Exploring the Highlands With a Guide

The plan for today was to explore the highlands.  My mom and I found a small company, Instinct Guides, for a private tour.  The guide had access to the Seafields Estate for a really unique experience.  We started the day by driving up to Carrbridge to meet the guide for the tour.  The tour was really unique as our guide Ruari had grown up on the estate with his dad as the head groundskeeper, and now contracts with them as well as his guiding company so he knows the lands so well.

The first stop was Sluggen Bridge, which was built during General Wades forays into the Highlands. It is part of the cycle network in Scotland, though the original bridge was washed away in a flood in 1829, the replacement is a narrow single arch bridge over the River Dulnain. The water running by was a dark brown colour, our guide says that is due to the peat in the ground.  The water is still clean and pure to drink, and apparently is amazing for your skin and hair. 

Next we drove along to Inverlaidnen House.  There are two places claiming that name, the original manor is now just a shell of stone walls.  During the ‘45 Rising Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed there in Feb of 1746 while travelling north.  The local story is the mother of the Laird was not a Jacobite and refused to make Prince Charles any bread in the morning.  The building was abandoned in the 19th century and a new manor house built bedside it.  Once the home of the Head Groundskeeper and our guide, it is now let to tenants on the estate.  There were lots of sheep in the fields, it seemed just an incredible, if isolated place to grow up.  Our guide said in the early 20th century it was also the school house.  So all the tenant farmers would send their kids there every day for their education.

Driving through the ancient Caledonian Forest, the next place we saw was the Archers Stone.  Erected to honour the archer Ian Beag MacAndra who patrolled the hillside for cattle raiders in the area. Known as Small Ian, the legend goes that when some family search the croft for the archer in revenge for killing their family, his wife said only her children were there, pointing to the small figure curled in bed.  After the family left, he followed them and killed them too.  His croft still stands, having been abandoned by its last family only about 100 years ago.  This site was also a major crossing and part of Wades Military Road, which was hard to picture today. 

We carried along the road, stopping along an outlook to see if there were any deer along the hills, unfortunately a brief rain shower pushed through at that moment.  The road led along to the to end of the estate, the last croft on that part of the estate.  There is not much left to Eli Croft now, just some low stone walls.  We were able to see the remains of an old lime kiln.  The crofters of old had noticed that heather never grew where the limestone was, not understanding PH level, they still figured out if you burned the lime down to ash and spread it on the fields it would stop the heather from growing and sheep could graze.  You can still tell when you are near an old croft when the heather vanishes.  Little bits of pottery and iron tools are still in the kiln from the last crafters not bothering to take their garbage with them when they left. 

Next we drove along a section of the estate called the Towning to get to the Rabbity Knoll.  There were lots of sheep everywhere, and we also spotted a few mountain hares (which are native to the area) and a few rabbits (which are not.)  There were several partridges too.  They were so hard to see against the grass and heather so we were very impressed with the keen eyes of the guide.  Up on the Rabbity Knoll, it was a fairly classic view point of what I pictured when I think of the highlands.  The wind was insane too!  It really felt like one would get knocked over at any moment.  I actually have a cell phone video on my Instagram if you are curious.  Once again, our guide spotted some deer and we could seem them through the telescope.  Unfortunately I couldn’t hold my camera steady enough to find them!  They seem to have hidden away quickly too in the bad weather so no pictures of the stag in the heather!

On our way out of the estate, we stopped at Insharn, another old stone bridge near where another of the Groundskeepers lives.  The road then led back through more forests to the Slochd Viaduct.  Apparently when they were building the viaducts, portable hospitals would follow the naavies as they built the railway which would be a boon for any community they were near for the years of the construction.  The tour through the estate was really interesting, seeing some places that are harder to reach for the general public.  And hearing from our guide about the goals of the estates in rebuilding the native Caledonian Forests and the work they do to protect to environment was really informative.  The Laird seems to have a lot of trust in his Groundskeepers to protect and care for the land and the tenant farmers at the same time. 

After a four hour tour, we were dropped back in the car park in Carrbridge.  Our day was nearly over, but I think this post should be.  We still had many more things we did on our own during the drive back to Pitlochry. 

Pitlochry

Pitlochry is a delightful little town that some call the gateway to the Highlands.  It’s just up the A9 from Edinburgh and on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park.  We picked it for our base to explore the highlands, which is the crux of the research we were doing.  Well, that my mom was doing, I was just her assistant/driver. 

