Scotland2022vb
Then it’s a 9 plus hour flight to Heathrow, (and no sleep on the plane, again, ugh) we have a couple of hours lay-over before our final flight to Inverness, Scotland. This had to be the most cramped seating of any plane we’ve ever been on – thank goodness it was a short flight.
We find out later that the day after we came through Dallas, they had a terrible storm, and got 10 inches of rain, shutting down the airport. Had we traveled a day later, or the storm come a day earlier, we never would have made the cruise in time.
Day 2 – Sunday - Upon our arrival in Inverness, we take a taxi from the airport to our B&B, in a quaint little village called Ardersier. But it’s only about 11 AM, and check in isn’t until 4 PM, a long wait. So the hope is that they’ll let us check in early, but alas, no one answers the door or the telephone, so we stash the luggage in the foyer and take off to explore the village.
This cute little church is where Helen Mirrin got married, we were told by a neighbor, and it is now up for sale, if anyone is interested.
Everyone we meet is so friendly and chatty, we have a good time talking and trying to understand the accent. One couple tells us to stop in for a coffee if we come by again – but such friendliness is not unexpected in a small village in Scotland.
We find a pub (The Star), that’s open on a Sunday morning, and Bill’s order of fish & chips has a piece of haddock that extends over both ends of the platter, it’s so big.
There’s a lovely walkway extending for miles along the waterfront, and we go for a walk to kill some time, after checking once again at the B&B to see if they’ve returned yet.
Still no answer so we walk, and return just before 3 PM, thinking that surely we can get in now. But nope, still no answer so we crowd into the small outside entry to get out of the rain that’s suddenly started.
After about 30 minutes the owner opens the front door and claims she didn’t hear us – really? I guess we should feel lucky that we were allowed to check in a whole 30 minutes early, but at that point we were so tired, we were not feeling particularly lucky. Having had no sleep the night before, we could easily have fallen asleep then, but we knew from past experience that would be the worst thing to do with respect to getting acclimated to the new time zone. So, at around 6 PM Bill went out to get something to eat from the local market, and I fell asleep at 6:30 – and managed to sleep through till morning.
Day 3 – Monday - We check out of the B&B after breakfast and walk the mile or so along the waterfront to Fort George, a still active military base but full of history involving the Jacobite uprising.
We arrived back at the B&B just as our taxi pulled up, and after a short ride to the airport, we board our bus that will take us to the cruise embarkation site. But first we stop at the downtown area of Inverness to pick up the rest of the cruise passengers. Bill has already scoped out a place to buy a sim card for his phone, and after a quick walk there and a stop at an ATM for local currency, we have just enough time to grab some take out to eat on the bus.
Day 3 (Day 1 of the cruise) – Monday - Approximately 2 hours later we arrive at Kyle of Lochalsh, and we board our boat, the Lord of the Glens. It holds only 54 passengers, and is custom built to navigate the locks of the Caledonian Canal. Everyone on board is very friendly and we have dinner with two interesting couples, then it’s lights out.
Day 4 (Day 2 of the cruise) – Tuesday - Unfortunately neither one of us sleeps very well, so we oversleep – big time, and don’t wake up until 8:30 AM. The bus leaves at 9, so we miss breakfast but luckily we make it upstairs in time to make the bus. Then it’s on to Eilean Donan Castle, a very interesting, beautiful old castle that’s been reconditioned and staffed with friendly docents.
When we returned to the ship we set sail for the very tiny (can’t even call it a village, really) Inverie, which boasts having the most remote pub (The Old Forge) in all of Scotland. Walked around for a bit – not much to see, it really IS remote, then sat down to start this blog.
Day 5 (Day 3 of the cruise) – Wednesday – We sailed to Armadale, on the Sleat Peninsula, on the isle of Skye. We walked to a castle ruin, built by the MacDonalds clan in 1815 – Armadale Castle. The castle burnt down in the 1850’s, but retains an eerie beauty none the less. The accompanying gardens were extensive and gorgeous, very well maintained, and the weather was once again beautiful.
