A Much Belated Trip Report - Scotland: The Land of Sheep, Roots, Scenery and Chippie Stands!

Yay!!!! Lovely beginning. How fun to go with your parents!

I'm glad to see this.

And they're great photo (are you sure you didn't post all 1300 of them?).

You can see your parents- especially your dad- relax across the holiday.

I hope none of you bought one of those Kilt towels?

Your Bohuntine glen is sure bleak and beautiful. Is that where the little church is? I thik I may have visited that graveyard with a friend of mine who has Macdonald relatives buried there. Where exactly is it? Was it what you and your folks were expecting?

You know you can see the poor man's gap for his tooth, in one photo?

Enjoying your report & photos and looking forward to the rest ! What a nice person you are, of you to arrange this for your parents.

Homing in on the food element (as is my wont )... I am always disappointed by those pies which are basically a stew with a puff pastry lid. Tbat's what most pubs do - I suppose it's easier for them. I now won't order a pie in a pub without quizzing the person taking the order about what type of pastry is involved & hearing it's not puff pastry. Re the fish supper - £3.50 is very cheap ! It's generally £5 in Edinburgh (and rubbish).

It looks like you were lucky with the weather which I'm glad about - last summer was generally awful.

Awaiting the rest anxiously

Like others have said this is a fun and interesting read. As someone who is obsessed by anything Scotland I amm looking forward to the next installments!

Thanks for taking the time to post this very interesting report.

I love your pictures - Your dad and mom certainly do NOT look 70 years old!

Hey LOMT:
Good to hear from you again. Life gets busy doesn't it. Thanks for posting a trip report. Ain't Scotland great?
I hope you and your parents enjoyed every moment of it.
I look forward to the rest of your report. BTW, your pics are great.
All the best,
d1

More coming soon... I didn't realize it took so long for reviews to get posted on tripadvisor, so I decided to submit all of them first and wait till they're posted before continuing. That and the fact that I somehow got roped into hosting 2 parties tonight at my house... once all that's over with, the next installment will be here.

Looking forward to it with baited breath, as I'm going again in June

Tapping foot impatiently...

Looking forward to it with baited breath

Really?
What kind of bait do you use and what do you hope to catch?
I await your answer with bated breath

Well, I like tuna fish, but not the sort in the can. I suppose that will attract sushi chefs

LOL GreenDragon. How did your show go over the weekend?

Bleh - 25 mph winds with 40 mph gusts! We were holding out tents down much of Saturday, and it never got above 60 degrees. No people - no sales. Very draining. The good news is I got a new tax client (one of the other artists) and made some more local connections. Never a zero sum!

Pobrecita! You should have been here in SoCal - sunny in the 80's with a light breeze.

Just killing time until lifeofmytime returns . . .

Yeah, it was down in the 20s Sunday morning. In Florida! In March! Very strange...

I plan on bringing many layers when I go to Scotland in June (to bring the thread back to topic). I know it will be cold and windy up in Orkney!

It's coming, it's coming - I promise!

Working on it now, should have Day Two posted tonight. Maybe even Day Three too!

Day Two: Glasgow

We slept until about 8am and then wandered up to the breakfast room. This hotel is all about the little things that make a big difference, like the crisp white linen table cloths, and the simple but elegant place settings. We were waited on immediately by Valerie herself. Our breakfast (included in the price of our room) started off with orange juice , plus tea or coffee. Next up was a choice of cereal or porridge. Mom and I went with the porridge and Dad went with his old standby - Special K. The porridge was fine - mom used to make it for us growing up but I was never a huge porridge person. I like it with some brown sugar sprinkled in but they only had white. Then we had a lovely hot breakfast of egg, back bacon, sausage, toast, beans, mushrooms and a potato scone. It was delicious and really hit the spot.

By the time we were ready to hit the road it was almost 11am. We caught the Hop On Hop Off bus and “hopped off” at Buchanan Galleries. The weather wasn’t too bad - overcast mostly. It rained from time to time, but never for too long. We spent a few hours there doing some shopping. Poor Dad spent the day standing outside of each shop waiting for us. I picked up a few sweaters for myself and a pack of marmalades made with Scotch whiskey to take home to my aunt. We hit the food court for lunch and grabbed some coffee and prepackaged sandwiches for 14GBP total.

