Organic consuming vegetarians travel by train through England and Scotland
Jun 21st, 2010, 08:15 AM
#43
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I love this trip report.
My husband and I are also vegetarians who prefer to eat organic. To those that do not restrict their diets, it is always easier to find places to eat. I've read many a trip report from omnivores that also spend a lot of time talking food, so I really appreciate all the tips and especially the links. Thanks so much! We are planning a trip to GB in the fall. You are giving the kind of advice that will really help us.
My husband and I are also vegetarians who prefer to eat organic. To those that do not restrict their diets, it is always easier to find places to eat. I've read many a trip report from omnivores that also spend a lot of time talking food, so I really appreciate all the tips and especially the links. Thanks so much! We are planning a trip to GB in the fall. You are giving the kind of advice that will really help us.
Jun 22nd, 2010, 12:04 PM
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Yes Amelie! I immediately thought of, and told P about the person here on Fodors who was in France on a train in the dining car having the best conversation who returned to their overnight compartment only to find that the whole coach was <i>missing</i>! That is a GREAT read and if anyone knows how to find that story, I’d welcome the link here.
Irishface, YES! Thank you for adding that. Gorse. It looks so pretty next to the water, rocks, against the green grass and shrubs finished with a blue sky as a backdrop. And yes, there can be more to vegetarian foods than rocks and twigs. That tortellini was dynamite!
reillygee: So glad to know that a fellow vegetarian has found this thread and can benefit. Thanks for posting!
One last note about Arisaig. We used it as a stop over, but others stay longer. We talked with another guest in our B&B and I asked her how long she was staying. She said a week. I was <i>really</i> surprised because once again, teeny tiny town, folks. So I asked her what she was doing in that time. Maybe she was a writer or an artist who wanted to get away from it all. She said she came for the walks. Plenty of them she said. She sets out and won’t see another person for hours and hours and she enjoys communing with nature. She told us that even her kids had no idea where she was.
Time for another shout out to Fodors’ own “historytraveler” who suggested the good people from Nicolson Hire. EXCELLENT RECOMMENDATION! We LOVED these people. Actually historytraveler suggested two companies. The other never hit the reply button after I emailed them. Since Donald Nicolson responded quickly and with a price I could agree to, I decided not to chase down the other company and told Donald that when we arrived in England, and when I was sure of our itinerary that I would call him to see if he was still available. So when we were in Keswick, I did call him to tell him when we would be in Armadale. Then when we made it to Arisaig, I told him that we’d see him tomorrow and he said that we’d probably be met by his wife. We spoke a bit more and I said I look forward to meeting “Rose” and he said, “OK, but her name is Peggy.” That just struck me so funny, so I laughed and told him we’d just call her Rose anyway.
We took the 40 minute ferry from Mallaig to Armadale and Rose-Peggy was there waiting for us. I flew open my arms and said, “ROSE!” I knew I liked her immediately when I approached the car to get in and she asked me in the sweetest voice, “Would you like to drive?” I was heading for the American passenger door which happens to be the drivers seat, of course! I told her that this is a perfect example of one reason why nobody wants us driving in the UK! What a sweetheart! She was so kind, so professional, so knowledgeable, just really a genuinely sweet person. And patient! My goodness.
She drove us to the TI in Portree after asking for (by recommendation here on Fodors) an extended drive between Armadale and Portree. She waited for us while we paid the TI £4 to find us a room. We had tried some Rick Steve’s suggestions and had run out of luck. While the young man called B&B’s and hotels to verify they had a place according to the computer, inevitably everyone he called was “fully booked”. He made close to a dozen calls while Rose-Peggy waited. He did find one B&B with a room which was a 3 star. So we figured it couldn’t be very bad. He said it was a ten minute walk to town. We gave him a deposit of 10% and asked R-Peggy to take us there.
The further from the TI we drove the more unpleasant P’s face became. We drove up a steep hill and P said that this was “not going to work”. He agreed to have a look at the room so we went in while R-Peggy waited. I must say it was a depressing £60 room. You walk up the stairs and immediately felt enclosed. Doors/rooms lined up off of a narrow, low ceiling hallway, kind of like dorm-rooms with unpleasant red carpeting. The bath looked nice though. P apologized and we got back in the car and drove back to town, went across the street from the TI to the Royal Hotel which had a view room. It was £130 and we took it. R-Peggy didn’t want to take some additional money P offered her for waiting for us while we found a place, but I am so glad that P insisted with thanks to R-Peggy who went completely out of her way and gave of her time so as not to leave us stranded in town without a room. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Peggy and Donald Nicolson:
www.nicolsonhire.co.uk
We like being in town and this location is perfect. We still thought that the room we had was expensive for what we got, but I have a feeling from talking to others that Portree has a lot of visitors and a finite number of rooms to let. Because it is so desireable to visit, they are able to get a good price for a room. Much of the town also closes down in the winter so they need and appreciate the tourism. Everyone we met and spoke to was so nice. We LOVED Portree. It’s so PICTURESQUE and the people are GREAT and we found the BEST restaurant!!
We got to talking with the chef of our hotel and his son who is the wi-fi guru and in charge of the restaurants. Really nice guys! Very personable. I asked Jono, the son if he had heard of Cafe Arriba and he pointed. I was so excited! In doing my research, I was particularly hoping that we’d be close enough to this place to try it and it was right across the street. Ha! This place changes its menu every day. They change the lunch menu daily and then they change that to a different dinner menu, every day! The menus are posted on blackboards. The recipes are inventive and healthy. The dishes depend on the fresh produce they bring in. Lots of vegetarian options, but this place is fit for omnivores too!
In two days here in Portree we ate here 4 times. My notes say that you’ll be hard pressed to find anything processed besides an oat light ale. Homemade everything - including their breads. Delicious by the way. Fair prices too like £11 or £12 for a very large portion. One meal we split was 1/2 a butternut squash with mini potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms and other stuff. So, <i>so</i> good! P loved the chardonay. I loved the rocky road dessert. Do not miss!
http://www.cafearriba.co.uk/cafe.html
If you come to this village without a room, you can walk the few streets in about 15 minutes around the center to ask in the hotels or B&B’s if there is a vacancy or not. In othe words, I think there may be some hotels which are not connected to the TI, (but I am not sure). Speaking of which, I am VERY impressed with the staff in the TI who were so helpful and courteous. I really appreciated their care and concern when we told them we were not staying in the other room.
