Blogs from Inverness, Inverness-shire, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

After two days of camping in Inverness, I packed my slightly damp tent and the bike panniers, wished Heading North Nigel well on his similar, but reverse trip, and got on the road. But not before stopping at McD's for my breakfast meal deal and coffee. The sky was promising some moisture, so I put on my pannier covers and front bag shower cap (I forgot the cover at home, and a 3 pack of shower caps from the £ Shop fit the bill just right, and with two spares.) I started with an immediate climb out of Inverness (I should know by now, most towns are by rivers, and most towns will require climbing out of). After about two hours, as it had started to rain, and as the wind was wearing on me, I ... read more

Woke relatively early, packed up the tent, and headed off to find breakfast, ...or a convienience store (proved to be a challenge on a prior trip, in some towns/villages). I tried the hotel I had eaten at yesterday, and while they served anyone supper, they only provide breakfast for guests (??). I was directed down the street and had a quick bite at a cafe that had just opened. Next, ...visit the Co-op for on route supplies, as the opportunities on route may prove limited. All in all, a good day of cycling along the coast and then inland for a while before popping back to the inlet at Inverness. I followed the A9 for about half the route (quite busy, and somewhat worrisome where the highway splits at Tain). After which, it was (thankfully) local ... read more

The rain came back! That's good because it means I can sleep longer and take a taxi instead of walking to the station. I booked an early (noon is early!) train to Inverness from Queens Station in Glasgow. The cab driver, Douglas, has a daughter named Kirstin, who might need braces, lard hope she den't. He told me about some promising destinations to keep in mind this trip and said not to worry about the drive, to jest keep te the left. Rolling farmlands, verdant countryside, lush wood. The occasional castle. The cutest little boy exclaimed to his father: "DA! DED YE SEE THE WEE LAMBS?!" and I just about wept right there. Wee is a real thing and it's every day and it breaks my heart with goodness. Inverness is a stone town on a ... read more

Wir verabschieden uns nach einem kaiserlichen Frühstück von unserer Gastgeberin, die uns noch erzählt, dass wirklich niemand etwas unterm Schottenrock trägt. Von der sinnlosen Sehenswürdigkeit mit Steinen im Boden (die einem niemals als solche auffallen würde), die wir wiedermal als Pinkelplatz nutzen, zum Schloss Dunrobin, wo zwei von uns bezahlen und zwei gratis reinkommen. Generell könnte man die Gutgläubigkeit hier mehr ausnutzen... jedenfalls soll das das Versailles Schottlands sein - siehe Gärten und der französische Baustil. Zufällig nehmen wir auch noch die Falkenshow mit, bei der der Präsentator der Star ist. Nachdem der Falke und die Eule jeweils ein Küken ganz gegessen haben und alle Zuschauer murren, sagt eine Frau: "I won't eat chicken tonight... I'll eat salmon". Sehr durchdachte Aussage. Danach sehen sich A und S das Schloss des Sutherland Clans an, während P und ... read more

Geo: 57.4767, -4.23145The pigeons did go to sleep last night, but they were up really early!I haven't mentioned the various hotels' breakfast buffets. It's mostly standard stuff like bacon, sausage, eggs (mostly scrambled), cereal, fruit, yogurt and small pastries. However, there's also baked beans, broiled tomatoes, mushrooms, and haggis. This hotel also has fried eggs and potato scones. The potato scones don't look very scone-like: they are made of potatoes (obviously) and look more like naan bread. Tasty though.It was very, very cold this morning and trying to rain. We got on the coach and drove to Culloden battlefield, the site of the last major land battle fought on British soil. In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie began a campaign to take the throne (the yearlong series of battles is known as "the '45"). He had a ... read more