We decided to try and find our way to Prince’s Square for more shopping. It started to rain quite heavily on the way, so we ducked into a kilt shop. It was a fortuitous stop for all of us because we found enough souvenirs there that we didn’t really have to worry about looking for much else the rest of the trip.

We arrived at Prince’s Square and we were in awe - so posh! I loved it. Though going through it, we didn’t actually see that many shops. I did manage to find a knit cap I really liked and the folks offered to pick it up as a Christmas gift, so I said sure thing! Then we checked out the food court - if you could even call it that. On the top and bottom floors, there are several restaurants that seemed quite posh as well. Well in relation to most food courts anyway! We chose Darcy’s (which I believe was on the bottom floor) and we were very happy with our choice. They had a full menu, but also offered a fix price menu where you can have a two-course meal for 11.95GBP or a three-course meal for 14.95GBP. You could choose from a limited menu of starters, mains and desserts. Mom went with a two-course meal of chicken breast in piri piri sauce with potatoes and veggies, and an apple crumble for dessert. Dad had the same without dessert. I chose the soy and honey-seared salmon with potatoes and veggies, and a warm caramel shortcake for dessert. It was nothing short of superb. Best meal of the trip so far. With a coffee, a soda, and a bottle of water, the bill came to 39GBP. And my parents treated me to dinner, which was nice.

As great as our meal was, we used up our last hour of shopping since everything closed early due to the bank holiday. We walked around the city a bit, popped into Borders to pick up a road atlas and then tried to find a 16 or 18 bus back to the hotel. The Hop On Hop Off had stopped running for the evening. We got lost (happily for me as I would rather spend the evening exploring the city at night then go back to the hotel to stare at each other until bed time), but we eventually found the bus stop after getting help from another tourist. That probably should have been a red flag, but she seemed to know what she was talking about. So we waited for quite some time at the bus stop, and then asked 2 older ladies how much the bus fare would be. Luckily one of the women asked us where we were headed and let us know we were at the wrong bus stop - these buses were going in the opposite direction. They gave us excellent directions and we found it with no problem. It was just up the street from Borders - where we started. The bus arrived within minutes and we got back to the hotel with just enough time to stare at each other some more before we went to bed at 10:30. We had a 5:30am wake up call to look forward to as we had a very long day ahead of us.

Coming up: White knuckles and clenched teeth - our first day on the road.

Oh, and thanks everyone, by the way for your great comments!

Sheila - the little church is not right in Bohuntine but not too far away - it's on the main road in Roybridge. It was more than I ever could have expected! More on that later...

And no - we did not buy any kilt towels

Yes there is one shot in particular where the old man's gap is very noticeable - we took an "after" shot too, but I can't remember if I posted that one or not lol.

LC Boniti: My parents will be very happy to hear that they don't look their age. I tell them all the time but they don't believe me.

Enjoyed your trip report - we will be staying in Glasgow in August the last 2 nights of our trip before our flight back to the States - Did you find the hotel you stayed convenient for getting to the airport and also the sights of Glasgow? We have a 9 a.m. flight out on a Sunday morning.

Also, you mentioned getting tickets for the hop on and off bus ahead of time. Can you give the website.

Thanks Joanna

ttt

Joanna - our hotel was in between the airport and the central part of Glasgow, so it was convenient for us, plus we had plenty of sights right in our neighborhood.

As for the hop on/hop off bus tour, I'll see if I can find the site. My computer died, so I lost a lot of the research I did. I may have mentioned the site in my planning thread so I'll have a look.

Next installment coming up.

Joanna - I booked it through www.viator.com.

