We spent two days at the Clachaig Inn, a 17th century hotel at Glencoe right at the foot of some of the mountains. The mountains rear up on all side and for an Antipodean like me this is truly an awesome sight, having only ever seen hills in Australia. It rained all day for both days but it was not cold, and we enjoyed our walks around the glen. We hiked a little way into one of the mountains (right now I can't think of its Gaelic name) - maybe one quarter of the way up. It was wet, boggy and slippery and we weren't really equipped with the right shoes so we turned back before it turned into a big slide back down to the bottom. But it was well worth it for the views and the clean air.
Glencoe has a tragic history, like alot of Scotland, especially the Highlands. There was a massacre of a branch of the McDonald clan in the Glen in the 18th century, by the English aided by an enemy clan, the Campbells. If you read the story it is about women and children scrambling up the mountain in the snow to escape a bloody death, and most of them dying anyway of cold and exposure. One translation of the name Glencoe is "glen of weeping" although the name predated the massacre. There is a great deal of heaviness but also majesty about the place.
The Clachaig Inn is a great place to stay, a gathering point for walkers and climbers from all over the world, and young friendly staff who keep the place jumping and vibrant - good food, great beers and whiskies for the connoisseur of those forms of the poison, warm fires and great company.
This was the last leg of our journey around the Highlands, and after this we returned to Dunfermline to spend time with family before catching our flight home. It has been a truly memorable holiday and as this is my third visit to Scotland I felt quite at home and realised I really do love the place. However my ambition to try and practice the travel journalism was probably a little unrealistic as my blog was always hastily written at internet cafes between trips around the countryside and instead of a different take on things I ended up with mostly the same old cliches written in a manner which did not really reflect my true thoughts and impressions, which were much more vivid and complex. Never mind, I can now go back to it all and maybe come up with something a little more from the heart!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Portree and Skye
We are staying at a very pleasant B and B called Tarradale right on the Loch. It has a lovely little deck from which you can watch the birdlife and sunsets etc. Today we drove around to the tip of the peninsula up from Portree and did a walk at a place called Staffin which gave us tremendous views and we saw the remains of ancient Celtic circle huts plus a neolithic burial mound. Then we went on to a ruined McDonald castle right at the end of the peninsula (can't remember the name of the place right now!)
Thursday, August 7, 2008
More of the Isles
We had a great few days in Mora and Mallaig, saw some beautiful sunsets, ate great food and had convivial company at an inn called Noc na Faire at Arisaig (Airsaig Hotel itself does not serve dinners to anyone who is not staying at the hotel and they are not very friendly either!).
We were walking along the beach at Morar when we were contacted by a friendly young seal, who popped up next us and swam along next to us for a few hundred metres.
We sailed to the Knoydart Peninsula the other daywhich is accessible only by boat and went for quite a long walk in the hills and woods around the little village there. We had lunch at the most isolated pub in Britain, called the Old Forge.
Yesterday we did a boat tour of the isles of Eigg and Muck, but the weather precluded any nice pics or much walking. The cafe on Muck is highly recommended, the women of Muck produce the best lunches in the UK!
We were walking along the beach at Morar when we were contacted by a friendly young seal, who popped up next us and swam along next to us for a few hundred metres.
We sailed to the Knoydart Peninsula the other daywhich is accessible only by boat and went for quite a long walk in the hills and woods around the little village there. We had lunch at the most isolated pub in Britain, called the Old Forge.
Yesterday we did a boat tour of the isles of Eigg and Muck, but the weather precluded any nice pics or much walking. The cafe on Muck is highly recommended, the women of Muck produce the best lunches in the UK!
Monday, August 4, 2008
The road to the isles
We came along the road yesterday, to stay four days at a b and b called Garramore, which is a 19th century hunting lodge set in five acres of wild woodlands, right near the white sands of Morar. The b and b are run by a mother and daughter, nice people, the mother seems quite ill, a bit of a struggle for them I think. A beautiful and interesting old house, our room has lovely views across the grassed area and the woods beyond. It's a bit Fawlty Towers like however, in terms of service etc.
We sat on a white sandy beach in a little bay nearby last night and watched the sun go down at 9.30 pm. You can see out to Skye and Rasaay Island, and they look magical and mysterious in the evening, shrouded in mist yet the sky was clear. We sat and drank a bottle of wine and ate chocolate and it was a very peaceful and enjoyable evening. Today we are in the fishing port of Mallaig just up the road and it is a very beautiful and interesting little town - still to find out more about it.
This is Harry Potter country, we are going on the steam train tomorrow!
