Our last day in Pitlochry (Monday, Sept. 7)

Note from Smoky: Come to my Zenfolio gallery to see lots of pictures of Scotland. Some are used in this blog, but there are also lots of others.

From the conservatory where we have breakfast at Claymore Guest House we could see some fog in the hills. Graeme says "That's what they call a Scotch mist, actually a harvest mist. The dew is on all the plants. It will burn off in a while and be a beautiful day!" Graeme was right! It was a beautiful day. 

Blair Castle from road.

Off to Blair Castle after breakfast. We drove by the imposing castle yesterday. The grounds are quite large and lavish. Smoky had heard about all the weapons hanging in the entrance hall. He was drooling over all the photos he could take, but when we entered, the greeter informed us that photos were not allowed inside the castle except in the ballroom, which was the last room we visited. 

Blair Castle ballroom.

The castle was lavishly furnished with many unusual items and what looked like priceless antiques. For example, the handrail for one section of stairs was made from a narwhal tusk. Wikipedia says this tusk is an extension of a canine tooth! (See more at this website.) 

One room in the castle was dedicated to sets of dishes from all over the world. In that same room were cases holding handwork made by the wife of one of the lords of the castle. The handwork ranged from drawn lace work to embroidery to crochet with very small thread. Every piece I looked at was exquisite. 

The garden ducks loved this man (it could have been the
crackers he was feeding them!)

After the castle, we walked through the formal garden, a very large area with a pond, quite a few ducks and swans, many fruit trees and a variety of flowers. It was lovely, but it didn't hold a candle to Graeme's garden at Claymore Guest House. When I told Graeme that, he smiled and said he was not at all surprised!

Blair Castle -- imposing and grand and very well maintained!

Piper outside Blair Castle.

Before leaving the castle grounds, we wanted to find the old church. Now in ruins, St. Bride's Kirk, is still a lovely old building. One small room off the main larger room, which is called a mausoleum, has a memorial to the 6th Duke of Atholl plus one very interesting stone artifact on display. The room has an iron gate across the door to prevent entry.

St. Bride's Kirk, small alcove.

After a quick snack, we hiked to a lovely waterfall on the other side of Pitlochry. We had a very nice dinner at Drummonds Restaurant and Public Bar. Smoky had grilled salmon and I had fish and chips (again)! I may be getting hooked on fish and chips.  

After dinner we walked down to the recreation ground to hear the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band and see some Highland and Scottish dancing. This was the 50th year of the Highland Nights performance, which included singing, dancing, and piping. Jean Swanson's highland dancers performed several times, along with the Vale of Atholl Scottish Country Dancers, a group of older ladies, who showed us a traditional Highland Folk Dance. The Vale of Atholl Pipe Band was made up of members of all ages, the youngest being seven. We witnessed a lot of community enthusiasm throughout this program. The audience was encouraged to come down on the field to take photos at any time. And those folks watching from cars flashed their lights and honked horns to show appreciation.

Vale of Atholl Pipe Band performs in Pitlochry.

Vale of Atholl Scottish Country Dancers.

This couple and their dog sat in front of us at the Pipe Band 
performance. Occasionally, this dog placed its head on 
the man's shoulder. This dog obviously has an important role.

We left a little early since we needed to pack in preparation for our drive to Inverness on Tuesday.

I'll post photos as soon as I can.

--Shann

Exploring Pitlochry (Sunday, Sept 6)

Breakfast room at Claymore
Guest House has a great view of
the gardens.

First order of business: breakfast at Claymore Guest House! Graeme had already instructed us that we had to have porridge with whiskey on our first morning along with our choice of many other items on his menu. What we hadn't expected was that he was going to show us how to properly eat porridge in Scotland:

• Cook your porridge (Graeme had already done that!)
• Put a generous amount in the bowl.
• Pour just the right amount of whiskey on top (he poured for us).
• Eat!

Claymore Guest House and its
lovely gardens.

That's it. Nothing else is allowed. It was good. Smoky added a little honey to his. Tomorrow morning, we're planning to have a few fresh Scottish strawberries on top!

Today was even sunnier and warmer than yesterday, so we decided to focus on the outdoor activities first. Queen's View was nearby. Just after we crossed the River Garry, we pulled into a car park. A number of trails originate or end at this car park, and quite a few people were already there when we arrived. Behind the recycle bins, we stepped into the woods and were immediately overwhelmed with a calm, peaceful, old energy so powerful it brought tears to our eyes. Very tall Douglas fir trees filled this area, and the ground under their feet was soft and welcoming. What an experience.

This is Queen's View!

