11th July – Grantown-on-Spey – Balmoral

Leaving The Black Isle and it’s quiet charm behind, we headed over the Kessock Bridge via Inverness towards our next destination in the Cairngorms National Park. Grantown-on-Spey is on the northern edge of the park and is a pretty small town that attracts many visitors to the area. Our first outing was a woodland walk with a mixture of tall pines and deciduous trees, natural pools and wildflowers, the sunshine was short lived and the sky turned stormy so we didn’t linger.

At Loch Garten for many years there have been breeding ospreys, but not in 2019! Trying not to be disappointed, we walked to the centre and watched red squirrels dashing around the trees, a greater spotted woodpecker working its way up the tall pine trees, a fleeting glance of a crested tit and then, perched high in a tree was a single osprey, success for us in seeing one adult bird. It was a long way off and we used the RSPB telescope to get a good look, such a majestic and handsome bird.

 

On the walk back I noticed some fungi, a nice traditional shaped, reddish toadstool and some really weird ones called Devil’s Tooth Fungus that looked like bleeding marshmallows! There were moths flitting around the trees and disappearing before  could see what they were. Eventually I watched one land on a tree trunk, and then it vanished. After a careful search I saw it, brilliantly camoflauged, mimicking the colours of the tree trunk to perfection. I think it was a Striped Twin-spot Carpet having looked it up; birds are so much easier!  Having seen leaves turning colours, hawthorn berries starting to colour up and bright red rowan berries, it seemed like Scotland has skipped Summer and is heading straight for Autumn.

Further along our walk passed by a loch with mallard, tufted duck and a pair of swans, we heard a great spotted woodpecker calling and eventually saw it high in the trees. The trees lined the loch right to the edge in places, the waters were a silver grey colour creating the perfect surface for a great reflection. Pine trees looked like their trunks had been covered in frost, on closer inspection it turned out to be a type of lichen with grey intricate leaf swirls.

Doubling back on our journey we headed for the infamous Loch Ness, it would have been a shame to miss it out having come so close, so we booked a boat trip along a section at the top. The sky was heavy and grey, rain threatened at any moment and the wind was getting stronger. The trip started by passing Bona lighthouse built by Thomas Telford, once the smallest manned, inland lighthouse in the UK, it helped shipping negotiate the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness for nearly 200 years.

Passing from the canal into the loch itself the steely grey surface reflected the trees lining the edges, and in one tall tree we were shown an osprey on its nest. Eventually getting to Urqhart Castle ruins once the site of many battles, it later became a place where Victorian aristocrats visited following royalty to the area. The boat returned from here and another box was ticked, so to speak. If the weather had been kinder, we would probably have visited the castle but we can leave that for another time.

On our drive south through the Cairngorms, the wide open moorlands with rolling hills in a tapestry colours was very easy going on the eye, dotted with sheep and lambs and it made a relaxing drive The greens and browns of the heather looked like a patchwork over the hillside, areas having been control burned during the winter time to regenerate the plant and promote new growth. This provides food for grouse and sheep, ultimately generating income from what can be a harsh landscape. It opens the ground out providing different habitats for birds and insects, bees making pure heather honey providing another source of income. The heather was a beautiful sight, it’s vivid colour in swathes across the hillside, so many tiny flowers all together forming a carpet of pinky-purple.

Pausing in the pretty Victorian town of Ballater for a couple of hours we noticed many of the shops had Royal Plaques stating their patronage of the premises over the years. There were many nice buildings in the town, including an old station converted to an information centre and an attractive church in the town’s green and floral centre.

Next stop Balmoral Castle which I had been looking forward to since we planned the trip months ago. I wasn’t disappointed, it certainly is a castle fit for a Queen with an ornate and turreted exterior and large clock tower. We visited the Ballroom which was the only one open to visitors, lined with stags heads, large paintings and displays of artefacts, but no photography was allowed. Moving into the garden, Royaleverything was neat and orderly. Colourful rose beds close to the castle, a few statues with large manicured lawns. We were so lucky the day was warm and sunny which made it all look fantastic, the flowers smelled beautiful, especially the sweet peas and roses.

An attractive large conservatory is full of pot plants for displays in the castle and a long greenhouse close by is full of colour and keeps a succession of plants ready for use. The vegetable garden is all organic and the growing season is timed for harvest of fruit and vegetables in August when the Royal family arrive.

Walking along the Riverside walk, the River Dee sparkled in the sun as we passed by on our way to admire the Queen’s Fell ponies and several mares with foals at foot, quite a picturesque scene. We really enjoyed our visit and on our way out red squirrels were running over a shed roof and squabbling over the peanut feeder.

