An unexpected high point for us

Sun!! All day!! (Mostly) 

Today we headed to Blair Castle in Atholl, south of Pitlochry where we are staying. Blair has 30 of it's 60 rooms open to the public, and sits on 145,700 acres (about 228 square miles). It is an unusual castle, in that all the furnishings, collections, artifacts, decor, is original to the castle. When you see a chair covered with gorgeous needlepoint, the handwork was done by a family member. Furniture is all original, not period pieces or reproductions . The castle itself is the ancestral home of the Murray family, and has been since 1269. Over more than 750 years, the castle has passed through 12 Dukes, and many Marquesses and Earls, all of the Murray clan.

We arrived at an auspicious time, a piper played outside the entrance for 15 minutes, setting the tone for the rest of our self-guided tour. Every one of the 30 rooms open to the public had something fascinating, gorgeous, or wonderful to look at. Docents walked the house, and you could ask questions to get more information. In one room, there was a canopy bed with elaborately embroidered decoration on the canopy and bed covering. The docents pointed out to us that the lady in the painting over the doorway had done the embroidery in 1650.

A hallway was lined on both sides with stag antlers taken by members of the family, with the name of the person and the date taken. We asked about the

Glove storage

function of a particular table, and were shown that the lid lifts up to reveal pockets inside for storing gloves. (Doesn't everyone need lots of glove storage?)

Room ceilings were remarkable, with intricate plaster designs.

The entrance to the castle is surprisingly small, and the entrance hall shows a collection of shields, muskets and swords, some of which were used in the battle of Culloden.

he cabinets in the dining room were made from larch on the estate property.

Views out the windows of the Highlands are spectacular.

The castle's contents tell its story over 750 years, and it was a fascinating one to see. After the tour of the house, we ventured out to explore the grounds. There is a walled garden, the ruins of a church whose site dates back to 1275, the building to the 16th century. An area called Diana's Grove is home to some of the tallest trees in Scotland. A fir tree there is the second largest in Scotland. 

We greatly enjoyed this visit.

We're staying in the village of Pitlochry, population about 2700. It is really charming and clean, and I love the floral displays around town. Most homes and businesses have huge colorful flower baskets out front. I'm not sure if I  like this village because it's beautiful,  or just because I saw it in the sun!

Photos here

Hairy Coos and History , September 27, 2026

We visited an estate in the Highlands yesterday that has been in the same family for almost 500 years. It is located in Cairngorms National Park, where the owners raise Highland cattle, also affectionately known as Hairy coos. The cattle are distinctive for their long shaggy coats and huge horns. We had the opportunity to learn more about their estate, and the cattle themselves, that are prized for the quality of their beef. At retail, Highland cattle beef fetch 20-50% more than, say, Angus beef. Interesting stop. 

 Our next stop was the Highland Folk Museum, with recreations of Highland buildings from the 1700s to the early 1900s. Similar to Sturbridge Village, there are costumed interpreters who explain and demonstrate life in the 1700s.

I asked why the 1700 era houses were thatch, sticks and stone, when wood was used in the US in the same time period. It's because the English took all the timber. They had exhausted their own local wood supplies by the 17th century. and turned to Highland forests to produce charcoal to melt iron ore. Lumber was also constantly required to build and maintain ships for the Royal Navy and the expanding British Empire. Combined with the Jacobite cause, I asked if the Scots had any lingering bad feelings about England, and was told that especially in the Highlands that definitely is the case.

This entire day was spent in the rain, so our rain jackets and umbrellas came in handy. Actually, it's rained nearly every day, some days more than others, but usually in bouts of 20-30 minutes. Yesterday was pretty much an all day event, with occasional downpours. Temps are in the constant 50s. Somewhere along the way, I picked up a cold. That seems to be getting better. Looking forward to a sunny day tomorrow!

Photos here

Culloden

 Our day began at the Culloden battlefield south of Inverness.

The Jacobites (supporters of King James) staged a series of rebellions in Scotland in the 18th century, attempting to overthrow the ruling House of Hanover and restore the Catholic House of Stuart to the British throne. They were encouraged and assisted by Britain’s enemies, who saw their cause as a way of distracting Britain from its military campaigns overseas. Over the years from 1689 to 1746, the Jacobites (which included Scottish Highlanders, Episcopalians, Catholics, and those angry over the 1707 Act of Union joining Scotland and England) fought the British. 