I'm going away for a week to Anchorage. I've never been so I am very excited. I looked at the sunrise/sunset. Sunset is coming at 11:45 pm and sunrise is just over 4 hours later! Trippy. I will definitely bring the blinders. I plan on picking up on day two in Portree soon after I get back. Thanks again for contributing your thoughts to this thread. Bye for now!
Irishface, YES! Thank you for adding that. Gorse. It looks so pretty next to the water, rocks, against the green grass and shrubs finished with a blue sky as a backdrop. And yes, there can be more to vegetarian foods than rocks and twigs. That tortellini was dynamite!
reillygee: So glad to know that a fellow vegetarian has found this thread and can benefit. Thanks for posting!
One last note about Arisaig. We used it as a stop over, but others stay longer. We talked with another guest in our B&B and I asked her how long she was staying. She said a week. I was <i>really</i> surprised because once again, teeny tiny town, folks. So I asked her what she was doing in that time. Maybe she was a writer or an artist who wanted to get away from it all. She said she came for the walks. Plenty of them she said. She sets out and won’t see another person for hours and hours and she enjoys communing with nature. She told us that even her kids had no idea where she was.
Time for another shout out to Fodors’ own “historytraveler” who suggested the good people from Nicolson Hire. EXCELLENT RECOMMENDATION! We LOVED these people. Actually historytraveler suggested two companies. The other never hit the reply button after I emailed them. Since Donald Nicolson responded quickly and with a price I could agree to, I decided not to chase down the other company and told Donald that when we arrived in England, and when I was sure of our itinerary that I would call him to see if he was still available. So when we were in Keswick, I did call him to tell him when we would be in Armadale. Then when we made it to Arisaig, I told him that we’d see him tomorrow and he said that we’d probably be met by his wife. We spoke a bit more and I said I look forward to meeting “Rose” and he said, “OK, but her name is Peggy.” That just struck me so funny, so I laughed and told him we’d just call her Rose anyway.
We took the 40 minute ferry from Mallaig to Armadale and Rose-Peggy was there waiting for us. I flew open my arms and said, “ROSE!” I knew I liked her immediately when I approached the car to get in and she asked me in the sweetest voice, “Would you like to drive?” I was heading for the American passenger door which happens to be the drivers seat, of course! I told her that this is a perfect example of one reason why nobody wants us driving in the UK! What a sweetheart! She was so kind, so professional, so knowledgeable, just really a genuinely sweet person. And patient! My goodness.
She drove us to the TI in Portree after asking for (by recommendation here on Fodors) an extended drive between Armadale and Portree. She waited for us while we paid the TI £4 to find us a room. We had tried some Rick Steve’s suggestions and had run out of luck. While the young man called B&B’s and hotels to verify they had a place according to the computer, inevitably everyone he called was “fully booked”. He made close to a dozen calls while Rose-Peggy waited. He did find one B&B with a room which was a 3 star. So we figured it couldn’t be very bad. He said it was a ten minute walk to town. We gave him a deposit of 10% and asked R-Peggy to take us there.
The further from the TI we drove the more unpleasant P’s face became. We drove up a steep hill and P said that this was “not going to work”. He agreed to have a look at the room so we went in while R-Peggy waited. I must say it was a depressing £60 room. You walk up the stairs and immediately felt enclosed. Doors/rooms lined up off of a narrow, low ceiling hallway, kind of like dorm-rooms with unpleasant red carpeting. The bath looked nice though. P apologized and we got back in the car and drove back to town, went across the street from the TI to the Royal Hotel which had a view room. It was £130 and we took it. R-Peggy didn’t want to take some additional money P offered her for waiting for us while we found a place, but I am so glad that P insisted with thanks to R-Peggy who went completely out of her way and gave of her time so as not to leave us stranded in town without a room. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Peggy and Donald Nicolson:
www.nicolsonhire.co.uk
We like being in town and this location is perfect. We still thought that the room we had was expensive for what we got, but I have a feeling from talking to others that Portree has a lot of visitors and a finite number of rooms to let. Because it is so desireable to visit, they are able to get a good price for a room. Much of the town also closes down in the winter so they need and appreciate the tourism. Everyone we met and spoke to was so nice. We LOVED Portree. It’s so PICTURESQUE and the people are GREAT and we found the BEST restaurant!!
We got to talking with the chef of our hotel and his son who is the wi-fi guru and in charge of the restaurants. Really nice guys! Very personable. I asked Jono, the son if he had heard of Cafe Arriba and he pointed. I was so excited! In doing my research, I was particularly hoping that we’d be close enough to this place to try it and it was right across the street. Ha! This place changes its menu every day. They change the lunch menu daily and then they change that to a different dinner menu, every day! The menus are posted on blackboards. The recipes are inventive and healthy. The dishes depend on the fresh produce they bring in. Lots of vegetarian options, but this place is fit for omnivores too!
In two days here in Portree we ate here 4 times. My notes say that you’ll be hard pressed to find anything processed besides an oat light ale. Homemade everything - including their breads. Delicious by the way. Fair prices too like £11 or £12 for a very large portion. One meal we split was 1/2 a butternut squash with mini potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms and other stuff. So, <i>so</i> good! P loved the chardonay. I loved the rocky road dessert. Do not miss!
http://www.cafearriba.co.uk/cafe.html
If you come to this village without a room, you can walk the few streets in about 15 minutes around the center to ask in the hotels or B&B’s if there is a vacancy or not. In othe words, I think there may be some hotels which are not connected to the TI, (but I am not sure). Speaking of which, I am VERY impressed with the staff in the TI who were so helpful and courteous. I really appreciated their care and concern when we told them we were not staying in the other room.