We sat on a white sandy beach in a little bay nearby last night and watched the sun go down at 9.30 pm. You can see out to Skye and Rasaay Island, and they look magical and mysterious in the evening, shrouded in mist yet the sky was clear. We sat and drank a bottle of wine and ate chocolate and it was a very peaceful and enjoyable evening. Today we are in the fishing port of Mallaig just up the road and it is a very beautiful and interesting little town - still to find out more about it.
This is Harry Potter country, we are going on the steam train tomorrow!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Staying with friends, moving to holiday flat
For the second night of our stay on the Forth, we were put up by one of James' old friends from his school days. Brian and Anne live in Charlestown, the place where James grew up. Charlestown is a 17th century village on the Forth about 5 miles from the town of Dunfermline. Originally it was developed by the local nobility, the Elgins, to house workers for the lime works and other mining activities the Elgins oversaw. Today it is a quaint living museum, with the village layout and old workers cottages preserved, mainly inhabited by the professionals and other well heeled occupants who generally commute to Edinburgh to work. It is overlooked by the Elgin Estate and castle, an elegant Georgian building surrounded by remnant woodlands and green fields which are still actively farmed. The castle is said to house the sword of Robert the Bruce, more about him later!
The next day we were relieved to move to our holiday flat we have booked for eight days, in an estate within Dunfermline called Pitreavie. Pitreavie is a Pictish name which I intend to research. The suburb is named after Pitreavie Castle, which still stands and serves as luxury holiday accommodation. I walked around the streets one early misty morning and took photos of the house which contains our holiday apartment (built up from a garage under the main roof, with a loft bedroom and a tiny kitchen and bathroom downstairs), the streets nearby, the type of trees and vegetation including the beautiful wildflowers currently in bloom on road verges, and of course the castle. I hope to find more information about the castle, which I currently understand is possibly a Victorian "faux" castle built by a well to do merchant family, rather than of ancient origins.
Earlier this week we took a drive along the Fife coastal tourist route along the Forth, from Dunfermline to St Andrews. The aim was to explore some caves near Kirkaldy, at a place called Wemyss (pronounced 'Weems' by everyone here), which contain rock incisions and carvings going back to Pictish and Bronze Age times. We were lucky to have the 'haar' lift and some lovely sunshine so it was pleasant trekking along the coastal path, stopping off at the ruins of MacDuff Castle. It is a crumbing red sandstone structure towering out of thick brambles and bushes, not cared for, not promoted, no fee to look, no pesky guides or glossy leaflets - we loved it! Walking along the beach a little further we came to a series of smaller caves and grottos in the red sandstone cliffs, then finally to the large Wemyss cave which is becoming known for its ancient carvings. We were surprised to find a party of campers right in front of the cave entrance, clothing hanging on the bars which partly cover the entrance. There was something slightly gypsy-ish about the group, and we asked them if we were at the right cave. Some of them assured us we were, and pointed out a woman who they said was the "guide" for the caves.
This woman stepped forward, torch in hand and offered to show us around. She explained she is from Australia, Melbourne in fact, and her name is Moira. Her parents are Scottish and her husband, who recently died, was also Scottish, a musician like her. Moira is passionately interested in the caves and all other ancient sites in Fife and is the Vice President of the Wemyss Caves Preservation Society (or something to that effect). She is an absolutely amazing storehouse of knowledge about this particular cave, others, and other interesting sites such as standing stones and Pictish and Celtic relics within existing Church grounds. Moira voluntarily runs a museum housed at a local primary school but the Council will only allow her to open it two and a half hours per month, due to lack of resources. Among the fascinating items on show there, is a skeleton of a Bronze Age woman which had been exposed in the sands near the cave we were currently exploring. I am definitely going to keep in touch with Moira, who offered me a tour of all of the sites she knows of!
The cave itself is of course dark and dank as caves tend to be, and the incisions of various artists over many thousands of years are in layers on the blackened, moss encrusted cave walls, mixed in with local current would-be artists who either imitated those more ancient symbols, or put their own marks in the form of initials or declarations of love for who ever. Thankfully Moira was able to point out the marks of great interest, such as that of a boat possibly inscribed by Vikings, various fish formations which may be Celtic Christian, also Celtic Christian cross symbols, Pictish double disc images and images of a hunter and an animal. I took photos wherever I could but had the problem of the flash eliminating shadows that defined the inscriptions, or a blurry outcome when I tried to use my cheap camera, sans tripod, without the flash. However there is a website about the cave with some excellent photos of the different inscriptions.