We continued on down a narrow and winding road, which followed along the edge of lovely Loch Tummel. Queen's View is just an overlook, but a really nice gift shop and cafe have been added, the latter having outdoor seating, which today was full of people enjoying homemade baked goods, coffee, and warm sunshine. We bought some sandwiches in the cafe and walked the 80 or so yards to the overlook. They view is worthy of a queen!

Speaking of queens, the sign at the overlook says that this overlook was made famous by Queen Victoria's visit in 1866, but that it was most likely named after Queen Isabella, the wife of Robert the Bruce. Of course, no one told Queen Victoria that!

If your dog goes shopping with  you,
you have a special, shaded place to park!

Our next stop was Blair Atholl, where Smoky's Clan Donnachaidh has a museum. Turns out the museum is in the back part of a nice gift shop with clan-type items (but not just for Clan Donnachaidh). We found two self-guided tours of nearby locations that are important in the history of Smoky's clan. Before we started one of those tours, we ate an early dinner in a restaurant that served buffet style. You could choose an entree and then help yourself from the vegetables, as much as you wanted. Smoky had a great chicken in wine sauce (really yummy). I decided to just have veggies -- tiny whole string beans, sautéed kale and cabbage, carrots and parsnips diced fine, and three kinds of potatoes. Every veggie tasted great! 

With our bellies full (yet again), we headed out on the first Donnachaidh tour. One of our first stops was at an old church where a number of historic Donnachaidh leaders are buried. The old cemetery was quite interesting. Unfortunately a note on the door said that monthly services at the church were cancelled indefinitely. 

By the time we returned to our guest house, it was just dark and we were weary from the busy day. Time for some rest!

--Shann

[more photos from the day below]

We would call this firepink. It is blooming now along many
roadsides!

Scottish thistle (may not be the "proper" name) is a little
smaller than ours and much brighter in color.

This geranium is smaller than ours and a brilliant color!

Bruar Falls near Blair Atholl.

Stirling to Pitlochry (Saturday, Sept 5)

Saturday, September 5

We left Stirling and the Victoria Square Guest House after a delicious breakfast of eggs and smoked Scottish salmon. Our list of places to stop between Stirling and Pitlochry, our destination, was pretty long, and the weather gods were smiling on us yet again. The sun was shining, the sky blue with occasional white clouds, the air crisp and clean. Heavenly!

If you ever have a chance to visit Stirling, check out Victoria Square. The owners completely remodeled it after they purchased it a few years ago; both the house and the grounds are lovely. And the location is great!

Hydrangea outside Victoria Square. 

Victoria Square Guest House.

On the way out of town, we drove by the old Stirling Bridge, which is located on the same spot as the earlier wooden bridge that played such an important role in the First War of Scottish Independence. You can read more about this on Wikipedia. The new bridge was built near the old one, which is now used exclusively by walkers and bicyclers. 

Old Stirling Bridge.

Our next stop, just a short distance up the road, was Doune Castle, the home of Robert Stewart, the 1st Duke of Albany, who ruled Scotland, in all but name, from 1388 until his death in 1420. The castle's impressive architecture made it a great choice for the filming of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and more recently a location in the pilot for Game of Thrones and the fictional Castle Leoch for the TV adaption of the Outlander novels.

Doune Castle, featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

We picked up the audio tour at the castle gift shop. Comparing the rich characters and entertaining information from this audio tour with the more reserved audio on the Stirling Castle tour, we decided that we really liked the one for Doune! Narrated by Python's Terry Jones, it features both the castle's real and fictional histories. 

Window at Doune Castle.

This castle, though quite plain on the outside, was filled with interesting niches, nooks, small rooms, and winding staircases in addition to some very large rooms, including a kitchen with a fireplace large enough to roast an entire venison on a spit!

Privy at Doune Castle.

King's quarters at Doune Castle.

We entered the Trossachs National Park and headed toward Killin, an interesting small town just at the intersection of the glens of Dochart and Lochay. Killin is best known for the Falls of Dochart, which tumble under the Dochart Bridge right in the heart of town. You can climb down to the water, rock hop a little, and plunge your feet into the refreshing water, or you can sit outside one of the cafes or pubs and have a bite to eat on a sunny day! Killin is definitely a place to relax and enjoy life.

Falls of Dochart, which run under the bridge at Killin.

By the time we left Killin, the afternoon was progressing, so we checked in with our host Graham at Claymore Guest House in Pitlochry. We wanted to make sure he was expecting us! That settled, we continued on toward Kenmore and the Scottish Crannog Center, which features a unique reconstruction of a loch dwelling from the early Iron Age. The Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology has done a lot of research in the north end of Loch Tay, which has allowed them not only to reconstruct the dwelling but to give demonstrations of tools used by these early Scottish dwellers and the clothing they made and plants they grew. It was a fascinating stop.

