Haste Ye Back

As you can probably imagine, there are many things that we saw or did while in Scotland that we didn't share in the previous blogs either because they were not relevant to the information being presented, were interesting but somewhat random, or because we simply didn't have time to cover everything.  This last blog post will include some of those interesting tidbits/photos that didn't make the "first cut" but are worth mentioning.

SIGNS

Scotland has a lot of interesting signage.  A sign or greeting that we saw in nearly every town or district was "Haste Ye Back", meaning "Come Back Soon" and every time I saw it I was filled with a mixture of gratitude for the sentiment and also sadness at the leaving.   For those of you not following me on Facebook,  I endeavored to post a "Scottish Sign of the Day" each morning.  Below is a sampling of some of the favorites.

WEATHER

I had read enough about Scotland and had done enough research to know that we shouldn't expect sunny skies and pleasant temperatures as a norm while traveling there, and for the most part the weather suited us just fine.  Roughly 80% of the time it was overcast and cool and it was reasonable to expect a drizzle several times a day, but it certainly did not prevent us from getting out and about and enjoying the day.  There was one day on Orkney and one day on Skye when we had heavy rain and wicked winds and had to alter our plans for the day.  The sun didn't shine full-on a lot but when it did, it was blinding.

Needless to say, Scottish weather is not perfectly suited for tennis.  Although this did not stop us from playing whenever and wherever we could, it does apparently stop the Scots from doing the same.  Courts were very difficult to find and when we were lucky enough to find some, they were sometimes not always in the best condition.  Given this, I cannot imagine how Scotland produced the current #2 male tennis player in the world and the recent Wimbledon champion in Andy Murray.

WILDLIFE

I don't think I had an opportunity before to mention Scotland's wildlife (other than the puffins, of course). Being surrounded on nearly all sides by ocean, Scotland is an essential location for migrating birds, a safe haven for ducks, geese and shorebirds, and an ideal summer home for nesting seabirds.  Sea gulls, puffins, oyster catchers, several varieties of ducks and geese, numerous birds of prey, and songbirds all call Scotland home for all or part of the year.  Aquatic mammals like dolphins and whales, marine semi-aquatic mammals like seals, freshwater semi-aquatic mammals like otters, and terrestrial mammals like the red deer can be seen in Scotland year round.  We saw dolphins from the shore and from the ferry, as well as seals and otters.  Red deer were everywhere in the Highlands and near Loch Lomond, but were usually too far away or there wasn't enough light to get a photo of them.  We also got glimpses of the red squirrel and mountain hare skittering about.  On occasion we saw a small lizard scurrying under a rock, but outside of the midge, there were not a lot of bugs.  This was surprising to me as the thick flora of Scotland would imply that there should be bugs, and lots of them, but not once were we plagued by a spider, bee, flies or even ants - even when we relaxed for an hour or more in the deep heather.

Orkney oyster catchers

Puffins at Marwick Head on Orkney Island

Orkney Oyster Catcher

FLORA

And speaking of plants, it is important to note that in Scotland, any ground is fertile ground, be it dirt or stone, and a horizontal presentation is not a requirement.  We saw plants and trees growing out of the strangest places - places you wouldn't normally expect a plant to be able to take root.  But, I guess all they need is water and light, and in Scotland, there is plenty of both.  The forests and woodlands are dense with plant life.  Farmland  goes on seemingly forever.  Flowers line paths, roads and coastlines.  And because of this, Scotland is wonderfully fragrant.  Each of us remarked several times about how fresh the air was.  One thing is for certain:  with all of the remarkable greenness we encountered, Scotland must be gloriously ablaze with color in the autumn.