I'm going away for a week to Anchorage. I've never been so I am very excited. I looked at the sunrise/sunset. Sunset is coming at 11:45 pm and sunrise is just over 4 hours later! Trippy. I will definitely bring the blinders. I plan on picking up on day two in Portree soon after I get back. Thanks again for contributing your thoughts to this thread. Bye for now!
Jun 22nd, 2010, 03:46 PM
#46
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Would love to visit Bath. I am a vegetarian and think this would be a great place to experience! Thanks! I foun some great information on traveling in England at http://www.coolestplacestovisit.com/...n-england.html
Jun 25th, 2010, 10:52 PM
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Just a note - and too late. There would not be a waitress in a pub. As soon as you went to the bar she would have gone to the other side of the bar to serve you.
And before I started frequenting these boards it would not have occurred to me that someone wouldn't know to go to the bar to order.
Re the pizza oven being switched off I'm sure they were aware you may want another, and that's why they didn't tell you. Less work for them.
Enjoying the report
And before I started frequenting these boards it would not have occurred to me that someone wouldn't know to go to the bar to order.
Re the pizza oven being switched off I'm sure they were aware you may want another, and that's why they didn't tell you. Less work for them.
Enjoying the report
Jun 26th, 2010, 12:39 AM
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....f anything, the other experience was worse, IMHO - not to tell people that the kitchen is closing, before it closes, is pathetic....
My daughter worked in a pub as a student. One evening just after they officially stopped serving food a man came in and asked if he could eat.
She said, "We have actually stopped serving food, but the chef might not have packed up yet. I'll just go and see if he can rustle up something for you".
It turned out that he was a senior manager of the chain.
My daughter worked in a pub as a student. One evening just after they officially stopped serving food a man came in and asked if he could eat.
She said, "We have actually stopped serving food, but the chef might not have packed up yet. I'll just go and see if he can rustle up something for you".
It turned out that he was a senior manager of the chain.
Jun 26th, 2010, 12:53 PM
#50
My daughter worked in a pub as a student. One evening just after they officially stopped serving food a man came in and asked if he could eat.
She said, "We have actually stopped serving food, but the chef might not have packed up yet. I'll just go and see if he can rustle up something for you".
It turned out that he was a senior manager of the chain.>>
clever girl. did she get rewarded by her boss?
She said, "We have actually stopped serving food, but the chef might not have packed up yet. I'll just go and see if he can rustle up something for you".
It turned out that he was a senior manager of the chain.>>
clever girl. did she get rewarded by her boss?
Jul 3rd, 2010, 04:38 AM
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hi pilates, thanks so much for the report can't wait for the next update.
I'm travelling to Europe in Sept /Oct and also eat vegetarian majority organic so I love to hear about your opinions on places to eat.
I've not long discovered Fodors forums and haven't travelled in many years so I'm learning so much from your report and those other kind people who have posted theirs as well.
hurry and get back so we can read the next installment
Sandra
I'm travelling to Europe in Sept /Oct and also eat vegetarian majority organic so I love to hear about your opinions on places to eat.
I've not long discovered Fodors forums and haven't travelled in many years so I'm learning so much from your report and those other kind people who have posted theirs as well.
hurry and get back so we can read the next installment
Sandra
Jul 3rd, 2010, 11:14 AM
#52
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thursdaysd: We too spent the crossing inside. We got lucky because there was no rain, but it was very cold and windy!
glenda: I don't see a link to the vegetarian restaurant, Demuth's. Here it is: http://www.demuths.co.uk/about/introduction/
Thanks to sashh, MissPrism, grace, ann for comments/topping and Sandra (starruby), I have a GREAT recommendation for London that I will share later.
After eating in Cafe Arriba, we went for a walk all over town and down by the water. We found an amazing point where surely <i>everyone</i> with a camera takes a shot right here. <i>This photo is not my shot.</i> http://tinyurl.com/2wzutsh I got a good one though as the sun was almost set and the moon was out:
The next day we walked around the corner to the TI to ask about a hike/walk. She suggested we try Portree’s “most popular”. I can certainly see why! Absolutely FANTASTIC! I wanted to be prepared for this walk. They say you can have 4 seasons in one day in Scotland, and we believe them. I brought gloves, scarf, & ear muffs. We then stopped at Cafe Arriba to try their organic coffee. I picked up a cheese and chutney sandwich to go and threw that into our back pack.
This walk, the “Scorrybreac Circuit” is a 3K walk that takes you along the water then cuts in and ascends for some spectacular views. We started out on this hike by stopping every ten steps or so to dig into the backpack. We took a few steps on this hike when I needed to stop to dig for and then put on my coat. Walked a few feet before I had to stop to get P the binoculars. Took a few steps then stopped for a swig of water, then we walked a few yards before we stopped to take a scarf off then P wanted his shirt off. Walk 40 seconds then put the shirt back on, etc. I thought for sure this walk would take 4 hours. Surely we stopped at least 10 times in 30 minutes. It was kind of nuts.
After about 30 minutes P thought about turning around due to the little rocks all over causing his footing to be unsure, but I said “no way” because we were in no race to the finish and because this was NOT that treacherous by any stretch of the imagination. We had invested way too much time stopping every ten seconds to call it a hike and turn around. I wanted to conquer this sucker! He thought he wasn’t able to enjoy the scenery because of all the rocks in the path. Soon the path turn to just dirt which made him more comfortable.
So we slowly made our way along, stopping frequently to enjoy the scenery and take pictures. We watched some ravens fly about and talk to each other. It was gorgeous. It was interesting how the weather did change from what seemed like 80º to 45º and everything in between. As the path took us inland and up the hill, we found a spot of shade on some grass which made a nice curb. We sat down to enjoy the scenery while munching on the Cafe Arriba sandwich and some raw almonds I had brought from home.
We came up and over the hill and came upon a farm with cows. It was just then that P said, “This may be my favorite hike <i>ever</i>.” I had to laugh. We do highly recommend it. The views are great and the walk is both open in places and tree covered in other places.
