Cover photo: Dunnottar Castle

     Scotland is one of those places that you just know you have to go back to…and soon! I went with my daughter Savannah, we both absolutely adored it. I could split it up into a zillion posts and talk forever about it, but I’m going to try to keep it to three, the East coast, the Highlands, and the Isle of Skye and vicinity.

ENCHANTING EDINBURGH

     Scotland can be split diagonally into two sections: the highlands and the lowlands. The lowlands are the part below the imaginary diagonal line going roughly from the southwest of Scotland to the Northeast corner. Our first two days were spent in the lowlands of the east coast. Now, I’m not a flatlander, but if you have to be away from the mountains, this is a pretty good place to be. Our first stop was Edinburgh (don’t pronounce it like Pittsburgh, its more like Edin-bruh, with a fun attempt at a roll of your “R” on that last syllable).

     For recreation I lean more towards natural areas and away from cities, but Edinburgh was one of those cities that just takes your breath away. The feel of the medieval old town – with its castle on the hill and the ancient buildings and cobbled streets, leading you down the hill towards a palace – it just pulls you in by its charm. Along the way, there is an interesting side show of arched little alleyways, called “closes,”  usually too small for a car, that lead back to a courtyard area. They were called a close because at night the gates were locked – closed- for security and the community courtyard areas were neatly tucked in for the night.

 

      You never know what you will stumble upon going through the passageways, maybe a pub, a bookstore, or my favorite to explore would have been the Writers Museum in Lady Stairs Close, featuring, among others, a favorite poet of mine, Robert Burns.  But as I was headed there I was sidetracked by one of those little side streets and a cute little tea set in a shop window that was just meant to be sitting on the table of a crazy birdwatcher lady.

     Speaking of Robert Burns, and of being sidetracked, here’s a link to one of my favorite poems/songs of his, “My Heart’s in the Highlands”.  It’ll whet your appetite for my next post about the highlands. Make sure you click the video to hear the song being sung in the lovely Scottish accent while you’re on the website, it’s heavenly!

https://www.scottish-country-dancing-dictionary.com/my-hearts-in-the-highlands.html

Well, I’ve spent the wee time I had left for Edinburgh shopping, so I will just have to return! But first, I have a bucket list appointment in St. Andrews…

ST. ANDREWS: LEARNING TO GOLF WHERE GOLF WAS INVENTED

     For years I’ve wanted to try golf, but I wanted my first experience to be fantastic and memorable, so I put it off until I could do it for the first time in St. Andrews, where golf was invented. It’s also the home of one of the most sought after courses to play in the world, the Old Course.  A sweet friend told me about a great deal on flights this Fall, and Savannah, my daughter,  was available to go with, so yippee skippy – we were off!  I’m very happy I did wait to try golfing, because I got a good start in learning the game by going to the St. Andrews Links Golf Academy for a lesson before I played,  and I have the incredible memories of the enchanting St. Andrews golf courses to spur me forward.

     I loved that the area of the golf courses are public and are accessible to the non-golfing public, especially since the coastal setting is incredible. There are walking paths and bridges all around the golfing area, making it not such an elite area available to just a few, but a natural area enjoyed by many.

Of course care should be taken not to disturb the golfers’ concentration, as many have waited a year to get a tee time here, or had to literally win a lottery to come and play! I didn’t play the Old Course because you have to meet certain golf ability requirements, and I had no ability at all. I played the Balfour course. There are seven courses that are part of the St. Andrews Links.  I think I’d like to go back and play the Jubilee course, because it hugs the coastline most.  Here’s the view looking out over the Strathtyrum and Eden courses, which look fairly inviting also.

But enough about golf, because St. Andrews has more to offer than that.  It’s a seaside town, bordering on the North Sea.

The view from our balcony at our lovely hotel, the Scores, shows some of the highlights: the golf courses on the far left, then the beach, and there’s also the rocky outcropping where seabirds gather straight ahead.

Out of view from this pic, off to the right, is where Savannah spent some of her time while I golfed, touring the St. Andrews Castle. She loved it so much we decided to tour several other castles on our trip. It was the start of something wonderful.

Castles are not only beautiful, but they are situated in the most gorgeous spots. I love lighthouses for similar reasons, and there are plenty of lighthouses and castles here.

So with a bit more daylight left, (and it doesn’t last long in November in Scotland) we head up the coast to…

 

DUNNOTTAR CASTLE AND ABERDEEN

Some things you just know ahead of time are going to be spectacular. One would be a castle on a peninsula jutting out into the North Sea, just before dark, solitary, windswept.  Makes you want to be in period costume with climactic music coming from the bushes somehow as you hurry down the slope to the entrance.

     Dunnottar castle sits on a small headland, with steep cliffs dropping over 150 feet to the sea. It is open to the public to tour, with 3.5 acres of ruins and restored areas. Remember those Scottish Crown Jewels, “The Honours of Scotland”, that I mentioned earlier that are in Edinburgh Castle? They were hidden here from the Oliver Cromwell’s invading armies in the 17th century.

     After a day of castle-hopping, you must have a bit of mead and grub at a pub, and we found an awesome one just to the north in Aberdeen, the Old Blackfriars. Now this first pic doesn’t look that appetizing, a half eaten bowl of soup, but it was an historic moment for me so I  must include it.  Savannah shared with me her bowl of skink. Yes, I said  S K I N K , and no it’s not made of any lizard from southern USA and it doesn’t smell bad either. It’s actually called Cullen Skink soup, named from the town of Cullen where it originated, on the North East coast of Scotland. The menu said it was smoked haddock, potatoes and cream, but I’ve had it with onions in it also. In my opinion, this should be the signature Scottish dish instead of haggis. It’s like a chowder, but has a rich smoky flavor.   I say, it was heaven! From this point forward in Scotland, I ordered it at every possible meal I had. I’m going to try to recreate it at home, if I figure it out, I’ll share it here.

 

     We rounded out the meal with Steak and Belhaven Ale Pie, made with puff pastry for Savannah, and the Haggis and Potato Pie with Whiskey Sauce for me. ( yes, Michaela, my vegan daughter,  I had the vegetarian option). Both were excellent! I tried Sticky Toffee pudding for dessert, even though I’m not a fan of Toffee, and predictably I did not like it.  I had to try it, its the name.

After that wonderfully warm and filling meal, I’d have liked to crawl into bed, but still had a 3 hour drive to Inverness ahead of me. But that’s the next post….

One last thing while I’m thinking about driving, that drive from Aberdeen to Inverness wasn’t so bad in this regard, but if you’re thinking of traveling to Great Britain, and especially Scotland, rent a SMALL CAR. Many of the roads are narrow, some only one lane with pull-out spots every so often to pass an oncoming vehicle, and the parking spots are teeny tiny compared to what I’m used to. Don’t splurge and get a big car, and don’t let the rental companies say they’ve “upgraded” you to a big car. Insist on the smallest one you can possibly use. You’ll be a much happier driver.

 

THE GALLERY