Culloden was the final battle that ended the hopes of Jacobites forever. Around 1,000 to 1,500 Jacobites were killed during the battle itself, with additional hundreds dying of wounds or summary executions in the days and weeks that followed.  Around 50 British forces were killed and roughly 250 to 300 were wounded. The battle itself only took less than an hour, but it changed the course of Scottish history.

We toured the visitor center that laid out the events that led to the battle, and then walked to the place where the Jacobite mass burial took place.

Small monument to clan members that fell here.

No individual monuments were placed at the time, but small inscribed memorial stones were placed around the graves in 1881 by Duncan Forbes to mark where specific clans fell and rest. As a result of the fall of the Jacobites here, the British government dismantled the traditional clan system, banned tartan and Highland dress, and outlawed bagpipes as instruments of war. 

The Gaelic language was pushed out of schools, hundreds of rebels were executed or exiled, and harsh occupying measures reshaped Scottish society.

This was a critical juncture for Scotland.

Nearby, there are 4000 year old cairns, a bronze age cemetery each of which is surrounded by standing stones (thought to be inspiration for Outlander).

Right down the road from that was the Culloden viaduct.  Opened in 1889 and still used today as the main rail link into the Highlands, it has 29 arches.

Lastly on our day's visits was the Catholic church, St Mary's, right on the Ness River. The stained glass is particularly bright and lovely.

Beastie Boat on Loch Ness

The drive from Portree to Inverness was about 3 hours to go 106 miles. The last miles were on single track roads along the east side of Loch Ness. Those single track roads are OK until a bus comes from the opposite direction. All you can do is squeeze as far left as you possibly can, and pray as the bus comes within inches of your car. The added bonus is that the speed limit is 60 mph, and the locals do drive that speed.

Beastie Boats are speed boats that hold 10-12 passengers. It turns out that we were the only people on this excursion. Our driver, Kate, fitted us with life vests, and we came prepared with parkas and rain jackets. Good thing we did. It was cold and the boat went fast. We motored across the Lake to Urquhart Castle, ruins near Inverness. Kate explained a few points about the castle, and on a previous stop, told us more about Loch Ness. It's 22.5 miles long, 1.7 miles wide, the average depth is 433 feet, it's maximum depth is 754 feet. It's very cold.  Kate told us that winter is cold and gray and  the days short, which can be a depressing time. She was shocked when we told her that you won't find peas on an American restaurant menu. They're everywhere here. Apparently, it's a vegetable that grows well in Scotland and they're inexpensive. She explained that there are few, if any, houses around the Loch. The land is government owned. It was wonderful having our own private guide, so we had nice conversations when the boat wasn't speeding along at 30 mph.

It did sprinkle a bit on our trip, but it was mostly cloudy with some sun. It was unusual that we could actually see from one end to the other. Usually clouds and mist obscure the view.

Inverness was our next stop. We walked the city a bit, and stopped to have a cup of tea to warm us up. We were still cold from our speedboat encounter! Finally we checked into our room, a bit on the cold side. It didn't look like the heater was working. So we mentioned it at the front desk, and they brought up a portable heater. 

Out of desperation to have a meal that didn't include french fries (chips) or PEAS, we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. 

Photos here

Dunvegan Castle, September 24, 2026

Scotland was back to its more recognizable face today: rain.

We had a lovely breakfast where we had a conversation with a woman from Perth who told us she was on a 2 week tour of Scotland with her son. She was a MacLeod and had visited Dunvegan, the ancestral home of the MacLeods and a castle we would be seeing today. She mentioned how significant the castle was to her, and outlined her trip for us. 

Dunvegan Castle

Unfortunately, the rain increased as we approached the castle. But we came prepared with rain jackets, so no big deal. The castle was wonderful, and presented us with so many interesting stories of early Scotland and how Dunvegan fit into it. We learned that the MacLeods originated with the Vikings, that beggars were licensed in early Scotland, that the dungeon was placed near the kitchen so the prisoners would smell the cooking food, that men who wanted to marry had to make a rope and use it to rappel down the cliffs to catch birds to prove they could support a family, and ...so much more. This was a fascinating look at the only Highland fortress to have been continuously occupied by the same family for 800 years. It consists of 41,000 acres!