There have been villages around Pitlochry on record going back a thousand years, Pitlochry itself is more of a Victorian town that really popped up after Queen Victoria declared how much she enjoyed Scotland and bought Balmoral.  The name likely is an association with the Dunfallandy Stone, with is a carved Pictish stone dating to around the 8th century.  It sits on a farmers land but there is a path one can take to see it, which we did towards the end of the day. 

There is a smaller road that one can take if you want to avoid the A9 for a more picturesque drive.  Called General Wades Miltary Road, as it was build by General Wade after the Jacobite Risings.  If they wanted to keep the Jacobites down, the monarchy realized they needed to be able to travel faster through the highlands so a major road was built including lots of bridges through the passes. 

I was not up for a lot of driving again today, so we decided to keep it local, staying on the smaller road..  There is a fair amount to see in the area.  We drove up to Blair Atholl.  The castle there was the home of the Dukes of Atholl, until the death of the 10th Duke as the heir, a distant cousin, lives in South Africa.  The 11th and 12th Dukes stayed there, though they visit every year to inspect the Atholl Highlanders.  The only private army allowed in the UK, it apparently is mostly estates workers used as a tourist attraction with their own pipe band and everything. 

As we didn’t really feeling like walking around another castle today, the next stop was the Blair Atholl Watermill. The current building is from the 1800s, though a mill has likely been on that spot for centuries. It is still a working mill that is both museum and cafe serving delicious scones made from flour they milled themselves.  They were the best scones of the trip. 

Further up the road was the House of Bruar, which is a posh little shop and food spot near a path leading to the Falls of Bruar.  Probably a gorgeous waterfall, but up a trail that was a bit longer than I thought I could manage with my ankle, and my mom decided to stay with me, so we bought a few little whisky’s and gins to to take along and headed on. 

We stopped at Killiecrankie Pass, which is famous for a 1689 Jacobite victory along the River Garry.  You can walk along the river a bit to Soilders Leap, where it is said one of the fleeing soldiers leapt across the gorge a fair distance to escape pursuit.  There is also a small section of Victorian Viaduct along the pass.

 Driving back along the older road, we kept our eyes peeled for more standing stones, there was one in a field near Killiecrankie, just interesting that its a slab of granite in a field but apparently someone put it there thousands of years ago, and everyone just lets it be.  We drove along to the Pictish stone, which is a little more than a slab in the field with beautiful carvings still visible.  There is a layby where one or two cars can park and then follow the lane to a farmers field.  Up a small set of stairs is a small family cemetery and the Stone.  Historic Scotland has built a glass case to protect it, but it is amazing to see the carvings that are over a millennia old still visible on the old sandstone. 

Driving back to the hotel we checked out the little town of Moulin which was just up behind our hotel, spotted another standing stone in a field, and scouted out the Moulin Inn and Pub.  The pub first opened in 1695 and now has its own micro brewery in what was once the stables.  My mom was in the mood to explore a bit more, and I was in the mood to explore some beers, so we dropped the car at the hotel.  She walked down into Pitlochery to see more of the town and the old churches, and I walked back to Moulin to see the Pub.

It was a really classic pub feel to me with great staff.  I tried a flight of their beers from the classic pull draughts, as well as a gin made for them from local botanicals.  I ended up chatting a lot with the bartender between other customers. I can see why locals have been coming here for 300 years!  We already had plans to go down into town to the Old Mill Inn for dinner, but I thought Moulin Inn would be great for the next night, we had a longer day planned and the flattish walk would probably be more appealing!

The Old Mill was a beautiful 18th century mill, shocking I know, that is now a restaurant and hotel.  It was a delicious dinner, though very busy!  Clearly a popular spot in the middle of a popular town!  Then we had to climb back up that hill to the hotel for a night cap in the bar. 

Ardnamurchan and Beyond

Our last morning in Mull started the same as the last, a nice breakfast at the hotel and then a drive up to Tobermory.  Our plan was to take the ferry from Tobermory on the north end of Mull to the town of Kilochaon on the mainland on the peninsula of Ardnamurchan. From Kilchoan it was a lot of winding single track roads through the winding northern mountains, with sheep and cows occasionally dotting the landscape. And road. 

