Travelogue of Scotland: Once round and through the country

Yes, this website usually looks at southern England, shows beautiful pictures of this wonderful area and gives many travel tips about it. However, we the creators of enjoysouthengland.com, also like to visit other areas. In late summer 2017 we went to Scotland for a little over two weeks to get a first impression. Here is our travelogue for this route.

The Idea

We wanted to give ourselves a rough overview. Therefore, we planned a journey which was as comprehensive as possible and also with areas, which are out of the large tourist hotspots. We spent a day in the “Borders” which are south of Edinburgh, but also in some other special corners of Scotland. Unfortunately, there was no time to visit The Highlands in the north as well as the many islands there and in particular the Outer Hebrides. We still want to have something to come back for in the future.

For this trip you can join us in Edinburgh for the Royal Military Tattoo, visit Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, experience the unique boat lift “The Falkirk Wheel” in action, see the famous Glencoe Valley in a very special light mood, have plenty of time for Eilean Donan Castle, find hidden beautiful places on the Isle of Skye, discover a part of the “North Coast 500” route with Loch Ewe, visit Inverness and Perth, castles and a distillery, hike to waterfalls and impressive places that you find quite by accident and wonderful landscapes – both on the coast and inland. Finally Edinburgh beckons once again and in particular South Queensferry with the powerful Forth Bridge. All in all an incredible mass of impressions, thousands of photos, and a wonderful time thet we do not want to miss.
Come with us on a special journey!

 

Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo

Day 1
Arriving in Edinburgh at noon by plane and heading for our B&B we immediately went into the nearby city centre. Heading for the New Town we passed the Book Festival and had great views in both directions from the ridge of the hill. A Ferris wheel was built at Princess Street Gardens, from which you have beautiful views over the rooftops of the city.

Next we went into the Old Town up to the Castle and behind the Victoria Terrace, where the “Oink” shop tempts us for a pulled pork sandwich on haggis.

We had a great time visiting Grassmarket and The Vennel, we went down Cowgate, up St. Mary’s Street and back to the Royal Mile, over North Bridge to Market Street ,Princess Street Gardens and Haymarket!
Finally, we managed to get tickets for the Royal Military Tattoo in Edinburgh Castle. The show which lasts one and a half hours was great. There are 1,000 musicians and dancers for 8,600 spectators – that’s an amazing number of people!

The Borders

With our rental car we discovered “The Borders”. First stop was “Scott’s view” overlooking the River Tweed and then the Wallace Statue in the middle of the forest. Beautiful countryside, which is very reminiscent of our beloved southern England.

The romantic “Dryburgh Abbey” was nearly empty of visitors and a real tranquilant place.

In Melrose, a very nice spot, we went to Dalgetty’s Tea Room for a cream tea. A small inconspicuous door leads into the Priorwood Garden which is dominated by its fantastic fruit trees. The apples were almost ripe and absolutely irresistible! Watching the beekeeper who had just taken honey out of the hives was also interesting.

Passing the ruins of Melrose Abbey, we reached Harmony Garden a little further down the street and then we came to the river. Heading back the “Eildon Hills” dominate the scenery. We took a great road (B6360) to the sadly disused but still impressive “Leaderfoot Viaduct” and after a short walk there, we finally reached the friendly town of Peebles. Here at dinner time, we didn’t miss the opportunity to test the Scottish national dish “Haggis“. However, not just pure haggis but a chicken supreme stuffed with haggis together with a whisky pepper sauce, excellent crunchy vegetables and mashed potatoes. Be sure to give it a try!

Day 3
Starting in Peebles we went along the A7 through the beautiful valley of the River Tweed (Travel Tip: A canoe trip on the River Tweed must be a dream!).

Our first destination was the “Falkirk wheel“, which lifts up the canal boats from the low-lying Forth and Clyde Canal 11 metres above to the Union Canal, and thus saves them from an endless system of locks. Once there we were caught out by an intense drizzle, which was over as quickly as it came. Then we had the best weather for experiencing this unique boat lift in action.

 

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park

Passing Stirling we reached Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, where our way led us via Aberfoyle across the great Duke Pass to the pier at Loch Katrine. Here we enjoyed a boat trip onboard the “Sir Walter Scott” on this beautiful Lake, which will certainly soon lose its charm by the ever-approaching large-scale deforestation.