When we got back we decided to try to make train seat reservations. I was talking to the woman from Britrail when she gave me another number to call she said, “You need to dial 08”...then nothing. It turned out that we had just run out of £ on our cell phone. When I added the minutes used according to our phone, the math was off-way off. I had only talked 26 minutes. So I called Orange and got transferred to a service agent in India. He went over all of my calls and I came to realize that my phone did <i>not</i> make a note of all the calls I made. He gave me the dates and numbers that I called and he was right. The 6 pence/minute to the US is a bargain, yet the 20 pence a minute to British phones adds up quickly. I went one block to the co-op market to top up my phone.
Now it was time for dinner at (you guessed it) Cafe Arriba. Surprise! When I mentioned flirtatious men at the beginning of this report, the man dining at Cafe Arriba this night was one of those who stuck out in my mind. Let’s call him GGE (Goo-Goo Eyes). You might say he took a liking to me.
I was seated facing outward when I caught the eye of this man who was coming back to his table which was located up the stairs and to the side of our table. As he approached I looked up and he wiggled his eyebrows up and down rather quickly about three times. I didn’t know if he had a nervous twitch or if he was giving me goo-goo eyes. It struck me as unusual so I couldn’t help but look in his direction after a minute or two and yes, he was turning his head and looking down at me when he gave me the GGE’s again. ha!
Rather than encourage him, we were able to devote our attention to our delicious meal. P had a salad sampler and I had a filo stuffed with mixed and grilled veggies and cheese, accompanied by sweet garbanzo beans, a sampling of spinach & goat cheese dip, and sauteed fresh mushrooms in a delicious sauce. AH-MAY-ZING!
As we were leaving GGE's wiggled his brows one more time. I guess he thought he'd drop a hint in case P and I were just friends. I confess, his attention made me smile. We went for a short walk and called it a night. Tomorrow morning Rose Peggy was coming to pick us up and take us to Kyle of Lochalsh.
glenda: I don't see a link to the vegetarian restaurant, Demuth's. Here it is: http://www.demuths.co.uk/about/introduction/
Thanks to sashh, MissPrism, grace, ann for comments/topping and Sandra (starruby), I have a GREAT recommendation for London that I will share later.
After eating in Cafe Arriba, we went for a walk all over town and down by the water. We found an amazing point where surely <i>everyone</i> with a camera takes a shot right here. <i>This photo is not my shot.</i> http://tinyurl.com/2wzutsh I got a good one though as the sun was almost set and the moon was out:
The next day we walked around the corner to the TI to ask about a hike/walk. She suggested we try Portree’s “most popular”. I can certainly see why! Absolutely FANTASTIC! I wanted to be prepared for this walk. They say you can have 4 seasons in one day in Scotland, and we believe them. I brought gloves, scarf, & ear muffs. We then stopped at Cafe Arriba to try their organic coffee. I picked up a cheese and chutney sandwich to go and threw that into our back pack.
This walk, the “Scorrybreac Circuit” is a 3K walk that takes you along the water then cuts in and ascends for some spectacular views. We started out on this hike by stopping every ten steps or so to dig into the backpack. We took a few steps on this hike when I needed to stop to dig for and then put on my coat. Walked a few feet before I had to stop to get P the binoculars. Took a few steps then stopped for a swig of water, then we walked a few yards before we stopped to take a scarf off then P wanted his shirt off. Walk 40 seconds then put the shirt back on, etc. I thought for sure this walk would take 4 hours. Surely we stopped at least 10 times in 30 minutes. It was kind of nuts.
After about 30 minutes P thought about turning around due to the little rocks all over causing his footing to be unsure, but I said “no way” because we were in no race to the finish and because this was NOT that treacherous by any stretch of the imagination. We had invested way too much time stopping every ten seconds to call it a hike and turn around. I wanted to conquer this sucker! He thought he wasn’t able to enjoy the scenery because of all the rocks in the path. Soon the path turn to just dirt which made him more comfortable.
So we slowly made our way along, stopping frequently to enjoy the scenery and take pictures. We watched some ravens fly about and talk to each other. It was gorgeous. It was interesting how the weather did change from what seemed like 80º to 45º and everything in between. As the path took us inland and up the hill, we found a spot of shade on some grass which made a nice curb. We sat down to enjoy the scenery while munching on the Cafe Arriba sandwich and some raw almonds I had brought from home.
We came up and over the hill and came upon a farm with cows. It was just then that P said, “This may be my favorite hike <i>ever</i>.” I had to laugh. We do highly recommend it. The views are great and the walk is both open in places and tree covered in other places.
When we got back we decided to try to make train seat reservations. I was talking to the woman from Britrail when she gave me another number to call she said, “You need to dial 08”...then nothing. It turned out that we had just run out of £ on our cell phone. When I added the minutes used according to our phone, the math was off-way off. I had only talked 26 minutes. So I called Orange and got transferred to a service agent in India. He went over all of my calls and I came to realize that my phone did <i>not</i> make a note of all the calls I made. He gave me the dates and numbers that I called and he was right. The 6 pence/minute to the US is a bargain, yet the 20 pence a minute to British phones adds up quickly. I went one block to the co-op market to top up my phone.
Now it was time for dinner at (you guessed it) Cafe Arriba. Surprise! When I mentioned flirtatious men at the beginning of this report, the man dining at Cafe Arriba this night was one of those who stuck out in my mind. Let’s call him GGE (Goo-Goo Eyes). You might say he took a liking to me.
I was seated facing outward when I caught the eye of this man who was coming back to his table which was located up the stairs and to the side of our table. As he approached I looked up and he wiggled his eyebrows up and down rather quickly about three times. I didn’t know if he had a nervous twitch or if he was giving me goo-goo eyes. It struck me as unusual so I couldn’t help but look in his direction after a minute or two and yes, he was turning his head and looking down at me when he gave me the GGE’s again. ha!
Rather than encourage him, we were able to devote our attention to our delicious meal. P had a salad sampler and I had a filo stuffed with mixed and grilled veggies and cheese, accompanied by sweet garbanzo beans, a sampling of spinach & goat cheese dip, and sauteed fresh mushrooms in a delicious sauce. AH-MAY-ZING!
As we were leaving GGE's wiggled his brows one more time. I guess he thought he'd drop a hint in case P and I were just friends. I confess, his attention made me smile. We went for a short walk and called it a night. Tomorrow morning Rose Peggy was coming to pick us up and take us to Kyle of Lochalsh.