Day 3: Glasgow to Portree

This was a long and stressful day. We got up early and enjoyed another delicious breakfast before heading to the airport to pick up our rental car for 9am. We got on the road late because we had trouble locating where we were supposed to pick up the car. So by the time we got into the car and started on our way, we were already a little on edge. Dad was the driver since he had insurance through his VISA and I was the navigator. I had a route map and directions from AA, along with the road atlas we picked up the night before. Unfortunately, there were no directions on how to get out of the airport and on to the highway. We somehow took a wrong turn somewhere, not only taking the wrong exit out of the airport, but also going in the wrong direction on the highway. So we were lost right off the bat, coupled with the added anxiety of driving on the left for the very first time. We got ourselves turned around and eventually made it on the right path, but we lost even more time. Plus, Dad kept getting too close to the curb on my side and actually went over it a couple times. We also almost hit another car when moving into another lane. At this point my Mom who had been muttering under her breath the entire time in the back seat, finally broke down and yelled, “Why the hell did we ever come on this trip anyway! You’re going to get us all killed!”. Which made me bite my lip to keep from laughing. It was making Dad even more stressed and nervous, which I knew was likely to lead to more close calls, so I turned around and basically told her to shut up, but in a slightly nicer way. It didn’t work - she started making comments about the gas. I had noticed we had an almost empty tank but didn’t want to bring it up until my Dad was a little calmer, but now he noticed too and got even more stressed out.

We drove on for quite awhile looking for a petrol station with no luck. Then, according to my route map, we were to go through a roundabout and head to the right. We got through the roundabout and continued on, but something seemed wrong. If we had gone straight, we would have continued on a “highway-like” road, but we were on a very narrow road and it seemed we were all of a sudden in the middle of nowhere. I was quite confident we were going the right way, but also concerned we weren’t going to find a petrol station for quite some time on this route. Dad was convinced we were going the wrong way. Mom was sitting sullenly in the back still muttering under her breath from time to time. We drove a little further and came across Bonnie Breas Tea Room around 10:30. We headed in to make sure we were going the right way, and the waitress confirmed we were. However, my concerns about finding a petrol station were well-founded. She gave us directions to head back to the roundabout and head to a petrol station from there, and then back track to road we were on. We decided to stay for a cup of coffee - we definitely needed a break. I also ordered a scone with jam and clotted cream. Mmmmm - so good.

Once we filled up our gas tank and got back on track, we continued driving along beautiful Loch Lomond. As we headed toward Glencoe, we noticed several rainbows. Most of them were very faint, but a couple of them were strong enough to photograph. It was magical. We stopped near Glencoe and ate some sandwiches we had packed for lunch. There was a lookoff just ahead so Dad and I walked up to have a look. Mom was starting to get in a better mood, but wasn’t quite there yet. We walked partway and saw this great little waterfall. We waved to Mom to come look but she passed. We noticed more people further ahead so we walked over, turned a corner and there was a much larger waterfall. It was beautiful. I took a few shots and chatted with a photographer who was travelling solo. We headed back to the car and I could tell our little walk had made a world of difference with Dad. He was actually enjoying himself and wasn’t nearly as stressed about the driving. We tried to convince Mom to come look, but it was windy and damp and she didn’t really want to go outside. Welcome to Scotland, Mom - get used to windy and damp days! I think she felt better seeing that Dad was enjoying himself, and we didn’t hear anymore mutterings the rest of the day. She briefly saw the waterfall as we drove by, and then I think she wished she had gotten out after all.

So we forged on, hoping to catch the 3:05 ferry at Mallaig that I had booked for us. The roads got scarier and scarier, particularly once we hit the single track roads. We didn’t have time for anymore stops, but I was able to see a glimpse of this and a glance at that. We were coming back to the highlands later in the trip, but we wouldn’t be coming back to the area between Fort William and Mallaig, so I tried to take in as much as I could. I’m not really a Harry Potter fan or anything (haven’t read them - keep meaning to), so it wasn’t too heartbreaking to only see a flying glimpse of the Viaduct.

