out that he actually referred to himself as-such). His real name was Alan, and he is a stand-up comedian. He was very entertaining, and we learned a little of Edinburgh’s dramatic (and oft-times unpleasant) history, while playing follow-the-leader around town. This included important details like the origin of the terms ‘Shit faced’ and ‘Graveyard Shift’, the story of the heist of the Destiny Stone, and checking out the café that saw the birth of Harry Potter.
Ush made the comment at one point; that if you lived in Edinburgh then you couldn’t help but absorb some of the history: it’s just all around (in the names of the streets, the buildings, the monuments, and even the names of the pubs).
Of course, we had to test out a few of the pubs in Edinburgh – including the tiny ‘Halfway House bar’ (halfway up a steep flight of stairs; which of course necessitates a drink stop & rest… even if you are going down them!) I was able to demonstrate my Irish folk music expertise (clapping in the right places), and I had my first haggis (which was really good, and I am somewhat disturbed that I haven’t had any since… how has that happened?)
I can also report that the best coffee in Edinburgh is served up – by an Aussie - in a tiny coffee bar at basement level somewhere along George St (no; I have no idea what it’s called; just that it is apparently staffed by Aussies and one NZer).
After three days in Edinburgh, we headed out west.
We managed some excitement with the hire car: I’d booked a small automatic, but when we arrived I was told that the only automatic vehicle available was a people mover (7 seater?) van… NOT impressed! After further ‘looking’ they managed to locate a small Mercedes for us: and not only was it a Merc; it was a new Merc (about 400 miles on the ODO). After the initial stress of thinking there wasn’t going to be a suitable car available, to be told that we’d be driving a Mercedes was simultaneously amusing and exciting -starting in style!
We headed out via Stirling (quite an impressive castle, and relatively quiet after the tourist-circus at Edinburgh). The ‘Stirling heads’ (carved wooden heads depicting a range of historical figures and inset in the ceiling of one of the King’s rooms) were interesting: the recreation of the room looked like a series of garishly painted caricatures – and I assumed these were a parody of what would have been there originally. However, on further reading of the exhibition, and talking to one of the guides, we were assured that this is representative of the style of the time!
Our first stop on the west coast was Oban – a small fishing village. We both loved it: we had beautiful weather (a gorgeous sunset in the evening, and the following day dawned with blue skies), a lovely dinner at a seafood restaurant (Ee-usk: which is apparently the transliteration of the gaelic word for fish), and stayed at a really nice hostel (eccentric but friendly owners, and very comfortable and homely rooms). I think that Oban is known for being a bit touristy, but I’d certainly recommend it to anyone.
Fort William on the other hand didn’t inspire: it isn’t an especially pretty town, and for some reason instead of being built along the waterfront the town is one block in. However, it is ideally situated for hiking Ben Nevis (the UK’s highest mountain). We tackled the mountain on the most perfect day: there wasn’t a cloud in the blue-blue sky (we were reliably told that this kind of weather occurs “once in NEVER” on Ben Nevis!) There were literally hundreds of people walking the track that day; and although it did feel a little like a busy highway it wasn’t unpleasant (everyone was in such good spirits that it was friendly – rather than annoying – having all those people around). I’d heard mixed things about the degree of difficulty involved: from “everyone does it” to “only tackle it if you are serious / seriously fit”… In the end, I think it’s somewhere in between (of course). The going up took us around 3 ½ hours, and it is very steep (definitely not a walk in the park). Having said that, a great range of people were out, and I suppose the ‘less-fit’ just take it more slowly (and the incredibly fit RUN up and down… crazy!) It was the going down that was the least pleasant bit (2 ½ hours of fairly steep down is really hard on the legs and knees). The BEST part was the 2 hours we spent lounging in the sun up the top (although it was necessary to don extra clothing, and we had to move to escape the rather cool breeze). The other best part was the Ben Nevis inn: located strategically at the bottom of the mountain – just before the car park!
Continuing on our Harry Potter tour, we went to Glenfinnan to see the viaduct that the Hogwart’s express travels across (Glenfinnan is also the site of the start of the 1745 Jacobite uprising in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie – but Harry Potter just seemed a little more real…!) It is a beautiful location, with green hills, and an expansive blue loch. That same day we drove through some spectacular countryside: Glen Shiel was one of my favourite areas – a spectacular valley between green hills, also the pass across to Glenelg – which had views across to the range known as the ‘Five Sisters of Kintail’ (a formation which is apparently represented by five vertical yellow stripes on my family tartan –my mother is from the McLennan clan).
We did manage to ‘enjoy’ the Glenelg pass road a second time when Ush realised that she’d left her camera at lunch (outside a tiny gypsy caravan, parked on an organic farm!) – all was well in the end.
Four days into our westerly tour, we reached the islands – travelling across to Skye over the bridge at the Kyle of Lochalsh. Immediately after ‘crossing over’ the landscape changed dramatically: the hills were very steep – rising up dramatically from the coastal road that we were following, there were no trees for the first 20 miles, and the weather had changed (dark clouds had rolled in): making everything look dark and foreboding. We spent two days on Skye, and actually had PERFECT weather (I think we were seriously lucky with the conditions we encountered). We walked up through the low hills – following a stream to a very pretty waterfall and pool – the water was freezing, but Ush was brave (I was NOT: dipping my feet in was sufficient!) We drove around a lot of the island; admiring views from multiple points, we did the Talisker distillery tour (interesting, but the only reason I can see to drink whiskey is for the warming effect – I cannot see the appeal in the taste!), and we got up close & personal with some Heeland Coos (aka: Highland Cows - the shaggy ones). Skye was beautiful, but…
… I think better was to come in the Outer Hebrides (we took a ferry to the Isle of Harris/Lewis: it’s one island, but the southern part is connected by a narrow piece of land, and seems to be known as Harris).