We had a great trip and I particularly like the look of St Andrews as an attractive coastal university town, not unlike our very own Fremantle. However time did not allow me to really have a good look at it, maybe that's something for the future!
The next day we were relieved to move to our holiday flat we have booked for eight days, in an estate within Dunfermline called Pitreavie. Pitreavie is a Pictish name which I intend to research. The suburb is named after Pitreavie Castle, which still stands and serves as luxury holiday accommodation. I walked around the streets one early misty morning and took photos of the house which contains our holiday apartment (built up from a garage under the main roof, with a loft bedroom and a tiny kitchen and bathroom downstairs), the streets nearby, the type of trees and vegetation including the beautiful wildflowers currently in bloom on road verges, and of course the castle. I hope to find more information about the castle, which I currently understand is possibly a Victorian "faux" castle built by a well to do merchant family, rather than of ancient origins.
Earlier this week we took a drive along the Fife coastal tourist route along the Forth, from Dunfermline to St Andrews. The aim was to explore some caves near Kirkaldy, at a place called Wemyss (pronounced 'Weems' by everyone here), which contain rock incisions and carvings going back to Pictish and Bronze Age times. We were lucky to have the 'haar' lift and some lovely sunshine so it was pleasant trekking along the coastal path, stopping off at the ruins of MacDuff Castle. It is a crumbing red sandstone structure towering out of thick brambles and bushes, not cared for, not promoted, no fee to look, no pesky guides or glossy leaflets - we loved it! Walking along the beach a little further we came to a series of smaller caves and grottos in the red sandstone cliffs, then finally to the large Wemyss cave which is becoming known for its ancient carvings. We were surprised to find a party of campers right in front of the cave entrance, clothing hanging on the bars which partly cover the entrance. There was something slightly gypsy-ish about the group, and we asked them if we were at the right cave. Some of them assured us we were, and pointed out a woman who they said was the "guide" for the caves.
This woman stepped forward, torch in hand and offered to show us around. She explained she is from Australia, Melbourne in fact, and her name is Moira. Her parents are Scottish and her husband, who recently died, was also Scottish, a musician like her. Moira is passionately interested in the caves and all other ancient sites in Fife and is the Vice President of the Wemyss Caves Preservation Society (or something to that effect). She is an absolutely amazing storehouse of knowledge about this particular cave, others, and other interesting sites such as standing stones and Pictish and Celtic relics within existing Church grounds. Moira voluntarily runs a museum housed at a local primary school but the Council will only allow her to open it two and a half hours per month, due to lack of resources. Among the fascinating items on show there, is a skeleton of a Bronze Age woman which had been exposed in the sands near the cave we were currently exploring. I am definitely going to keep in touch with Moira, who offered me a tour of all of the sites she knows of!
The cave itself is of course dark and dank as caves tend to be, and the incisions of various artists over many thousands of years are in layers on the blackened, moss encrusted cave walls, mixed in with local current would-be artists who either imitated those more ancient symbols, or put their own marks in the form of initials or declarations of love for who ever. Thankfully Moira was able to point out the marks of great interest, such as that of a boat possibly inscribed by Vikings, various fish formations which may be Celtic Christian, also Celtic Christian cross symbols, Pictish double disc images and images of a hunter and an animal. I took photos wherever I could but had the problem of the flash eliminating shadows that defined the inscriptions, or a blurry outcome when I tried to use my cheap camera, sans tripod, without the flash. However there is a website about the cave with some excellent photos of the different inscriptions.
We had a great trip and I particularly like the look of St Andrews as an attractive coastal university town, not unlike our very own Fremantle. However time did not allow me to really have a good look at it, maybe that's something for the future!
Monday, July 28, 2008
First few days
I am practising my travel journalist skills everyone, so these posts will be an attempt to find my journalistic voice, please bear with me!
I arrived in Edinburgh last Thursday and spent the first two or three days emerging from jet lag combinedwith a severe head cold/sinus condition which flared up on the flight from Singapore to London. The cabin was airless and a guy behind me sneezed all the way to London - that's probably the best explanation. And the summer pollens here are not helping! At least we didn't lose a chunk of the British Airways plane on that flight......
Summer in this part of Scotland (ie,Fife) is misty! The locals call it morky - that means a combination of humid, close and smoggy. The mists rolling in from the west coast up the river Forth are known as the 'haar.' It usually clears up by mid afternoon and by 8.00 pm at night it is a balmy evening with soft gold sunlight. I am finding it strange to go to bed at 10.00 pm when it is still light outside.