For the most part I really enjoyed the driving, thought it was a little intense.  It was such a beautiful and wild landscape.  Eventually we got closer to civilization, with more cars going the other way and sometimes even a two laned road!  There was not much to see alone the route here, stopping once or twice for gorgeous outlooks that appeared as we drove.  I had hoped to stop at the Glenfinnan Viaduct, a masterpiece of Victorian engineering for a rail bridge curving across the valley.  Twice a day a Jacobite steam train still crosses the track.  I really wanted to stop for photos, but unfortunately that same Jacobite train doubled as the Hogwarts Express and the little town is overwhelmed with visitors. With no where to park we were unable to see the viaduct nor the Jacobite memorial on the other side of the road.  

So we carried on into Fort William.  We stopped at the Steps of Neptune to see the great lock system there, and then drove into town for lunch.  There isn’t too much to Fort William, the fort that was the prison of the Jacobites is now just some gentle low rock walls along the shore.  The town centre has some nice pubs and lots of sporting goods stores for those set to challenge Ben Nevis.  We tried to stop at the Inverlochy Castle, but it was fenced off due to repairs needing to be done to the mortar. 

The drive was fairly straight forward from there, past Dalwhinne Distillery, which I know from my cousin's love of fine whisky, down the A9 to Pitlochry.  It is known in some parts as the gateway to the highlands, a perfect little town on the edge of Cairngorms National Park.  We did learn that Pitlochry has a theatre festival that has just come under the attention of Alan Cummings.  Unfortunately he was not in town when we were, but would be back for a spooky Halloween event this year!

Settling into the Pitlochery Hydro Hotel, another old building with a slightly modern spa area, which was set at the top of the hill.  It was an easy trek down to Auld Smiddy’s Inn for dinner, with a slightly arduous trek back up the hill after we were full of a delicious steak pie!

Tobermory

For our second day on Mull, we had a loose plan of driving up to the northern part of the isle and the town of Tobermory.  I still laugh a little bit since I learned there was a Tobermory in Scotland.  There is a town in Ontario not far from me with that name, and I always thought it was an indigenous word, or at least based on one.  When I saw an episode of Time Team where they went through Tobermory I was shocked!

The forecast for the day was less promising, but our hotel also had a fancy spa with pool, sauna and hot tub so we kept that in reserve for the afternoon.  We did start the morning in Craignure though by going to the Duart Castle overlooking the Mull Sound. Built in the 13th century it was the ancestral home of the MacLean family.  They castle passed out of their hands in various conflicts, but was reaquired in 1911 and rebuilt by the MacLeans and has hosted many clan gatherings, and the family of the clan chief still live there.  

Next was the drive north started with a two lane road before dropping down to a single lane for the second half.  This road was also busier with coach buses so it was it was a bit of an adventure.  When we got to Tobermory we parked and went for a little walk.  The town is on the coast with the ferry we would be taking the next day.  The buildings that face out to sea are all painted bright cheerful colours. With the rain coming down we were happy to duck in and out of the little shops and the stop in at the Tobermory Distillery.  I had seen their gin before back home, and as I was driving I couldn’t do a proper taste.  But I did try a splash of the special gin they don’t sell anywhere else and was suitably enticed to buy a bottle. 

Next we drove out of town towards the Glengorm Hotel on the northern coast of Mull.  A majestic castle from the Victorian era, there were stories of a stone circle walking distance away.  It was a pain to find the walking trail with only “park by the coffee shop” as instructions.  Eventually realizing the “coffee shop” was an unmarked building on the grounds of the hotel, we found the trail to the stones.  It was another trail through farmers fields, though this time the livestock didn’t get very close.  With a dodgy ankle fettering me, and the rain deterring my mother, we got close enough for some pictures before heading back to the car. 

A little damp and cold, we stopped back in Tobermory for a light lunch at the Gallery, a stunning restaurant in a converted church on the main road across the harbour.  Then we agreed to just head back to the hotel and bask in the hot tub and sauna at the hotel. It was nice that the pool actually doubles as a community pool and there were some adorable munchkins with shark fin floaties having lessons.  The sauna at least was just for guests of the hotel, so less crowded.  Then we had a few drinks in the lounge, and as we had reservations tonight, dinner in the dining room overlooking the harbour.  