At Royal Lochnagar we had our first experience of a whiskey distillery, it is one of the smallest in Scotland and is situated very close to Balmoral Castle. Our guide was excellent informing us all about making the golden liquid; the tour taking place on a day of action so we were able to see and smell some of the processes from raw barley right through to the enormous barrels in storage. To my surprise, I really liked the taste and it wasn’t the ‘fire water’ as I thought it would be.

4th July – North Coast to Rosemarkie

The passing scenery of rugged mountains and wide shallow valleys made driving a real pleasure, bimbling along at 25 – 30 mph, hardly a car in sight, rocks interspersed with sheep and heather. The soft greens low down in the valley changes to darker greens and browns higher up the sides with dark shadows racing across the hillside as clouds are blown overhead.

The vast empty spaces with no houses or barns, only an occasional bothy, and abandoned stone crofts which we have seen so many of during our travels. The Highland clearances we were learning, had not only destroyed people’s lives and livelihoods, but also destroyed the look and nature of the land. At Strathnaver Museum near Bettyhill, one quotation spelled it out;  ‘In 1755, 51% of Scotland’s population lived in the Highlands, in 2013 only 4% lived there’. There was lots of information about the Clearances with testimonials from people translated from the original Gaelic, also lots of articles on display. I particularly liked the old post-tin boat from St Kilda which presumably could takes weeks if not months to reach another shore, gives a new insight into the post being late!

As the weather was very changeable and still very windy, we headed straight to Dunnett Bay skipping out a previously planned stop.

There was a very long sandy beach spreading out below the campsite, we had a quick walk but it wasn’t very pleasant so we retreated inside. Rain and high winds were soon battering us and it continued all night, which I was listening to, awake until after 3am. Feeling a little jaded next day, it was decided we needed a ‘pick-me-up’ and booked lunch out followed by a tasting at Dunnett Bay Distillery making Rock Rose Gin. What a gem that turned out to be. Welcomed with a generous gin and tonic we listened to an introduction to the business set up by a young couple only 5 years ago, selling widely across Scotland, supplied at some Sainsbury stores in UK and now exporting to USA. Of course we came away with a bottle; one called Old Tom Gin which has tones of pink grapefruit, it is going to be savoured.

 

 

Visiting the RSPB site on Dunnet Head was an extremely brief affair, time to take a photo the lighthouse and notice a few gulls before being blown off the top. It is the furthest northerly point on the Scottish mainland.

 

 

 

We enjoyed a much longer visit to the Castle of Mey, one of the Queen Mother’s favourite places to spend time relaxing with her family. We were welcomed by a lovely lady called Nancy, whose father managed the farm that the Queen Mother bought locally. On his death, Nancy’s husband took the role and when he died, her two sons now jointly manage the farm. Such a personal tale, this was how she became involved with the Queen Mother and now undertakes her role in welcoming visitors. The castle was beautifully set out with personal items and photographs in all the rooms open to the public, guides told the story of each significant room with many nice personal facts and some memories. I had a nice feeling walking about what really was a regal home, imagining Royalty living there, indeed Prince Charles was due to arrive in two weeks.

Keeping up the theme of the weather, we arrived at John O’Groats with more wind and rain, asked someone to take our photo at the famous signpost and scuttled into a cafe for a large mug of tea to warm up. Ticked that box.

We moved rapidly onto Duncansby Head for a wild walk across the clifftops to see the famous Duncansby Stacks. These were very impressive, the tallest of which is nearly 197 feet high and 656 feet from the shore. The stacks are home to guillimot, razorbill, fulmar, kittiwake and I spotted a few puffins too.

Back into the warmth of Bessie, our journey south was just beginning and almost immediately we noticed a change in the landscape. The wild mountain sides we replaced with more agricultural land, fields divided by stone walls with foxgloves in deep pinks and white ones too on the road verges.  There were fields of cattle of varying beef breeds and colours in black, golden, greys and brown and white,  mostly with calves at foot and usually a huge bull to look after his ladies. Also different was the fact that all the sheep had been shorn and recently too, I could still see the lines of the clippers on their sides, I hope they can grow enough wool to keep them warm by winter time, it must be bleak in a north easterly wind.

At Wick we enjoyed a very sheltered night sheltered by trees and watched baby rabbits running around. As luck would have it, this one night coincided with the celebration for the centenary of Wick’s Pipe Band, when five bands marched over the old bridge and into the main square. In addition to Wick’s band, there was one from Thurso, another representing the police, and one each from Switzerland and Germany, all giving excellent displays, dressed in their different tartans and marching while playing their bagpipes.

