There are actually two Pink-footed Geese in the photo. This is on the island of Iona in the Inner Hebrides. They are just one of 17 new birds I saw on the trip. So my European bird life list is now 18. I can sense a “bird week” emerging soon.
The "New" Cross /
This Celtic Cross - with a bit of the cross arms gone, has been in the spot for more than 500 years. It is one of the newer crosses on the property. What makes this unique is that it is one of the pilgrim crosses, where as people approached the old stone church on Iona, they would stop and pray. There are only two old ones in their original positions, this one is about 1/4 mile from the church. One side was carved with imagery of the crucifixion the other interlaced designs to elicit thoughts of eternity. This was paid for by the powerful Maclean clan. It is known as the Crois Mhicilleathain.
Did I mention.... /
…that Edinburgh was a wee bit crowded? On the Royal Mile with a few friends. I think one of the pubs may have had an open seat.
Bridge over River Aray /
The River Aray is a river of Argyllshire, in the heart of old Argyle running south from the hills to reach the sea in Loch Fyne at the county town, Inveraray. The town takes its name from the river, Inveraray meaning "Mouth of the Aray.” This bridge is on the old military road that once crossed into the town which in the 1600’s was located where the castle is now. The town was moved when the current Duke chose to rebuild a larger castle in the early 1700’s. The bridge is now a pedestrian passage to the trail to the “unpronounceable” folly at the top of the mountain.
Personal note, finally feeling better, more extensive blogging will resume soon.
The current bridge along the highway into town as seen from the ancient bridge.
Married Here... /
Agatha Christie’s second marriage took place in this church, The Parrish Church of St. Cuthbert, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It occurred in 1930 and the honeymoon took place in Egypt, sparking the idea for Death on the Nile, as her husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan, frequently led digs in the Middle East. Along with Death on the Nile, Murder in Mesopotamia, Murder on the Orient Express were also inspired by trips that Christie accompanied Mallowan.
Christie also wrote, Mousetrap, the longest running play in history, now at year 72. Jill and I attended a performance at the St Martin’s Theatre of the play. It was sold out. And what a treat the play was and, no, I am not permitted to share the answer to who did it. Get your own ticket!
Light /
Still doing a bit of quick work, but work! These ferns stood out in the dark woods of Argyle Castle and the woods of Inveraray. A shaft of light touched on them but the surrounding grasses were still in deep shadow. Beautiful moments.
Back, sort of.... /
We did arrive back in the USA and brought a bit of Covid with us. Nasty couple of days and now, mending but very tired. So I will at least get a photo up but not optimistic that much more will happen for the next two or three days. Lots of photos to share - once edited and some good stories so please be patient, come back and we shall see what unfolds.
Jill and Dave, day one in Inveraray on the Loch Fyne, a long saltwater loch and the home of the Campbells.
Dave is in the sick bay.... /
Is it a day yet? /
Up all last night, and all day as well, out of bed at 5am got Uber at six to the airport. 8 hour 15 minute flight did not sleep. And I have a terrible cold. The truth of the matter is that I am just out of steam. Come back this afternoon and I will have a post up. Perhaps.
The world’s second oldest steam locomotive. OH, “out of steam” now I get it. Go to bed Dave
Scotland Day Fifteen /
We took a walking tour of the Royal Mile for history and story. Very entertaining. I am exhausted ,so this is brief. We are flying home tomorrow. Jill and I walked 54,726 steps in 2.5 days here in London. So tired. Will write lots more next week on the whole trip.
St Giles Cathedral - home of Scotland Presbyterianism and John Knox’s church.
Victoria Street winds down from the Castle, popular shopping and eating area
Adam Smith of “Wealth of Nations” fame
Original size of the streets, most of them anyway. You can touch each side standing in the middle.
Scotland Day Fourteen /
Still in Edinburgh, we broadened the scope of our explorations. Of course, this still included a part of the Royal Mile, to get to some spots it is just a walk across but still it looms over everything in historic Edinburgh. So, for today, I will post a few of the details along the Royal Mile.