Jul 3rd, 2010, 02:30 PM
#53
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You are right about the Scots being so helpful. Last year when we werer in Edinburgh all the bus stops were moved around due to construction. I would ask, where is the nearest stop for number 15 and people would actually walk around the corner to make sure I found it.
Jul 7th, 2010, 07:01 PM
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palmettoprincess: When we arrived at Waverly station in Edinburgh, my husband grumbled about having to haul his suitcase up some stairs. A man in a suit overheard and offered to carry my suitcase up the stairs. I said that I thought that maybe P needed the help more, but P said he didn't. How kind of that man to offer! I told him that I hoped his kindness came back to him ten fold.
Originally we had planned to stay three nights in Portree instead of two but on the third night at this hotel they warned us that they were having an accordion festival that was going to be meeting in a room right below ours and it might be noisy until at least 10:30 or 11 pm. Whenever I think of accordions I can’t help but think of my sister who, when she was a little girl, was talked into taking accordion lessons because our dad said the kids at school would hear of her accordion skills and <i>“invite her to parties”</i>! Well this was one party that I was willing to miss. I hate to be such an accordion snob, in fact I bet if we went we’d probably meet some nice people and have a great time, but I thought it was best that we move on.
Instead of taking the bus from Portree to Kyle of Lochalsh, I called Peggy the day before and asked her if she’d pick us up and take us directly to the rail station. Fortunately she was able to take us and we enjoyed her company and her answers to all of our questions. We enjoyed her company so much that upon arrival at the Kyle train station I felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend. That's when I asked for and received a big hug. What a great lady!
Originally I had planned for us to stay one night in Inverness, but it seemed like the locals on Fodors suggest staying outside Inverness, and that there are more sights to see in the outlining area. I went online to see the price of our journey from Kyle to Inverness and it was only around 20 pounds. It’s weird that when I had checked prices before we left that the rail journeys from here seemed more expensive. I narrowed my choice to either paying cash for the train ride and staying the night in Inverness or to use our railpass and have it take us all the way from Kyle to Edinburgh via Inverness. The train ride is only about 2 1/2 hours to Inverness (as I recall) and so I thought maybe we should just keep going.
So that's what we did. We skipped Inverness and continued through to Edinburgh. I was looking forward to the rail journey as it has been raved about and we were not disappointed! This ride was positively gorgeous. Especially the first hour and a half out of Kyle. The yellow of the Gorse plant was everywhere and we thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
We arrived in Inverness and changed trains. We hopped on a first class car but we noticed that all but one seat had been reserved and we were told by a passenger that we’d have to move shortly. Fortunately the ticket taker told us that there was <i>another</i> first class car that was almost empty. One thing we learned is that they <i>always</i> keep some seats open in first so that those with no seat reservation will find it easier to grab a seat.
When we arrived in Perth to change trains, we had to run. Our train had arrived late and they were holding our Edinburgh train for us. We all ran from one first class coach to the other and it <i>so</i> reminded me of musical chairs! My husband slipped into the seat across the table from me just as a man said that he was going to grab that seat, but there was another one open so the man said, “It’s all good-we all got a seat!” One second later the train took off.
This ended up being a good thing. We applied a night to Edinburgh instead of Inverness and avoided the pack/unpack scenario. We used our rail pass only once instead of twice and we still arrived around the dinner hour which gave us a chance to wander around. We needed a room however and Rick Steve’s suggestions were not working for us. I can’t find his book but as I recall his book suggests a bunch of places 10 minutes out of town by bus/car. No thanks. We prefer being in the heart. One place he did suggest in town was the MacDonald Hollyrood. I had checked it out the night before with my iPhone, but because our wifi sucked rocks at the Royal I was not having much luck surfing the net. I was able to get an internet rate that we agreed upon for the MacDonald Hollyrood and tried to book it, but their website couldn’t take the reservation and gave us a phone number to call instead. We put off making a decision on where to stay in Edinburgh.
We arrived in Edinburgh and before we left Waverly station we asked someone to point us toward the Royal Mile (main drag) and then it started to rain a little. We ducked into the Radisson to inquire but they could not house us for 4 nights. I called the MacDonald Hollyrood. The first price she quoted was £220/night. I said that was not their internet rate and their website failed me the night before. So she came back at £180, but I balked again. Finally she met the internet rate of £143/night with no breakfast so we took it.
We started rolling our way down, down, down. P wasn’t happy again as it seemed we were going further and further from the center. We got there and found out that they do not offer free wifi to their guests. Shouldn’t that be as basic as a bathroom nowadays? The room had no mini fridge (supposedly some do) and no bureau with drawers either. We thought that was weird. We were starving so we went next door to Pizza Express which kind of reminded me of a CPK. After dinner P wanted to see if there was another hotel that was closer to the center so we wandered around in both the old and new section looking to possibly move. We found that the city was pretty full and decided to stop wasting time looking for the "perfect place" (it doesn't exist!) and called it a night.
Originally we had planned to stay three nights in Portree instead of two but on the third night at this hotel they warned us that they were having an accordion festival that was going to be meeting in a room right below ours and it might be noisy until at least 10:30 or 11 pm. Whenever I think of accordions I can’t help but think of my sister who, when she was a little girl, was talked into taking accordion lessons because our dad said the kids at school would hear of her accordion skills and <i>“invite her to parties”</i>! Well this was one party that I was willing to miss.
I hate to be such an accordion snob, in fact I bet if we went we’d probably meet some nice people and have a great time, but I thought it was best that we move on.Instead of taking the bus from Portree to Kyle of Lochalsh, I called Peggy the day before and asked her if she’d pick us up and take us directly to the rail station. Fortunately she was able to take us and we enjoyed her company and her answers to all of our questions. We enjoyed her company so much that upon arrival at the Kyle train station I felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend. That's when I asked for and received a big hug. What a great lady!