After returning to the ship we set sail for the remote and nearly uninhabited island of Eigg. However, the captain decided that it was too dangerous to attempt a docking, due to the swells, which were enough to cause concern for sea sickness, although we managed to avoid it.
Eigg has an interesting history – it was evangelized by St. Donan in the 7th century, but subsequently he and 52 of his monks were murdered in 617AD by the women of Eigg. (Guess they didn’t like monks.) Then in 1577, nearly 400 MacDonalds were suffocated by a raiding party of MacLeods. Then during the 1820’s the island was cleared of the entire Gaelic-speaking population during the Highland Clearances, a forced eviction beginning in the mid 18th century and continuing into the mid 19th century. This was to clear the land of people to allow for the introduction of sheep, and it’s estimated that about 70,000 highlanders left Scotland during this time period.
Since we couldn’t land at Eigg, we sailed on past and docked at Tobermory, the capital of the island of Mull. The waterfront shops are all painted in vibrant, differing colors, and there were quite a few interesting shops.
This town also has an interesting history, as in 1588, one of the ships in the Spanish Armada was blown off course by a series of violent storms, and the Florencia sought shelter in Tobermory. The locals were happy to sell provisions to the ship, but when the ship prepared to leave without having paid their bills, the townspeople blew it up, sinking it along with the 300 sailors aboard. Rumor has it the wreck had a cargo of gold bullion, but countless divers over the years have come up empty handed.
After spending time shopping on the waterfront, we walked the 4 miles roundtrip to the lighthouse, with pretty views and nice weather.
Then it was back to the ship for another delicious dinner and conversation with our fellow passengers.
Day 6 (Day 4 of the cruise) – Thursday – This morning we sailed to Craignure, then boarded a bus for a scenic drive along the Ross of Mull Fionnphort, on the Southwestern tip of Mull. We then took a ferry over to Iona, known as the “Cradle of Christianity." It’s very tiny, only 5 square miles and a population of 110, but it’s steeped in religious history. In 563AD, St. Columba was banished from Ireland and came to Iona to convert the natives. Over 50 Scottish, Irish and Norwegian Kings are buried here, as well as Macbeth. We explored the ruins of a 13th century nunnery, then walked to the Abby.
(Can't get away from Costco and the Kirkland brand)
After returning to the ship, we sailed to Oban, the “Seafood Capital of Scotland.” Colleen and I tried to shop, but only one shop was open – what’s with that?! After dinner a lady from one of the local distilleries came on board to explain how scotch is made, and then we had a tasting. OMG, how does anyone drink this stuff? It burned all the way down, and the one processed with peat actually smelled like dirt, ugh.
Day 7 (Day 5 of the cruise) – Friday – Today we sailed up Loch Linnhe, entered the Caledonian Canal, and after passing through the first of 29 lochs, we docked for the night in Corpach. Our ship was purposely built to travel up the Caledonian Canal, which is 60 miles long and was built between 1803 and 1822.
After breakfast we traveled by bus to Glenfinnan, to watch the Harry Potter train cross the viaduct, and view a monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie, at the site where he first recruited highlanders to his cause.
This is where the Jacobite Rebellion began, which culminated with the defeat of the rebels at the battle of Culloden. Afterwards we boarded the West Highland Railway to return to the ship at Corpach. After dinner we were entertained by several young highland dancers, who were quite good and had just completed a competition tour.
Day 8 (Day 6 of the cruise) – Saturday – This morning we started to ascend the locks, which will take most of the day, especially Neptune’s Staircase, which includes some swing gates, that are also utilized by trains and autos.
A little excitement today, while going through one of the locks, the captain got too close to the side, and a flare that was hanging overboard got knocked loose and fell into the water, activating it. There was a lot of orange smoke and two of the fenders (bumpers) were deflated when we hit the wall.
We continued on through multiple locks, enjoying the most beautiful scenery – lots of trees growing right down to the waters edge, quaint farmhouses and lots of sheep. We were allowed the option of walking along the canal for the last 3 miles, or staying on the boat. We opted to walk and the weather was beautiful.
