Stones, Towers and Scones…oh my! Scotland Day 9

Awaking after a wonderful night’s sleep, I couldn’t resist snapping a few photos of the beautiful sunrise over Wigtown. I don’t think I could ever tire of looking out over this beautiful part of Scotland. Everyone should immediately add it to their Scotland itinerary. Heading downstairs, I joined everyone for a delicious breakfast prepared by Deb. I’m going to be in big trouble when I have to go off scrambled eggs and Scottish smoked salmon cold turkey at the end of this trip. Sheila, Candida, Luanne and I listened excitedly as Deb outlined our plans for the day. I was so excited that the day was to start with a visit to standing stones that I’m not sure I heard where else was planned. (Surely my second attempt at going through the stones would be more successful than the first? Practice makes perfect after all and even Roger took more than one try.) We all piled into my trusty little van and set out for our grand adventure.

The standing stones were called the Torhouse Stones and were located in a fenced off corner of a local pasture. The cows looked on in what appeared to be mild amusement at what I am sure they considered amusing human behavior for a Saturday morning. For the most part they stayed quiet and chewed their cud, at least until the farmer arrived! The minute the farmer arrived on his four-wheeler and let himself through the gate, the lowing and mooing commenced! Luckily, he didn’t seem put off by the crazy women being that near his cows. The girls and I just continued taking photos and trying our best to figure out how to get to Jamie. Luanne tried counting all the stones, Sheila and Deb tried patterns, and I finally decided maybe throwing myself across one might work. I’m pretty sure Candida was just sitting quietly and laughing at us. 😉

Rise and shine!

Torhouse Stones

I’m giving it my best shot!

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Disturbance in the Outlander Force – Scotland Day 8

So, today’s post will be a bit brief. Started the day with a bit of a lie-in. Candida was sleeping off her travel and I was grateful for the chance to catch up on some sleep as well. Finally up and at them, I repacked my suitcase for the second half of the trip. It’s been really great to be able to leave my big suitcase at Susan’s and just take what I need on the road. I feel a bit guilty for taking a big bag of laundry with me too.

Today, Candida and I are headed down to southwest Scotland to Wigtown. What is in Wigtown, you might ask? Deborah Firth of Hillcrest House has organized and offered to host a ‘mini’ Outlander fan gathering. The gathering may be small and select, but I expect the fun will be supersized. And how often do you get to stay in an award-winning B&B with friends and spend an entire weekend enjoying each other’s company. Continue reading →

Two’s company and Three Castles – Scotland Day 7

Woke up bright and early this morning. Well, it was early anyway. Not so bright at 6:30 am. The sun did eventually come up and out though and it was proving to be a lovely day when I collected Candida from the airport. Our first stop was back to Susan’s to drop off Candida’s bags and let her catch up on 8 hours of social media, then we went out to grab breakfast. Breakfast over and done, we headed for our first location of the day – Doune Castle.

On the way to Doune, it was time to put another paycheck’s worth of gas in the car. 😉 And if we stopped to get gas at the Cumbernauld exit off the motorway, that was just entirely coincidence. Arriving after the hour drive, we paid our entrance fee in the gift shop and paused to make note of the copy of Cross Stitch for sale. Although, I have to say that the Monty Python memorabilia is totally outnumbering the Outlander items. Outlander fans need to make sure that changes pronto. Inside, Miss Candida at once sprinted into any hidey hole or staircase she could find. I followed at a more leisurely pace, punching in numbers on my handy audio tour. Continue reading →

From partly cloudy Skye to rainy Inverness to sunny smiles in Glasgow – Scotland Days 5 and 6

Woke up to vastly improved weather conditions in Skye on Tuesday. But if I have learned anything in my time in Scotland, it is that you can’t judge the next 5 minute’s weather by the last five minute’s weather! A side effect of the clearer weather though was chillier temperatures and the morning air had a decided nip to it. After a breakfast of scrambled eggs and tea, I hopped in the car to begin the day’s adventure. The plan was pretty ambitious: drive round the Trotternish peninsula, find the Fairy Glen and the Fairy pools, and then head back over to the mainland and arrive in Inverness in time for dinner and drinks with some of the Inverness Outlanders group.

With no time for dilly dallying, I settled the tariff at the B&B and set out. (Don’t you love the way I’m starting to talk like a native? 😉 I’m telling you, another week and no one will know I’m from Georgia!) I made it at least a few hundred yards before stopping to take some photos. With all the rain of the last few days, there were waterfalls absolutely everywhere. I snapped a few and then also got a photo of the rock formation known as the Old Man of Storr in the distance. I also stopped to take some photos of Kilt Rock, which reminded me very much of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland with the addition of a lovely waterfall into the sea. Continue reading →

Time and Skye wait for no weather… Scotland Day 4

It’s just as well I had no plans to leave Skye today as I woke to the news that ferries were cancelled again and even the bridge was closed for a few hours due to continuing high winds. Secure in my knowledge that I was here for one more night, I popped down the 3 flights of stairs for my breakfast. Yummy fried egg with bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms. I always forget that bacon here is not like bacon at home. It’s more like what we call country ham in the South, just not salt cured.

As the rain was tipping down pretty heavily, I decided that maybe the day should start with indoor activities, so I popped into the car and headed towards Armadale. Armadale is where Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is located. It was about an hour drive, dodging ponding water and feeling the car shake from wind most of the way. Once at the College, I spent considerable time pondering all the Gaelic items available. I found several presents for people back home and a book called Everyday Gaelic for me. I also bought, well let’s just say several, CDs. I really hope Candida is fond of Celtic music. I also took some time braving the wind and rain to grab some photos from behind the College’s administration building. It’s in a spectacular location right on the sea.

On the way to Armadale

Not sure what this monument is but it’s pretty.

Sabhal Mor Ostaig

View from rear of SMO