To Scotland and Back Again...

Brad and I had the most fabulous 13 days in Scotland:

We flew out of RDU on a Friday, and although our first flight was delayed, we were still easily able to make our connection and land in Aberdeen Saturday afternoon. We were both so tired, and we congratulated ourselves on making a reservation at the airport hotel. We picked up our bags, grabbed some showers, and then walked back down to the airport to eat at a little pub right outside the airport. This was our introduction to the genuine kindness of the Scots. The kitchen was closed and they had just made the last call, but the waiter pointed us in the direction of another restaurant in walking distance, Dyce Farmhouse Restaurant and Carvery. We opted for the carvery, and it was delicious:

Sunday morning we packed up, picked up our car, and headed towards the Isle of Skye. Inverness was the halfway point, and we stopped for our first fish and chips of the trip:

We selected a route to the Isle that was slightly shorter, and that's when we learned the difference between A roads and B roads. Brad did a masterful job of driving on the left on one lane roads, but a pothole bested our tire. Then I told the road crew that we were north of an intersection we were actually south of. Thankfully, it was one big adventure and our new best friend Tim put a new tire on and was so incredibly kind and gracious. We were his 39th flat on that stretch of road that weekend, which somehow made it better. After about an hour and a half, we were finally back on the road:

We stopped in Portree for groceries, and finally made it to our super cute cabin by early evening:

I never got tired of this view or saying hello to the sheep:

And our hosts were so gracious, decorating for our anniversary and stocking the place with local treats:

We were also terrible amused that they had the same chair we love at home:

We ended up eating dinner at 9:30, but it felt like six because sunset is at 10, and it doesn't get truly dark until nearly midnight. Sunrise is about 4, so we were very grateful for good blinds.

Monday we did absolutely nothing but rest, acclimate to the time change, and enjoy the view. Tuesday was our first big adventure in the form of a wildlife tour. We met our guide in Portree, and hopped on a van with six other people to explore the island:

The landscape is just incredible, and we saw seals, two kinds of eagles, a million other birds, and the briefest of glimpses of otters:

Andy knew exactly where to stop, and we got really go an binoculars and spotting wildlife:

Andy was terribly amused by my love of sheep. We learned that the locals aren't quite so enamored, which is understandable since they are often in the roads.

Wednesday, we set off from our cabin with no set plan just ready to go for our first hike:

We passed through sheep fields and met up with a small road that took us to An Leath-Alt, which is beautiful overlook of the bay and some ruins:

We hiked down and ate lunch inside the ruins:

We also ventured down along the rocky coast. Please notice the full sheep skeleton:

Sheep are notoriously not bright, and they do just fall off the cliffs. The eagles will actually pick them this clean.

The hike up about took me out, but we did it! The steps were huge, and the trail was narrow, neither of which is ideal for my fear of heights. But, Brad was awesome and so patient. This is the look how far we climbed photo:

Thursday morning we were on the road by 6am to get to the Fairy Pools:

Our hosts warned us getting there early was the only way to beat the crowds, and they were so right. We had the place nearly to ourselves:

It's a shorter two mile hike, but the views are just incredible:

We both hiked to the end of the official trail, and Brad went a little further on:

We had seen some locals swimming in the pools earlier, and they met me at the top of the trail. It was the one time I actually got to speak a little Gaelic, although I read it a lot.

From the Fairy Pools, we traveled on to Dunvegan Castle:

It is still the seat of Clan McDonald, and the current Laird is in residence:

This is the clan sword, and it was so interesting to family artifacts going back hundreds of year all the way to modern thank you notes from the current royals:

The grounds were also gorgeous:

We enjoyed some cake there before we went to the Old Inn for lunch:

We both had the langoustines, and they were amazing! 

The final stop of the day was the Talisker distillery, where we had a semi-private tour. There were a bunch of other people with us, but we were the only English speakers. While everyone else listed to their pre-recorded tour, we had Grant to ourselves:

It was fascinating to learn how Whisky is made, and we were able to do a tasting on site:

With all of that adventure on Thursday, we took Friday as another enjoy the cabin day, which was good because we need every scrap of energy Friday for our hike up the Old Man of Storr:

The hike is a four-mile loop, and my watch logged 89 flights of stairs:

It truly is the most amazing rock formation I have ever seen, though. and worth every step:

I had originally said I wasn't going to go all the way to the top, but I did it! 

We had sunshine on the way up and rain of the way down, but it felt like we needed one hike in the rain for the true Scottish experience. That evening we went to dinner at a restaurant in the Community Center, which was amazing. The food was great, but it was also fun to see how the community centers truly do operate as the community hub. We also bought some artwork, and learned as we were checking out that our waiter was the artist! 

Sunday morning we said goodbye to Skye and drove to Inverness. We stayed at a great B&B:

Our little street was across the river from all the commotion, but an easy ten-minute walk to everything we wanted to do:

Monday, we really did Inverness. We started with a walk down and around the Ness Islands:

Then we visited Inverness Cathedral:

From there we went to the Castle, which was a wildly different experience than we were expecting. The tour starts at the very top with views of the city:

As you work your way down, the audio tour talks about the past, present, and future of the Highlands. They had some amazing projected shows, and we learned so much about the culture, history, and art of the region.

After lunch in the castle center, we explored the two towers. One had a display about Whisky, the other talked about the arts of the region. One floor introduced the music, but the other had tapestries from each community in the Highlands:

 After an afternoon of shopping and exploring, we ate dinner down by the river:

Tuesday morning, we said goodbye to Inverness and began our journey home. We took the Highlands Tourist Road this time, which was two-lane and beautiful. It also let us stop and see a stone circle:


We ate lunch at Dyce's again, thinking we would end our trip as it began. Unfortunately, our flight to London got cancelled. I managed to snag a hotel room in Aberdeen, and Brad got us on flights for the following day. We ended up back at Dyce's for dinner so our last meal could still be there.

Wednesday morning, we started the trek home. We flew from Aberdeen to Belfast, so we had to get an ornament to commemorate another country:

We then flew to London and finally back home to RDU. Our last bag is making its way to us now, but we made it: 

The trip was a perfect blend of adventure and rest, and there is no one I would rather adventure with than Brad. We are already planning our return trip, and I am so very grateful for the time away and the core memories made.