After the boat trip we drove along the “Three Lochs Forest Drive”, a rustic fort road and we left out our planned hike up the mountain “Ben Venue” due to the already mentioned deforestation. (In Canada you would call it “clear cut”! Terrible!).

Because of this we drove to the dam road car park in Brig o’ Turk (hard-to-find as not signposted) and had a little walk to the reservoir (Glen Finglas reservoir) in an area like the Hochalm in the Austrian Alps.
Our accommodation was in Strathyre, which was not too far away and we enjoyed dinner at the the Lade Inn’s charge. The waiters were a bit overworked but there was a nice selection of beers and great food – plus good live music at the bar.

Day 4
After a few snapshots of the fishermen in tranquil Strathyre we set off on our way – and we didn’t get very far. There was a sign pointing to the grave of Rob Roy and even though the eponymous film dates from 1995 that is of course a good reason to stop by and have a look. He is buried in the cemetery of the small church of Balquhidder. The grave is easy to find.

An overall beautiful peaceful place in this valley. If only it weren’t for these large-scale deforestations, which extremely spoil the overall picture.

Continue north on the A85. A little way after Lochearnhead and before the turnoff to Killin there is a magnificent old viaduct from the railway that once ran through the valley.
A short detour took us then to Killin, where a wide waterfall in the middle of the village is crossed by an ancient stone bridge.
Back at the only petrol station at the crossroads, we discovered that you can’t pay with a credit card (the German PIN-code is not accepted in the UK), but it’s fine with an European debit card (Maestro). What luck, as you often find automatic petrol stations here.

We continued towards Loch Lomond and passed the Falls of Falloch, which can be reached in a few minutes on foot from a small car park. (Quite busy but nice!)

At Ardlui we reached the much-sung about Loch Lomond, , which is still narrow and manageable at this stage.

Driving south along the shore road was a rather tedious task that takes a long time with a lot of tourist traffic and quite narrow bends. We made a few photo stops and then arrived in Luss which was described as a nice village. Overcrowded and overrated would be a better way to describe it!
We leave Loch Lomond and drive quickly back north over the A817 into the Valley of Loch Long on the rather narrow and very, very, very bumpy track. After a short stop and an inadequate afternoon tea at the inn in the village of Arrochar (the worst service ever!) we continued on the A83. A short photo stop at an old bridge “The Butter Bridge” below the “Rest and Be Thankful Commemorative Stone” belongs to this trip.

Finally, we reached the Loch Fyne, where we visited Crarae Garden. Fortunately, this is open until dusk. The staff finish earlier, but you are welcome to stay there and should just throw the £6.50 into the usual box if no one there is. We could enjoy the garden in peace and quiet as almost the only guests there. It was a pity that the rhododendrons were no longer in bloom at this time of year. They are a huge highlight of the garden.
We then drove to our accommodation in Inveraray – a small place, but very nice.

Day 5
It had already started to rain during breakfast which was served to us by Maggie, who is blessed with a very nice and quirky sense of humour (very reasonably priced rooms, by the way!). It was an intense, but very fine rain which would not stop until early afternoon.

First of all we went to Inveraray Castle and its garden. We then took the northern route to Oban. Coming down from the mountain on the A819 comes then left beautiful ruins of Kilchurn Castle came into view on the left. (This is ideal for morning sunrise shots!). Unfortunately, it was quite cloudy.

Driving round Loch Awe for quite a while we reached Saint Conan’s Kirk, a great church from the 1920s, which looks very different from what you might imagine. Very, very worth visiting and it even has a cloister! It is interesting, by the way, that here in Scotland the churches are not called church but rather “Kirk” as in Scandinavian (in Swedish, it is called “Kyrka” and in Norwegian and Danish “Kirke”).

We skipped having tea in the church’s own tea room and instead went on to Oban and then even further to Arduaine Garden further South. By the way, right next to it the “Loch Melfort Hotel” with its bistro is the ideal spot for watching sunsets.

The garden itself has beautiful rhododendrons in spring, but it was still quite exciting and beautifully green. Very rewarding! It is also open until sunset and again we were almost alone there.

