The Scotland trip came and went. I did my first post vacation normal household laundry today – to me this act signifies business as usual. I have not much more to write. It was our first car touring vacation outside of California. We walked over 100 km. Skye offered the landscape of my dreams although I found myself missing the fog. The scotch didn’t disappoint. The coffee was a pleasant surprise. If there is a next time in Scotland, it will have to be the Hebridian islands.
I wanted to end with snippets of tales, in order of observation, those that didn’t want to be left behind in obscurity of a photo album. But before the start of the end, I need to pay my tribute to an Isle of Harris scotch (link) – it was the crispness of apples, the brininess of sea and smell of peat in a glass.
AI generated image from a description on their website: “ I get a gentle peat smoke on the first sip which reminds me of island home fires burning when I was growing up. It comes along with a toasted maltiness. I can also taste homemade apple sauce and smell machair flowers, particularly white clover which springs up on our west coast every summer. Mixed spices appear, and an old-fashioned sweetness from things like candied ginger, vanilla, and honeycomb. Finally, there’s a long, clotted-cream note, mixed with a lasting sense of new leather. ”
And now for the snippets …
Near Inverleith Pond looking at the Edinburgh. Far left is the Arthur’s seat. The castle is visible in the middle. The pond was right behind our hotel, the Raeburn, it was a lovely spot to stretch your legs.
The Botanical Garden in Edinburgh, or the Botanics as the locals refer to it.
St. Giles Cathedral along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. I am told that they have quiet times set aside for those of us who tend to get sensory overload in presence of noise.
The Circus Lane in Edinburgh, one of the cute streets in Stockbridge.
Pitlochry Dam and Fish Ladder (right of the dam). During salmon season, salmon can be seen jumping the ladder.
A quirkiness that I associate with Brits. Seen in Pitlochry. We would soon run into a snafu with Royal Mail, a case of next day mail that never made it to us.
Ruins of Ruthven barracks in Kingussie. After the 1715 Jacobite Rising, four barracks were built to police the Highlands. Ruthven was completed in 1721. The barracks were burnt down soon after 1745.
A bowl of yogurt and chia seeds and berries (called forest fruits by locals) at the Atherstone Guest House in Inverness. We decided to bring this breakfast concept back to our California home. We would have a similar breakfast later in Fort Williams at the Torlinnhe Guest House.
Dolphin catches a large fish! From Chanonry point near Inverness. Take my word for it.
Fortrose cathedral ruins near Inverness. At its peak, 21 canons and five vicars served here. Mary Queen of Scots and her royal court stayed for several days in 1564. It was stripped of stone and wood for a fortress at Inverness in 1653.
Inverness Whisky shop for some local Highland scotch that doesn’t make its way to US.
Bagpiper playing at the Kilt rock parking.
Kilt rock (Creag an Fheilidh in Gaelic) and Mealt waterfall at Staffin in Isle of Skye. The multi-coloured hexagonal columns of rock resemble the pleats of a kilt. The fall is fed by the fresh waters of Loch Mealt. The falls plunge onto rocky coastline and the Sound of Raasay over 200 ft below.
The Mediterranean town of Plockton. There was a wedding going on that day complete with bagpiper….
Talisker Bay, the beach has silver and black sands. The tides leave behind interesting patterns of black and white. At far distance you can see the talisker waterfall.
Our rental car and us on the CalMac ferry. It took us from Armadale to Mallaig.
Silver sands of Morar; Scots describe their sands as silver, golden or black, or mix of black and silver or …
Glenfinnan (The Harry Potter) viaduct.
Cruising the Loch Linnhe. Here we see Ben Nevis in its full glory. In India, when evenings are hot, dad used to suggest that we get out to enjoy the breeze. It could be a drive or a trip to the Ganges river shore. We have a term in Bengali – “Hawa khete bedalam” that translated to “we are going out to consume/eat the breeze”. That is what we were doing that afternoon on Loch Linnhe. In theory, it was to see the seals on the seal island. If Europe wasn’t experiencing a heat wave, we would have gone hiking instead – exteme midge forecast notwithstanding.
Seals on the Seal Island in Loch Linnhe
Rannoch Moor, these moorlands look so deceptively alluring with their purple heather bloom. The ground is boggy and treacherous. And clegs galore!
Walled garden at Thackery House in the town of Callander. We ate a wonderful meal at their Strawberry Fields bistro where a number of the ingredients came from this garden.
Doune’s castle, we simply had to go! To remind ourselves of the Monty Python whimsy, we picked up coconut shells and reproduced sounds of horse hooves, walking up and down the narrow stairs of the castle.
Locomotoring 
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