The first great excitement was that I drove the car onto the ferry (Ush was very amused when I told her it was the first time I’d been trusted at the wheel driving onto a ferry boat). We parked up, and were told something about waiting for a second announcement… which we didn’t understand until we tried to find our car to disembark (and, not being able to locate it, looked upwards, and realised it was on a mezzanine floor – which was now up in the air). We therefore had to wait for the 2nd call before we could access our vehicle; and we were officially the very last vehicle to disembark.
Arriving in Harris was quite impressive. The landscape of rocky, low hills, small lochs and nearby sea shore could only be described as quintessentially ‘Scottish’! The driving was made more entertaining by the flocks of sheep ambling down the road – totally unperturbed by our car coming along behind them.
Our first full day on the island was a day of contrasts: starting the day in a six-bed dorm to find grey skies, mist and occasional splatters of rain – we ended the day under blue skies, swimming in the ocean, staying at a luxury B&B and indulging in a three-course gourmet dinner!
For the evening, Usha had booked dinner at the remote ‘Gallan Head’ restaurant – famous for providing an award winning fine-dining experience in one of the most remote places in Scotland. Unfortunately, we hadn’t managed to find any accommodation in the vicinity - so we decided to head to Gallan Head, and start asking around. The restaurant (which is also a small hotel, but was fully booked), is situated within a tiny smattering of houses; but no accommodation options. Talking to one of the locals we were offered the loan of a tent; really generous of them, but not having sleeping bags / mats etc. made it a less than ideal solution. At this point, both of us were seriously considering sleeping in the back of the car (I was trying to figure out how we could make it ‘semi’ comfortable – there certainly wasn’t a lot of room; especially with our two big packs). As a last resort, we decided to drive down the road to a B&B we’d been told about – which I was expecting would be fully booked (and rather expensive). ‘Just down the road’ turned out to be a fair distance, but amazingly, ‘Auberge Carnish’ DID have a room – which, on the basis that the car really wasn’t looking attractive, we agreed to take. What followed, was delight after delight - it was all very funny, as we were like kids in a candy shop – excited and indulging in our luxurious surroundings.
· An enormous king-sized bed with fluffy pillows and decorative cushions (and the discovery that Ush and I were highly compatible as a couple: me being a LHS-er, and she a right!)
· Armchairs overlooking a spectacular view of the bay
· Our own coffee making facilities with filter coffee and complimentary biscuits (YES: I have been staying in hostels too long – having my own facilities was very exciting)
· Fluffy white bathrobes and giant soft towels
· - I think Ush laughed the most when I exclaimed: “they have shampoo AND conditioner!” (context: I’ve been using 2n’1 for four months)
With all of this around us, we’d agreed we were not leaving to go to Gallan Head, and instead had dinner at the B&B restaurant… good move! The owner of Auberge Carnish is a French chef (Richard Leparoux) who previously owned Gallan Head, and was responsible for establishing its reputation. This place was a new venture for him. – It is lucky that we made it down to dinner, as it was very difficult to leave the room, but it the food was EXQUISITE! Eventually, we retired to our room, where I’d picked up a copy of Bill Bryson’s ‘A walk in the woods’ – it was very amusing (particularly for anyone who has done any hiking – his description of the exorbitant expense of the ‘required’ equipment was hilarious). All up, this was a very expensive night – but will go down as one of the highlights of my travel so far. If anyone makes it to the Outer Hebrides then I would recommend you give this place a look. The next morning, we nearly didn’t leave; we were all packed up, sitting in the armchairs – reading our books – and promising each other that we would get moving *soon – but didn’t actually manage to move until we were (very politely) asked if we could check-out.
We visited the Callanish standing stones (about 4000 years old) – an impressive sight (although I have since arrived in Orkney, where the archaeology is even more incredible). I will, remember the site for two slightly random reasons: the informational video was AWFUL (it contained a series of speculative theories on what the stones may have been erected for – no specific information was provided – and the commentary was presented in overly sensationalist tones) - but the visitor centre produced the best latte since leaving Edinburgh!
We spent the day exploring around Lewis: some very pretty beaches, the Arnol blackhouse (c. 1880), and the capital (Stornoway)- a not especially exciting town, but the exit point for the ferry, from which we had to say a sad farewell to the islands
The ferry back to the mainland from Lewis takes you into Ullapool – a small but pretty town. We spent a pleasant morning wandering around before driving on to Inverness. After a week in the country and on the islands, arriving in Inverness felt like ‘the big smoke’: traffic, a shopping mall, and pay-parking! Nevertheless, it was a nice town: we spent a pleasant few hours picnicking on the grass near the castle (overlooking the river), and then wandered along a very nice river-walk (lined with trees, and very picturesque).
Inverness is the main access point for Loch Ness: a place that could be considered overly touristy - and yet, it is still a beautiful part of the country. The loch is huge - looking a bit like an inland sea – and although the Western side is quite a busy road, the Eastern side is all single-track roads and is not frequented by the big buses (or very many cars at all for that matter!) One of the most interesting things for me was watching three boats go through the lock system in the Caledonian canal at Fort Augustus (the canal system, intersects with a series of natural lochs, and cuts right though Scotland) – I did understand the theory of how the locks work; but now I’ve actually seen it! We enjoyed a walk through the bush at Foyer’s Falls (quite spectacular), and a drink at the Dores Inn (situated in a beautiful location right on the shore of the loch).
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end (as the saying goes), and after two weeks Usha had to head back down south. Or, perhaps it was just onwards to the next series of adventures for each of us?...
Other photos:
