Van Williams' Trip to Northern Scotland - 2009

 

 

Myra and Van Williams traveled with another couple in a rental car counter-clockwise in a self-guided tour of Scotland. Our objective was to explore the country, including several of the outer islands.

July 27- 28: Overnight flight from EWR to Glasgow; pick up rental car at airport.

July 28: Hotel du Vin in Glasgow (very nice) is our base for three days. Drive to Lesmahagow to find tombstones of the Browns (relatives); lunch in Strathaven; Museum of Cultural History (working farm); nice dinner at hotel. Begin research on single malts.

July 29: Take Red Buscity tour; visit Kelvin Grove Museum; Glasgow School of Art (Charles Rennie MacKintosh, architect); People's Palace (social history from 1750); dinner at Ubiquitous Chip.

July 30: Drive to SW coast to Culzean Castle (S. of Ayr) and Drumlanrig Castle (stronghold of the Douglas clan) in Dumfries; dinner at La Vallee Blanche in Glasgow.

July 31: Visit House for an Art Lover (Mackintosh design in 1901, built 1996 as a tourist site – well worthwhile); Burrell Museum (art of all sorts). Drive N. to Stirling Castle, then on to Dunblane for dinner with friends from Naples FL at "Let's Eat" in Perth; on to Queens Hotel, Dundee, for the night.

Aug. 1: Drive NE to St. Michaels and St. Andrews; walk the Old Coursefor fun and tour town. Dinner at Redwood in Dundee; continue research on single malts.

Aug. 2: Drive through back roads through highlands to Aboyne looking (unsuccessfully) for highland games; visit GlenFiddich distilleryin Dufftown; then to Inverness and then south to Craigdarroch House on east side of Loch Ness for dinner and night.

Aug. 3: Morning hike to Falls of Foyer above hotel; then drive to Culloden Battlefield; Cawdor Castle and Fort George at the Firth of Moray, protecting Inverness. Dinner at "The Kitchen” in Inverness.

Aug. 4: Explore Loch Ness and environs by driving around lake, stopping frequently. Dinner in Inverness at "Contrast” on the water.

Aug. 5: Heading north, we visit Black Isle and then Cromarty (interesting courthouse museum) and then head to towns of Dornoch (another famous golf course) and Golspie, site of Dunrobin Castle (base for Southerland clan). Continue up east coast to John O'Groats for delightful dinner at School House Restaurant.

Aug. 6: A clear dry day for our trip to the Orkneys by ferry and bus. Site of Scapa Flow, the English naval base that was central to WWII. Visit many fascinating sites, including Scara Brae a 5000 year-old Neolithic site that’s well restored. Back to John O’Groats for the night, and enjoy second visit for dinner to the "School House”, which really is an old school house. Twilight is late now, so we drive to Duncansty Head lighthouse and hike across sheep fields to view the Stacks, a remarkable geologic formation on the coast.

Aug. 7: Off in early a.m. to head west along the northern coast. Wonderful scenery and small towns along the way. Snack in Bettykill; lunch in Durness (side visit to Smoo Cave); and on to Kylesku to home of friends of our co-travelers and a great dinner of really fresh Scottish salmon. More single malt research.

Aug. 8: On to Ullapool and take a car ferry to Stornoway on Lewis Isle in the Outer Hebrides; experience local parade and pipe bands; visit Stornoway Museum (history of Outer Hebrides from 9000 BC); attend concert in athletic arena (Dougie MaClean and Pipe Band); dinner at Park House hotel (excellent). Lively town despite remote location and relatively barren terrain.

Aug. 9: Drove to northern tip, "Butt of Lewis” light house (cliffs, stacks, seabirds); Port Nis harbor; down west coast to Blackhouse Village; Clach an Trushal (tallest standing stone in Scotland at 6 meters); Callandish Standing Stones (50 stones); Dun Carloway Broch (domed fort from 1st century BC); on to Harris Island (rocky) and Tarbert; dinner at Hebrides Hotel adjacent tothe docks. Overnight at Ceol na Mara Guest house.

Aug. 10: Take 7 a.m. ferry to Uig on Isle of Skye; tour Skye from north to south, seeing Flora MacDonald grave; Quiraing; Storr; Kilt Rock; Armadale Castle (base for Donalds clan, and well maintained by them). Stay at Bosville Hotel in Portree, overlooking harbor (parking!); nice dinner in the Chandlery Restaurant in the hotel.

Aug. 11: Serious rain today. Drove across Skye bridge to Eilean Donan Castle (on island, 13th c., destroyed many times, restored in 1932); took road through Glen Coe (gorges; mountains; waterfalls); pub lunch in Invergarry; drove down west coast of Loch Lomond; stopped at Luss (restored ancient village); dinner and overnight stay at Cameron House on Loch Lomond; miniature golf after dinner.

Aug. 12: A lay low day. Leisurely morning; exercised; played 9 holes of golf at Cameron Hotel course; dinner at Martin Wishart restaurantat the hotel.

Aug. 13: Drove to Gleneagles Golf Club in Perthshire for us to play Kings course with Naples friend; co-travelers drive on to Edinburgh. After golf (great!), we travel by train to Edinburgh and reconnect at Radisson SAS Hotel in town, with dinner at the Grain Store (excellent).

Aug. 14: Rained all day; toured Edinburgh Castle and National Gallery (small, Victorian, brightly colored walls, great collection of Renoir, Raphael, Van Dyke, Corot, Rembrandt, Gauguin, Cezanne, Scottish artists, etc.). Dinner at "Number1” in Balmoral Hotel (clock tower). Proceed (in rain) to famous Military Tattoo at the Castle (King of Tonga presided!). Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland was terrific; also the Band of the Royal Regiment (pipers with full band); fireworks and Lone Piper at end; all very moving despite weather.

Aug. 15: Clearing weather allows full day of visiting programs associated with the Tattoo. Concerts, plays, special exhibits around the town, most within easy walking distance. Buskers fill almost all open spaces. A full, fun day. Nice dinner at the "Grain Store” in town.

Aug. 16: Leisurely departure from Edinburgh and head back to Glasgow via Falkirk and the Falkirk Wheel (huge ferris wheel lock system connecting the Forth/Clyde Canal with the Union Canal, lifting boats by 79 feet); on to Holiday Inn Express Glasgow airport hotel; visit Botanical Gardens in town; enjoy nice Italian dinner in nearby Paisley at "Cardosi's”.

Aug. 17: Smooth return by air to the US.