After our tour, we headed toward Kilt Rock and Meallt Falls, north of Portree along the coast. Kilt Rock is a sheer cliff in the distance from the viewpoint, and Meallt falls tumbles to the sea from the top of another cliff. It was very windy, and pouring rain, so we didn't spend much time there. 

Northern Skye

We decided to tour the northern coast of Skye, the Trotternish Peninsula. It was very scenic, remote, and sparsely populated, and the road was built for one car width, although it accommodates 2 way traffic. That made driving interesting. If a car or truck comes from the opposite direction, one of you has to pull over as far as possible to the left to accommodate the other vehicle. Avoiding the many potholes was part of the drive as well. But it was a beautiful drive. Ray did great!

Back at our hotel later in the day, we had a cup of tea, then went to dinner at a Portree restaurant. It was still raining.

Photos here

Eilean Donan Castle to Skye, September 23, 2026

It was really surprising to wake up yesterday to find the Sun out. We're heading towards Portree with several stops along the way. The moors are beautiful in the sunlight, a completely different mood from their misty, foggy look. 

We stopped at the Commando Memorial, a 17 foot statue dedicated to the men of the original British Commando Forces raised during World War II. The bronze sculpture overlooks the commando training grounds during WW2. Nearby is a separate area where people can leave a memorial for deceased members of their families. I found the memorial area very touching.

We continued along the 2 lane A82, very scenic and in places very winding. We thought it amusing that there were few speed limit signs. The best it got were arrow markings on the road on which the word “SLOW” was printed. How slow? There were also signs that showed that the road was becoming curvy. But how slow is slow enough? How fast can you go on the straighter sections? 

I think we may have passed 2 small towns on the way to Eilean Donan, a castle at the confluence of three sea lochs. The original castle was built in the thirteenth century; it became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies, the Clan MacRae. Since it's roots in the 1200s, it has been built and rebuilt 4 times.

Partially destroyed by the British in 1719 as a response to the Jacobite rebellion and rebuilt in phases over the years, most recently in the early 1900s by a MacRae descendant. There are four generations of the MacRae family past, present and future who are still the Constables of Eilean Donan Castle today. It was interesting to walk the grounds and read about the history that took place there. We were struck by the reverence given to the Scottish warriors over the years, especially for WWI. Since the newest castle renovation was done in 1932, that was completely understandable.

From Eilean Donan, we drove on to Portree, on the north eastern coast of Skye. It has a lovely harbor, and the colored houses along the shore are distinctive. 

At Portree, we checked into our hotel, right on the harbor, and discovered that parking is limited -- extremely limited. There are 10 spaces for 42 rooms. We got directions from the lovely "grandma" at the checkin desk, and set off to try our luck finding somewhere to leave the car for the night. Lo and behold, we got one in the tiny hotel lot, overlooked by others because it was behind the other cars. 

Thank you God, for a sunny day!

Photos here

The Jacobite train through the Highlands, September 22, 2026

 Today's excursion took us for a trip on the Jacobite train, an 84-mile round trip between Fort William and Mallaig in Scotland, famous as the real-life Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter films. As we left Port William, we were concerned that we'd miss a lot of the Highlands scenery because it was foggy and raining. In fact much of the journey to Mallaig was shrouded in rain and fog. But by the time we arrived there, the rain had stopped and the skies had brightened.  We spent 2 hours in Mallaig browsing the shops

Glenfinnan aqueduct

until the train started on its return trip to Fort William. That was much more rewarding. The moors and mountains of the Highlands now revealed themselves. We were able to get a better view of the Glenfinnan aqueduct over which we had traveled as well. And I learned what the copper colored plants were that covered the landscape: bracken. Bracken are ferns that

See the hiker on the knoll?

spread aggressively. As fall advances, the ferns die back and take on that copper color. It's truly everywhere. 

One fantastic detail to the train trip: As we approached the western end of the train trip in Mallaig, the train rolled by some houses. An older gentleman stood on his doorstep, not far from the train, holding up a sign with large letters that said: HAVE A NICE DAY! He was there on the return trip, waving to passengers with a big smile.

Back at Fort William,  we retired to our (not crazy) hotel and then went to dinner at a local restaurant.  It seems that every Scottish restaurant serves the same stuff: fish and chips, burgers and pizza. There are a few other choices, (I had sea bass for dinner) but those 3 are ubiquitous. 

Another thing of note: pay toilets are popular here. God help you if you REALLY need to use a rest room and don't have change. (That happened to me. )

Photos here