A small group of young girls made a colourful appearance as they performed some traditional Scottish dances.

On our way south down the coast we found Laidhay Croft Museum and after a quick look around we had lunch at the cafe with homemade soup and tray bakes. We also stopped off at Badbae to see an abandoned settlement where the remnants of a dozen stone cottages could be seen scattered along the clifftops, now grown over by grass and beautiful foxgloves. This was where some families had been moved to, away from their farms in the fertile interior, to start again and try to exist on the coast where they tried to learn about boats and fishing. From over 60 people it took around 50 years for the last remaining 16 people to abandon these houses.

Heading for Brora we stayed at Rosemarkie, a lovely campsite next to the sea with a golf course next door. Beautifully laid out with flowers and space, it was most relaxing. Finally we had a sunny day forecast, so we headed out next day to Dunrobin Castle, the most picturesque and turreted we have visited. A long sweeping and wood driveway lead to the entrance, complete with kilted piper, and inside the large hallway a log fire burned in the grate. A sweeping staircase lead to a galleried landing, numerous deer heads were mounted on the walls along with portraits and tapestries.

An elaborate wood panelled dining room had a table set for 10 people with china and silverware. A set of 25 chairs had been hand embroidered by E Sutherland, each one with a different Coat of Arms and dated, it must have taken years!

My favourite room was a long and very light drawing room, overlooking the gardens and ultimately the sea beyond. Beautifully furnished with lots of seating, another 25 chairs all with embroidered birds in pale colours complimenting the tapestries, paintings and tables.

There was a library with 10,000 books, so we were informed, lined up on floor to ceiling shelving, coupled with the wood panelling it seemed quite dark. The Green Bedroom was so luxurious with fancy panels all decorated in gold, a large fireplace with enough space for a sofa, chaise-longue, several chairs. One room was displaying an old Singer sewing machine and many elaborate costumes, high fashion at the time.

A children’s bedroom with hand painted furniture bedrooms, a nursery and large children’s play room which I found fascinating. Such a wealth of elaborate toys, a huge dolls house, sailing yacht, model railway, dolls pram, numerous books, puzzles, with dolls and teddies at a tea-party.

Moving outside to the garden, a raised balcony gave panoramic views of the whole layout of the gardens with the sea beyond.

A graceful staircase of stone steps lead down to the long borders, full of colour and texture.

Split into three sections, the centre one had recently been mown and replanted with new trees which would look great in a few years time. To either side were elaborate gardens with box hedging creating various shapes all filled with flowers and shrubs. My favourite were the tall wooden pyramids with white roses climbing up them, also tall purple alliums added a vibrant splash of colour with multi coloured sweet-williams close by.

Reflections of the castle in circular ponds added another dimension to this beautiful relaxing garden. I think this castle and garden has to be my favourite so far, looking like a fairy tale with its turrets and towers, the panoramic views, sheltered corners and a magical warm sunny day to enjoy our visit.

On the edge of the Moray Firth we had a rare afternoon in shorts so we walked the beach and relaxed by the sea. At Chanonry Point we watched dolphins and harbour seals, great through our binoculars but not close enough to photograph on this occasion, however we understand that they come very close at times. There were some lovely wild flowers between the golf course and the beach as we set off to walk into Fortrose about 30 minutes away. We found a crumbling 13th century cathedral which had once been quite large, the nave has long gone but there is still quite a lot remaining and it was still interesting look at.

We found a crumbling 13th century cathedral which had once been quite large, the nave has long gone but there is still quite a lot remaining and it was still interesting look at.

Before returning, we visited The Anderson, an old inn that we had been told was good for real ale. It was an Aladdin’s cave apparently having over 200 single malt whiskeys, and while they used to have beers from all over the UK, now they showcase the local Cromarty Ales. The ceiling and wall being the bar had so many different beer mats from brewers all over the UK, including beers from Salisbury, our own local brewers Hop Back and Downton. We tried a couple of the Cromarty beers and got back to Bessie before the rain started again. It never seems so bad when you can watch the weather outside while you are warm and dry inside.

27th June – Ullapool to Durness

Having got off one boat the day before, we got straight back on a smaller one the next day with fabulous weather for our planned trip around the Summer Isles off the coast near Ullapool. We soon saw common or harbour seals resting on the rocks and got quite good views of their different colours and cute faces. The sun was shining and a breeze was encouraging the gulls to do aerial acrobatics as the whizzed along the cliffs on the updrafts.

A white tailed eagle was spotted perched in a tree on the shore, it was incredible hard to pick it out and even harder to get a photograph of it, bad as it is, but at least we were lucky enough to see one.

