Britain & Ireland Panorama - Part 2
26 August – The Highlander Hotel, Newtonmore, Inverness shire
45 minutes from the City of Inverness and within the Cairngorm National Park
This morning, from Edinburgh we drove across the Forth Bridge and over the Firth of Forth. Saw the railway bridge – one of the earliest built. Apparently, in very bad weather in the early 1900’s, it collapsed with a train on it and all were killed. It was designed by a fellow with the surname of Botch – hence the expression ‘a botched job’!
We then drove in St Andrews. Slav drove us through the town first and we had a photo op. in old church/graveyard grounds with lovely ruins. The Golf Course is on the Atlantic Coast, which I had not realised before, and the beach is where they filmed the movie “Chariots of Fire” when they ran along the sand to the music of Vangelis.
We had a good breakfast so did not buy a coffee there, nor any souvenirs – golf is not really our ‘thing’. Took a couple of photos of lovely buildings there however as I love the differing architecture as we travel around.
Then we drove further and crossed another wide river – the Tay – at Dundee. This was where Walter Scott came from and his ship the “Discoverer” is docked and open as a museum exhibition.
We stopped in a cute wee village – Pitlochry – for lunch. Quite a nice lunch but not as good as the one we had in Edinburgh. Staff were nice and friendly though. Strolling through the village, window-shopping, I saw a necklace that I thought would be ideal for our elder daughter who is having her 40th Birthday in October. When we went in to enquire, we thought the price was too expensive for what it was – equivalent to $270 NZ, so decided against it. I took note of the make in case we saw something else by the same firm.
Then we went back to the bus and those of us who chose this option were taken to Blair Castle, a lovely white, turreted building. I took several photos as I really liked it. We then had a guided tour with a lovely young woman who was Scandinavian rather than Scottish! Beautiful furniture and tapestries, and decorated walls and ceilings. She gave us a brief history of the Atholl’s – owners of Blair Castle and which heir did what during their time as Earl. The current Earl lives in Australia!
Looked around the shop afterwards but nothing took our fancy. Afterwards, we had a drive of about 1.5hrs and then dropped off people who had opted for the Farm Visit, and we came on the this Hotel/Motel?! Vicki had warned us it would be rustic. I thought Olde Worlde but no – it was relatively modern – 1970ish. We have single beds. There is a hot towel rail so we did some washing and draped it over to help it dry. There was no little fridge to cool our water and when we did do the washing the hot water only got to tepid!
The land around here is very sparse, rocky and rugged. Lots of heather in bloom, and we have seen some ‘ heery coos’ as Vicki calls them or ‘mickle moos’ as my Scottish aunt called them. And, great excitement, when we were driving along I saw a fox!!
27 August Newtonmore, Unit 40
6:30am. We have to have our bags out by 7am, breakfast at 7:15 and we are on our way at 8am! We certainly know we are on ‘tour’ and NOT a holiday!!
Good night last night. We were not allowed to go into the dining room until 7:30pm so we went to the bar around 6:45pm after we had a wee walk to the village pub and back. I had another cider but it wasn’t as nice as the one I had in York. Eddie had a lager. Other people joined us – the Catholic/Jewish couple, Mary from Seednee(Sydney) and a couple of others. We had dinner with C/J couple and Mary. Leek & Potato soup – delicious and hot, then haggis with neeps & tatties (turnips & potatoes), together with a dram of Whisky! This was much nicer than the haggis we had at Preston Field. The haggis was led in by a Piper and the ‘Laird’ recited Robbie Burns’ Address to the Haggis. Great stuff.
Then this couple came on, John on the keyboard and Kit singing. Nice Scottish lilt and common Scottish songs, but as the evening went on she started singing some funny songs and told some hilarious jokes. There was one about an American named Dunlop wanting a tartan but the kilter didn’t have that and finally gave him McIntyre tartan because “Dunlop has been makin’ tires for ages!” we were all clapping and singing along and, as they say, a great time was had by all! A much better night than the Scottish show in Edinburgh and so unexpected! Also had an interesting conversation with C/J couple. Fascinating to hear how they got married – and stayed married – despite both Mothers opposing the match!
Didn’t get to bed until after 10:30pm. I read for a little while, then settled down to sleep but someone kept snoring! I had to continually shake & poke! More difficult in single beds – sigh....