Cross this bridge to the Scottish Crannog Center, which shows how early
Scottish crannog dwellers lived. 

St. Mary's Church, view of this rather plain building
from outside.

Even though it was now quite late in the evening, we really wanted to see St. Mary's Church. Our friends Pat and Tom found this church on one of their previous trips, and it sounded intriguing. Smoky located the Church on Google Maps street view and Pat had sent us instructions on finding it, too, so we knew what to look for. We parked and walked up the narrow path to the building, which looks as though it was built to store tools and other agricultural supplies. We opened the gate, walked to the door, ducked under the door frame, and flipped the light switch. 

Inside view of St. Mary's Church, showing painted
ceiling.

And we were amazed! This long, narrow room had been modified so that one half held a wooden barrel-vaulted ceiling entirely covered with stunningly painted panels. You can read more about it at this website. The paintings seemed religious in nature but also incorporated a crest of the Laird of Grandtully. They were all fascinating and quite unique!

By now evening was approaching, and we wanted to arrive at Claymore Guest House before dark, so we headed down the road again. Soon we were pulling into the drive, being greeted warmly by Graeme, and shown to our lovely, large room. Unfortunately, by this time we were so tired that we forgot to photograph the room before we unloaded our luggage, so you'll just have to take our word for it that it was really nice. The best part: it overlooks the fantastic front garden, where every flower I can imagine is in bloom. Glorious!

Part of the beautiful garden at
Claymore Guest House.

We walked to town for a delicious dinner at Victoria's Restaurant. 

Some of Smoky's photos from the day are now posted in this entry; the first two and the last one are mine. Remember, you can see more of Smoky's photos at his Zenfolio site.

--Shann

Exploring Stirling Castle (Friday, Sept 4)

Stirling Castle from viewpoint in King's Park.

Stirling Castle sits on top of Castle Hill, overlooking the town of Stirling. We walked from Victoria Square Guest House to the castle this morning, using one of the side entrances to the shopping area that has built up below the castle over the last 500 years. 

By the time we reached the parking area for the castle, the tour buses were beginning to accumulate, but overall the crowds were quite tolerable. The castle grounds cover the entire hilltop, three sides of which are steep cliffs, placing this castle in a strong defensive position. We learned that it has never been overtaken by warring factions, but it has changed hands due to siege eight times in its history.

Sir Patrick Wemyss explains the
queen's bedroom (not for sleeping!)

Historic Scotland has done a great job keeping this castle in prime shape for visitors. We got the audio self-guided tour, which provided lots of interesting information about many parts of the castle grounds. I would be writing all night if I tried to describe all we saw! One of the most exciting parts for me was learning about a recent project to reproduce tapestries for the Queens Inner Hall of the palace. You can read about this project on the Castle blog (note: you may have to search for unicorn tapestries) and on this website. Here's what the last link says about the tapestries:

Work began on the new tapestries in 2001 and was completed in 2014. Four of the seven were woven in a purpose built studio within Stirling Castle. In Spring 2015, visitors will be able to see an exhibition about the tapestry project in the studio - 'Weaving the Unicorn.'

One of the completed new tapestries
at Stirling Castle.

Closeup of another tapestry showing the beautiful detail.

Reenactor who told us
about the tapestries.

Guess what! We not only saw those absolutely amazing tapestries, we also got to visit the exhibition explaining how they were made! It was fascinating, so much so that I'm now eager to learn to weave!

The new tapestries are closely based on a set of seven held by the Metropolitan Museum of New York at its Cloisters Museum. The original tapestries were produced in the early 1500s in the Low Countries. The exhibition showed how the artwork of the original tapestries was duplicated and then used as a guide for the new ones. Each tapestry had a chosen weaver, who had to figure out how to work with the hand-dyed yarns to achieve the desired end result. What a project!!

As we were walking from one section of the Castle grounds to another, we climbed to the rim walk to see the view. In every direction, the view was remarkable. Some spots overlooked the city; others overlooked the King's Park, which is now a golf course.

By early afternoon, we were feeling in need of some lunch, so we stopped at The Portcullis Pub for lunch. The Portcullis is also a hotel and is very close to the Castle. We had a delightful lunch -- pub grub taken to a higher, home-made level! 

Church of the Holy Rood

After lunch and a visit to the Church of the Holy Rood, the medieval parish church of Stirling, and Argyll's Lodging, the most complete surviving example of a seventeenth century town house in Scotland, we felt jet lag catching up with us again, so we headed back to Victoria Square for a rest time!