Originally I had planned for us to stay one night in Inverness, but it seemed like the locals on Fodors suggest staying outside Inverness, and that there are more sights to see in the outlining area. I went online to see the price of our journey from Kyle to Inverness and it was only around 20 pounds. It’s weird that when I had checked prices before we left that the rail journeys from here seemed more expensive. I narrowed my choice to either paying cash for the train ride and staying the night in Inverness or to use our railpass and have it take us all the way from Kyle to Edinburgh via Inverness. The train ride is only about 2 1/2 hours to Inverness (as I recall) and so I thought maybe we should just keep going.
So that's what we did. We skipped Inverness and continued through to Edinburgh. I was looking forward to the rail journey as it has been raved about and we were not disappointed! This ride was positively gorgeous. Especially the first hour and a half out of Kyle. The yellow of the Gorse plant was everywhere and we thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
We arrived in Inverness and changed trains. We hopped on a first class car but we noticed that all but one seat had been reserved and we were told by a passenger that we’d have to move shortly. Fortunately the ticket taker told us that there was <i>another</i> first class car that was almost empty. One thing we learned is that they <i>always</i> keep some seats open in first so that those with no seat reservation will find it easier to grab a seat.
When we arrived in Perth to change trains, we had to run. Our train had arrived late and they were holding our Edinburgh train for us. We all ran from one first class coach to the other and it <i>so</i> reminded me of musical chairs! My husband slipped into the seat across the table from me just as a man said that he was going to grab that seat, but there was another one open so the man said, “It’s all good-we all got a seat!” One second later the train took off.
This ended up being a good thing. We applied a night to Edinburgh instead of Inverness and avoided the pack/unpack scenario. We used our rail pass only once instead of twice and we still arrived around the dinner hour which gave us a chance to wander around. We needed a room however and Rick Steve’s suggestions were not working for us. I can’t find his book but as I recall his book suggests a bunch of places 10 minutes out of town by bus/car. No thanks. We prefer being in the heart. One place he did suggest in town was the MacDonald Hollyrood. I had checked it out the night before with my iPhone, but because our wifi sucked rocks at the Royal I was not having much luck surfing the net. I was able to get an internet rate that we agreed upon for the MacDonald Hollyrood and tried to book it, but their website couldn’t take the reservation and gave us a phone number to call instead. We put off making a decision on where to stay in Edinburgh.
We arrived in Edinburgh and before we left Waverly station we asked someone to point us toward the Royal Mile (main drag) and then it started to rain a little. We ducked into the Radisson to inquire but they could not house us for 4 nights. I called the MacDonald Hollyrood. The first price she quoted was £220/night. I said that was not their internet rate and their website failed me the night before. So she came back at £180, but I balked again. Finally she met the internet rate of £143/night with no breakfast so we took it.
We started rolling our way down, down, down. P wasn’t happy again as it seemed we were going further and further from the center. We got there and found out that they do not offer free wifi to their guests. Shouldn’t that be as basic as a bathroom nowadays? The room had no mini fridge (supposedly some do) and no bureau with drawers either. We thought that was weird. We were starving so we went next door to Pizza Express which kind of reminded me of a CPK. After dinner P wanted to see if there was another hotel that was closer to the center so we wandered around in both the old and new section looking to possibly move. We found that the city was pretty full and decided to stop wasting time looking for the "perfect place" (it doesn't exist!) and called it a night.
Jul 8th, 2010, 12:57 PM
#56
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Thank you Ann Marie for your encouragement, I really appreciate it!
<b> Banana dancing and bus riding In Edinburgh</b>
The next day we got up late and decided to go to the Royal Mile where we had spied a Starbucks the night before. I had pointed to a large paper cup and asked for a large coffee. He asked me if we were going to have it here or take away. I soon realized that having it “here” meant that I would be handed a large ceramic mug of coffee. I only mention it because in all of the Starbucks I have ever been to, they have never given me a ceramic mug. So if you like the freedom to get up and go with your coffee, ask for it specifically in a paper cup. I am not usually a Starbucks fan, but I found their coffee here to be surprisingly yummy. P and I got into a lengthy discussion which was really cool and lasted a couple of hours!
We went back to our hotel, got cleaned up and asked the concierge for a recommendation for a whole food, organic, vegetarian type of place for lunch. OMG! GREAT recommendation called David Bann!
http://www.davidbann.com/index.php
Here’s what I had: Puy lentils cooked in vegetable broth and red wine with thyme, wrapped in grilled eggplant. Served with Old Winchester cheese mash potatoes sitting on red wine and homemade onion gravy with a thin ring of pesto. Topped with roasted celeriac and red bell pepper. It was light and positively delicious! £9.50
P had: Tofu smoked with aromatic spices, fried and served on organic Udon wheat noodles with pak choi, shitake mushrooms and a sauce of roasted red bell pepper, fresh ginger, garlic, lime, chili, soy, mirin and coriander. £10.50
Our charming waiter suggested a great Belgium beer for us. The service was excellent, the decor superb and combined with the food, it made for a wonderful dining experience. Even the bathrooms are cool! We loved this place and highly recommend it.
After lunch we made our way to Waverly station with our rail passes in order to book seat reservations and choose a train on Monday for York. We then purchased tickets for their hop on hop off buses which start/end in front of Waverly. We got the “Grand Pass” which allows you to ride on FOUR tour buses within a 24 hour period in Edinburgh. We got a good deal too because when I asked for one adult and one senior ticket he asked me if I was close to the senior rate. I told him I was still a little ways off, but he sold me two senior tickets anyway. This Grand Ticket is only £2 more than a single hop on hop off bus ticket, so if bus tours interest you and you have the time, I highly recommend the Grand Ticket.
We took one live guided bus tour which we very much enjoyed. You really can learn so much history through these men and women. After that ended we took a second live guided tour which took us on another route. They make the museums (there are so many in Edinburgh) sound so interesting and most of them are free which is very nice. But most everything closes around 5 pm so by the time we had finished with our second bus tour we were sort of hungry again and by the time we ate, the museums were long closed for the night.
