Blogs from Inverness-shire, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe - page 5

After yesterday’s lunch we were not about to chance breakfast with the hotel cooks, so Tom went out hunting and gathering. He did awesomely well because he brought back an orange juice, some berry flavoured porridge, a cheesy bacon flatbread and a latte! Thank you McDonalds! After brekky we went next door to board our train to the Kyle of Lochalsh. That’s where the train was going and where we had seats booked and selected for but we were getting off at Plockton. So after two and a half hours of travelling through little Scottish villages, request stations (where you have to ask the conductor to stop the train), heather covered hills, wide open moors and alongside lochs, we alighted at Plockton station and enjoyed a leisurely 1 km stroll into the village, giving us a ... read more

As we left the beautiful isle of Skye,even though it was cloudy, misty, hi-50’sF, our next destination: Laggan. This was our ‘wing-it’ B&B that reservations were made Tuesday night. We were pleasantly surprised how nice the accommodations were; cozy, comfy bed, common lounge area, as we visited with other guests, and a toasty cast iron fireplace. Awaiting for us in our room were fresh homemade shortbread cookies. Yum!!! Fiona and Simon were 1st rate owners with a fabulous Scottish breakfast. Earlier that afternoon,we traveled northeast to Newtonmore to stop at the 125 yr old golf course, which would have been challenging to play because of the winds. We shared a hamburger and chips as we visited with the lovely lady who managed the club. What a delight, she even had family in Columbus ! Thursday, was ... read more

Up early this morning to check out of our hotel, cross the road to the bus stations and find the Discover Scotland Tour to Skye and the Highlands. Our delightful tour guide/bus driver is 26 year old Natalie. This minibus has a group of 6 Thai, 1 Canadian Californian, 2 Canadians, 2 French, 3 unknown and Tom and I. We passed the kelpies, Stirling Castle, the Wallace Monument and Doune Castle again before stopping in Callander for a toilet/refreshment break. We then continued on our way, crossing Rannoch Moor, and Glencoe where the McDonalds were murdered all those years ago, and on to Fort William. Here we had time to withdraw some cash and have a spot of lunch before being put on the Jacobite Steam train to Mallaig. This was the train used for Harry ... read more

Days 26 and 27 - To Scotland, by Train and Car Our train to Edinburgh left a little after noon so we had time to relax in the morning, get packed up and make our way to the station. We decided to try a place claiming to have authentic mexican burritos and check out their claims. While the burritos were fine, they didn’t have quite the same flavor of home, definitely a European twist on burritos. We opted for First Class tickets of this train since it was over 3 hours and not too much more expensive. This meant we got to wait in the First Class lounge instead of the noisy, crowded, unairconditioned station, a real bonus. They also had free snacks and drinks and comfy chairs. Once on the train they fed us lunch ... read more

As John Keats once surmised whilst overlooking the rugged Scottish terrain- shrouded in mist- on top of the British Isles' highest peak; "Read me a lesson, Muse, and speak it loud / upon the top of Nevis, blind in mist!". Luckily I had the good fortune that day to see Ben Nevis from a distance down below, and captured a spectacularly clear picture of the iconic snow-capped mountain, a feature in much of the Scottish lore of a romantic time gone by. As this image was taken during the winter season, I have not yet set out to climb the 1,345 metres of mountain. However, as I've only just moved to Edinburgh and am currently in the process of organising all of the adventures I'm planning to undertake in the coming months, Ben Nevis is certainly ... read more