Day 9 (Day 7 of the cruise) – Sunday – We went through the last of the canal locks today, then on through Loch Ness, which was huge, and ended at our final destination at the end of Loch Ness.
In the afternoon we took a bus to the battlefield of Culloden, where the Jacobites were slaughtered by the British government led by the Duke of Cumberland. It was the final battle for the Highlanders, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, and our tour guide was very informative. Afterwards we drove to Clava Cairns, (standing stones) and then back to the ship for our farewell dinner.
End of week 1
Week 2
Day 10 – Monday - After breakfast we disembarked and headed for the Inverness City Center in our bus, then picked up our rental car, a Vauxhall, at the airport. We headed for Glasgow and had no trouble locating our house for the next 4 nights. I’d arranged to do a home exchange with the owners and so they will be staying in our house for 4 nights while we’re in theirs. We had a late lunch at a pub down the street, (The Beachwood Pub) then walked to a local grocery store and bought a few things for breakfast.
Day 11 - Tuesday - We took a short walk to the train station and headed into the Glasgow city center. After walking to George Square we decided to take the hop-on, hop-off bus, which turned out to be a good decision.
We went to the Glasgow Cathedral, which was impressive to say the least, and then to the very imposing Necropolis, an ancient cemetery which overlooks the cathedral.
Then it was back on the bus for a ride out to the Riverside Museum and the Tall Ship – both very interesting and well worth a visit.
After that we took the bus back into the heart of the city and stopped for a delicious meal of Indian food, before boarding the train once again for the ride back to the house.
While on the ship last week we heard about the rubbish strike, and were sad to see it was still going on, with bins overflowing and trash blowing around everywhere. As we approached the train station in Glasgow, we noticed a lot of smoke and flames coming from one of the bins, ironically right next to a statue of a firefighter. The crew arrived just then and put the fire out, and it appeared that someone lit it on fire purposely.
Day 12 - Wednesday – We drove to beautiful Stirling Castle, out in the countryside and open for tours.
On the way home we stopped at Falkirk Wheel, a huge piece of machinery that picks up boats from the canal, and transports them to the top, where a narrow waterway moves them to the other side of the canal, and from there they can continue on their way. It acts as a substitute for a set of lochs. We rode the canal boat to the top, which provided very long views of the surrounding countryside.
We arrived back at the house just in time to go back down the hill to meet Gillian and her friend Lynn at the local pub. I had connected with Gillian on an ancestry website, learned that we are 3rd cousins, and set up a day to meet there in her hometown of Glasgow. We had a lovely conversation, and a chance to discuss politics, the monarchy, the Scottish handling of Covid, and many other topics. Both Gillian and Lynn expressed dismay and amazement over the number of guns in America, and they said while they would love to travel to the US for a visit, they were too afraid of gun violence to do so. We ended the night by agreeing to research our family history further and to keep in touch.
Day 13 – Thursday – We'd planned to go to Edinburgh, but because it's such a big, busy city, no one was keen on driving there. Taking the train was going to take too long, but overnight Bill did some research and found out that we could drive to the airport, park for free in the park n ride, and then take a tram into the city. So much easier, and cheaper. Except for the fact that both of our GPS’s missed the turn for the airport, twice, and so it took quite a bit longer than expected. But we finally found it and the trams were very new and nice and clean. We exited on Prince’s Street, walked along gardens to the very large and crowded Edinburgh Castle, and spent about 2 hours looking through everything, including the prisons and the Scottish Crown Jewels.
By this time my bad knee is really hurting, so it’s not exactly a sprint down the hill and back to the tram. Bill managed to straighten out the mess with his Sim card, which consisted of a series of misinformation, expired cards that should never have been sold, and a downed website.
On our way back to the house we stopped for gas, which is quite a bit more expensive than in the US but our car, a Vauxhall, gets very good mileage so it was the first time we needed gas. We stopped once again at the local pub for dinner – 3 nights in a row but the food was quite good.