Scotland Day Thirteen Be back in a wee bit, tour earlier than we thought, oops must run! WE ARE BACK, PHOTOS UP! /
We arrive in Edinburgh. Drove from Inverness to the airport at Edinburgh, returned Sticky Toffee Kia unharmed and took a taxi to our hotel, The Braid Apartments. Very nice indeed. Took a long walk to the Royal Mile, very crowded, saw things from the outside, and got orientation to the city. We found a nice place for dinner and since we were up very early, made a reasonable night of it.
Scotland Interlude - A report from Miss Rowena Brambleglen /
Feasgar math or, as you may say in the colonies, good afternoon or good evening. The week past, upon which my report is based, held some surprises. Not the least of which was the lad ordering Cullen Skink, but we will attend to that later.
We are traveling by automobile and often on the correct side of the motorway. Yet, I must admit, a wee bit of anxiousness swoops in as we motor down tight lanes with lorries approaching. We still have our wing mirrors so, perhaps the fear is baseless. They have chosen to name the vehicle “Sticky-Toffee Kia” and, I must say, it is quite apropos after a night under a sap-dripping tree. My employers have set an ambitious agenda, thus we are seeing much of the country. And, often, we dine well. Dining is my brief, and to that end I will review the week’s culinary experiences shortly.
First, our lodging. I must say things went a wee bit off course after the amazing experience at Ardno House in Glencoe. All the B&Bs were acceptable and they all had something unique or pleasant about them, just not on a par with Glencoe. The disappointing exception was the hotel at Inverness. The room was clean, but “shabby” is an understatement. The carpet needed more than shampoo. The blinds were iffy. We were off in an annex, not in the stately 1880 hotel, and we shared the area with the endless, noisy workers who were remodeling the annex beside us. Dust from their dumpster boiled up past our (open) windows. I will assume this hotel was an anomaly and not an informed decision but hope such a “miss” will not occur again in the future. On the bright side, the bathroom was very clean and included a bathtub! (where the lass did loads of laundry), and the hotel was within walking distance of the very charming downtown area, which included the delightful Fig and Thistle restaurant, about which more later.
Our lodging picked up considerably in Edinburgh at the wonderful Braid Apartments. Lovely, convenient, safe, and a kitchen. Not a proper kitchen, mind you, but nevertheless a welcome oasis among the endless full Scottish breakfast nonsense. Baked beans are NOT a breakfast food. You can read my reasoned essay on that subject in the November issue of Stately Scotland, vol 41, pp 35-52.
Dining was varied this week. I am not sure what to make of the practice of skipping a full meal on most days and replacing said meal with bread and fruit, or a pastry or ice cream. Not the soundest nutritional path followed here. But there were bright spots. The Fig and Thistle in Inverness was high among them. We ate upstairs in a quaint, sunny room with only three other tables and a perfectly attentive wait staff. The restaurant emphasized Asian flavors. The lass had crispy chile chicken and stir-fry veggies over noodles. The lad enjoyed grilled salmon and rice in a coconut curry sauce with green beans. We concluded the meal with a first for my employers, Sticky Toffee Pudding - similar in taste and texture to American gingerbread with superb toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream.
The Magnum in Edinburgh was also a treat. The travelers were in a mood for a light supper, and they ordered starter plates. My lass chose another first for her, the traditional Scottish dish of haggis (sausage meat mixed with grain and spices) with neeps (cabbage) and tatties (mashed potatoes), served with outstanding spicy mustard sauce. Her choice was not a complete surprise, considering her adventurous culinary nature and well-developed taste. She can discern the nuances of a dish with parsley versus one with chives. The lad says “There is something green bobbing in my soup.” Poor dear. However, the lad ordered Cullen Skink! Jings, crivens, and help mah boab! Oh, sorry, I did not mean to slip into the crofter accent I first learned, but really! He seemed not only to order un-coerced but may actually have enjoyed the traditional Scottish creamy potato soup with bacon, onions, and smoked haddock. He does love a good smoky flavor. Well, good on him, I say. I hope we have broken the logjam of fish & chips for a diet staple.