Ivy growing on tombstone from 1846 near
Cawdor Castle

Clover on moss near Plodda Falls

Ivy taking over tree at Dunvegan Castle

FAVORITES

As difficult as it was to choose, here is a list of our favorite things:

Breakfast :  Bacon, Clava brie and cranberry panini at the Classroom Bar and Grill, Nairn
Lunch :  Roast Chicken, fresh vegetables and mash at the Grouse and Claret, Heatheryford
Dinner :  28 day aged t-bone steak with mushroom sauce, asparagus and mash at Cawdor Tavern, Cawdor
Dessert :  Sticky toffee pudding, The Lodge, Edinbane, Isle of Skye
Beer :   A tie between Innis and Gunn oak aged ale and Cameron House red ale
Non-alcoholic refreshment : Fresh squeezed apple juice and Irn Bru soda
Accommodation :  Cameron House, Loch Lomond
Amenity :  Heated towel racks
Castle : Eilean Donan, Kyle of Lochalsh
Village :  Strathpeffer
Hike :  Old Man of Hoy, Hoy, Orkney Islands
New Word :  Numpty 

I became rather fond of the Celtic cross while touring Scotland ...

RANDOM PHOTOS

Home on Isle of Skye

Small estate in Nairn

Small estate in Nairn

Old crofters hut at Culloden Battlefield

Skye Coo

Orkney Coo

Hoy lamb and thistle

Orkney pleasure boats

Dunbeath Castle

REGRETS
We haven't any.  For the most part, we saw nearly everything we hoped to see and were gifted with more than we had planned.  There are a few spots we missed due to time or changed plans, and if we return to Scotland we will definitely check them out.  For example, we never made it into Cairngorms National Park or up to the Ben Nevis Range.  I would like to see more of the east and west coasts, Applecross, Plockton, Perth, Glasgow and the southern lowlands, not to mention the beaches on the Isle of Harris and the Calanish Standing Stones on Lewis.  Scotland is not very big but it takes a lot longer to get places than you think.  A village 30 miles away will likely take you an hour to get there.  Lower speed limits, numerous round-a-bouts and narrow roads tend to slow one down, not to mention the sheep, coos or deer that may be on the road!  

What else to tell you?  We learned so much and saw so much and met so many nice people - it is difficult to recount it all.  I know there will be times over the next several days when I will think "Oh!  I should have mentioned ______________!"  But .... there it is.

Thank you for tuning in and sharing our Scotland experience.  I hope if nothing else that you've learned something new and that you'll consider adding Scotland to your bucket list.  You won't be disappointed if you do!

Slainte!

From the lonely sheiling 
of the misty island,
Mountains divide us, 
a waste of seas,
Yet still the blood is strong,
the heart is Highland,
And we in dreams behold the Hebrides

Toto, We Aren't in Scotland Anymore

When we first began planning this trip we thought we might split our time between Scotland and Ireland, as Chris' roots are partly Irish.  However, as I began to research all of the areas I was interested in seeing in Scotland, it became clear that to split our time between the two countries would leave us rushing and not getting a good feel for either, so we decided to only visit Scotland this time. However, this epiphany came after our plane tickets had been purchased and we were not able to change our flights without a massive penalty.  Since we still had to fly out of Dublin, we decided to spend a day or two looking around the city. 

We arrived in Dublin in the early evening after a short flight from Glasgow.  It was a bit of a culture shock coming from the Scottish countryside to a city of 1.2 million people and no sheep or Heilan' Coos!  Our hotel was situated downtown in Merrian Square and close to Trinity College which afforded us the opportunity to play tennis on some lovely courts without need for transportation.  The courts are normally not open to the public, but we made friends with the manager at the sports center and access was granted.  The Book of Kells at Trinity College was an attraction we had on our to-do list while in Dublin, but we ended up to-don'ting it due to the intimidating queues that formed everyday all day long outside the door. 

Queue for the Book of Kells with still 2 hours before it opens.

Tennis at Trinity College

The weather in Dublin was an unseasonable 78 degrees and sunny so we took a city bus to nearby Dollymount Beach where we searched for shells, flew a kite and watched wind boarders take to the sky.  Aside from the Chernoble-looking smoke stacks in the distance, the beach was quite nice and allowed for a pleasant afternoon.  