Tomorrow we head to Pitlochry.

Late breaking news: Smoky just heard more DNA results, and he is definitely descended from people who lived on the Isle of Bute! Now we are going to try to revise our itinerary so that we can spend some time there before the end of our trip! This is exciting!

--Shann

Here are a few more of Smoky's photos from this day:

Doll that Mary Queen of Scots played with as a child.
(Kaye, this one is for you!)

Reenactor telling us about her job
(maid) and this room.

Unicorn painting in one of
the King's rooms.

Inside Church of the Holy Rood

Dining room at Argyll House, Stirling

Glasgow to Stirling (Thursday, Sept. 3)

September 3 has been a busy day! Our rental car, a Nissan Qashqai, is a small SUV-type car, well suited for Scotland's narrow roads, especially since it has Eyesight and a forward facing and rear-facing camera. We are accustomed to our Suburu telling us whenever we stray over into the adjacent lane, and this car does that too! Sweet!

So with the help of our Qashqai, driving today has been OK, especially once we made it out of Glasgow. I admit that we took some interesting turns, and our GPS "recalculated" quite a few times, but once we were driving through the rural areas, we were much more relaxed. It didn't hurt that the weather today was glorious!

Smoky got some incredible shots today. Some I'll integrate with the blog; others will be at the end.

View from Queen's View.

We made a quick stop at Queen's View on A809 toward Aberfoyle. At this pull-off, the hilltop was being repopulated with trees and other native vegetation. The view from near the top over the valley was so peaceful; the blue sky with scattered clouds added to the beauty. Along the trail were many wildflowers, and Smoky has some lovely photos of them.

Elaine captains the small
boat to Inchmahome Priory.

Next stop was the Inchmahome Priory, on an island in the Lake of Menteith. A small boat ferries 12 passengers at a time out to the island. You can walk around the island, explore the remains of the Priory, and learn about the Augustinian canons who settled there in the 1200s. Though the Priory is in ruins today, there is still enough of it standing to enable visitors to have a good idea of what it was like in its prime. I can hardly imagine how a place as large as this could have been built in the 1200s on an island!

Main section of Inchmahome where
visitors and canons worshipped.

Inner courtyard at Inchmahome.

Windows in section of Inchmahome
Chapter House, converted to a
mausoleum. 

Lovely ferns find footing
in stone at Inchmahome.

The Flanders Moss National Nature Reserve (NNR), near Kippen, was our next stop. This is a quietly exciting place to visit. You'll find a car park, a picnic table, and a simple path that leads to a tower overlooking the bog. We climbed the tower first, just to get an idea of what this NNR encompasses. From the tower we could see the boardwalk path around and through the bog. The heather was in full bloom! 

Down on the path, we noticed a number of small wild flowers growing among the heather, and in one section several examples of a lovely species of butterfly appeared. This is what is known as a "raised bog" and is one of the last fragile remains of the bogs that covered much of Scotland. You can read more at this website. 

Flanders Moss Nature Reserve from tower.

Reluctantly, we left Flanders Moss and headed for Stirling, where we are spending two nights at the Victoria Square Guest House. The classic 1880's Victorian building has been recently remodeled to bring out the amazing original features of the house. As we walked along the street facing Victoria Square, we noticed many other large homes built in the same period. It was easy to "step back in time" and imagine oneself living a simpler life!

Peacock butterfly at Flanders Moss.

We walked to dinner at Brea Bistro on Baker Street, just a short distance from Stirling Castle. Kari, our Guest House host, recommended Brea, and the food was amazing. I had a carrot and cumin soup that was incredible, followed by a sweet pea and asparagus risotto that made my taste buds sing songs of delight. Smoky had the sea bass, beautifully presented and very tasty. We were impressed with this meal. 

Afterwards, we walked back to the Guest House along a different street, noting slightly different architecture and feeling the presence of the Castle just above us. Tomorrow we explore that castle!

Street scene near Stirling Castle.

We loved the chimneys against the night sky in Stirling.

--Shann

Glasgow (with photos!) (Wednesday, Sept. 2)

[updated September 4; reminder: click a photo to see the larger view.]
We touched down at 6:56am on Wednesday. Because our seats were almost in the back of the plane, it took some time to get off. While we were waiting, one of the crew announced, "Are Sharon and Ron McConathy still on the plane?" We waved and indicated our position. He added that we should make ourselves known to the crew as we deplane. Smoky and I looked at each other and said "Jackie!" Joel's colleague Jackie greeted us so warmly. We felt officially welcomed to Glasgow! Thanks, Jackie and Joel.