We ended up getting to the ferry at 3:15, so we had to wait for the 4:25 ferry. We made it to Armadale Castle at 5pm so they let us into the museum for half price (2.50 GBP each) since they were closing at 5:30. We sped through the Clan Donald exhibits but didn’t have time for the library. We really enjoyed it even at that pace, and were pleased to see a panel on the Clan Donalds that emigrated to Cape Breton, since they would be our ancestors. The grounds and castle ruins were open until later so we were able to explore a bit. We had the whole castle grounds to ourselves and we spent awhile meandering about and I, of course, took lots of photos. It was getting quite cold by this time, so we got back in the car and headed for Portree.

We got to Ben Tianavaig B&B shortly after 7pm. Dad is a diabetic, so this was quite late for him to go without supper. We checked in and walked down to the Lower Deck for supper around 8pm. We saw fish and chips on the menu outside and ordered it immediately rather than look through the whole menu. It was a bit pricey at 8.95GBP, but we were starving and cold from walking through town looking for a place to eat. The meal was good but not great. The chips were actually quite yummy, but the fish was so-so. While at dinner, Dad stuck his hand in his jacket pocket to pull out his glasses, but instead pulled out our room key from the Kelvingrove Hotel. Oops!

We walked back to the B&B, where we had two separate rooms - mine was a twin room on the bottom floor, and theirs was a double room on the top floor. It’s a charming spot and the owners Gill and Dave are very friendly and helpful (my trip advisor review is up at http://tinyurl.com/2uz3dd. Look for lifeofmytime’s review). We told them about our key mishap and they generously offered to contact the hotel and mail it back to them. We filled out our menu cards for the next day’s breakfast and settled in our rooms, which were clean and comfortable. All the rooms are decorated in Australian themes. For some reason I had thought I was going to have a bathtub in my room, and I was a bit disappointed that it was a shower only. Mom and Dad’s room had a lovely bathroom with a tub and shower, although the shower was temporarily out of order. Gill and David were very apologetic about that, as they had to wait a few days for the part to fix it. They didn’t mind too much. I offered to switch rooms with them, but they didn’t go for that! They had a really charming and large room, so I don’t blame them. I also offered my shower to them, but they made do with the bath tub.

We discussed our options for the next day, but most of them involved driving which Dad was not a big fan of after the day we had. I was desperately hoping he’d have a change of heart because I had really been looking forward to going up the Trotternish loop to see Kilt Rock, Old Man of Storr, and particularly Duntulm Castle. We’ll see…

Next up: My obsession with getting the perfect sheep photo begins…

I'm really enjoying this, thanks!

lifeofmytime - Very nicely done.

I was laughing out loud when you told about your mom muttering in the back seat and finally exclaiming 'you'll get us all killed' - this is what really happens on trips. Many of us have been there done that.

Keep it coming it is a lovely read. I also enjoyed your pictures.

Sandy

lifeofmytime, this is a great start. Thanks for posting a report. I was also obsessed with finding the perfect sheep shot, although I don't think I've gotten it in my several trips to Scotland. I guess that's a reason to go back!

Great trip report! Please write more.

Thanks for continuing this wonderful trip report. I love your parents - they sound just like mine!

Enjoying the report. Keep it coming.

Enjoying the report, and the pics. Grinning at mom muttering in the back seat

Your family sounds like my family - complete with the bad ddriving and muttering

I think it probably wasn't your fault you went the wrong way on leaving Glasgow airport. When we used it last year there were roadworks on the eastbound carriageway of the M8 by the airport, and on leaving we were obliged to travel west for some distance before we could turn round & head east.

I'm glad, then, that when we leave the Glasgow airport in June, it will be in a taxi, who (presumably) knows how to get to Edinburgh from there!

Hi GreenDragon. Yes, we commented at the time that it would be extremely confusing for someone who didn't really know where places were geographically in relation to each other.

Re the Glasgow airport confusion - would having an A-Z map for central Scotland/Glasgow/Edinburgh be helpful? I have an A-Z for all of Scotland which is getting ragged after using it in 2005 and a friend using it in 2006, so I was looking into buying a more specific one before our next trip.