Dollymount Beach posers

Kids at Beckett Bridge on River Liffey

On our last day we played more tennis and took a taxi to the Guinness Storehouse for a self-guided tour of the facility.  Even though it was a sunny and warm Saturday, it was quite the popular tourist attraction as it was packed with people.  Admission included a free pint of Guinness at the end of the tour in the Gravity Bar on the 7th floor of the building.  Although it afforded an amazing 360 degree view of Dublin, it was so crowded and loud that we opted for a lounge downstairs to enjoy our pints and the Wimbledon Men's Doubles Final.  We took a horse-drawn carriage that took us through historic Dublin on the way back to our hotel and we understood at best roughly 40% of what the driver was saying due to his wonderfully thick Irish brogue. 

Carriage ride through historic Dublin

I don't wish to start a stramash, but we found Dublin to be a bit grimy and rough, and was a stark contrast to the slow paced and picturesque Scottish countryside we just left.  In addition, the people seemed to have a city edge to them.  That is, not immediately cordial or forthcoming until you first make an effort to chat it up with them.  This again, a contrast to the jovial and welcoming Scots.   Based on what we have learned from others, the Irish countryside is different than city life and filled with great beauty and charm, and I'm sure if we had ventured outside of the city we would have had an opportunity to experience Irish hospitality at its finest.  Alas, another time.

Stay tuned for our Scottish Best of the Rest which will include photos and commentary on all of the things we did and saw that didn't make the first cut due to time, relevance or my level of fatigue at the time!

Loch Lomond

The last stop of our Scottish Sampler is at Cameron House on the (say it with me) ... bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.  Loch Lomond is a freshwater loch and is the largest inland stretch of water in Great Britain (by surface area, not volume), and is considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.   Historically, the loch is famous for being the site of a bloody Viking invasion.  In 1236, King Haakon had his men carry Viking longboats overland to enter this loch and engage in a gruesome pillage of the unprotected islands and shore communities.  The Vikings were eventually undone by King Alexander III of Scotland when Mother Nature unleashed a storm that destroyed their boats, allowing Alexander and his troops to finish them off.   This was to be the last Viking invasion mounted in the UK, unless you include ABBA in the 1970s. 

Fortunately nowadays Loch Lomond's most vicious invaders are the midges (bloody devils - thank heavens for Avon Skin So Soft).  The area offers such attractions as Stirling, Balloch and Doune Castles, the Trossachs National Park, an aquarium and wildlife park, as well as numerous hikes and hill walking opportunities.  The area features many sporting diversions and given that we would be missing pretty much every scheduled Highlands Games (tragic timing!), we decided to stage our own version of the Highland Games with what Cameron House had to offer.  First up was archery where we learned the correct way to shoot with a bow and arrow at fixed targets.  We were fortunate to have a young but very experienced instructor to guide us.  Chris was the winner, scoring a bottle of home grown whisky by hitting the center bulls eye, but Noah was the overall winner by points, with Sofie coming in second.


The Archers Three

Bulls eye!

Sofie, Ewan and Noah

The next event was falconry, and while it wasn't technically scored, we're pretty sure the Golden Eagle, Artemus, was the victor, if only by intimidation.  Seriously though, to hold these magnificent creatures was incredible and to have them fly and land on our arms was quite surreal.  Falconry is still practiced as a hobby in Scotland but for years was a way of life in this region. 

Noah and Corrie

Sofie and Midge

Noah and Artemus

Chris and Alba

Our Highland Games ended with a non-participatory event at the Aberfoyle Scottish Wool Center where we learned a bit about raising and tending sheep.  There are about 3 sheep to every Scot and most of them are the Scottish Blackface which can best tolerate the rocky terrain and temperature extremes of Scotland.  Sheep are raised more for meat than wool these days and humans have raised sheep in Scotland for at least 8,000 years.  Dogs are frequently used to assist the shepherds and a presentation showed a border collie at work with sheep as well as ducks.  The center also had a extensive shop with authentic Scottish woolens and gifts.