On the way back to Oban we were able to make more photo stops in Kilmelford, above Loch nan Druimnean, because the weather was now really sunny.

Oban itself is considered the “capital of seafood”, so there is a variety of seafood restaurants. Unfortunately, there was not a single one that had free places without a reservation. (It’s best to reserve at least one day in advance (The “Waterfront Fish House” would be our favourite). So we just went to the Fish Bar at the harbour for scallops and fishcakes as well as whitebait. The latter were really good and the rest ok. This was extremely reasonably priced!

Day 6
A wonderful breakfast with lots of fresh fruit from the buffet got the day off to a good start. The weather also cleared up for us so we began by driving north. Our first stop was Castle Stalker as well as admiring the viewpoints to get there.

Go to the bridge of Ballaculish, where we started a tour to Loch Leven. At the very end of the Lake in Kinlochmore, we parked the car and walked to the Grey Mare’s Tail Waterfalls as well as to a viewpoint there.

Glencoe

On the other shore of Loch Leven, the route returns to Glencoe and then into the valley of the same name. This was the highlight of the day and we drove through Glencoe Southeast below Loch Tulla and return, etc. past the ski resort (!) – all with constantly changing weather conditions.

Finally, we visited the small waterfalls of Clachaig Falls west of Loch Achtriochtan. There one of the locals stopped and recommended that we went to the waterfall near Loch Etive, which was much more impressive (he also mentioned the view from the film “Skyfall“). Due to weather and time constraints, however, we refrained from doing so, and instead photographed a small lake (Torren Lochan) on the side of the road to Glencoe and finally we took a short evening walk around Glencoe Lochan (another Lake).

Quickly we went on to Fort William to our quarters and in the evening to an Indian Restaurant in the town centre. It has a pedestrian zone which is not so unpleasant. The local school band of the Pipes and Drums played for an hour there and were pretty good, by the way!

Food was good and the quarters looked like a grandma’s old house – at least that’s how it smelled and felt. A huge rather empty room, but very clean. It was just too expensive for the measly breakfast!

Day 7
he breakfast was also – unambitioniert. However, we slept well so we set off early in dry weather with some sunshine to “Neptune’s staircase”, which is a flight of 8 locks of the Caledonian Canal. We were lucky as a rather large sailing boat was just passing through. Unfortunately, the slope is not as steep as in Devizes and so we were not able to take good photographs.

Further down at the train station the canal flows into the Loch and here we were able to take a few more photos as well as some of the shipwreck on the shores of the Loch.

Since it started to rain heavily, we continued on our way to Glenfinnan. Not far from the monument there, (NT for Scotland) a paved path leads from the end of the second small (free) car park to the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct. Punctually at 10:44 am (and therefore 10 minutes earlier than scheduled) the “Hogwarts Express” – actually the “Jacobite” – came over the viaduct. Fortunately, we were there in time with a whole crowd of other onlookers, who all persevered in the pouring rain.

As soon as the train had passed by, the rain stopped. We took this opportunity to take photos of the Glenfinnan Monument and then avoiding the main road we drove along a minor road (B8008) in significantly better weather. A bit of a detour, but totally rewarding given the beautiful bays and white sandy beaches!

Our intermediate stop Mallaig was described as not quite so great, but turned out to be quite nice. Really outstanding was “The Bakehouse” with the nice German-speaking employee, and we had one of the best fruit scones ever (!)

Then we went on the Calmac (A ferry from the company Caledonian MacBrayne) for our trip to the Isle of Skye. It was a really basic and rustic car ferry which you would more likely expect to see on a river.
On the way across, the sun came out and on Skye, we had beautiful sunshine with an amazing sky.

Isle of Skye

From Armadale we drove north, but then decided to turn around and drive along the small minor road to Ord, Tokavaig and Tarskavaig and back. An ideal choice given the wonderful photo opportunities.

It took us almost 2 hours and then we drove to our accommodation in Portreee with a further stop at the old bridge of Sligachan. Very fine!

However, it wasn’t in order that Portree was overcrowded with tourists and all of the restaurants were so full. They didn’t even take reservations and there were long queues of people waiting for a table. We certainly don’t do that! After a long search, we simply bought a Moroccan couscous and a red-pepper humus with bread and olives at the Co-op, which we then ate in peace and quiet in the B & B.