End of week 2
Week 3
Day 14 Friday – We pack up our stuff and say goodbye to the Glasgow house, turning towards the highlands. It takes 2.5 hours to drive to the tiny village of Kentallen, and the house is more than we could have hoped for. The views are stunning, overlooking Loch Linnhe, and we note that a week ago we sailed right past this house. The house is huge and absolutely beautiful – we think we can manage to spend a week here quite easily.
So far the weather has been fantastic, no rain at all although the forecast now is for a week of rain starting this evening. We’ve gone grocery shopping and are well supplied, so we shouldn’t need to go out at all if we don’t want to. We’ve been on the go every day since arriving in Scotland so a bit of a break – especially for my knee, would be much appreciated.
Day 15 – Saturday – Woke up with what I thought was a cold, and I'm feeling lousy, so I opted to stay home (Bill too) while Allen and Colleen drove over to Fort William for some shopping.
Day 16 – Sunday – Felt better today and we drove about an hour or so south to Oban, a town we had visited briefly while on the cruise. However, the cruise ship didn’t arrive in port until 7:00pm, so almost all of the shops had been closed. We decided it was worth a second look and it turned out to be a very sunny, warm day. We walked along the waterfront, visited the shops, and then stopped on the way home at a lovely spot for dinner – a café right on the water, Creagan Inn, and it was still warm enough not to need a sweater or jacket. We’ve had fish or seafood almost every day and it’s always been very fresh and tasty. The only thing I can do without are the mushy peas, which seem to come with almost every meal, yuck.
(The structure resembling a coliseum is known as McCraig's Folly, built by a wealthy resident who had a penchant for all things Roman.)
When we arrived back at the house I hated to go back inside, since it was still so nice out, so Bill and I walked along what used to be a rail line, but has been converted to a walking/cycling path. My knee continues to be painful but I’m muddling through.
Day 17 – Monday – Once again the forecast is for rain, and although it did rain overnight, the day dawns bright and sunny. We decide to drive to the Glencoe Visitor Center, which turns out to be much more than the average visitor center. We viewed a video about the building of a traditional turf house, done just the way they did it umpteen year ago, using the same primitive tools. It took a year to complete and was finished exactly one year ago. After checking out the turf house, we took a short hike in the area and proceeded onto another hiking site.
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By then I was once again feeling pretty crummy so stayed in the car while the others walked. After that it was back to the visitor’s center for lunch in the café, and then back home. It is unbelievably warm – too hot actually to sit outside, so this an unexpected treat.
Day 18 – Tuesday – Woke up feeling really lousy again, coughing and sore throat, and sooooo tired. Allen has been wanting to climb Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the U.K., so Bill is driving him down to Ft. William, to pick up the trail up the mountain. Bill uses What’s Ap to call me to add to our grocery list, and I suggest he pick up a Covid test, as I can’t remember ever feeling this bad just from having a cold. So when Bill gets back we both take the test and sure enough – Covid positive. Colleen takes one and is also positive, although Allen’s test, taken a few days ago, was negative.
So if we have to isolate, this is certainly the house to do it in, it’s so big, light and airy, with amazing views over the water. Luckily we bought salmon and salad stuff for dinner so there’s no need to go out, and while eating we get the first real downpour since we’ve been here, but it doesn’t last long. The weather has been unexpectedly sunny and warm, even though rain has been forecast every day.
Day 19 – Wednesday – Still feeling crummy but I get better as the day goes on. Colleen feels about the same and Bill remains almost symptom free – just coughs occasionally. He and Allen take off for another hike, there are several in the hills around us, plus a nice level walking path down by the water. I’m spending the day reading once again, and just resting.
Day 20 – Thursday – We all woke up feeling much better and decide that since it’s been 6 days since our symptoms began, it should be o.k. to wear our masks and just go out in the car, or stay outside at all times. So we make the very short drive to the Curround ferry and take it over to Ardgour Isle, which is actually a peninsula. From there we drive through gorgeous hills and valleys, then stop to hike along a path through an oak woodland. Everything was so lush and green from all the rain they get, and many of the rocks and trees are covered with moss. It’s easy to imagine fairies and elves frockling about in the greenery. Actually, there are lots of folk tales here about fairies and trolls.
