Some would say it's a little late in the game; others might think that it's about time. Whatever. This is us. Use the information however you wish but at your own peril. We four have been friends for quite a while. Four days ago Kit and Kathy celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary - a wedding that Karen and I attended. We babysat Yellow Island for them for two weeks back in the early days when they were the caretakers of that special place. Our two properties at Three Meadows are just a short walk away from each other. And two years ago we traveled to China together. So, you can see we have some history of friendship and could expect that we would get along well for our trip to England and Scotland. But, could we ... read more

Beyond Lairg we can't avoid the main road north any longer because that's the only road there is. But that's ok because here the main road becomes a single track with passing places, and it basically has the character of the back roads anyway. The few cars and lorries drive faster here, so we have to use all our skills to decide when to stop in the passing places, when to expect the cars to stop and wait for us, and when we can slip by each other in the limited available space. The scene is one of wide vistas across brown moors to distant mountain ranges topped with fresh snow. It is somewhat reminiscent of the American west, and even more like the south part of the Yukon territory that Kathy and I passed through ... read more

We are spending our rest day in the small town of Kingussie, waiting out a May snowstorm in the last mountains we have to cross before Inverness and the final push to John O'Groats. We have now planned the entire rest of the trip to the Orkneys -- pretty exciting. Just have to wait for the temperatures to get back above 40 tomorrow and we are back on our way. There are some good stories to write from this section as well, and they may eventually show up here. But, just this short report for now and some photos for your enjoyment. -- Kit... read more

These miles of dry stone walls That hold in ploughed fields and kingly halls The dead of centuries in hills of sand The stones that bind them Are proud of what lies behind them And varied as the counties in this curious land. Pedaling into the wind and driving ran over the top of the Morfoot Hills towards Edinburgh yesterday, I finally understood that the "dry" in this lyric does not refer to the usual weather in the British Isles or to the usual condition of the walls. Although old, sturdy walls constructed without mortar are prevalent throughout Britain, this Gordon Bok song has always evoked Scotland for me. I had not expected to experience the iconic barren heather covered hills, miles of walls and sheep, and the feeling of ancient loneliness until we were several ... read more

I know, and my fellow travelers know, too, that this is something very much on the mind of all of you back home. And so, in order to enlighten and entertain, I now offer this essay. Earlier I wrote how we conspired to secret the bacon from our breakfast table into a plastic baggy so that we could picnic later that day. We felt we had to sneak and we were certain our hosts and hostesses were not aware of our efforts. Not since the Boston Tea Party was there such chicanery - right? So, you could have been aware that bacon was a regular part of the breakfast. Now you will learn more, much more. First of all, everyone here uses and understands the term "Full English Breakfast." Part of the routine at the check-in ... read more