Day 8
It was raining overnight and at breakfast, it was still wet. For this reason, the (almost) full Scottish breakfast, with one of the best bacons ever and great sausages, was a real treat.
As soon as the rain had stopped, we wanted to drive off but we only went a few hundred metres from the beach, where we had a morning photo session with a short walk.

Then we headed north on the A855, where our first photo stop at Loch Fada was very successful, but we also got to know midges for the first time! Up to now we had managed to keep away from them.

On the climb to the Old Man of Storr (the characteristic pillar of Portree’s local mountain) we passed a hopelessly overcrowded car park in the pouring rain and also the Bride’s Veil Waterfall which in the truest sense of the word was rained off!
Shortly afterwards it was dry again (if you don’t like the weather just wait ten minutes) and so we could visit Lealt Falls in this great deep green valley cut from above. We also visited the remains of an old mine. Tip: If you have some time, try a hike from there to Loch Liuravay through the valley inland, following the old path of the miners.

We did another trip to the very overrated Mealtrock Waterfall near Kilt Rock and then we were in Staffin on the beach where we enjoyed our tea and biscuits which we had brought with us.
Continuing our way over a narrow road (and narrow single track here means narrow –dodging other cars!) across the mountains we took a real mountain pass road with great views. Two cars actually fell into a pothole, in such a way that a wheel was facing upwards.

After many photo stops, we arrived in Uig. (Driving down a mountain pass behind a bus is great as it really clears the way!) From here we then went south again on the A87. We then went west to Dunvegan on the A850 (the local hotel there is really behind the times!) and we continued on the small B884 single track road through scattered but not sparsely populated countryside.

It took a long time and finally we reached magnificent scenery on the west coast of Skye. Neist Point, a is a destination for many tourists here. Because it was almost 4pm we easily found a parking space and walked 20 minutes downhill and uphill (on a well-paved path!) to the lighthouse. With a somewhat long detour, we reached the cliffs below and could take our pictures in the most beautiful light. Wonderful!

We were back in the car shortly before 6pm and we tried to get a table at the delightful “Old School Restaurant”in Dunvegan, (great setup!) but unfortunately it was the same as yesterday evening and was next to impossible! We almost resigned ourselves to the fact that we would not be able to eat in Portree until shortly before 9pm when we noticed a sign for the “Stein Inn” on the way back. We were happy to drive the five extra miles, and voilà: A very nice old inn at the quay in the most beautiful evening sun and there was a table for us there too!
As a fond farewell there was a gorgeous sunset before our 45-minute drive back to Portree.

Day 9
The morning started sunny and warm, but unfortunately this would not continue. Our way lead us first across the Isle of Skye (B885) to Bracadale and from there to Talisker Bay (Yes, that is the one with whisky). At the end of the narrow road, we parked on the side and walked approx. 20 min. This is a very nice walk to the beach which is stony, sandy, beautiful and worth seeing! The couple who spent the night in their tent there, did it absolutely right.

On the way back, we stopped at the famous Talisker distillery, but we didn’t go inside – the weather was just too nice and we wanted to continue.

Back on the main road we headed south, where we then branched off at Broadford to head towards Elgol. The dilapidated church on the way with its beautiful cemetery was worth seeing, the lake next to it less so and then after that there was only one nice photo opportunity.

We decided to turn round and discovered a lonely bench by accident. That was ours to have tea (the purchase of a thermos flask in Oban had more than paid off!) and croissants from breakfast as a small snack.

A tip (from a book of Stephan Goldmann) was to take the road to Kylerhea (pronounced: Keila Rhie) with an unspectacular start, which then developed into an extensive mountain pass and high alpine road. Magnificent route, fantastic views – in short, you should definitely try this road.
At the end of the road we reached the mini ferry (max. 6 cars and 12 persons) to the mainland. (Max. 6 cars and 12 persons). We did not take the ferry, but drove a little section up the mountain to a forest car park, from which we reached an animal observation hut (“hide”) 1 mile away. On the way there were great views down into the bay.

We went back again on this great road and then to Kyleakin right next to the big Skye bridge. The latter was only opened in 1995, and until then, the main ferry service from the mainland arrived here in Kyleakin. Since then, the town has fallen into insignificance, but is somehow quite nice.