Not sure as I've never seen anything like that - only separate A-Zs (city street atlases) for Edinburgh and Glasgow respectively and driving atlases covering the whole of Britain. A driving atlas covering the whole country will do fine (and I'd say is essential) for driving. A city A-Z is handy if you are staying in a city. Neither would have helped with the Glasgow airport problem though - that was due to temporary road/lane closures for roadworks.

Caroline - I found a Central Scotland (Glasgow/Edinburgh) A-Z map that will be available sometime in May, so I'm planning or ordering it.

Oh right - well, it sounds very hnady & saves buying 2 separate ones ! Should also be useful if you are visiting anywhere between the cities like Linlithgow or the Falkirk Wheel.

Caroline- I think it's the name of the map company that does A-Zs- not an actual A_Z as you and I would think of it

Oh right. Hi Sheila !

Day Four: Isle of Skye

We started off our only full day on Skye with a yummy breakfast of eggs, back bacon, black pudding, hash brown and toast, plus juice and tea/coffee. They also provided a selection of yogurts, cereals, jams and fruit. Gill and David provided great service and also helped us plan our day of sightseeing. Thanks to their advice, Dad agreed that the Trotternish Loop was likely going to be worth another day of driving. I made sure to let him know that I didn’t want to spend the whole day on the road - I was hoping to be back to Portree in time to stroll through the pretty little town and amble through some of the shops. We chatted with some of the other guests in the breakfast room before heading out for the day.

The scenery is quite stunning throughout the entire loop, but Old Man of Storr and Kilt Rock were definite highlights. I had taken lots of photos up until this point, but my photography obsession went into full swing on this drive and didn’t stop again until we left Scotland. I took over 1300 photos over the course of our trip. I made Dad stop on the road several times so I could run around like an idiot chasing sheep to get the perfect photo. I also took the requisite red phone booth photos here.

There is very little signage on the Trotternish Loop. Many of the important sights are not marked at all and we missed a few of them. We somehow bypassed Lealt Falls, but most disappointing was driving past Duntulm Castle. We saw it in the distance and wondered if that was it, but we didn’t see a way to drive closer to it nor did we see a place to park and walk up to it. So we kept driving, thinking it either wasn’t the right place or that we would eventually come across a lane that would take us there. About 5 or 10 minutes later we hit the Museum of Island Life and I knew we’d gone too far. I asked at the ticket office and was told there is in fact a walking path up there, but we obviously didn’t notice it. Dad didn’t want to backtrack, so that was disappointing as it was once a MacDonald castle with a bit of an eerie history.

We spent some time in each of the thatched cottages at the museum, and it was right up Dad’s alley. He loves explaining what all the tools are and what they were used for. We didn’t linger there - it was an uncomfortably cold day and very windy. Damp goes without saying. On my way out of the last cottage, I stood up straight before I had cleared the exit and cracked my head hard on the door frame. I saw stars and felt a little off for the next 15 minutes or so. I thought I might have had a mild concussion at first, but I was fine after a bit. I am a clutz so this kind of stuff happens to me all the time. We stopped in the gift shop on our way out and I picked up some handmade soaps, along with oat cakes and short cakes.

We drove on to Uig and stopped for lunch at a restaurant and bar next to the ferry terminal. This meal was my treat since they had treated me earlier in the week. It was a very basic spot with a very limited menu. I got a “quarterpounder” burger for 5.95GBP - that’s just a burger, no fries or drink. Mom and Dad each chose a chicken burger for 3.50GBP. It was basically cafeteria quality food. It made me a little queasy to think I spent $12 (Cdn) on a lousy burger, but I suppose this sort of thing is a rite of passage when you travel - you can’t luck out every time.

We got back on the road and made it back to Portree in time to spend a couple hours checking out the town. I bought a silver ring with an amber stone and celtic knots on either side. I’ve been wearing it ever since, and it was a great deal at 12.95GBP. Mom and I picked up a few more odds and ends and we all enjoyed exploring the town. Dad had gotten up early that morning for his daily walk and had already seen most of the town so he decided to head back to the B&B. Just when we were about to head back ourselves, Mom and I stumbled upon a local craft show just a few minutes before they began packing up for the day. I picked up a matted 8x10 photo of Duntulm Castle since I didn’t have a chance to take my own shot. It was around this time that my headache started.

