2010-09-10T06:58:36Z Mark Byers Copyright 2010, Mark Byers SPHPBLOG
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]]> http://www.thecrabs.org/index.php?entry=entry100712-104731 2010-07-12T00:00:00Z 2010-07-12T00:00:00Z
Damn web site.

M&B]]> http://www.thecrabs.org/index.php?entry=entry100708-150730 2010-07-08T00:00:00Z 2010-07-08T00:00:00Z
This was the view from our room in the Rosedale Hotel in Portree. Yeah, it really stank, but we suffered.]]> http://www.thecrabs.org/index.php?entry=entry100706-135226 2010-07-06T00:00:00Z 2010-07-06T00:00:00Z
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



]]> http://www.thecrabs.org/index.php?entry=entry100706-132419 2010-07-06T00:00:00Z 2010-07-06T00:00:00Z
Isle of Skye Horses, by Betsy.]]> http://www.thecrabs.org/index.php?entry=entry100706-020520 2010-07-06T00:00:00Z 2010-07-06T00:00:00Z
I can't give you words to properly describe this place: the beauty is incomprehensible. A narrow, singletrack road with the sea on one side and incredible mountains on the other, laid out through the greenest grasses and most purple heather, ripped by waterfalls cascading from the highest, most jagged rifts in the ancient mountains. The mountaintops are frequently hidden by the clouds and it'll take a good jacket to keep you warm and dry in the middle of July, but it's worth the trouble.

To catch you up, we had a great stay in Arisaig at a B&B that was merely the upstairs of a private home. There were four businesses in town, one of which was a cafe from which I blogged day before yesterday, but the food was tremendous. The ferry was not running due to weather, so we drove around through Fort William, past Eilean Donan Castle, and came to the bridge to Skye at the Kyle of Lochalsh. We stayed in an uninspired hotel in Lochalsh and blogged from Saucy Mary's Cafe.

This morning, we breakfasted and headed for Skye. Weather was the usual Scottish mixture of rain, wind, rain, sun, wind, rain, wind, rain, sun, et al. Our first stop was at a waterfall feeding one of the Lochs. A short hike has us at the waterfall, along with some other tourists. It was very nice and we photographed it to death. A quick dip of my hand into the water revealed what I thought: if the current didn't kill you, the cold would. One of our fellow photographers got a bit of a chance to experience it when he got wet up to the waist, but he survived (young people - go figure).

Then it was off to the Talisker Distillery, a beautiful little place on a Loch, down a singletrack road. We didn't take the tour, but we got a tasting of this fine 10-year old. Betsy finished hers before I did: she's getting pretty fond of the single-malts! We got a small bottle of it and one of Oban, since we didn't get one at that distillery (changed our minds).

We had lunch at what purports to be the oldest bakery on Skye, near Dunvegan Castle. The guidebook said not to bother with Dunvegan, so we didn't, but we DID bother the bakery. A meat pie, sausage roll, jam-filled donut, two treacle scones, and two Belgian hot chocolates...for just over 5 pounds! We finished eating al fresco just as the rain started again.

On to Duntulm, which was incredible. Then to Portree. We hit town about 5:30 PM with no reservations. The first place we tried, a guesthouse, looked a little sketchy, but they didn't have a double room and that was just fine with us. The second place didn't even warrant a look. Back to town. The first hotel was booked, but the lady referred us to the Rosedale. Not only did they have a room, but they welcomed us to the hotel with a dram of Scotch! We got a little room in the attic, but it has a big four-poster bed AND a beautiful view of the outstanding harbor! Bingo!

We dinnered at another pub, where I downed some more Skye Ale and a good burger. The missus had a meat pie with tatties. Back to the hotel where we're blogging to you now over a couple pots of tea. Almost time for bed.

Tomorrow? We'll make it up as we go. Probably Ullapool: we're not far enough North to see the Borealis just yet.

Cheers!]]> http://www.thecrabs.org/index.php?entry=entry100705-145107 2010-07-05T00:00:00Z 2010-07-05T00:00:00Z
Our B&B in Arisaig was good and so was the brekkie, but there was bad news this morning. The wind howled and blew rain all night and this morning, the landlord told us the ferry from Mallaig to Skye had been cancelled due to the weather! So, we changed our plans (or the lack of plans that pass for plans with us). We drove back to Fort William, then lunched on "Toasties and Soup" (Grilled Cheese and Tomato with Tomato soup). We did a little walkabout of Fort William, then hit the road.

I can't tell you how hard it rained. Then the sun shone. Then it rained. Then it blew. Then the sun shone. Then it rained wicked hard. Then it did all of the above simultaneously. (Replay the above, repeating every 20 minutes and you've just about got it.) I can tell you that the Bens, Beinns, etc. that they call mountains are super steep and cut with crevasses. When it rains like this, those crevasses turn into screaming, tumbling, raging, surging, cascading waterfalls, some of which empty right next to the road. It's nothing to come around a turn and see the mountain erupting into a culvert just next to the road on which you're driving. It's impressive.

