A whistlestop tour of Scotland and the Lake District.
Kinross
Edinburgh
Oban
Gretna Green
Colton, Windermere
Gerry
We left around 10.00am from Jacky’s brother’s Tim’s house. It was quite a warm day getting up to 28C in Preston. The trip was very pleasurable as we stopped at a few places along the way to break up the journey. For the most part, the pictures we took on this excursion told the story as the scenery was spectacular as well as the weather. As you can see from the photos other than Edinburgh the sky was crystal clear. The locals we talked to were sweltering in the heat and said it was so rare not to have some cloud and mist.
There are some amazing shots of the three bridges as we drove from England to our destination of Kinross, in Scotland – 30 minutes or so north of the capital. The hotel we stayed at was built probably late 1800’s or early 1900’s. We had two championship golf courses across the road. Jacky and I headed off to the spa attached to the hotel just a few minutes walk. The pool was lovely and warm. The sauna was one of the best I have been in as it had no water close by so no steam just dry heat. After our sauna (Jacky: and a quick steam room as well) we retired to the beautiful gardens at the rear of the spa for a refreshing drink. That evening I even tried haggis. Then in the next few days some of the local delicacies of black pudding, Cullen Skink, flat taters, etc. (Jacky: he has been game to try everything except cockles!!) The next morning we headed into Edinburgh by train which is the best idea as the city centre is on multiple levels and parking is at a premium. We saw bagpipers in kilts, street performers and all sorts as we walked up to the castle. We decided not to take in the castle as we were a bit short on time. We went to the National Museum of Scotland which we could have taken a full day at least to explore, as it was full of great exhibits. We finished off in Old Edinburgh city, which was full of quaint little cafes and pubs. Back to Kinross for a well-deserved rest. Off to Oban the next day which is on the far west coast of Scotland. A very historic tourist destination with lots to do. We did some walking around checking out the locals and we found a fishmonger who was doing fresh mussels steamed in garlic for 3.99 pounds approximately ($7 Aus). We got about 50 succulent and tender mussels that we ate on the wharf while the gigantic seagulls looked over us waiting for any opportunity to swoop in for a feed. No chance! Compared to an Australian seagull these guys would be twice the size.
Then we went on a small boat cruise for an hour out to the seal colony islands which was magic as we had great views of the harbour and surrounding islands. The temperature was perfect as there was hardly any wind. The seals were a little disappointing as there weren’t many of them and they were pretty inactive. Kerrera island which is about six miles long and three across only has 50 inhabitants, it seemed idyllic until you realise what the weather is normally like. When we got back to shore we went to the local pub the Oban Inn, couldn’t get a seat so Jacky asked a couple if we could join them and we had a great chat as he was from Wales, rugby enthusiast and she was from northern Scotland and had spent 10 years in the Shetland Islands. They gave us lots of tips on places to see in Wales when we are down south in Hereford. Then off to a lovely seafood dinner with Tim and Mary. We started looking around for some places with entertainment, wasn’t much happening at the spots that were recommended so we had a drink at the local Wetherspoons which was packed and took me twenty minutes to get a drink. So we did one more trip around town. Jacky took some amazing sunset photos and we headed back towards the hotel. Just as we were 150 metres from our room we heard music at a bar that I had earlier made some derogatory remark about not going there in my lifetime. So always looking for firsts, in we went. Well, they might have all been a little weird but they were having the time of their life and I couldn’t help feeling good and smiling the whole time I was in there. I asked Jacky to Video it so we could post it on YouTube and go viral but she felt it was a bit risky. There were some big tough looking women in there!
In a small town, I don’t think I have ever seen so many people completely off their face and it was still daylight as we got to the hotel at 11.00pm.
Next morning we had breakfast at Wetherspoons while looking out at the mist rolling in off the sea into the harbour, before heading off to our final destination in Scotland, Gretna Green. Gretna had been known for a long time as an elopement destination from England as at the time you didn’t have any waiting period. You could just pop across the border and get hitched on that day legally. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case as Jacky and I found out that we couldn’t tie the knot, because now you have to apply at least 28 days beforehand. This had been our standard joke since Tim came up with the itinerary.
The trip again was very scenic. I said at one point I need to rest my eyes because it seemed like there was a picture postcard around every corner. We had dinner at the local pub up the road that evening before retiring to the resort lounge for a nightcap. The next morning we had a lovely breakfast at the hotel and headed down the motorway looking for The Lake District. We stopped for a coffee and a walk at a quaint and vibrant town called Ambleside. It was humming with backpackers and hikers. We managed to pick up a couple bargains, trendy hats and then had lunch further down the track at The Swan Hotel. We lunched beside the river underneath the shade of a weeping willow. You can see from the pictures that part of the restaurant was decked out in pink. Not quite our cup of tea. We had an exquisite lunch, probably the best quality food on the whole trip. Last stop before going back to Preston was a little Gem at Bowness-on-Windemere. Jacky asked Tim if it was ok to stop and we could go for a walk around the lake shore for an hour. So we pulled into the car park and went for a walk towards the lake and when we turned the corner towards the lake this tourist metropolis jumped out at us. A breathtaking view all the way up the lake with the hills rising up on each side. We checked the town and found a Beatrix Potter exhibition. (Jacky: I was brought up on Beatrix Potter stories and so were my kids!)
Thanks, Tim and Mary for a great trip!
Jacky
A feast for the eyes around every bend. Scotland has been such a memorable trip made even better by the glorious weather. Old city Edinburgh was like parts of Paris. With cobbled walkways and open-air cafes. We even had a couple of guys who played accordion and guitar as we sat in the late afternoon sun. But when they passed the hat around for money they were rather menacing!
We had enjoyed a snapshot of Scotland and spent a lot of time in the car. But the views were spectacular, the places we saw were memorable and the trip was such a buzz for us both.