Mull and Iona

We woke up for the first morning in Scotland, yesterday didn’t really count as morning if you don’t sleep the night before.  We had breakfast in the hotel and grabbed the car to head over to the Isle of Mull on the ferry.  It was a big car ferry for the 45min trip over.  We spent a bit of time up on deck watching the islands go by. 

The day seemed a bit overcast, but not miserable so we decided to drive to Iona that morning. It was a 35 mile trip from where the ferry docked in Craignure. Though almost immediately as we left the little village the road dropped to a one lane track with a 60 MPH speed limit.  It was a little intense for just getting started.  The road was well paved with lots of laybys for passing spots.  It was just a little intimidating to try and keep up a decent speed with the winding roads and keeping a close eye for any oncoming traffic.  Likely my job literally includes defensive driving.  Usually you could spot the oncoming car with some warning, but there were a few times where one of the vehicles would have to reverse back to the closest layby!

We made it safely to Fionnphort though, for a ferry over to Iona. This one was much smaller as cars are not allowed on the Island without a specific permit.  So it was a walk on for us, and by this time the sky’s had cleared to a glorious blue with almost no clouds.  The crossing was held up as we waited for the passengers of two coach buses to join us.  I am so glad i didn’t have to deal with a coach on that road!

History lesson for those who don’t know about Iona.  People have probably lived on or visited Iona since the Iron Age, but an Abbey was founded on the island in 563 by the Irish monk St Colomba who is credited with bringing Christianity to much of the northern British Isles.  It is said that the Book of Kells was produced there as well, before being taken away for safe keeping during the decades of Viking raids.  There has been some form of a religious community there since, the site now has the Community of Iona that lives and works on the site of the abbey. 

The church that stands on the site is a structure from the Middle Ages that has been repaired. There is a cloisters that was added on recently that is said to stand where the original cloisters were, but is mostly a reproduction.  The small chapel next door with a graveyard is said to hold the graves of many Scottish and Danish kings, including the first king of Scotland, Kenneth McAlpin.   Just down the road is the ruins of an augustian nunnery that declined after the Scottish Reformation. 

The island has a very small permanent population, a couple small hotels, and is just a gorgeous peaceful spot.  If I was up for hiking, I think it would be an amazing spot to stay for a few days and explore more of the small island on foot.  The old abbey and the ruins were just amazing to see, and to have a glorious sunny day was just the cherry on the sundae for us. 

After a couple hours we headed back across the little ferry to the car and started the winding drive home.  A few more vehicles, and coaches, on the road this time. Though they did not give much trouble.  We had spotted a nice little lookout on the drive in along the Ross of Mull, so we kept watch for it on the way back and pulled in for a moment.  It was a beautiful spot, with the soft rolling hills that you picture when you think of the highlands.  There was a small loch along the river and it was so stunning, and amazingly we spotted two deer grazing not very far away!  They seemed a bit nervous as they were downwind, but they never bolted so we could watch them for a bit. 

As we got closer to Craignure, we turned off the main road to find the Lochbuie Standing Stones.  On another, narrower single track road, we managed to follow the coast to the parking spot. Crossing through a cow field with instructions to follow the white stones - random rocks painted white left periodically to show the way, if you can see them through the grass!  We cross a boggy field, past the suspicious cows and managed to find the standing stones in a field with some sheep grazing.  As we were looking at the granite slabs, probably about 4,000 years old, we spotted a local farmer walking into the field with a shepherds crook and a sheep dog.  He told us he was there to train a young collie with the sheep.  Amazingly, while standing in an ancient stone circle, we got to watch the farmer calling to his dog who raced around gathering up the sheep with skill.  Two sheep slipped the net though and bolted past us to hid in the hedges.  Not sure if they were left alone because of us, or because it was a training session, my mom and I laughed to see the frightened faces peering out of the brush beside us as well. 

That was about the end of the day for us, so after squelching through the bog back to the car, we drove back to Craignure to check into the Isle of Mull Hotel and Spa for the next couple nights.  A beautiful modern hotel with views of the sea, it was a little more crowded than we thought so we ended up having dinner in the lounge, but it was a very nice and well appointed hotel. 

Scotland and the Highlands

Finally it’s time for another trip, and yes I am very lucky to be able to say that!  I am planning a little get away with my mom for ten days.  I am lucky enough to travel with an accomplished author who was planning on doing some research for the next book so I can come as her assistant. We knew we wanted to do Scotland, with a plan for looking for locations in the highlands.  