All those cascades empty into one of the many lakes, or Lochs (you have to say the "ch" like you have some phlegm in your throat if you want to do it right). The foaming torrent of water is a yellow-brown from the passage through the peat, so the lochs are darker than the inside of a cat. No wonder they can't find that damn monster...

We stopped by one of the most photographed places on earth. No, it wasn't the Glade Creek Grist Mill in Babcock State Park in West Virginia - it was Eilean Donan Castle. Chances are you've seen it on TV or someplace in an ad. It's also a reconstruction of one that existed about seven hundred years ago. A fortification of some kind has been there since the Pictish tribes, but the castle was more of a Johnny-come-lately at only 700-ish years old. It held off Vikings and other invaders for years until the advent of cannons. Then a group of ships hove to off the castle and pounded it to bits in the 1800's.

In 1912, this guy McCrae who obviously had a huge pile of money restored the thing as a residence for his clan. It only took 20 years and he rebuilt it to suit him, with lots of nooks and crannies and passages within what were once 15-foot-thick walls. Impressive visually, but not the impact of Stirling or even Edinburgh. It's chief asset seems to be that it occupies a tiny, rocky island in a loch. My opinion may have been colored by the fact that is was blowing 40-50 MPH and raining horizontally, which tends to take a bit of the edge off one's enthusiasm for outdoor pursuits.

So now we're on the doorstep of Skye, plotted up in a cafe called "Saucy Mary's" which is a bit of a backpacker hangout. Tomorrow we'll do a circuit of Skye, then see where the road takes us. The motel for tonight isn't very classy, but it's a bed. The internerd may be scarce for a coupla days, so stand by for an update. I'm still having trouble uploading photos too, so check Facebook if you have that ability.

Bye.]]> http://www.thecrabs.org/index.php?entry=entry100704-100722 2010-07-04T00:00:00Z 2010-07-04T00:00:00Z
Oban is a town on the West Coast of Scotland known for its sheltered harbor. Ferries leave Oban for the Isle of Mull.

We pulled in and found a free public car park. Bingo! We did a bit of walking on the hill above the town, not wanting to stay on the busy waterfront and Voila! - right across from the Oban Lawn Bowling club, found a beautiful B&B with a harborview room. Bingo! Morven and Robert were our hosts and they were young innkeepers with a fantastic house and took excellent care of ourselves. We seem to be making the "serendipity tour" thing work after all!

We walked downtown in the Scottish Sunshine (the first real rain of the tip) and had some traditional fish and chips at a small shop. We then went to a pub right on the coast called..."Coasters" and had dessert and tea (apple pie with a warm caramel sauce). Yeah. Yum. We commiserated with the Scots as Andy Murray lost to Nadal.

This morning, we got up and had a "lovely" Scottish brekkie, followed by a walk downtown. The Oban Distillery calls! We took the tour and got some tastes, along with a commemorative glass. I'd recommend Oban 14-year-old Scotch to any fan of Scotch Whiskey - it's light, but flavorful.

Then it was off to Skye...almost. We drove along the coast a bit, stopping at the "Castle Stalker" overlook. If you have seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Castle Stalker was one of the settings. At that point, I turned the car keys over to Betsy, said a few Hail Marys (as if I knew HOW to do that) and off we went. She did fine, although I probably tried to rip the door handle off as many times with her as she did with me prior to the "tire incident." She did quite well and is now a fully-qualified co-driver in the UK.

From Castle Stalker, we drive through AMAZING Scottish Highlands until we reached the coast again. We stopped at a Jacobite (Google it) monument at Glenfinnan (Google it again). In keeping with our "movie set" theme, if you have ever seen the "Harry Potter" films where the "Hogwarts Express" is crossing a gorge via an aqueduct...THAT is where we were. While we were atop the Jacobite monument, a train came by. Photos to follow when I have a better connection. The loch behind the monument was stunning. "Wow" came back into our vocabularies with a vengeance.

We were going to hit the ferry for Skye, but the signs said it wasn't going to leave until after we wanted to get to Skye, so we plotted up for the night in the tiny seaside village of Arisaig (Google it again). We found a B&B a half mile down a single-track road that had a double room and a cat named "Carlo." Bingo again. We got a booking for dinner at a stunning cafe in the village (lamb and steak, anyone?). We'll have a Scottish brekkie again at 0800, then a booking on the ferry to Skye at 1100. It should be an awesome ride.

Tomorrow, Skye and the return via Eilean Donan castle, one of the most photographed places in the world for a reason.