We met up with Dad and then headed to the Bosville Hotel for supper. We all had the “Roast of the Day” which was pork. It was very good and reasonable at 9GBP each. It came with new potatoes, zucchini, broccoli, carrots and apple sauce.

We headed back to Ben Tianavaig and I settled up with Gill since we had to be on the road exceptionally early the next morning. We paid 190GBP total for our stay (30GBP per person per night for the double room and 35GBP per person per night for the single). Also, I had talked to her earlier about breakfast since we’d be leaving before it was served. We were wondering if she’d be able to pack something we could take with us since Dad is a diabetic and would need something to eat in the morning. She told us she’d pack something for all of us and leave it for us to pick up on our way out in the morning.

After everything was taken care of, I took over the bathroom in Mom and Dad’s room so I could have a bath. I’d brought my favourite bath bar from Lush and really enjoyed having some time to relax. My headache had started to subside by then too. After I was back in my room (and in my pajamas) I noticed the moon was shining on the water outside as I pulled down my window shade. I decided to change and headed outside with my camera and tripod. I walked around town a bit and took a lot of photos. Got a couple good shots, but couldn’t get the shot I wanted of the moon shining on the harbour. It was nice to be on my own for a bit too while doing my shutterbug thing. I know I held my parents back a lot on this trip with all my photo-taking, but I also rushed though a lot trying not to let that happen. It was great to take photos at my leisure and do my own thing without feeling guilty.

I eventually headed back to my room, and just as I was about to hit the hay I decided to partake in one of the complimentary cookies on the vanity beside the bed. I leaned down to pick it up and as I brought my head back up I somehow cracked my forehead against the corner of the wall-mount for the TV. Hard. So hard I almost passed out and actually welled up with tears. I immediately had a goose egg with a bruise. I tried holding a cold cloth to my forehead to keep it from swelling but it was too late. I was a little afraid to go to sleep because I was feeling a little light-headed. But with a very early morning ahead, I needed a good night’s sleep so I took the plunge.

Next up: I survive another day in Scotland and I surpass my record of photos snapped in one day.

lifeofmytime:

Glad you are back with day 4.

I exclaimed out loud when I read you banged your head hard a second time.

Do tell us about the breakfast that the B&B owner packed for you.

Yes, the food is very expensive. Were you ready for the price of petrol? I always know what it is going to cost and yet I am still always taken back by the cost.

Sandy

SandyBrit - like I said I'm a clutz. Although twice in one day was a little much.

Yes - packed breakfast details are coming up for Day 5, and petrol was definitely unpleasant.

You sound like me - both the clutziness and the shutterbugness! I remember feeling quite upset that my MIL wouldn't stop at scenic spots for me to take photos - my husband had quite spoiled me with that habit

lifeofmytime, your pictures are great! You got some wonderful shots, especially your sheep pictures The weather looks like it mostly cooperated.

I can totally relate on the photo front. Most of my photos are of the backs of my family walking ahead as I lag back to shoot pictures!

When we were in Scotland for our first visit (which involved a fair amount of driving) we finally settled on a plan that worked well. I drove, with my camera ready and on my lap. Whenever I saw anything I wanted to shoot, I could check the traffic and the road and just pull over. It saved stress because it was hard when my husband was driving and suddenly I'd want to stop. This way he could navigate, look out the window at the mountains (which he loves to do) and man the airwaves (radio!)

My best travel/photo experience was in Prague one morning. My older daughter and I woke up early one morning and returned to the castle specifically for a photo shoot. We had the place mostly to ourselves
and could take pictures to our hearts' content without holding up the other family members (who were grateful for the opportunity to sleep late!)

I've also taken a couple of trips recently with just my brother. He is similarly photographically inclined, so we just snap away.

LOMT:
Aren't David and Gill the best? My wife and Gill are still emailing each other from our trip last spring. They are great B&B owners. Someday, I will return.
BTW, I love your trip report. Keep it coming. It is a trip with your parents that you will always cherish. All the best.

d1