We left on Sept 11th, a slightly ominous day for travel, but made it to Scotland with no issues.  We arrived early in the morning of the 12th and picked up a rental car at the airport.  Our plan was to start driving right away.  Manageable, but tricky as I do not sleep on planes ant last night was no exception.  Though our route included several stops to stretch ones legs and refresh with caffeine. 

We had also decided to get some Scotland Environmental Heritage passes, the Explorer pass, for a single fee you get access to a lot of amazing historical sites.  On the first morning we stopped at Linlithgow Palace, which was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, and Stirling Castle. 

Linlithgow Palace is fairly close to Edinburgh, and is a complete ruin.  There is no roof, but the walls are still substantial.  The palace is beautiful to see. There are lots of walls still standing and you can climb the spiral stairs in each of the corners to the higher floors.  The British are a lot less precious with people as North Americans.  There was no dancing on parapets, but a lot more freedom to climb and explore the different levels and uneven floors than one would usually find at home. 

There was a beautiful fountain in the centre courtyard.  Apparently they still turn in on every Sunday in the summer.  I imagine it would be quite a sight to see. 

Next we drove along to Stirling.  Not that much farther up the road, but fatigue was setting in and food was getting necessary.  When we arrived at the town we found a spot for lunch, Lord Darnley’s Coffeehouse. The site was once the home of The Lord Darnely, second of Mary, Queen of Scots and father of James VI. It’s a simple little spot, with excellent scones and a beautiful barrel vaulted ceilings. 

Feeling well fortified, we continued walking uphill - Stirling has a lot of ‘up’ with the castle at the top.  Stirling Castle is still in excellent condition.  It is a mix of styles as the Scottish Monarchs had built here, with the most visible the Great Hall built by James IV, with a bright plaster on the exterior it shines across the land and would have looked incredible. 

We were pretty worn out after two castles and a long flight, so it was a beeline to Oban next. A long steady drive west towards the coast, but there wasn’t too much to catch the attention of some exhausted travellers. We had one pit stop at the Artisan Cafe, probably closer to Oban than Stirling.  It was an old church repurposed in to a cafe and craft shop and was well worth a stop. 

Finally we made it to Oban, we checked into The Great Western Hotel. A jewel of hotels in the Victorian era, it was an interesting place to stay!  The highlight was the view out across the harbour!  After a quick freshening up, we walked down the harbour a ways and found the Georg Stage. It is a Danish three masted sailing ship. It’s used as an indendant education opportunity for young people wanting to learn to sail or just have new opportunities.  It was so fascinating to hear about from some of the crew, and they will be heading off to Dublin on Monday so we will keep an eye along the coast for them!

After that was a quick seafood dinner at an excellent bistro and an early bedtime.  We had a ferry booked for 10am in the morning to head over to the Isle of Mull for the next part of our adventures. 

Flashback Friday - Finishing the Ring Road 2019

It was the end of the tour, but it did not go out with a whimper.  Our last morning we woke up to a clear sky so we finally got another glorious sunrise. This morning we drove to Hvitserkur.  The land had eroded away leaving clumps of volcanic rock standing stark against the sky.  Legends say they were trolls that were turned to stone as they walked the coastline. 

It was a bit of a scramble to get down to the beach, but the view was incredible.  I found a little piece of ice that mimicked the rock formation for my picture, and then chucked it back into the sea so my image will always be unique!  After we finished and driving back along the main road, I saw a little farm nestled between two mountains that just seemed too perfect to me for a photo stop.

We carried on back towards Reykjavik, having lunch an a lovely little lunch at a small town with a little museum we could explore.  Travelling along we stopped many times to take pictures of the various mountains and rivers along the road.  You really would have to work hard to take a bad picture there!

The tour wrapped back up in Reykjavik, and my family was a little worn out, so the other guest and myself went for one last walk around town and had dinner had a lovely restaurant.  They had some local delicacies on the menu, and while I have tried some weird things while I travel, I did not want to try the fermented shark.  Nor the horsemeat.  I’m not judging! Those just did not appeal to me, to each their own.

It was an absolutely wonderful trip, I came home with thousands of pictures to sort through and an amazing experience with my dad and stepmom.  I still need to go back again, the guide assured us that everyone needs to see Iceland at least twice, once in the winter and once in the summer.