The North

We went over the Skye bridge (which has had no bridge toll since 2004) to the mainland with great views and on to Dornie on Loch Duich. Here is the famous Eilean Donan Castle, which should keep us busy all evening. Hunger made us eat at 6 o’clock in The Dornie Hotel, which is simply furnished, but offers an outstandingly good “Cullen Skink” (a thick fish soup, similar to sea chowder in Scotland) which had an infinite amount of smoked fish.
Sustained from the food, we spent the rest of the evening photographing the Eilean Donan Castle until twenty to ten.

Day 10
First of all we went briefly to the south, to photograph the mountain range of the “Five Sisters” – which was, however, completely uninteresting in terms of light. Only a stranded fishing boat was photogenic enough. We preferred to go north again, past the castle and then on a single-track road through a great area to Plockton. This is a super nice fishing village with great pubs, where we would have liked to stay longer, at least overnight. Unfortunately, we only did an extensive tour with a detour to the station and Duncraig Castle which is still under renovation.

The road then runs wonderfully along the A890 for many miles on the wooded shores of Loch Carron. We switched to the A896 and wanted to have our tea at a small wooded picnic area by the lake. Unfortunately, the only bench there was occupied and so we carried on. Luck was with us as we followed a fantastic stretch of road, we passed Loch Dughail shortly before Shieldag, where we found a wonderful spot on a stone on the riverbank just before the lake. We couldn’t have enjoyed anything more than sitting here having tea and the scones we had purchased in Plockton.

We continued past Shieldag along Upper Loch Torridon and then into Glen Torridon. This is completely different in terms of landscape, really barren compared to what we had seen before. We drove along a single-track road again together with many cyclists (There was a cycle race taking place.) It was difficult to overtake after Kinlochewe and then we continued north on the A832 along the large Loch Maree. The landscape becomes more and more special especially from Gairloch onwards: Barren mountains and moorland, and in between again and again deep blue lakes in a colour that you can hardly imagine to be so intense.

Finally, we reached Poolewe, which was our goal for today. Here we visited Inverewe garden of the NTS, which is fortunately open until 9pm as long as you are in there by 5pm or know where the open side door is to exit the garden. A visit is also permissible after the closing of the ticket office area, you should just drop the money into the donation box. The garden itself has a very nice unusual and elongated walled garden (with one side of it being Loch Ewe) and a nice woodland area. The rhododendrons – which often bloom up here in mid to late May – are the highlight of the garden in spring. Overall, it was a nice evening walk.

So we then continued to our B & B “Ach da Thearnaidh” (the place between two descents), which by the way was the real home of Kay Matheson – one of four Scottish students who stole the ‘stone of destiny’ from the Westminster Abbey in London 1950 Christmas and and brought it back to Scotland. Many are likely to know the film by 2008. A very nice house with Marie and Greg as two incredibly charming and attentive hosts, that definitely warrants a return visit. We had a great attic room with mini kitchenette and views of Loch Ewe.

Dinner was then (kindly pre-reserved by our hosts) in the Poolewe Hotel. It is noticeable here that unlike southern England there are hardly any nice pubs or inns, but above all hotels with a bar and often a dining room. However, the classic comfort and charm of the old pubs of the south are missing, it’s all much simpler. The food itself, on the other hand, is completely comparable.
Back at the B & B a lemon cake and a fruit loaf were waiting for us at the door – wonderful, if only we weren’t so full!

Day 11
We woke up after a great night’s sleep with views of Loch Ewe and the mountains behind it through the skylight window. Wonderful!
Breakfast reached all our expectations: Greg and Marie served us and were really charming hosts! With a nice chat, a small farewell gift to us and a lot of regret from our side we continued on our way. We wanted to take a boat trip despite the weather not being sunny but unfortunately, we decided against taking the Gairloch Marine Life Centre boat even though it would have been ideal. However, we didn’t want to go back so we continued on the A832 northwards with a stop at the beach of Guinard Bay on the way to Ullapool.