Another joke to remember – A Scotsman comes across a fellow laying red carpet through the Scottish countryside for the Queen’s visit. To help the job go quicker the Scotman said “You’ll Tack the High Road and I’ll tack the low” (if you know the song you will get it!)
27 August – Kings Arms, Kyleakin, Isle of Skye
This is the ‘quaint & quirky’ accommodation that Vicki warned us about! Window doesn’t close completely, neither does the bathroom door. There is no shower! Just holes in the wall where shower pipes were, or will be?!
We had a long day, first visiting Culloden in the rain – but it was appropriate – so bleak and sad. Rain eased off after we left.
The we went to see a ‘hidden treasure’ - Carrbridge – a beautiful little village with an old stone bridge over a rocky stream. Bridge has been there since the 1600’s.
Drove past loch waters to the Loch Ness Centre. Bought a ‘Heery Coo’ stuffed animal and postcards to send to family & friends. The toy was to be for one of the grandkids but I decided to keep him and he became “Lochie” our travel mascot and lived on the tray in front of me while we travelled. Vicki was always trying to whisk him away when I wasn’t looking!
We then stopped for lunch at the iconic Eilean Donan Castle. Very beautiful. We had a nice roast vege and hummus panino each and shares a piece of Lemon Meringue Pie. Found a beautiful sterling silver necklace made in the Orkney Islands for our daughter’s birthday gift. She has always liked old fashioned, hand crafted items so will suit perfectly.
A short while later we cross a high bridge and arrive here – at ‘Fawlty Towers’! Only had time to use the toilet – rooms not ready – before we went with Andy the Guide, with Slav driving, around the Isle. We left at 2pm and didn’t get back until 6:15pm. Dinner at 7pm so no time for a shower – oh yes, we didn’t have one!!
The weather was not good when we started out but did improve. However, when we walked up to Fiona McDonald’s grave it was blowing a gale! No wonder the old croft houses had rope with rocks on the ends to hold down the thatch roofs!! Very tiring walking against the wind and my legs are now quite achy. Hopefully will come right after a good night’s sleep. At least we have a double bed – and we are watching “New Tricks” on TV! 
Dinner was here at the Hotel. We sat with Nancy & Pam, two friends from Kansas City. Pam was quiet and easier to understand than Nancy who had a very broad accent. Scotch broth was very good, beef only OK but the rhubarb & custard crumble was very good.
Its now 9:15pm and I’m very tired. I’m going to write out the postcards and hopefully find a postbox on our travels tomorrow. Every now and then we come across a red telephone box – often in the middle of nowhere – very strange and quirky.
28 August – Jurys Inn, Glasgow
Left our quirky Inn with its dubious wired lights/fan and no shower. Some people had a shower but no water or only cold water. Heard a very loud squawk from the room next door when we woke up! She was NOT a happy camper!!
After leaving Skye we headed around the lake back to Eilean Donan but turned off and took a narrow ‘high road’ that had fantastic views up, down and across the Loch.
Drove through Glen Coe – Vale of Weeping, and after Vicki & a fellow she had on CD, told us the sad story, he sang a song about the McDonald’s being murdered on King William’s orders, by a troop of soldiers led by a Cameron. Not all were Camerons as some versions of the story indicate. Rainy & Misty in the Vale – very appropriate. I felt very sad driving through. A very violent past the clans had.
For lunch we stopped at “The Green Gumboot” in Tyndrum, then onto Loch Lomond where we had a boat trip down the lake and heard the story of Rob Roy. Also heard the story of the biggest Haggis Processing Plant in Scotland where the large furry animals are caught at the top of the hills and sent down the big pipes to the factory on the loch shore! (actually a hydo power station – I took photos!) some people were initially fooled by the tale though!!
My legs, especially the left, was very achy and swollen up a little. Took some pain relief and I may wear the travel support sox tomorrow to see if they help.
We got here just after 4pm and I had a rest on the bed with my leg propped up until suitcases arrived, then had a lovely hot shower. No heated towel rail here and no safe again. Also have to pay for wifi so I think I’ll leave it until Manchester tomorrow and pay there if we have to.