The last meal in Scotland was somehow booked in a French restaurant. Not sure how this occurred, however, it was a masterful choice that I am certain the lass made. Fresh bread, pate with pickled onion, spicy dijon mustard, dill pickle, and buttered toast was a lovely start to the dinner, and then it got even better. Salmon, cookbook perfect, with sautéed broccolini and blue carrot puree, and presentation worthy of a painting. The delectable meal was followed with Viennese cappuccino and a classic french fruit tart.
We are off this morning for London via train. Ought to be a delightful trip, and I am excited to be in the City again.
I remain, Your humble servant,
Respectfully submitted,
Miss Rowena Brambleglen
We also enjoyed a very nice meal el fresco at Dores on the Loch Ness. The bowls of mixed grains and pickled veggies were tasty and healthy. Photos below
Scotland Day Twelve /
Near Inverness we visited two places important in Scottish history. First the battlefield of Culloden. The Battle of Culloden occurred 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart, “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, ending the Jacobite rising of 1745 and any hope of the return of the Stewarts to the throne of Scotland. The field is a large moor and crisscrossed by walking paths. Stones to indicate mass grave by clan and a large stone cairn memorial are the only monuments. There is also a tiny section of a wall that stood here and a small house used as a field hospital. The VC is huge and I am sure very informative but we chose to simply walk the grounds. It was a simply battle to understand and lasted less than an hour. Next on the agenda was a drive to Dores, a very small village at the head of the Loch Ness. It was charming. We ate well from a local food truck, had ice cream for dessert and to make amends walked a long way on a woodland road along the loch. Jill and I went “off path” and found a nice spot along the loch where we just sat for a spell. Beautiful scenery abounds. I also photographed the “monster” so ended that controversy.
This man has been looking for 34 years living in this converted mobile library - full time!
All you needed was some chocolate donuts to lure him in.
Scotland Day Eleven /
We took a trip to the town of Elgin on a whim. Actually we were still in the Kia, which because of an unfortunate parking place under a strange tree that dripped sap all night, we renamed the car, “Sticky Toffee Kia.” That is what is known as a digression. Back to the jaunt. I had read about a factory that made very fine cashmere - the only place in Scotland (maybe GB) that the whole production is in one locale. And a family owned business for well over 200 years. The products are expensive. Gloves were 85, a sweater I thought Jill would look great in was only 800 and a bathrobe was 2300. Pounds! That means many more dollars. We did not buy anything but the cafe was excellent and the tour very interesting. We even saw but were unable to photograph colors coming in for the next year. We knew little about the town and drove over 90 minutes to get to it - along some very narrow stone wall lined tiny roads but it turned out great. Not only was the tour and the food fine but there turned out to be a very old ruined cathedral about five minutes walking time from the factory. There we were able to ascend both of the still standing towers up four floors and 20 feet high ceilings on narrow circular stone stairs in stone towers that had been there for 1300 years. Exhibits were on each floor and the second tower had a roof viewing platform. We also found a “Biblical Garden” that was nicely arranged. It had scores of plants - all the ones mentioned in the bible, as well as a rock garden that had plants from each country mentioned in Acts 2. Very well done. We had such a nice meal at lunch we opted for a dinner of cereal. Wild times in Scotland.
Working the product into yarn - photo above the dye room
Old buildings abound with pathways between and flowers everywhere.
Scotland Day Ten /
A serendipity day in Scotland. And not just about the weather which as been as perfect as if it was specifically ordered for this trip. Everyone we meet who is Scottish says, in effect, “You are so fortunate to have this weather. It is never like this here. Last year on this date it snowed. Enjoy!” Our day was to go back 6 miles the way we came the night before to visit a castle, Dunrobin. It was a spectacular place, many of the rooms were open and well displayed. We arrived early so the later day crowds had not yet materialized. We enjoyed a leisurely walk fhrough 20 or more decorated rooms, learned about the amazing Duchess Eileen Sutherland, a volunteer front line ambulance driver in WWI, and saw a fine falconry show before we strolled through acres of gorgeous gardens on the coast of Scotland. Then we chose to visit a small town where we had purchased milk the night before because we thought it looked charming. Turned out to have a cathedral and we enjoyed that as well. Plus I saw a 1959 Morris Minor. Mine was 1958 and convertible but one of the two favorite cars of my youth. The other a 1962 VW Karmann Ghia. We then drove to our hotel in Inverness. We took a chance at a restaurant, Fig and Thistle, where we enjoyed a superior meal. What a day.