There are approximately 25 islands and rocks in the archipelago, very few are inhabited with extremely low numbers of people, mostly they are home to birds and seals. Salmon farms lie alongside some of the islands making the most of the cold clear seas to bring much needed income to the area. Some of the salmon is smoked and it really is delicious. The largest island is Tanera Mòr where Cathedral Cave can be found, accessed by boat, it had a huge ‘narrow window’ letting light in, it was surprisingly colourful and noisy with the sea crashing on the sides.

After such a lovely day we had a brilliant sunset to round the day off nicely.

Driving away from the coast and into the hills, we stopped at Knockan Crag near Inchnadamph, it is part of the North West Highland Geopark Rock Trail. There was an unmanned visitor centre with lots of information boards and displays about how the continents collided millions of years ago. This caused The Moine Thrust where older rock now lies on top of younger rocks and was studied by Peach & Horne in the late 19th century, there are statues to the two men at the centre.

At the beginning of the trail there is a cleverly built section showing the various rock, carved with details of type and age clearly showing the older rocks on top. As you walk uphill, inscriptions on rocks beside the path indicate that Scotland started off in the southern hemisphere, following its path north when it was joined onto North America 500 million years ago. Eventually the Atlantic was formed between the continents which were torn apart as the tectonic plates moved to new positions with the volcanic activity deep in the earth. I’ve always found this subject fascinating. On the side of the hill sits a sculpture, a large sphere made of pieces of rock almost as tall as I am, very clever and fitted well within the landscape.

As we climbed down again, the mountains towered in the distance, a large loch reflected the grey sky and clusters of flowers provided an injection of colour among the rocks. Looking back where we had been, I noticed a huge red stag with a fine set of antlers in velvet, watching him through the binoculars I found a second younger stag with not such elaborate headgear and it rounded of our visit to perfection.

Another more strenuous walk very close to Inchnadamph took us over rocky paths for an hour, up hill and beside a pretty stream, I should really say a ‘burn’ as we are in Scotland! We were heading for The Bone Caves on a steep sided valley below a near vertical sided cliff, where remains of linx, wolves, reindeer and polar bears had been found, left behind after the ice age. I couldn’t go up to the caves because of my fear of heights but Chris did and saw four large caves, all totally empty, but a good view from the high vantage point.

Safely down and on the beach by the Clachtoll campsite, I enjoyed wondering around taking photos in the evening. There was a beautiful secluded cove with an arc of sand being enjoyed by kids and dogs, a BBQ smelled great as we walked by and a couple set off from the beach in an inflatable canoe. Jelly fish with purple circles were lying on the beach with others floating lifeless in the water, and small rockpools had been left behind in the rock crevices. There was a chill wind blowing so we didn’t stay long but it was a treat to have it so close by.

However, there was a complete change of weather next day with crashing waves, leaden sky and a blustery wind as we walked around a headland to escape the confines of Bessie’s warm and comfortable interior, couldn’t wait to get back inside!

At Scourie on the north west coast of Southerland, our boat ride out to Handa Island started from Tarbet, a chilly 12°C and still windy. It is a nature reserve of just over a square mile and 400 feet high, wild terrain of grasses, bogs and wildflowers, plus thousands of birds. Near the start we saw eider ducks and several gull species as we walked uphill and away from the beach. A six mile walk around the island on very good pathways of boardwalk and rocks soon gave us two new birds, Arctic and great skuas. We had been advised to walk with a hand above our heads as the great skies would dive bomb us as they were still nesting.

There are apparently 200,000 guillemots, and significant numbers of razorbills, kittiwakes and fulmars plus around 200 puffins that nest on the island each year. The sheer cliffs were lined with birds, like a block of flats with tightly packed neighbours in clusters of the same species. The smell was a little heady at times!

 

There were many low growing wildflowers; yellow bog asphodel, pink heath orchids, pink and purple heathers, purple thyme, yellow tormentil, it was full of colour along with seed heads on the grasses waving in the wind. The scenery was beautiful and the sky had finally turned blue with fluffy white clouds making the sea also look so blue, we really had a good very day. We watched eider ducks with strings of ducklings bobbing as we waited for the boat back.

Finally reaching the north coast at Durness the campsite overlooked Santo Bay, perched on a ridge looking down onto an almost deserted as high winds battered the Scottish coast. A short walk was tried but apart from seeing jelly fish, a puffin and a gull, all dead, lots of seaweed and rain clouds brewing, it was not to pleasant, so we retreated to warm up in Bessie.