We spent our first night at 17th century Hawes Inn at South Queensferry. South Queensferry is on the Edinburgh side of the Firth of Forth. Queensferry North is on the Dunfermline side. Dunfermline being the ancient spiritual and political centre of this part of the UK, the ferry landings are said to be the place where one of Scotland's earliest kings, Malcolm Canmore, received an exiled Margaret, whose lineage and origin are debated, but who has acquired the image of a saint. Apparently Malcolm fell in love with her and she became Queen Margaret. A pious woman, she had shelters built on both side of the Forth at these points, for pilgrims travelling to the great abbey and monastry at Dunfermline. Hence the name for the two ferry landings.
Hawes Inne must be the archetypal Ye Old Inne, with miles of wood panelling and flooring, huge rough beams on the low slung ceiling, and fireplaces everywhere. Fascinating historical prints depicting aspects of life on the Forth hang in the main bar and the various restaurant nooks and spaces. Our room was a turret on the second floor, with magnificant views of the vast Forth and the two bridges, the road traffic suspension bridge and the railway bridge which soars above the Hawes Inne across to North Queensferry. The room was very spacious with warm red tones and lanterns softly glowing in each window,creating a feeling of cosiness and antiquity. Robert Louis Stevenson apparently had lodgings at Hawes Inne and spent many hours staring at the huge expanse of the Forth as he wrote his famous works.
South Queensferry is a delightful village between the two Forth bridges. Its cobbled, narrow main street winds organically along the shore line, lined with what to an Antipodean like myself, appear to be storybook rows of terraced houses and shops, built mostly in the 17th Century. Baskets of brilliant summer flowers hang from every building facade and glow from rows of pots along the street.
It is summer holidays in the UK, and places on the waterfront such as Queensferry are buzzing with locals and also international tourists, all promenading along the foreshore holding hands and licking icecreams, doggedly remaining in shorts and T shirts in spite of a cutting wind chill blowing across the water.
I arrived in Edinburgh last Thursday and spent the first two or three days emerging from jet lag combinedwith a severe head cold/sinus condition which flared up on the flight from Singapore to London. The cabin was airless and a guy behind me sneezed all the way to London - that's probably the best explanation. And the summer pollens here are not helping! At least we didn't lose a chunk of the British Airways plane on that flight......
Summer in this part of Scotland (ie,Fife) is misty! The locals call it morky - that means a combination of humid, close and smoggy. The mists rolling in from the west coast up the river Forth are known as the 'haar.' It usually clears up by mid afternoon and by 8.00 pm at night it is a balmy evening with soft gold sunlight. I am finding it strange to go to bed at 10.00 pm when it is still light outside.
We spent our first night at 17th century Hawes Inn at South Queensferry. South Queensferry is on the Edinburgh side of the Firth of Forth. Queensferry North is on the Dunfermline side. Dunfermline being the ancient spiritual and political centre of this part of the UK, the ferry landings are said to be the place where one of Scotland's earliest kings, Malcolm Canmore, received an exiled Margaret, whose lineage and origin are debated, but who has acquired the image of a saint. Apparently Malcolm fell in love with her and she became Queen Margaret. A pious woman, she had shelters built on both side of the Forth at these points, for pilgrims travelling to the great abbey and monastry at Dunfermline. Hence the name for the two ferry landings.
Hawes Inne must be the archetypal Ye Old Inne, with miles of wood panelling and flooring, huge rough beams on the low slung ceiling, and fireplaces everywhere. Fascinating historical prints depicting aspects of life on the Forth hang in the main bar and the various restaurant nooks and spaces. Our room was a turret on the second floor, with magnificant views of the vast Forth and the two bridges, the road traffic suspension bridge and the railway bridge which soars above the Hawes Inne across to North Queensferry. The room was very spacious with warm red tones and lanterns softly glowing in each window,creating a feeling of cosiness and antiquity. Robert Louis Stevenson apparently had lodgings at Hawes Inne and spent many hours staring at the huge expanse of the Forth as he wrote his famous works.
South Queensferry is a delightful village between the two Forth bridges. Its cobbled, narrow main street winds organically along the shore line, lined with what to an Antipodean like myself, appear to be storybook rows of terraced houses and shops, built mostly in the 17th Century. Baskets of brilliant summer flowers hang from every building facade and glow from rows of pots along the street.
It is summer holidays in the UK, and places on the waterfront such as Queensferry are buzzing with locals and also international tourists, all promenading along the foreshore holding hands and licking icecreams, doggedly remaining in shorts and T shirts in spite of a cutting wind chill blowing across the water.
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