That evening we went to the second recommendation from the concierge called Lazy Lohan’s located on the Royal Mile. Another good pick. Light, fresh and tasty food in a small setting. I can't remember if this is solely vegetarian or not, and I don't have a note on what we ate. As I recall we shared a stuffed tart with mixed greens and a couple of drinkies. While seated in this cozy restaurant we struck up a conversation with a lovely couple and their preteen son. We ended up walking all over Edinburgh with the wife leading and telling us bits about this area and that area. P was feeling no pain from his wine and proceeded to talk the ear off of the husband and their son as they lagged behind our leader.
At one point P danced with a large banana. This is probably a good point to tell you that Edinburgh seems to be THE place to go to when you’re about to get married and want to blow off some steam. We saw many a party of young men (and young women too) who would be caught wandering the streets dressed in “bribe me photo” outfits. I saw a man with very large breasts and nice legs, a dude with his friends dressed like cops with no trousers, and of course the large banana man. We were walking down a street where there was a band playing for tips when the large banana came out of nowhere and grabbed P by the arm to dance. Very entertaining!
We made our way back to our hotel with our new friends and had a couple of rounds. We were graciously invited to their house the following night for dinner but P said we’d let them know the next day. It was now 1:00 am so we called it a night.
<b> Banana dancing and bus riding In Edinburgh</b>
The next day we got up late and decided to go to the Royal Mile where we had spied a Starbucks the night before. I had pointed to a large paper cup and asked for a large coffee. He asked me if we were going to have it here or take away. I soon realized that having it “here” meant that I would be handed a large ceramic mug of coffee. I only mention it because in all of the Starbucks I have ever been to, they have never given me a ceramic mug. So if you like the freedom to get up and go with your coffee, ask for it specifically in a paper cup. I am not usually a Starbucks fan, but I found their coffee here to be surprisingly yummy. P and I got into a lengthy discussion which was really cool and lasted a couple of hours!
We went back to our hotel, got cleaned up and asked the concierge for a recommendation for a whole food, organic, vegetarian type of place for lunch. OMG! GREAT recommendation called David Bann!
http://www.davidbann.com/index.php
Here’s what I had: Puy lentils cooked in vegetable broth and red wine with thyme, wrapped in grilled eggplant. Served with Old Winchester cheese mash potatoes sitting on red wine and homemade onion gravy with a thin ring of pesto. Topped with roasted celeriac and red bell pepper. It was light and positively delicious! £9.50
P had: Tofu smoked with aromatic spices, fried and served on organic Udon wheat noodles with pak choi, shitake mushrooms and a sauce of roasted red bell pepper, fresh ginger, garlic, lime, chili, soy, mirin and coriander. £10.50
Our charming waiter suggested a great Belgium beer for us. The service was excellent, the decor superb and combined with the food, it made for a wonderful dining experience. Even the bathrooms are cool! We loved this place and highly recommend it.
After lunch we made our way to Waverly station with our rail passes in order to book seat reservations and choose a train on Monday for York. We then purchased tickets for their hop on hop off buses which start/end in front of Waverly. We got the “Grand Pass” which allows you to ride on FOUR tour buses within a 24 hour period in Edinburgh. We got a good deal too because when I asked for one adult and one senior ticket he asked me if I was close to the senior rate. I told him I was still a little ways off, but he sold me two senior tickets anyway. This Grand Ticket is only £2 more than a single hop on hop off bus ticket, so if bus tours interest you and you have the time, I highly recommend the Grand Ticket.
We took one live guided bus tour which we very much enjoyed. You really can learn so much history through these men and women. After that ended we took a second live guided tour which took us on another route. They make the museums (there are so many in Edinburgh) sound so interesting and most of them are free which is very nice. But most everything closes around 5 pm so by the time we had finished with our second bus tour we were sort of hungry again and by the time we ate, the museums were long closed for the night.
That evening we went to the second recommendation from the concierge called Lazy Lohan’s located on the Royal Mile. Another good pick. Light, fresh and tasty food in a small setting. I can't remember if this is solely vegetarian or not, and I don't have a note on what we ate. As I recall we shared a stuffed tart with mixed greens and a couple of drinkies. While seated in this cozy restaurant we struck up a conversation with a lovely couple and their preteen son. We ended up walking all over Edinburgh with the wife leading and telling us bits about this area and that area. P was feeling no pain from his wine and proceeded to talk the ear off of the husband and their son as they lagged behind our leader.
At one point P danced with a large banana. This is probably a good point to tell you that Edinburgh seems to be THE place to go to when you’re about to get married and want to blow off some steam. We saw many a party of young men (and young women too) who would be caught wandering the streets dressed in “bribe me photo” outfits. I saw a man with very large breasts and nice legs, a dude with his friends dressed like cops with no trousers, and of course the large banana man. We were walking down a street where there was a band playing for tips when the large banana came out of nowhere and grabbed P by the arm to dance. Very entertaining!
We made our way back to our hotel with our new friends and had a couple of rounds. We were graciously invited to their house the following night for dinner but P said we’d let them know the next day. It was now 1:00 am so we called it a night.
Jul 9th, 2010, 04:01 PM
#57
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The next day we woke up late and went outside later. In fact I left first. I was hungry and P didn’t have an appetite. It was a bummer as P was feeling the results of too many drinks. Whenever he does decide to have a drink he usually never has more than two. Probably because whenever he <i>does</i> have a drink he is usually in a situation where he can (and will) nod off for hours, thus automatically cutting himself off at two.
The day before, while headed to David Bann for lunch, we passed by two very cool little places with vegetarian options. One was called Foodies. I noticed that they had free wifi (I had not noticed seeing free wifi advertised anywhere but here) I left P to get ready and told him I’d meet him at Foodies. I had a great, strong double shot Americano coffee and a wonderful <i>homemade</i> muesli which consisted of rolled oats, granola, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, etc. It came with milk and it was VERY good! The girls there are very sweet too.
For a jump start, I spent a good hour checking out York and looking at places to stay there. I shot off an email to one B&B to see if they had a room available. An hour later P showed up to eat so I left him there while I went back to the room to get cleaned up. By one o’clock we were ready to see something but on a low key level as P was not feeling well. We decided that we might as well take a <i>third</i> bus ride of the four offered before the 24 hour time period was up. It sounded like a calm/easy thing to do. We decided on the bus which takes you down to the ship Britannia. It did not come with a live guide but we found the tape to be interesting anyway and we could hear the taped voices clearly. We also liked getting a chance to see a different part of Edinburgh, including taking us to the water even if we didn't leave the bus.