We gathered our bags, stood in line to have our passports stamped by the customs officials and then walked right across the street to the Airport Holiday Inn. Our basic room was not ready as promised, so we were upgraded to an "executive room" with a desk and a large bed! Even though we were staggeringly tired, it took a while to fall asleep. Our alarm was set to allow for 3 hours of sleep. This short nap was designed to get us through the day. Let's hope it works!

Glasgow Cathedral, front view.

After grabbing sandwiches at Tesco at the airport, we caught the 500 bus into Glasgow City Center. Glasgow has a great public transportation system, and lots of people take advantage of it. Visiting the Glasgow Cathedral was high on our list for the afternoon; the 500 bus driver told us he would let us off at his closest stop to the Cathedral, and he provided directions for finding it. Just a 5 minute walk, he said. How great is that!!

As we started toward the cathedral, Smoky and I remembered how in Ireland a "5-minute walk" turned into 45 minutes and a "30-minute walk" meant hours for us, and we wondered what we were in for. Well, it was longer than 5 minutes but we got there, and it was well worth the walk!

Inside Glasgow Cathedral.

Smoky has some wonderful photos of the cathedral and grounds (some now added here). One thing we noticed as we approached was how the cathedral felt to us. I'm not sure I can adequately describe the feeling, but I will say that I was distressed on finding so much attention inside to visitors. I can understand the necessity of this because people yearn to see this remarkable building, but it was sad in a way because the emphasis has seemed to shift away from its original purpose.

View of side of Cathedral across
the cemetery.

Here's what the cathedral website says (amazing, isn't it?):

The first stone built Glasgow Cathedral was dedicated in the presence of King David I in 1136. The present building was consecrated in 1197. Since that same period the Cathedral has never been unroofed and the worship of God has been carried out within its walls for more than 800 years.

Small section of path through the
Glasgow Necropolis showing some
of the grave markers.

Beside the cathedral, we noticed an ornate gate and a stone road that led across an overpass and up to the top of the hill behind the cathedral. After following this for a while, it led to the Glasgow Necropolis, which is described as "a unique representation of Victorian Glasgow, built when Glasgow was the second city of the empire." This memorial to merchant patriarchs contains the remains of almost every eminent Glaswegian of its day. The monuments are amazing, sitting there on top of the hill overlooking this energetic city.

After leaving the cathedral and the necropolis, we walked back toward George Square, where we found the Counting House, which now houses an interesting pub. The old bank building is remarkable, and Smoky has some great shots showing details, such as the bank vault where a lucky group of four can have dinner and drinks! Tonight was "wing it Wednesday" -- the special, as you might expect, was chicken. Smoky and I were tired and hungry and this was intriguing.

Inside the Counting House, once a
bank, now a friendly pub.

Euen and Smoky at the
Counting House.

We are delighted that we stopped because we met Euen, a native Glaswegian and professor at Glasgow University. As we talked, we learned he met his wife (a native of Alabama!) while teaching in New York (I hope I remembered the right city), and Nashville is his favorite city in the U.S.! We enjoyed our conversation with Euen, exchanged emails, and hopefully will have a chance to connect with him again.

We had heard from several people who have visited Scotland about how welcoming the people are to visitors like us. Euen certainly reinforced that for us, along with a number of other people we've met and interacted with in our short time here. We can't wait to see what the rest of the trip brings.

-- Shann

Our Scotland Adventure Begins

Tuesday, September 1 (written as we were flying but posted later)

We lifted off at 3:35pm from the Knoxville airport on the first leg of our journey to Scotland. The small American Eagle plane is only half full, which is a very good thing considering Smoky's knees are bumping the seat in front of him. I moved to the empty seat across the isle, and now we can both spread out a little.

Jo, our flight attendant, says we should get to Philadelphia early. Once there, we follow the signs to the bus that takes us to A wing. Cousin Joel recommended an Italian restaurant on A west. That sounds good for dinner.

Our Glasgow flight boards a little after 6, and it is packed. No empty seats, so we will stretch out while we can!

The weather is beautiful today. Smooth skies ahead!

6:46pm
We are pulling away from the gate in Philly in a packed jet. For a short while we thought we might have an empty window seat beside us. A nice young lady asked if she could have it because she gave up her seat so that a husband and wife could sit together. Then, well after the doors had closed, a lady came down the aisle saying that was her seat. She had been delayed getting on the plane because there was no seat for her daughter, even though they had had their tickets for a long time. 

At 6:50pm our pilot announced that we were in Philly's rush hour traffic. We were number 12 in the taxi line, he said. At 7:15, he revved the engines and we were off. About 6.5 hours from now, we will be in Scotland! Yea!

--Shann