Sheep herding demonstration

Duck herding demonstration

Other outings included visiting the sea life aquarium in Balloch as well as Balloch Castle which was directly across the loch from our lodgings at Cameron House.  The Balloch Country Park was vast and provided excellent views of the loch and countryside.  It seemed to be a popular destination for locals to walk their dogs and hang out.  The Castle itself was being renovated so we weren't able to see much of it, but it was a spectacular day to be on the grounds.

Balloch Castle

Views of Loch Lomond from Balloch Country Park

View of Balloch Castle from Cameron House

View of Cameron House from Balloch Castle

Tree climbers

We also had an opportunity to travel about 40 minutes to the picturesque city of Stirling, a beautiful village community and home to the impressive Stirling Castle.  Dating from the mid-13th century, this castle was more about royal indulgence than military might.  The castle changed hands many times and is usually associated with Robert the Bruce and an impressive statue greets you as you enter the castle grounds.  Our time in Stirling was pretty short and the kids were feeling a bit "castled-out" so we did not do the full tour but were content with strolling the wall walk and taking in the views.

Robert the Bruce statue with the Wallace Monument in the left background
with views of Stirlingshire.  William Wallace was a military leader in the
Scots fight for independence from Britain. 

View from Stirling Castle

Cambuskenneth Abbey

Our lodgings at Loch Lomond were at the impressive Cameron House which deserves special mention as it was a most fitting finale to our Scottish experience.  The main house dates back about 400 years and has been used as a resort/hotel since 1984.  The 189 rooms are both a combination of old architecture and newer construction.  We were fortunate to have our rooms in the old portion just below the main hall complete with window wells and original stonework.  Cameron House seems to be the epitome of Scottish hospitality and charm with tweed carpeting running throughout and select tartans and tweeds adorning every piece of furniture or tapestry.  Examples of clan kilts, sporrans (Scottish man bags), targes (leather shields) and other Scottish finery adorn the walls throughout the manor.  There is also a modern fitness center and indoor pool complete with twisty slide (or flume, as the Scots call it).  The staff was consistently helpful and accommodating and the food in each of the three restaurants was amazing.  The resort also offers golf, miniature golf, skeet shooting, tennis, croquet and watersports. 

Front of Cameron House

One of the many sitting rooms at Cameron House

Hallway in Cameron House with Scottish finery on display

Interesting mural by Gary Myatt at the Cameron Grill at Cameron House
depicting modern women with traditional Scottish men.

So, as it happens we leave Scotland with Loch Lomond as our final stop and our hearts heavy with the knowing that we may not return.  We have all been bewitched by the beauty and majesty of this land, the graciousness and pride of its people and the wealth of history and culture that it offers.  We leave you with the Scottish lament of  Loch Lomond.

By yon bonnie banks an' by yon bonnie braes
Whaur the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond
Whaur me an' my true love will ne'er meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomon'.

O ye'll tak' the high road, and Ah'll tak' the low road

And Ah'll be in Scotlan' afore ye
Fir me an' my true love will ne'er meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomon'

'Twas there that we perted in yon shady glen
On the steep, steep sides o' Ben Lomon'
Whaur in (soft) purple hue, the hielan hills we view
An' the moon comin' oot in the gloamin’.

The wee birdies sing an' the wild flouers spring
An' in sunshine the waters are sleeping
But the broken heart it kens, nae second spring again
Tho' the waeful may cease frae their greetin'.

The bonny bonny banks in front of Cameron House featuring
the sea plane used for aerial loch trips.

Seagulls at Duck Bay

We have two days in Dublin before we return home and will report back on our experiences there.  We will close with Scottish musings and our Best of the Rest.