To get on this bus, we went across the street from our hotel to Planet Dynamic, which is one of the hop-on hop-off points for the two buses that we had ridden the day before. When a bus showed up we asked if the “Majestic” tour bus would arrive and we were told, “Yes”. 35 minutes and four buses later we asked again and were told, “No! You need to go to Waverly.” Rats. Oh well we just hopped on the next bus (when it showed up-this one was full) and rode it back to Waverly then waited a while for our Majestic bus to go. We were going nowhere fast.
We finished the tour and wandered a short bit before we went to a different Pizza Express on the North Bridge. That’s when we called the nice people we had met the night before and explained that P was not feeling well and that we were going to have to pass on their gracious invitation. We headed back to the hotel and P thought he might be interested in climbing that huge hill behind Planet Dynamic but after about 50 yards and that steep incline he said, “No way.” By 7pm, (the hour we were invited to their house to dine) P was snoring and I was doing a batch of laundry in both the sink and bathtub.
Next:
<b>The Alarm Co. Called. Cops are at Your Door.</b>
The day before, while headed to David Bann for lunch, we passed by two very cool little places with vegetarian options. One was called Foodies. I noticed that they had free wifi (I had not noticed seeing free wifi advertised anywhere but here) I left P to get ready and told him I’d meet him at Foodies. I had a great, strong double shot Americano coffee and a wonderful <i>homemade</i> muesli which consisted of rolled oats, granola, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, etc. It came with milk and it was VERY good! The girls there are very sweet too.
For a jump start, I spent a good hour checking out York and looking at places to stay there. I shot off an email to one B&B to see if they had a room available. An hour later P showed up to eat so I left him there while I went back to the room to get cleaned up. By one o’clock we were ready to see something but on a low key level as P was not feeling well. We decided that we might as well take a <i>third</i> bus ride of the four offered before the 24 hour time period was up. It sounded like a calm/easy thing to do. We decided on the bus which takes you down to the ship Britannia. It did not come with a live guide but we found the tape to be interesting anyway and we could hear the taped voices clearly. We also liked getting a chance to see a different part of Edinburgh, including taking us to the water even if we didn't leave the bus.
To get on this bus, we went across the street from our hotel to Planet Dynamic, which is one of the hop-on hop-off points for the two buses that we had ridden the day before. When a bus showed up we asked if the “Majestic” tour bus would arrive and we were told, “Yes”. 35 minutes and four buses later we asked again and were told, “No! You need to go to Waverly.” Rats. Oh well we just hopped on the next bus (when it showed up-this one was full) and rode it back to Waverly then waited a while for our Majestic bus to go. We were going nowhere fast.
We finished the tour and wandered a short bit before we went to a different Pizza Express on the North Bridge. That’s when we called the nice people we had met the night before and explained that P was not feeling well and that we were going to have to pass on their gracious invitation. We headed back to the hotel and P thought he might be interested in climbing that huge hill behind Planet Dynamic but after about 50 yards and that steep incline he said, “No way.” By 7pm, (the hour we were invited to their house to dine) P was snoring and I was doing a batch of laundry in both the sink and bathtub.
Next:
<b>The Alarm Co. Called. Cops are at Your Door.</b>
Jul 9th, 2010, 04:46 PM
#58
Catching up. "surely everyone with a camera takes a shot right here" - lol, so true, here's mine: http://tinyurl.com/2czd7y7
"Shouldn’t [wi-fi] be as basic as a bathroom nowadays?" My experience is that the more expensive the hotel the more likely they are to charge (a lot) for internet access. Places where backpackers stay will almost always have free wi-fi.
"in all of the Starbucks I have ever been to, they have never given me a ceramic mug" - depends on whether the local ordinances allow it, but even in the US often they will find you a ceramic cup or mug if you ask. (I drink espresso macchiato with extra foam, and much prefer a real cup.)
Way to leave us on the edge of our seats!
"Shouldn’t [wi-fi] be as basic as a bathroom nowadays?" My experience is that the more expensive the hotel the more likely they are to charge (a lot) for internet access. Places where backpackers stay will almost always have free wi-fi.
"in all of the Starbucks I have ever been to, they have never given me a ceramic mug" - depends on whether the local ordinances allow it, but even in the US often they will find you a ceramic cup or mug if you ask. (I drink espresso macchiato with extra foam, and much prefer a real cup.)
Way to leave us on the edge of our seats!
Jul 9th, 2010, 06:24 PM
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thursdaysd: <b>OMG!</b> Your photos are STUNNING. I want to go to Durham! I want to go to Durham! Honestly, many of your photos made me gasp. I can't wait to show them to P. He'll LOVE them.
Re: Starbucks, I have seen ceramic cups now and then, but I have never automatically been given one. (For us it was no big deal because we got into a really deep conversation sitting there for hours!) When they asked if it was "for here or to go" I thought it was a "tax them verses don't tax them" situation like it can be here in California. BTW, did you like that B&B in Portree? She was booked even before we left the states. THANK YOU for sharing.
Re: Starbucks, I have seen ceramic cups now and then, but I have never automatically been given one. (For us it was no big deal because we got into a really deep conversation sitting there for hours!) When they asked if it was "for here or to go" I thought it was a "tax them verses don't tax them" situation like it can be here in California. BTW, did you like that B&B in Portree? She was booked even before we left the states. THANK YOU for sharing.
Jul 9th, 2010, 10:21 PM
#60
Pilates: why thank you, I'm glad you liked them! And yes, Durham is worth a visit - as is Hadrian's Wall, nearby.
Yes, I did like the Portree B&B, and I think I may have gone on the same walk you did, too.
BTW, there is a different tax in the UK for food and drink eaten in (higher) rather than taken away.
Yes, I did like the Portree B&B, and I think I may have gone on the same walk you did, too.
BTW, there is a different tax in the UK for food and drink eaten in (higher) rather than taken away.
