ADVENTURES IN SCOTLAND - 2001

Alicia McClelland

Part 3

Monday, 8 October 2001

Half the kids had left for school by the time I got downstairs, so I missed telling them goodbye. Handed Beth my camera & she took a photo for me of John with the 3 younger kids. Later, Donna & John kindly posed by the front door of their B&B so we could take photos.

Since they'd not yet toured Caithness Glass Factory, Donna & John led the way. We took a self-guided tour through the very noisy factory. We were amazed that most of the workers didn't appear to be wearing any type of hearing protection. I wonder what the rate of deafness is among workers in that factory. Watching them create a work of beauty from a lump of molten glass gives one a whole new appreciation for the finished product. After the tour we checked out the factory, but I opted to not make any purchases since transporting glass objects home via plane seemed like too much of a challenge.

Donna & John then led us northward to a town called John O' Groats, once thought to be the northernmost point on the Scottish mainland. We braved the cold and wind to take a look at the harbor. Donna & John elected to stay there for lunch, but Beth & I needed to hit the road, so we said our thank yous & farewells.

We passed through the area near the Queen Mum's Highland residence at the Castle O' Mey, but didn't see any signs for it. I guess she didn't want us to stop for tea.

Continuing west and then north, we stopped at Dunnet Head, the true northernmost point in mainland Scotland. On a clear day (according to the signs) you can see the Orkney Islands. It wasn't clear, so no Orkneys for us. But, we had made it to the Atlantic Ocean, albeit briefly. Having grown up on the East Coast of the U.S. (Virginia), I always think of the Atlantic as being east of wherever I am. Having it west of me was strange.

The picturesque lighthouse was built by Robert Stevenson (grandfather of author Robert Louis Stevenson) in 1831. It was manned by lighthouse keepers until 1989, when it was automated.

At Thurso we left the coast (and the Atlantic) and turned our course in a southeasterly direction. Since it was raining, we chose not to stop and see the standing stones at Achavanoch. At that point, however, we were back on familiar ground since that was the turnoff we'd made on Saturday when we detoured around the police accident barricade.

Just south of Golspie we turned west on the A839 and headed for Lairg. At Lairg we veered southward again, looking for the town of Culrain. Unfortunately, it was on the opposite side of the Kyle of Sutherland from where we were 'tho we did glimpse our destination across the water. So, at Bonar Bridge we crossed the water and backtracked north a few miles.

Finally, in the rain and impending darkness, we arrived at Scotland's "flagship" youth hostel, Carbisdale Castle. Somehow, it didn't look as grand and imposing in person as it does in photos and on the web, but still, it would be our first night in a castle. (Carbisdale, erected in the early 1900s, was the last castle built in Scotland.) We both liked the tartan carpet but could have done without the bright green and bright red interior walls. We also agreed that the beds were the most comfortable of the previous 2 hostels we'd stayed in or the B&B in Edinburgh. And, much to our delight, we had a room to ourselves.

Dinner was also the best meal we'd eaten out. We ate at a restaurant attached to a hotel in Bonar Bridge. Beth had chicken curry and I had salmon (stuffed with something made with oatmeal), roasted potatoes, carrots and snap peas. We shared a salad and, for dessert, chocolate "pudding" (which is really a cake). Yum!

Tuesday, 9 October 2001

Beth and I concurred that Carbisdale Castle looks more impressive on postcards and on the web than it does in person, by day or by night.

Carbisdale Castle is reputedly haunted, but we saw no sign of the ghost. Still, morning came all too early. We packed, partook of the breakfast that came with our night's lodging, and ventured forth.

Unfortunately for me, my camera chose not to venture forth, and rewound itself after only 3 pictures. Choosing not to waste any more film, I went in search of a disposable camera to use for the rest of the trip. :-( Sure hope the majority (if not all) of my photos turn out!

The weather had not improved overnight and we hit the road under heavy clouds and intermittent rain. Pointing our car toward the southeast, we traversed the south side of the Dornoch Firth before turning south at Tain. Soon, the A9 road (and us) turned toward the southwest along the north side of the Cromarty Firth.

Since it was raining, we made no stops on our trip down the coast until the Tourist Information Center in Dingwall. Although the enthusiastic woman behind the counter tried to entice us to see the Dingwall Museum to learn more about local military hero Sir Hector MacDonald, we smiled, said thank you and left town.

At the TIC we found information on a mail order music outlet called "Highland Music", which was on our way. They kindly allow passersby to wander through their warehouse (no easy feat, as it's very crowded and in a small space; they were to move soon to another, larger facility across the industrial park). Having tired of the only 2 CDs we had with us, we stocked up, each buying a 3-CD collection of traditional Celtic music and I splurged, buying 2 CDs by my favorite group, Altan, on top of that. (When the bill arrived after I returned home, I was to find that this was an expensive purchase -- over $60. The 3-CD set wasn't bad at $22, but the 2 single CDs were $18+ apiece. Should've waited & bought those in the U.S.)

South of the Beauly Firth we took a short jaunt east to the Moniack Castle, where we tasted their mead, wine and sloe gin. I finally achieved one of my goals for the trip and bought a bottle of mead to take home with me. Yum.

Finally, figuring a Scottish Explorer ticket would be worth our money (there were no covered sites north of Inverness and there's a time limit on using them), Beth and I each bought a 3-day pass when we stopped to tour Urquhart Castle, right on the shore of Loch Ness. Unfortunately for us, they're in the middle of constructing new tourist facilities (looks like they'll be nice when completed), so trying to take photos of the castle sans construction proved difficult. My knee was still unhappy with me from our trekking around the castles near Wick, so I was unable to explore as much of the ruins as I would have liked.

CONTINUED