Chris braved another walk without me and he found a small church and graveyard at Balnakeil where John Lennon’s aunty, Elizabeth Parkes, is buried. Apparently he spent several holidays and visited the area regularly until 1969. In warmth and comfort I managed to complete most of jigsaw while he was away and together we finished it soon after he returned.

After two really rough nights of wind and rain I was looking forward to moving on. First though, we had a look at Smoo Caves that were close by and after a steep, wet climb down numerous steps, we crossed a small bridge over a small river and escaped the rain as we entered the cave. The sea eroded away at the cave in years gone by, but these days it rarely reaches it, the entrance is the largest in Britain at 130 feet wide and nearly 50 feet high. Uniquely an adjoining cave was created by a freshwater stream called Allt Smoo. The smaller cave was created as the water dissolved the rocks and a great waterfall drops 66 feet before running into the next cave which was created by the sea.

25th June – Harris and Lewis

 

During the short zigzag route taken by the small ferry, between the red and green buoys clearly marking a safe passage, we saw grey seals basking on rocks, gannets diving for fish, eider ducks, a few red breasted mergansers and a good number of black guillemots with white wings making them easy to identify. Arriving at Leverburgh on South Harris and travelling on the western side we noticed at once the stark lack of trees and rocky appearance of the land. We hugged the coast road on its periphery as sandy bays appeared on the far side of turquoise sea patches of different blues.

Turning down yet another single track road we kept stopping to admire more wonderful beaches on our way to one that we had been recommended to visit at Luskentyre. A large arc of pristine white sand, tiny waves and overlooked land on the far side. It was very windy and as my damaged ankle was still causing difficulty walking, we retreated to the sand dunes for a while as hardy souls took their dogs out. Two young men decided to swim, the air temperature was only about 16°,  I wonder what the sea would have been? Very cold!

Reaching Tarbert and parking up near the harbour, a visit to the Harris Tweed shop was on my radar and I wasn’t disappointed coming away with a very nice bag. The distillery didn’t have a tour available until late so we abandoned that idea and drove north out of Harris and into Lewis with some beautiful mountainous countryside with numerous lochs.

At Callanish we visited an excellent set of  Neolithic standing stones in the shape of a cross having a circle in the middle with a monolith at the centre. They were tall and imposing, in very good condition, originally there had been a tomb chamber which has now long gone. There must have been 30 people walking around the stones and one annoying drone circling and whining above, several people took objection to the intrusion and told the young man in no uncertain terms it was unacceptable; hurray for common sense! I managed to hide most of the people in my photo by moving my position until nearly all of them were hidden by stones.

At Geàrrannan we visited the famous ‘Blackhouse Village’, where the houses originally housed a family and their animals. They were built on a slope with the animals at the downhill end of the low, single storey building so that the animal effluent and rain water would run away. The roof was timber, overlaid with heather and topped by loose straw, held in place by a mesh weighted with stones. The low door and small windows made it dark but kept it warmer in winter and cooler in summer. There were only two rooms heated by an open peat fire, plus the area for the animals and workshop area.

Two single beds behind the curtains in a separate room and double bed in living area

Peat cutting has been present on all the islands we have visited and is still very much in use. The top 12 inches or so are cut away and preserved upside down in a naturally occurring water trench. Then a turf cutting blade is used to take two layers of turf off the section being harvested, each piece being placed on the side to dry. They are then turned and stacked, and restacked several times to allow air between in the drying process, this takes a number of weeks depending on the weather. The finished peat blocks are then loaded into containers and heaved into a trailer, and eventually a peat stack would be built near the homestead. The turfs that were placed in the water are then put back on the bottom of the trough to re-grow. All very labour intensive, handling each turf numerous times before it ever gets to a fireplace, but neighbours and friends help each other so it is a community effort for each family.

Top left: small scale shallow cutting   Top right: larger quantities being cut

A scenic drive up to the Port of Ness, the most northerly point of Lewis, lead us to find out the nature reserve was elusive, and when finally found it was too far for my ankle, undeterred we retraced our route and carried on to Stornoway. Before the ferry next day, we visited Lews Castle, originally built as a country house in 1844, it was used by the forces in WWII and student accommodation in the 1950s, before being recently renovated into a cultural centre, museum and luxury holiday apartments.

The large entrance door lead to a long hall way with gold coloured supports displaying the star covered ceiling, a new ballroom/function room had three chandeliers hanging from its delicate plasterwork ceiling and the dining room had hand painted floral designs on either side of its fireplace. An elegant stair lead upstairs to the private accommodation.

The museum was really interesting and well laid out having just enough information without overload. We walked in the surrounding grounds along meandering pathways with good views of the castle and over to the ferry port where we headed next on our way to Ullapool.