Taken in the port at Thurso, near the Northernmost point in the UK.
Finally home last night at 1030...to find both upstairs and downstairs heat pumps broken. I got the downstairs going again and we slept on the pullout sofa in the living room (well, "slept" is debatable). The time change has us all hosed up.
We stopped at Balmoral on the way down from Dunnet Head, but Liz wasn't there. There wasn't so much as a Corgi to greet us. The NERVE of that woman.
We did see an awesome falcon/owl/hawk show at Dunrobin Castle on the North Sea.
Then we went to Edinburgh for two nights, finishing our trip where we started. We shopped a bit (just a little) and had pizza at our favorite pizza place in Scotland run by the guy who looks like Uncle Fester from the Addams Family. We also had our last meat pie and bangers and mash at Milne's and said farewell to our favorite Polish bartender.
The flight was uneventful. BA actually did a good job. We turned in the rental car without incident: just as we were getting the hang of it, too! We even navigated successfully to our lodging in Edinburgh without incident, but our little 1.6 liter Diesel Fiesta had to go back.
Both heat pumps are now fixed and we're getting back to "normal" as defined by us.
Cheers!
M&B
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I had a whole, nice big blog entry written and then the web site puked it somewhere into cyberspace. it's bedtime now, so suffice it to say we saw the Northernmost point in Britain, a shelling beach on the North Sea, a distillery, a castle, a falconry demonstration, and now we're in a hotel in Aviemore at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains. St. Andrews Ale. Balmoral tomorrow to see the Queen and the Corgis (well, the Corgis will do). Night.
Damn web site.
M&B
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This was the view from our room in the Rosedale Hotel in Portree. Yeah, it really stank, but we suffered.
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Today we bid Skye goodbye, but not without leaving our mark (well, a pile of our money at least).
We left the Rosedale Hotel on the waterfront in Portree and, after a lap around the town, headed for Ullapool. Ullapool is further North and also on the water - more of a seaport since it has a major ferry terminal.
On the way, though, we stopped in Broadford. We'd heard and read about this place called "The Handspinner Having Fun" by the old pier. We stopped and found what we expected: hand-spun and hand-dyed wool and cashmere and the garments made from it. I'll try to post a photo if the web site will behave: the colors of the yarn were incredible!
I got three sweaters and two hats and Betsy got some scarves and two sweaters. My cashmere hat is awesome. I may end up wearing one of my celtic-knot fishing sweaters, as it is that cold and rainy here. Plus, it's blowing up the proverbial storm. Betsy may be resplendent in her sweater, a pattern called "Bubbles and Waves." They're SOOOOOOFFFFFTTTT.
I tried to talk the wool dyer out of his vest, which was a natural one made from a very wooly sheep and that made him look like one too, but he wasn't selling. Anyway, thanks to Brian and Shira for putting the suggestion in our minds. It's the first things we've bought to bring back. Well, the first non-liquid things, that is. The Oban and Talisker Single-malts will be coming home too.
After "sweatering" we had a bit of lunch at a simple roadside cafe and then headed up the singletrack along Loch Carron for Ullapool. Singletrack roads are neat, but with the idiot drivers at home, they might not work so well. Imagine every kind of vehicle known, including tourbuses, using the same single-lane road with traffic going both ways. Every couple hundred meters, they have a "passing place" and if someone is coming, you just pull over and let them by (or they you). A quick double-flash of the lights indicates "come on, I'm waiting." It's LOVELY, but it wouldn't work in the anarchic mayhem that is US highways. It's a shame. You're also expected to pull over and let other people PASS you if they want to, which is also beautiful. I've been both the passer and the passed. It's all very gentlemanly.
Soon we pulled into Ullapool and followed our time-honored routine: hotel shopping. We found a free parking space along the seawall and shoehorned the mighty Fiesta into it, then went walking. We checked one hotel, which was booked, then the second had a room overlooking the harbor. Bingo! Simple, but just fine in the Argyll Hotel in Ullapool and they have a fine pub downstairs with free wireless internet. Ka-ching!
We went for a walk and found a shop with a couple VERY colorful ladies selling interesting bits, including old brass sundial/compass combos and replica sextants. We opted out of that, but found a few postcards in another shop. Dinner was rack of lamb for Betsy and a classic ham, eggs, and chips for me (with a local ale, of course). We sat next to a fellow bikie and his family (from Glasgow). On the other side was a couple with a Jack Russell puppy named Bailey. (They're really cool about dogs in Scotland - well-behaved ones are welcome in pubs.)
Oh yeah, we saw two more Westies this morning: Hamish and Skye were outside our hotel. The folks were astonished that I got on so well with Skye, as normally she's shy, but I know the "Westie Spot" to scratch that charms them all. We visited with Hamish and Skye and their people for a while, then reluctantly bid goodbye.
Now we're in the pub, having finished dinner. We're in the "big" pub because the world cup footie is on the telly in the "wee pub." Betsy is reading her book and I'm writing to you. Tomorrow, perhaps on to Cape Wrath or Tongue at the top of Scotland. Those new sweaters will probably get a workout. Meanwhile, the weather report from Leonardtown is that it's 100 deg F (it's about 60 here, I'd guess, with rain and blowing about 30+).
On the downhill stretch now. Sad, but we're missing our dog and it'll be good to wash clothes in something other than a sink.
M&B
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Isle of Skye Horses, by Betsy.
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