September 2014 – Page 2 – UK & Eire

Applecross to Glencoe, via Isle of Skye

October 10, 2017September 21, 2014 by Smith & Smith

We left Applecross via the coastal road to Shieldaig. Another great drive with awesome views. Not as scary as the ‘Pass of the Cattle’, but a heck of a lot better. The road is single-track in a number of places with hairpin curves and large numbers of grazing cattle & sheep. The drive took us by the magnificent Eilean Dolan Castle (hardly looks real), onto the Skye Bridge to the island of Skye, then a 7 mile goat path road to the historic Skye Ferry. The ferry was great, even though I was yelled at by the tender for not listening to his instructions. It’s a small vessel – 4 cars max. The crossing to Glenelg was interesting – many seals & kayakers in the surprisingly strong currents.

We drove through Glenfinnan and stopped at the train station and rail bridge from the Harry Potter films, and Fort Willam to our lodging for the evening in Glencoe, another small village with a gorgeous setting. Our B&B is ‘Lios Mhoire’ which means ‘Large Garden’ in Gaelic. A short walk takes us to the Larouch Bar & Bistro for a nice dinner of ‘steak pie’.

Bealach na Ba (Pass of the Cattle)

October 10, 2017September 20, 2014 by Smith & Smith

Our hostess, Caroline, at the Drumbuie Farm is a great cook & conversationalist. From the breakfast room we can look down on the village and Loch Ness. Very nice setting.

The drive from Drumnadrochit to our next stop on the northern Applecross Peninsula is one of the most interesting adventures we’ve had. The road is known as ‘Bealach na Ba’ which is Gaelic for ‘Pass of the Cattle’ and is considered one of the most scenic drives in the world. The road is a historic and quite famous pass through the mountains of the Applecross peninsula. Bealach na Ba was used in earlier days to drive cattle from Applecross and surrounding settlements to other parts of the Highlands. Crossing the Bealach na Ba is an adventure for several reasons. This single-track road has some scary Alpine-like hairpin bends and steep gradients – some over 20%. The biggest challenge is keeping one’s eyes focused on the road and not on the breathtaking scenery. There is a warning sign that says that this road is not suitable for learner drivers, caravans and very large vehicles and is closed in winter. Adding to the fun, we were stuck behind a large group of cyclists peddling up the road with no way to pass them for miles. Our driver (Dick) never got past 2^nd gear and probably stalled the manual shift vehicle a dozen times or so. Whew. Absolutely incredible views, especially of the island of Skye once we reached the crest of the pass.

The proprietor of the Applecross Inn (in Applecross – where do they come up with these names?) is Judith Fish, a good friend of Caroline’s from Drumbuie Farm! The inn is a well-respected craft beer and dining establishment that sits on the bay with views of Skye. Our weather is quite nice and a local motorcycle group is taking advantage of the sun and outdoor seating to spend the afternoon at the tables along the bay. A nice trail through a Birch forest is a few blocks from the inn. Our room is quite nice and dinner lives up to its reputation.

Cairngorms Park & Loch Ness

October 10, 2017September 19, 2014 by Smith & Smith

Our drive north took us along small ‘roads’ through beautiful, massive Cairngorms National Park. It’s early fall in the Highlands and the scenery and colors are fantastic.

The route takes us through busy Inverness and along the northern shore of Loch Ness to our B&B, the ‘Drumbuie Farm’ in the hills above Drumnadrochit. The Nessie Center & Museum in town are a must-do and surprisingly entertaining for a tourist trap. Beautiful Urquhart Castle is another mandatory visit.

A short walk from our lodging is the Benleva Hotel which is hosting the Loch Ness Beer Festival. V ery interesting festival – colorful locals, good band, better beer! A Hairy cow & calf grazed in a field along our walking route.

Pitlochry

October 10, 2017September 18, 2014 by Smith & Smith

We bid a fair goodbye to Graham & Edna at the Honeypot – great B&B and hosts.

Our drive north is on a series of ‘B’ roads to Perth, then on to the Pitlochry area (2-1/2 hours or so). This is voting day on secession from the UK. Lines are incredibly long outside voting locations and conversation is lively wherever we stop. Near Strathtay, the roads get quite small. There are many signs of caution about, but not evidence of, the endangered red squirrels of Scotland. As a break, we have a nice walk & soup lunch in Aberfidy and have our first exposure to an incomprehensible Scotch dialect. I hope they weren’t talking about us.

A few kilometers down the road and we’re in ‘Dull’ Scotland – sister city of ‘Boring’ Oregon. Really. And, true to name, it was really dull (and ‘Boring’ Oregon is really boring – we’ve been there). Close by was Castle Menzies, home of the Menzies clan who hosted Bonnie Prince Charlie on his way to Culloden (and doom).