Every so often on the bus Vicki plays us these funny Budweiser Ads – Real Men of Genius – a couple of really funny ones were about the guy who replaces toilet paper in public loos, and the Camp Director of a Nudist Camp. Very, very funny!! I found some on Youtube when we returned home and recommend them to family & friends.
I’m feeling very tired. Eddie snored much of last night and then, although I had set my phone for 6:15am wake-up, some people got their ‘automatic’ wake-up call at 5:30am (a knock on the door and a call out!) Guess who it woke up as well!!
29 August, Glasgow
5:35am Had a better night’s sleep but woke up hot because we had turned off noisy air conditioner.
Most of the group went out to dinner together last night at a place Vicki had organised. Very nice, in a Mall, like the Palladium in Prague. A cavern-like place. Had minestrone soup, and then salmon – again – with hollandaise sauce this time, and then apple crumble and ice cream. I sat next to a woman from Houston and her husband. She’s a retired teacher but never had her own kids so no grandchildren. Her brothers had children so their grandkids are her ‘defacto’ grandchildren. They have also only recently started travelling beginning with European Tour last year.
We walked to the cafe at 6pm and were back at the Hotel by 8:30pm. Watched TV for a little while. Eddie went straight to sleep but I watched “Lewis”. Very sleepy though so just turned light off when it finished – didn’t read tonight!!
Met, only yesterday, another Jay on the Tour! Name originally Jacqui. A woman about 40?!
On the bus we have a couple behind us and she always seems angry or annoyed with her husband about something and an older couple in front. Two small people in their 70’s who wear identical jackets and/or tops, all the time. He is constantly taking photos and she sniffs – all the time! Quite annoying if you let it get to you so I try to ignore it but sometimes I can’t. Takes all sorts I guess.
29 August, Park Inn, Manchester
Its 4:50pm and we got here about 10 minutes ago. Some people were dropped off at the War Museum on the way in, but my legs were/are hurting – again! So I didn’t want to go. We went all around the ‘mulberry bush’ to get here – Slav not been here before so went the wrong way and had to back and turn in a narrow street to head in the right direction.
We started out this morning in intermittent rain. First stop Gretna Green. Took a couple of photos but didn’t buy any more souvenirs. Rained on our way to Grasmere where we stopped for lunch. I had a very nice Cornish pasty and chips, while Eddie had the quiche. We had to shelter inside a shop doorway for a time as the rain poured down!! Then we went and looked in the old wee church of St Oswald’s. Dark wooden beams and rafters and a pretty stained glass window. This is the graveyard of Wm Wordsworth and family.
Next to the cemetery was a very tiny shop – could only get 2-3 people in at a time. It was the small front room of an old cottage, and where we bought Sarah Nelson’s Original Celebrated Grasmere Gingerbread! We got a pack of 6 pieces and shared one on the bus later. Very yummy and so different from the Gingerbread we associate with Gingerbread Men.
Went back to the shop attached to the lunch bar and got another book for our granddaughter – B Potter’s ‘The Flopsy Bunnies’ I haven’t read that tale. We also bought a silver pentagram pendant for me! ( I always sign greetings cards with my name plus the five-pointed star).
Outside the cafe we saw stonewalled fenced paddocks with Herdwicke sheep that Miss Potter wanted the breed protected and developed, as in her day they were dying out. They are born black and with each shear they get progressively lighter. Dark to lighter grey and finally white. So cute!
It poured several times and then stopped. We seemed to be driving toward bluer skies but then we had to turn toward Manchester and drove toward increasingly black skies. On the outskirts of Manchester, we saw white stuff along the sides of the road. Snow, someone said, but no. Then perhaps foam as there had been an accident? But as we turned off the motorway we realised it was a mass dumping of hailstones!!. After we had dropped off the people at the Museum, we were driving along, lost in thought when there was a sudden flash in the sky and a very loud Bang at the same time. Everyone in the bus ‘jumped’! We had several more flashes before we got to the Hotel followed by the thunder but it was moving away.
We are on the first floor and its not raining at the moment. We have a lovely view of cars and trucks passing on a four-lane roadway – 2 x 2. We are eating in the Hotel tonight – and they have free wifi – if I can follow the convoluted instructions!
I saw the weather forecast this morning and it was accurate for today. Tomorrow, in Ireland, its predicted fine , so ....??!!?