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We’d hoped to eat lunch at the pub just across from the ferry, but it was closed until 4pm, so we ferried back across the loch and ate at a place called Fish, which was quite good. Then back home in time to catch another glorious sunset.
Day 21 – Friday – We need to get up early to leave the house by 7am, in order to get to the Inverness airport by 10am to turn in the car. We were luckily able to drop off our luggage at the Marriot next door to the airport, since we can’t get into our B&B until 4pm. So after depositing the bags we catch a bus to the Inverness city center, and take off for a walk along the Ness River. It’s a lovely walk past beautiful old architecture, lots of churches, Inverness Castle and a war memorial.
We crossed a footbridge to the other side and couldn’t help but notice that the bells of the Inverness Cathedral have been tolling for the past hour. When we arrived at the church we noticed the flower memorial starting to grow at the front of the church, and realized that the bells were of course in memory of Queen Elizabeth, who passed away the previous day.
When we stopped to get gas before turning in the car, Bill overheard one local saying to another, "They ought to just skip over Charlie Boy and go straight to William." That seemed to be the sentiment of many Scots, although we talked to others who believe Charles just might surprise everyone and do a great job as king.
We were sitting outside the cathedral when we noticed many people entering the church, and most of the men were wearing kilts and the women were very dressed up: there was even a bagpipe player too. At first we assumed it was some kind of memorial service for the queen, but then decided it must be a wedding. Colleen and I were enjoying watching all the people and waiting for the bride and wedding party to arrive, (which showed up very late.) Even the little dog wore a kilt, complete with a dagger on the top.
Once we had our fill of people watching, we returned to the bus station area and caught a bus back to the airport. Then it was into a taxi to retrieve our bags and take us to our B&B. Dinner was back to the same pub we’d eaten at before, The Star, and as usual the fish and chips were very good. Then a walk along the water, some gorgeous rocks and an early night.
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Day 23 Sunday, Our travel issues began with our first flight out of Inverness being delayed, which had a domino effect on the next two flights. We had to rush to catch our next flight out of Heathrow into San Francisco, but we made it in time.
Then we were supposed to pick up our bags in S.F. to transfer them onto our flight to Portland. After waiting for nearly 30 minutes, we got a text saying our bags were waiting for us in Portland. It was a real rush to try to make our last flight, since we'd wasted all that time waiting for bags that weren't there. But when we arrived in Portland, we were told that they did not, in fact, have our bags, but they would be sent out on the flight the following day. From there they planned to put ours on a plane to Medford, and then someone would drive them to our house. By this time it was about 11:00pm, and after no sleep yet again on any of the flights, we were tired. It was a bit disconcerting to hear the clerk at the lost baggage counter say that there was very limited communication between British Airways and American or Alaska Air, but we hoped for the best.
We made the 8 hour drive home the following day and were shocked to get a call from a delivery person the next day saying she had our bags and was out in front of our house. She explained that she had driven all the way down from Portland, instead of flying the bags to Medford. Our friends on the other hand, who live only an hour from the Portland airport, did not get their bags until a few days later.
So all in all, a great trip, wonderful weather, and the only real glitch was not getting our bags at the end, and of course getting Covid.
Scotland is a beautiful country with friendly people. Here is my list of the few silly, insignificant things that could be improved on, in my opinion, with the first one being their tissues. Yes, tissues. They have the consistency of napkins or paper towels, not soft at all. A very minor thing unless you get Covid, or a cold. Also, we were not a fan of their bedding. The duvet covers are very thick and warm, and they do not use a top sheet. There's no way to separate the layers, so basically it's all or nothing, and most nights we felt too warm. Probably great in the winter time though, just would have been nice to have a summer option. The midges (basically like a miniature mosquito) were very bad in the Highlands, and there are no screens on the windows. We were forewarned but opted to leave the windows open at night since it was warm, so no one to blame but ourselves for the numerous bites we got.
And this pretty much sums up how the Scots feel about their kilts.
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The end.
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