our travels to scotland was amazing; i may have a crush. gorgeous edinburgh, isle of skye's fairytale landscapes, and that wonderful charming accent. we all tried haggis and we survived the *very* narrow roads while driving on the wrong side of the road to boot!
it's been six months since our summer trip to ireland/scotland/wales with our friends, the weinsteins who i find myself missing along with the beauty we have seen together. i will break down our 2016 summer travels in one liner-ish notes, the parts that stand out more than others...
glasgow to fort williams
driving along towards fort williams, we couldn't help but make stops along the way to take in the particularly gorgeous views.
around the loch lomond and trossachs national park, a geological line separates the flat lowlands from the rugged highlands... and indeed, the scenery becomes more dramatic.
hungry, we happened upon an old stone house with a labyrinth of cozy tartan covered rooms; it was here that chloe was inspired to try haggis again!
strolling in the rain along the boardwalk of the cute coastal town of oban - referred to as the gateway to the isles - we hoped to make it to the dunollie castle but the rain and wind won and we turned around; stefan visited the oban whisky distillery; oldest in scotland.
seeing the photogenic castle stalker marooned on a lonely island
so glad that we persevered down a loooong road that never seemed to end, we finally ended up at a converted barn turned inn, at the base of ben nevi mountain; sheep greeted us at the parking lot and a couple of singing locals entertained us in the restaurant.
neptune's mirror - a teeny cabin - felt like a cloak of invisibility. there is a seat for the view, it's tiny; and all very fun. it sits by the caledonian canal, a canal joining two lakes via natual lochs and manmade locks - apparently a remarkable accomplishment and one that stefan was intrigued with.
catching a glimpse of the jacobite steam train - aka the harry popper train - chugging along was pretty cool but only if it was on the glenfinnan viaduct when we saw it, it would have been even cooler. you can ride the train if you board from platform 9 3/4 :)
walking in a hogwart-worthy landscape by the glenfinnan viaduct - 380 metres of raised track supported by 21 arches. wow, it was an incredible sight. i am so glad we had decided to huff it up the steep switch-backed path.
looking for a place to rest, we happened upon inverlochy castle - it was all very fancy and the perfect place for a late afternoon cup of tea with scones and cookies.
and then, just a bridge away was the isle of skye but first a stop to see the eilean donan castle; a picture perfect castle perched by a sea loch. possibly the most photographed castle in scotland (its famous from sean connery's highlander and the world is not enough). like many of the castles it was the site of battles between clans, in this case the mackenzies who lived here fought often with the macdonalds. i remember its story because in the end it became the residence of the mackenzies' bodyguards, the macraes.
tomorrow, travelogue: scotland, part 3, isle of skye.
No comments:
Post a Comment