This is a not an insignificant ferry terminal and there are actually three boat tour operators here. Only one high-speed boat would have sailed today and we didn’t want that.
The young lady in the TIC (the official “tourist information centre”) was extremely helpful and called another provider in the surrounding villages, but some were fully booked and the others were closed because of the very strong wind. It didn’t matter, we forgot about the boat ride and went browsing in the bookshop.

On the way back, we first went hiking in Lael Forest Garden to a small waterfall (it has nothing to do with a garden, they are simply marked forest trails of the Forestry Commission) and then spontaneously we didn’t take our tea at this picnic area, but ended up in a craft shop with a tearoom not even one kilometre away . It was so nice and equipped with a great coffee machine that we spontaneously decided to have a real afternoon coffee (very good!) with flapjack and two other treats. Good choice!

After that we went to the NTS Middle Falls of Meshach at Corrieshalloch Gorge. Access is free, but unfortunately a few days earlier the great suspension bridge had been closed for safety reasons. So, it was not possible to look into this super deep and narrow gorge. Nevertheless, we did a beautiful tour there and then went a little way through the bushes from the other side (actually a very easy access from the road) and we got pretty close to the waterfalls which are otherwise not visible. It was cool!
However, in this area the constant deforestations actually tarnish a really beautiful picture.

However here in the area, is that you the really beautiful picture very tarnish the permanent clear cuts of forests.

Now it was in fairly murky weather the A835 towards Inverness. On the black water river in Garve, have we can very nicely captured the mood there and then further more have landed the road by chance at Rogie Falls. From the car park we walked on a nice trail to the Black Water River, where the pretty impressive Rogie Falls are easily accessible from a suspension bridge, as well as from the riverbank. For us they are most fantastic waterfalls, that we have seen here in Scotland!

A short futile search for an old bridge we broke off and went to Inverness in our neighbourhood. Very centrally located, only a 10-minute walk from the high street is reset in a nice quiet area and yet something we live very pleasant. It goes to the check Inn in the city for a tour and then some dinner. We were not using the very good recommendation, since there courts only against reservation (once again, so we have never seen anything in southern England!). Since we’ve been eating then just to (very authentic) Spain’s tasty tapas. Also very nice!

Between Inverness and Perth

Day 12
After a short futile search for an old bridge, we broke off and went to our accommodation in Inverness. It was very centrally located and only a 10-minute walk from the high street in a nice quiet area. A bit set back so that we had a very pleasant stay. After checking in we headed into town for a walking tour and then some dinner. Unfortunately, we could not take advantage of the very good recommendation, as tables are only available if reserved. (We have never seen anything like this in southern England!) So, we went to the (very authentic) Spanish restaurant for delicious tapas. This was also very nice!

Then it went by car across country, beautiful on small roads through a countryside according to Clunas and again, until we stumbled by chance on the mighty Dulsie bridge. At the nearby car park we took a walk led us down to the river – gorgeous!

On the A939 continued then very nicely to Grantown-on-Spey and a tea strengthened via the A95 to the A9. On this a long way by the Grampiens, a very lonely and repelling mountains followed by until we Killiecrankie at the bridge over the river Tummel a stroll to the nearby pedestrian bridge made (“Linn of Tummel trail”). It is a deep cut Valley, down wooded and beautiful.

At the parking lot, we then discovered a note on the Highland night held on the same evening. But later more. We drive the A827 still until the Queen’s view, where we have a great view of the Loch Tummel in a very special light had. Then, it finally went in our lodging in Pitlochry.

But we want on the Highland night. For this purpose, entered it the few hundred meters in the place where we we bought a quick snack at the Coop and then drove the car to the recreation ground, where the spectacle to be held. And as a special feature: who wanted was allowed to drive the car on the sports field (!) and enjoy the idea from this. It was said: on one side the natural Grandstand and on the other cars. Oblique!
The idea was cheap and quite nice with 7 pounds – the evening surprised almost full moon and cloudless sky with rising mist. A dream for photographers like us who more or less could move freely behind the car.
Finally it fell band behind the drum & pipes in the place and we enjoyed another beer in the Mike hotel’s friendly bar.

Day 13
After a surprisingly good night’s sleep, despite being right next to the railway line, and an acceptable breakfast we went into Pitlochry and to nearby Moulin, where we paid a short visit to the mtiny brewery and chatted briefly with the brewmaster (= mechanic = salesman). After all, 1,200 litres per week are produced, which are completely consumed by the two hotels to which the brewery belongs.

