Blogs from Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

It is hard to believe today was my last full day in Scotland. This trip has flown by and I am not ready to leave! I looked out the window and saw it was going to be another gray day. While looking through the area information kindly provided at the cottage I stumbled across Hermitage Castle. This was not on my radar at all but after seeing a picture and that it was only an hour drive, I decided to go. What a great decision! The drive southwest wound through rural, mostly wild land. I drove by a pig farm where some cute tiny piglets were running around. The road went up and down loads of hills with beautiful views before winding down to the small town of Hermitage. I turned onto a narrow road and ... read more

Inverness has a ton of lodging options and I chose to stay at Bannerman B&B. Are there closer hotels to the city center and train station? Yes. Do they have a Rupert? Probably not. If you don't mind walking 20 minutes this is the place to stay. Alison greeted me warmly and even carried my suitcase up the stairs to my room! I was given the Snug Room, which has a comfortable bed, attached bathroom with a small shower stall, a vanity table and a tiny fridge. On top of the fridge was an electric tea kettle, bottle of water, teapot, mug, glass, tea, instant coffee, sugar and even a teacake! In the fridge was a bottle of milk. The windows opened and it was nice to let in some fresh air every night for a ... read more

This was the first, and only, morning in Inverness where I did not have to rush off to be to the train station. I relaxed and had the full Highland breakfast which was delicious. Alison is a great cook and hostess. Every morning there is fresh orange juice, tea or coffee with toast, homemade strawberry jam, orange marmalade, overnight oats, yoghurt, some sort of stewed fruits, granola, and a fruit salad. That is all on top of the cooked portion. The breakfast room overlooks her beautiful garden and, of course, Rupert is there to greet you every morning. He comes bounding up the stairs as soon as he hears a door open and escorts you down to your table. What is not to like about that! I packed so many stops into today. There were things ... read more

I had a wonderful night’s sleep in a very comfy bed! My plan for the day was to take the Kyle Line to Plockton. The Kyle Line is a scenic train running from Inverness west through the Highlands to Kyle of Lochalsh. I had emailed back and forth with my host a few times and she suggested going as far as Plockton since Kyle is just the terminus of the rail line and does not have much to offer. This sounded like a good plan to me and I planned to take the 8:55 train. Walking down the stairs I was immediately greeted by Rupert, who excitedly wiggled around and followed me in to the breakfast room. He is just so delightful! I chose porridge as a filling and quick breakfast option and quickly ate so ... read more

Today I said goodbye to Edinburgh and took the train up to Inverness. When I looked at the train schedule, I saw I could get on at Haymarket but I thought it would be better to walk up to Waverly to ensure a window seat. Luckily the rain stopped and held off for my walk! There was a break in the clouds and the sun was shining on the castle as I walked along Princes Street. Waverly is a fairly large train station with plenty of signage to help you find your way. The ticket counter lady was very helpful and I was able to buy a return ticket as I will be passing through here again on Friday. Buying a return and then another ticket to my next destination worked out to be cheaper than ... read more