In the courtyard you can see the oldest portion of the castle about 800 years old
Some of the formal gardens
Jill and the castle gardens
Falcon is in the upper left of the photo going about 60 mph. He dives at 200.
Scotland Day Nine /
We were leaving Orkney in the late afternoon, so we had most of the day to explore. We started with the Ring of Brodgar. There are still 36 stones standing out of the original 72 and they have been here for 4500 years. Then we arrived at Skara Brae a most unique stone age community living on the edge of the sea in stone chambers that were built with sod covered roofs and linked together by covered walk ways. There are nine houses and a workshop all discovered when a fierce storm moved the sand dunes in the late 1800’s. The homes are very similar with stone beds that would be lined with a thick layer of dried grasses and animal skins, a “showcase” for storage visible as you entered the house, a large flat hearth where a fire would be constantly burning for both cooking and heat and small fish tanks where a catch could be kept alive for a few days. There are other pieces but the usage is not known. They also made decorated pottery, needles and other tools from bone and antlers, stone ax and spears and so much more that you may have to rethink how life was lived 5000 years ago. Yes, this village, and there are more in the area, is older than the pyramids, the great wall of China or even most of my friends. We also visited the manor house of the estate that owned the land around the area. It too was well worth the time. Jill and I then drove around the top of the island, stopping at a craft village - not much there but it is in old RAF barracks. Most of the folks would qualify as 1960 hippies. There were stops at small villages, miles of stone walls, narrow one lane roads with cringing moments when a caravan was oncoming. We returned to the village of Stromness to find some food. Well, only one restaurant was open and it was, well, okay at best. We walked the main street but did not find much of interest in the stores that were open. Some cool signs and buildings did catch our interest. The ferry trip was uneventful - a good thing, and very sparse traffic so we basically had a lot of space to choose where to sit. We picked up our car and heading 90 minutes south to the next bed and breakfast. What a great place the island was and so interesting to see how our ancestors may have lived. Of course, we all have some stone age people from our past.
Scotland Day Eight /
We arrived by ferry on the Orkney Islands. There are several islands that make up the Orkneys but visited only on one of them, the larger of the group. We stayed at a nice B&B near the ferry. Not sure what would be open at the time we arrived but were excited to see the Sternness Stones dating to 3000 BC at Barnhouse Village. The village was the same era and perhaps were for those responsible for the stones. Then Maeshowe, a burial tomb from 3500 BC. No photos were allowed inside but it was quite interesting. The entrance was 3.5 feet high and 30 feet long. We had to bend over double to get in. The main chamber was about 15 feet square with three side chambers. The winter solstice lines up perfectly with the opening and a standing sone 700 feet away. The vikings broke into the tomb about 900 and carved runes - usually with their names as in “Sven was here.” We drove to Kirkwall about 20 minutes away for dinner. With no plan other than to eat. Found a wonderful Italian restaurant and ate an excellent meal. Leaving there to walk back to our car, we passed the cathedral, St Magnus, (built in the 12th century) that we understood was not open at that time, but people were entering. So we followed. It was a concert to celebrate the 30th year of Orkney Camarata and we enjoyed a superior evening concert and returned to our B&B delighted with the day.