However, we wanted harder stuff than beer, so we went straight to the Edradour Distillery when it opened at 10 o’clock. It is the smallest existing Scottish distillery. (Smaller is actually not possible, because by law, the equipment has to be of a minimum size.) This distillery is the last one, which still uses this equipment. Five men operate the entire production. Currently, they are doubling output from 1 to 2 large barrels per day. They are building a new facility next door that is 1:1 the same as the previous plant. The opening is scheduled for the end of 2017 and in 10 years – that is the minimum period their whisky is stored for – we will know if it has worked.
We took a guided tour with tasting (at the beginning!), which was really nice. We would gladly return here – and the entire estate is simply wonderful!

Because we liked the whole area so much, we went to visit Queen’s view again past Loch Tummel to the end at Tummel bridge. We then drove south through very different landscapes. After a little rain and then the most beautiful sunshine Castle Menzies came unexpectedly into view and we spontaneously decided to visit it (unspectacular, but somehow rewarding) and had tea in the small tea room there.

After that we didn’t get far, because we drove through the very nice village of Aberfeldy with its restored cinema from the 1930s in the centre of the village.

The A826 and A822 went then quickly South through beautiful countryside to Crieff and Drummond Castle. The castle itself is not open to the public, but it has a famous formal garden that is said to be reminiscent of Versailles. The most impressive was the 2 km-long tree-lined avenue as an access road (sensational) and the castle in the most beautiful sunlight against a blue sky. The garden was great to look at from above.

Around this area the landscape changed a lot and is quite hilly and lovely, actually like southern England.
We went directly to Perth on the A85 to our accommodation. Perth’s city centre (pedestrian zone) was completely deserted. Our evening meal in the very nice Bothy was sumptuous: Cullen skink and haggis as well as scallops and a kind of pulled pork as Beef Wellington.

Northeast of Edinburgh

Day 14
A very good breakfast, a nice chat with our hosts and the sun was shining– that’s how a day should begin. We left Perth and headed east. Our first goal of the day was St. Andrews, which we headed for via country roads. On the way there, we stopped in Cupar, which is a not a bad shopping town. Here, we wanted to get a pair of tick tweezers, because one of us had caught a little “friend”. The pharmacy didn’t have anything like that, because you don’t need it (!)and also didn’t want to dispense disinfectant. The ironmonger didn’t have any appropriate tools either. We managed to get tick tweezers for dogs in the pet products section. Better than nothing! The immediate use was successful. (Also, because a tick moves away on its own when touched.)

After finally arriving in St Andrews, we were very excited. A really lovely university town (This is where Kate and Prince William met while studying!), which reminded us a little bit of Oxford with its university campuses – but much less sophisticated of course. The remains of the castle and cathedral by the sea are picturesque and in the town centre the main shopping street just has flair. There is a lot going on, but it is not crowded, and certainly not hectic. You can sit out on the street, enjoying the sunshine – everything is super relaxed. There are also many beautiful buildings. The town is definitely worth a second visit.

We already had the feeling today of being in southern England rather than in Scotland, and this feeling was getting stronger. We visited four small fishing villages, which are very close to each other and yet they could hardly be more different:

Crail is totally sleepy; we parked in a nice avenue and went down to the harbour. There are a surprising number of various restaurants and the harbour is tiny. There are super nice houses here (mainly built of stone.) At a small stall, there is fresh seafood and we got a lobster roll (double the price of the crab roll, but it tasted much better), which we then ate in the sun on the quay wall.

Anstruther is a bit of a shock when you first drive into it and see the semi high-rise buildings. Apart from that it is quite nice and by far the largest and most touristic place. There is a large marina and many restaurants and shops on the promenade and in the village itself. There are mostly beautiful old houses!

Pittenweem right next to it is the exact opposite: a working harbour with significantly less charm – but small enough to still be quite nice. In addition, it is simply old with the ancient quay wall, the old houses…

St Monans is calm again, but unlike Crail. The harbour is larger and there is even a windmill nearby. The old sea water swimming pool, which is built into the sea is also interesting.

