Highlander

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Today we five returned to Edinburgh from a trip to the Scottish Highlands. Driving to the Highlands is like driving from the American Midwest to the West in terms of changing landscape. The major difference is that the Scottish Highlands have a lot more sheep and a few castles visible from the highway. Overall, the Highlands were cooler than Edinburgh; the temperatures were as low as 50 F during the day. The sun was reluctant to show itself and drizzling rain plagued us a few times. However, the beauty and solitude of the Highlands outweighed the chilly weather.
We started the trip in Inverness, just a few miles north of scenic Loch Ness. Unfortunately, the Loch Ness Monster was nowhere to be seen. We toured Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness. This castle was blown up with with gunpowder by its inhabitants as they fled intruders, proving that the mentality of "if I can't have it, no one can" goes back centuries. We also visited Eilean Donan and Duvegan Castles, both located right on the sea and both more mansion-like that the typical defensive structure seen in other castles we have seen.
The majority of this trip was spent in the on the Isle of Skye, a large island that is part of the West Highlands. We spent each night in a different hostel in a different town (we stayed in Portree, Broadford, and Corpach) and did our own cooking. Abigail and I fixed some mean chicken korma and chili, thus relieving us from doing the dishes (this duty fell to my parents). Each town in which we stayed was small and located on the coast, offering beautiful views of sea inlets as well as all the seashells anyone could want.
Some of our days were spent hiking. The first hike was up to the Old Man of Storr - a group of huge stone pinnacles located high in a mountain valley. Though these mountains aren't nearly as tall as the Rockies (Ben Nevis is Scotland's tallest peak at a mere 4,409 ft), they certainly are just as steep, if not more so. The flora and fauna are also vastly different from the mountain biomes with which I am familiar. Here, the fauna consists of sheep, sheep, the occasional cow, and more sheep. Seriously, there are sheep just about everywhere. A variety of birds, large black slugs, and midges (the slightly-less-annoying cousin of the mosquito) are also present. There flora does not include many trees, though Scots pine and other conifers as well as birch can be found in clumps. The main plant life is the thick, tussocky grass that grows next to hundreds of wildflowers in the spongy soil. Rhododendrons and wild bluebells are especially noticeable, as they are in full bloom right now. Our other major hike was to the Fairy Pools, a stream that forms a series of crystal waterfalls into blue-green pools. We started at the end of the stream and hiked toward its source. As we neared the mountains that fed the stream, the clouds that clung to these mountains released a steady mist on us.
As I mentioned, we mostly cooked our own meals, so the only update I have on the local gastronomy is the haggis, neeps, & tatties I ate in Stirling. Per Wikipedia: "Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs); minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, traditionally encased in the animal's stomach". It certainly doesn't sound or look too appetizing, but it honestly doesn't taste all that bad. Served alongside neeps (mashed turnips) and tatties (mashed potatoes), haggis makes for a hearty meal.
The most Scottish experience that I had occurred during my consumption of the haggis, neeps, and tatties. We were dining in a pub, seated at a table en route to the bathroom. A local patron named Iain, an jolly older Scottish gentleman, had been taking advantage of the bar for a while and thus needed to make frequent trips to the restroom. Each time he passed by, he would stop and talk to us, telling us stories about his getting arrested for assaulting a vending machine, serving in the military, and his disdain for the English (a common sentiment among the Scots, dating back to at least the days of William Wallace - over 700 years ago). Keep in mind that all of these stories are being told to us in a Scottish accent so thick, it is barely intelligible. Iain's lack of front teeth may have also contributed to our difficulty in understanding. Upon our exit, I chatted with Iain a bit more and I even took my picture with him. He told me, with a laugh, not to send the picture in to the FBI.
Tomorrow we leave David in Edinburgh and the we remaining four travel on to Ireland!

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Comments

[Martin Ely]

Interesting
Brian, thank you so much for sharing your trips with us. We get a lot of enjoyment from reading about your travels.

[P. Lehrling]

Thanks
The accounts of your trips always have a great mix of sightseeing, hiking, eating, and sharing. Thanks for sharing with us.

[Traci Money]

Poor Cow
This poor cow is saying "Getting me outta here; with all these sheep!"