Sunday, our journey began at the rental car counter in Edinburgh, or I should say rental “van” counter since that’s what we required to hold all our luggage. Once we figured out how to get the van out of manual mode, the next challenge was to keep Mark driving on the left side of the road! Our mantra has quickly become, “To the left! To the left!” And in the multiple roundabouts, we added, “And yield to the right!”
Our plan was to take our time making our way from Edinburgh up to Inverness, and that’s exactly what we did. What an incredible day! Our first venture off the main highway was in Logierait, a small town at the junction of the Tay and Tummel rivers. We saw a sign for a country market and had to stop. We were blessed with yet another gorgeous day, and the local strings band was playing lovely Scottish tunes. A cup of tea, cheese, bread, and a bottle of mead later, we were back on the road.
We decided to continue down the same country road, which took us to Glentully, home of Iain Burnett, the Highland Chocolatier who has won multiple international awards for his chocolate artistry. We, of course, added chocolate to our load and were back on the road!
Next up was Dewars in Aberfeldy. We hadn’t planned this visit, but couldn’t resist when we stumbled upon it and saw the sign. What an incredible facility – you can smell the mash from the moment you open your car door. We did a quick visit and taste of an 18-year Deveron Highland Single Malt Whisky and a 21-year Aberfeldy. Karen’s favorite was the Deveron, Bryan’s was the Aberfeldy, Mark doesn’t play favorites and enjoyed them both. As for me, let's just say Scotch is not my thing!
As we continued our drive, we entered the Cairngorms National Park, and the entry into the Highlands. I can’t begin to describe how vastly diverse the topography is in this part of Scotland. One minute we were in a lush forest area, the next in rolling green hills with pastures, and then in mountainous areas that were heather-covered, yet sparse and rocky. Just breathtakingly beautiful! While the sheep and cows in the rolling hills looked quite happy and pleasantly plump, we decided the ragged and haggard sheep in the mountainous area must be a hearty lot!
I would be remiss not to mention the gorse bush that paints the countryside – I have never seen such a bright goldenrod yellow from a plant. It’s spectacular!
We kept yelling for Mark to stop for pictures, but it was all he could do to mind his driving to the left side of the road!
We stopped at a small roadside café in Ralia, and were greeted by Fergus, the “Hairy Coo.” We also saw a TVR Tuscan sports car – a British car not available in the U.S. Gorgeous!
Once in Inverness, we enjoyed a lovely visit and cup of tea with local artist Dot Walker. Dot is a childhood friend of our dear Scottish friends, David & Shona. We couldn’t leave without perusing and then purchasing one of her beautiful paintings. I can’t wait to find the perfect spot for it in our new home!
After checking in at the Kingsmill Hotel, we ventured to the city center and had a great meal at Ivy Kitchen. The cream of mushroom soup was the star of the dinner! Afterward, we strolled along the Ness River, and spotted the Inverness Castle just before sundown.
All in all, another glorious day in Scotland!
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