Elie doesn’t actually have a harbour at all, but a bay with a sandy beach. Here is the ship Inn, where you can sit outside right on the beach facing west which is so perfect for a sundowner! According to the website, it is also really nice inside, including the rooms. That could be an idea for next time!

After an excellent dinner in St Monans and a walk on the promenade we went to Dunfermline. You don’t necessarily have to see the place but it is ideally located close to Edinburgh on the other side of the Firth of Forth, i.e. the mouth (= Firth) of the River Forth into the sea. We couldn’t see this from Dunfermline and the B & B was on two main streets, but had spacious rooms and was nicely decorated.

Edinburgh

Day 15
While it rained, we had a very extensive and good breakfast in the nicely furnished B & B and we chatted with the Dutch guests at the table, as well as the hosts. Then we went to North Queensferry to photograph the bridges as this is exactly why we stayed in Dunfermline: We wanted to photograph the famous Forth Bridge in the morning. Unfortunately, the weather made it very limited.

We drove via the motorway into the city to return the rental car (with precision timing!) and then we went by bus to the city. (Caution: Day tickets purchased on the bus do NOT entitle you to use the tram and vice versa but it is the same price– mega weird!) We dropped off our luggage at our accommodation in Haymarket which is an area with lovely old buildings.

We went on foot through the nice neighbourhood to Dean Village (great houses located on the green valley river) and along the Water Walk on the River Leith and past Stockbridge to Newtown. This is a great area of Edinburgh with, lots of small shops, nice restaurants, beautiful houses and cobbled streets. More than that what you really need to do for example is to go near the centre to the narrow Thistle Street and also Frederick Street where we had a very fine afternoon cream tea in the Eteaket tea room.
Well-fed and contented we went to Calton Hill with its unfinished replica of the Acropolis and from here you have a great view of the city. There, we met John Amoore and an acquaintance who told us a lot about the city, the statues and the administration building directly below the hill. Very charming!

We used our day ticket on the X43 bus and went to South Queensferry on the other side of the mighty railway bridge. The journey took over half an hour with a traffic jam and we got off at the railway station directly in front of the bridge. We walked down to the beach for great views and dinner at the Hawes Inn. Top marks! Cosy, medieval, large, well renovated, beautifully decorated and a good menu with excellent food!

Finally, the sun went down and the bridge beckoned for great night photos. On the bus journey back, we went through the delightful town of Dalmeny, which made us want to come back again. Tip: In the evening have a sundowner at the Orocco Pier Hotel (17 High Street) with a view of the illuminated bridge through the huge windows!
Then we went back on the pretty empty 43 bus.

Day 16
A beautiful morning made us go out before breakfast at 6 o’clock and we walked to the Old Town and back. After breakfast at the B & B we went back to the city.

This time we walked to Arthur’s seator below it and then on to Duddingsten. This little place was described in the guidebook as very nice – it was nice and Dr. Neil’s Garden, was nice but not really outstanding. It can’t be compared with delightful South Queensferry. We took the bus back to the city, and then took a tour on the green hop-on hop-off bus. This lasted over 90 minutes because of many traffic jams, but had very entertaining live explanations. Afterwards we walked to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, again to take pictures of the Queen’s Place and drink tea.

Finally, we were supposed to go to South Queensferry again, but this was difficult given the strange ticket policy of local public transport companies. Yesterday we had a day ticket (£4) for the bus – which was no good for the tram, but we were able to get out to South Queensferry. Today, we had a day ticket (£4) for the tram, which was supposed to be valid for trams and buses. However, the driver of the number 100 bus (the one from the airport) refused to take us. When we boarded the bus to South Queensferry we were not allowed entry unless we bought an additional ticket for £2.60 per person. Strange!
We walked through the city and then caught the X43 bus and explained to the driver that we only wanted to go somewhere in the vicinity. This worked without any problems. We got off again in Dalmeny, the railway station above South Queensferry. We walked into the village (delightful even in the daylight) and then back to the Hawes Inn for dinner. We then took the train back – the ticket was more expensive than the bus at £4.50, but we were back in our accommodation more than 40 minutes earlier. Perfect!

Some final packing and then off to bed, because the next morning we had to leave at 3.40 am to catch our early flights back to Vienna and Frankfurt.

Finds of the trip