Oh yeah, it's 9:15 at night and I'm still able to take photos. At the observatory in Stirling, Jed Duthie reminded us that Stirling is the same latitude as Moscow, so it never really gets dark in July and August. We're North of that now and still going. We'll walk the half mile back to the B&B in rainy twilight, taking pictures all the while.

Ta.]]> http://www.thecrabs.org/index.php?entry=entry100703-125818 2010-07-03T00:00:00Z 2010-07-03T00:00:00Z
Today couldn't have been better, even though it rained all morning. Brekkie at the Stirling Highland was leisurely and good. We went to the Old Jail and had a couple excellent actors take us through the place. It has a couple floors dedicated to history and the rest is offices! Imagine having your own cell! I imagine it's not much different than cubicles, but better built.

We then went to the Church of the Holy Rude, which is not about being impolite, but rather means "Church of the Holy Cross." It's one of the oldest churches in Scotland, dating back to the 1200's. Betsy put in a special prayer request and lit a candle for her old teacher, Sister Chris (or Christer as they called her) who isn't doing so well just now.

After a short lunch break at Porter's for some "Pub Grub" we went to the ATS tire store and got a new tire for the rental! Kenny and Fraser were great and the Fiesta is back in action. We were close to the Wallace monument, so we went for it and climbed all 246 steps to the top of this tall monument to Scotland's hero. We got to see what was supposedly his sword and a replica. The original saw some hard use and was bent a bit. The view from the top is stunning.

Tonight, the Stirling Astronomy Guild is meeting at our hotel to use the observatory (that we saw last night) to view the stars. There's an 1800's telescope up there above the bar and at 1030 tonight we'll meet them to do some stargazing! Thanks to Calum Campbell of the hotel staff for putting us onto THAT goodie.

Even though we're in the Stirling Highland, up near the castle, the Golden Lion is where our hearts are staying. The desk lady, Mandy, arranged for us to get our tire repaired, got us the room at the Stirling when they had none, and their porter, David, even drove with us to the tire shop and carried the torn up tire/wheel into the shop for me! If you are ever in Stirling, the Golden Lion is not the newest place, but it's the best customer service ever.

We're in a tea shop with free WiFi now, but it'll close shortly, so we're off for some more "pub grub." We haven't paid more than 20 pounds for a dinner and a coupla beers the entire time we've been here. In fact, most pubs have a twofer special for 9 pounds 99 or something like that. Add in two lagers and you're still below 20 bob. Yum.

On to the highlands tomorrow. I think I hear a distillery calling my name! Driving is getting better.]]> http://www.thecrabs.org/index.php?entry=entry100701-113514 2010-07-01T00:00:00Z 2010-07-01T00:00:00Z
That’s how we came, at 1330 hours, to be driving with David to the ATS tire shop, where they had to order a tire for our car. We dropped off the mangled one and wheel and he said he’d put it right tomorrow, including mounting it back on the car! It’ll cost us a bit of money, something just over a hundred bucks, but Hertz sure as heck isn’t doing anything for us.

The other good news is that we got a room for two nights just below the castle at the Stirling Highland Hotel. It’s pretty sweet and is in the center of Old Town. We would have preferred to stay with our friends at the Golden Lion, but they were booked. We talked about it and decided that with the car business, we really wanted to do Stirling justice since it’s so pivotal to Scottish history, so we booked two nights.

This is the place where William Wallace used the wooden bridge to ambush the British, divide them, and defeat them in 1297. This is from where Robert the Bruce ruled. The castle here is where Mary Queen of Scots was made Queen as just an infant. They say “He who controls Stirling, controls Scotland” because it’s at the gateway to the highlands and at a narrow point.

You can see the Wallace monument from here, something we hope to see tomorrow, although neither of us relishes the 365 steps to the top. The place we’re staying is in an old high school from the 1800’s and has a bit of a castle look about it. Right now we’re in the bar that was the Headmaster’s area and the library is next door (essentially part of the bar).

Tonight we had a great treat when Calum Campbell, a waiter, took us up to see the 1800’s telescope in the observatory. He said the astronomy society meets tomorrow night and that we’re invited to come back to look through the telescope! There was an old gent up there with us who went to school here and requested the tour, which netted us the opportunity.

Tomorrow we’ll see the old jail and the beheading stone, along with the Wallace monument if the car repair allows. Then it’s truly off to the highlands, which aren’t far: you can see them from Stirling Castle. So close, but…

We are stunned by the sights, but even more stunned by the hospitality and service. This is wonderful (Hertz notwithstanding).

MacMark and MacBetsy Henderson Armstrong Potterfield MacByers
]]> http://www.thecrabs.org/index.php?entry=entry100630-140515 2010-06-30T00:00:00Z 2010-06-30T00:00:00Z