Scotland Day Seven /
We had a long day driving up the West Coast from Ullapool to the very north edge at Castletown. Much of the route was a part of the famous (infamous) NC 500 and largely one lane roadway with passing bubbles every few hundred yards. This is a bit stressful and, at times, challenging. But, oh, the scenery. Miles of coastline, green fields borders by ancient rock walls, sheep and cattle everywhere - including on the road. They pay zero attention to the passing bubbles. We stopped at the ruins of Castle Ardvreck. It was on a small isthmus and a strategic spot on Loch Assint in the 1500’s. Destroyed by lightning in the late 1700s. It was neat to see the rather untouched state of the ruin. It felt like it had its day and was content to stand watch over time. It is also attributed to be haunted by two very distinct ghosts, one a cheerful gentleman in grey the other the daughter of a laird who, let’s say, married poorly!. We saw miles of gorse, in bright yellow/gold dress. I also spied two modern Morgans out for a weekend jaunt.
Scotland Interlude, a report from Miss Rowena Brambleglen /
Good day to each of you who may be aficionados of this blog, as I believe it is categorized. I trust you have already read a wee bit of my biography earlier on this site, we shall explore more of that together in the days ahead. My brief here is to comment on the culture and cuisine of this tiny foray into Scotland. I am delighted to do so.
Initially, I must say, I shall keep primarily to lodging and restaurants, only a rare reference to other issues of import.
The travelers I am with each day are quite distinct regarding their palates. The lass, Jill, has a creative and sophisticated approach to her food. She is also properly neat in every manner. The lad, Dave, well, less so is all I will say at this time. It was he who opted for fish and chips (soggy) stuffed in a box and eaten WHILE DRIVING, and that is unconscionable. I shall hope that is not repeated.
Restaurants generally have been well chosen (please note exception above) as has lodging. I shall highlight two of each from the first week of our holiday. The most outstanding choice of overnight chambers would be the guest house at Glencoe, Ardno House. Pristine would cover all the critical bits; and the thoughtfulness behind the selection of furnishings and linens, hot tea and hot chocolate amenities in the room accompanied by delicious homemade shortbread biscuits, plus ample bath and closet space were peerless, the result of innkeepers who love what they do and care about every detail of their guests’ comfort. Plus, the view out our windows of the loch was breath-taking. Breakfast was a treat prepared from extensive choices by Chef Robert, while we were attended by his wife, the delightful Morag. The sautéed mushrooms in smoked paprika sauce over toasted English muffin is not to be missed. The tea was proper English tea, beautifully brewed, and the french-pressed coffee met the expectations of Dave’s discerning palate. Please note both ice cream and coffee are anomalies from his usual lack of discernment. The food was perfectly presented on white-clothed tables, correctly set with charming crockery and flatware and bud vases of fresh roses.
On the budget-friendly end of the spectrum, much smaller but equally spotless, was the Dacama House in Ullapool. Our delightful hostess, Mary, was extremely friendly and enthusiastic about her work and our travels. She directed us to the fish and chips shop owned by her husband, Robert, where we enjoyed excellent panko-breaded haddock and very crisp chips - absolutely not in the same food category as the boxed mess consumed in the car. Jill found cream of sweet potato soup spiced with nutmeg, celery, and garlic delightful, and perfect for an al fresco supper on a cool but sunny evening.
Showers (the bathing kind, not the rain kind) are always an adventure overseas, and at Dacama House we had a new experience - an “all-in-one” bath, with the shower not in a separate enclosure but rather in a corner of the room with a slightly sloped floor leading to the drain. The ingenious part was a hinged glass wall that swung out to keep the rest of the bathroom dry when the shower was in use, and then folded back to make ample room in what would otherwise have been a rather crowded small bath.
Our best dinner this week was at the Olive Garden (NOT the American chain!) in Oban. Dave had excellent fish and chips there, also (again, unrelated to the boxed mess - but enough about that). Do you notice that fish and chips are becoming a theme with him? Jill enjoyed creamy chicken-liver pate with a very nice arugula salad and oat crackers, followed by perfectly cooked salmon over fresh beet salad with satsuma oranges and mustard vinaigrette. Outstanding!
And one aside - a bonus for you, dear readers - was the rhubarb and cream ice cream at a small shop in Inveraray from the award winning Yarde Farm who are “serious about ice cream.” A unique flavor for you colonials, but we in Scotland know the value of rhubarb in a variety of fine dishes.
Respectfully submitted,
Miss Rowena Brambleglen, wishing you a perfect day.