Our lodging is at the Riverview B&B in Strathtay, Anne is our hostess. Absolutely gorgeous place, especially with our room upgrade. A short walk across the Tay River is Grandtully where we dine at the ‘Inn on the Tay’. Nice views of the river and kayakers navigation slalom gates.

St. Andrews

October 11, 2017September 17, 2014 by Smith & Smith

Big day! Off to St. Andrews early in the morning. We played the ‘New Course’ (built in 1895) as a two-some. Our caddy was kind with his commentary, but we actually played pretty well.

Lunch on the course, then back to Crail. Birthday dinner in St. Andrews at the ‘Adamson’ restaurant was excellent.

We finished the evening at the ‘Golf Inn’ where the regulars sang me ‘Happy Birthday’ with a Gaelic tint and bought a dram of fine Scotch whiskey in celebration.

Fife & Coastal Trail

October 10, 2017September 16, 2014 by Smith & Smith

The day starts with a great breakfast at the B&B – omelets, local pastries & meats.

We ditched the car and took the local bus to Elie, a small village along the Fife coast noted for its’ early Tom Morris golf course. The Fife Coastal Path runs through here and we from Elie, through St. Morans, Puttenweem, to Anstruther (about 4 hours of special views). The trail follows the coast with castle ruins and spectacular landscape the entire route. Mary got to use the Silver Award winner in Scotland’s 2014 ‘Loo of the Year’ competition!

Back to the Golf Inn for nightcaps. Same group of locals. They know our names now.

North to Fife

October 10, 2017September 15, 2014 by Smith & Smith

We caught an early morning black taxi to the airport to pick up our rental car and are glad not to be driving through the city as it’s a convoluted route and the streets are really narrow. Really disappointing car rental process and the ‘surprise’ extra insurance fees.

Our drive up to Fife is pretty cool. First stop is the Kelpie installation in Grangemouth – controversial, but very special from our point of view. Close by is the Falmouth Wheel, an engineering marvel to say the least. The ride up to Stirling castle was quite ‘hairy’ – narrow, curvy, REALLY high stone curbs. The castle itself is awesome and it’s clear why the site was chosen as it commands access to the central lands. Off in the distance is the Wallace Memorial. Although we didn’t visit, it’s a striking view.

A short, foggy drive away is our lodging in Crail, along the Fife coast. Crail is a beautiful, small coastal village. Our B&B, the ‘Honeypot Guesthouse’ is great – Graham, our host, is a fountain of info. Ten steps from our lodging is the ‘Golf Inn’, a historic (and the only) pub in Crail. The founders of the Crail Golfing Society met there in 1786 to form the club (the 7^th oldest golfing club in the world). Golf Inn is a small and very friendly pub – we met some caddies who service the St. Andrews courses up the road and the town bookie!

Edinburgh Tourists

October 10, 2017September 14, 2014 by Smith & Smith

Bummer – Shaun & Carol head for home and leave us alone with the Scottish savages.

For us, it’s a day of wandering Edinburgh. Typical tourist stuff – Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Hollyrood Palace, Mary King’s Close, Greyfriars Bobby & New Town. Needless to say, a couple of pubs along the route.

Roslyn & Edinburgh

October 10, 2017September 13, 2014 by Smith & Smith

In the morning we head to Roslyn town and historic chapel made famous by the move ‘Da Vincie Code’. Incredibly cool location, structure, and vibe.

Back to Edinburgh for the afternoon. The populace is pretty geeked up about the break-away vote. We landed in town in the middle of a huge unionist parade marching to Parliament – groups from everywhere! Some guy in a kilt kept hitting on Mary. Later, we took in a tour of the Royal Yacht Brittania, at one time the Queen’s royal floating residence. Apparently, the only boat in the world that isn’t required to have its name painted on it. Dick gets to pour a beer from the Royal Tap!

We finished up the day with a visit to some of the city’s most historic pubs: the Jolly Judge, Hollyrood, Brew Dog . . . we’ve lost track.

Hadrian’s Wall & Scottish Border

October 10, 2017September 12, 2014 by Smith & Smith

Morning takes us to Hadrian’s Wall & Housesteads Roman Fort in Greenhead. After viewing the siting and landscape, it’s easy to understand the significance of the wall’s fortifications. Next stop is Jedburgh Abbey, then north to Traquar House and brewery. The brewery is one of the oldest in the UK and still brews a classic ‘Special Ale’ which we sample at the hotel in town.

As we cross the border into Scotland there is much evidence of the upcoming vote on breaking away from the UK.

Our hotel in Edinburgh is a short bus ride from the old town and historic sites & pubs.