Day 7 The Scenic Route back to Edinburgh

It was our last full day in Scotland and we had a 3 hour drive ahead of us. I went through my list of possibilities and we chose a few of our favorites, then asked ChatGPT to put them in logical order for us.
First up- Clava Cairns. A 4,000 year old cemetery that has been excavated and left open to explore.

And standing stones.

It was nice that they were not roped off so you could wander inside.

Ryan doing his best as a model to show perspective of how tall they are. They were once covered by a roof.

A little further on down the road (Google maps took us down some twisty, narrow roads!) was the Culloden Viaduct. It is the longest masonry railway viaduct in Scotland.

Next stop was our hike for the day at Loch an Eilein in the Cairngorms National Park. This one was a very easy 3 mile hike and not at all wet. Just a loop around a lake. It was a semi-popular place and we were passed by a couple of trail runners.

We chose to do the hike clockwise so we would see the castle ruins towards the end of the hike. 

 

After our hike, we were hungry and ready to eat some lunch. Google maps helpfully showed this barn turned restaurant that was very close to where we were. Ryan ordered a slice of cheese pizza but I was feeling adventurous. There was a soup called Cullen Skink on the menu and I managed to order it without giggling. I was glad I did! Think of a thick, creamy clam chowder- except this is made with smoked haddock instead of clams. And the roll was just the right amount of crusty with a soft interior. So, so good! 

Back on the road again and we passed a site that didn't quite make the cut of must-do's for the day. This was old soldier barracks, but it was right off the highway. We were so close! I took a couple of photos out of my window as we drove past.

This just made me laugh. I wanted to tell somebody- Hey, I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but we don't use carriages anymore. We use cars. Anyway, the "dual carriageway" meant a 4 lane road for a couple of miles. Drivers could pass safely!

The old Roman fort at Ardoch was tricky to find. The GPS deposited us in the middle of a road and we were left to park, wander, climb a fence, and generally figure out where it was.

The meadow was very beautiful. I loved all of the wild flowers. But the only evidence of the Roman fort were the lumps and bumps on the ground. Obviously something big had been there once.

As we headed back to the road where our rental car was parked, we saw a gate in the fence. But we didn't use it. Oh no, gates are for wimps? We trampled through waist high weeds in the general direction of the car.

Then we drove the rest of the way to our hotel for the night. Once we arrived, we agreed that Ryan was not going to have to drive into Edinburgh. But we needed to go into the touristy part of Edinburgh because we neglected to pick up souvenirs for the kids the first time we were there. We asked the people at the front desk about buses, and they helpfully suggested the train. So a 15 minute walk and we found the train station. We bought tickets and got on the first train that came through (we were fairly sure it was the one that would take us into downtown). Unfortunately, there was a guy group all in white t shirts that got on the train at the same time as us with a box of full beer cans. They popped the tops of those cans and had spirited conversations for the next 45 minutes. I wanted to scrub out my ears by the time we arrived. We had to put our tickets into machines to let us out of the train station. It was different from my other train experiences.

We found our souvenirs fairly easily. Then we wandered down the Royal Mile. There was a street performer that proudly announced he hadn't worked a "real" job since 2004. His livelihood is entirely earned on the street. He was entertaining, and got out of his straight jacket and all of the chains wrapped around him. 

The sun was out and lit up St. Giles Cathedral. It was happy looking.

We had dinner and then decided it was time to head back to our hotel. We wandered around Waverley Station before taking off, and found these pretty windows. We hadn't seen it coming in.

On the train and heading back to St. Margaret's station.

Day 6 Dunrobin Castle and Inverness

Since the previous day had been heavy on driving, it was time for an easier day. Dunrobin Castle was "only" an hour away. It looked amazing. It had it all: palatial rooms and decor, expertly manicured gardens, and a falconry show. Of course the first thing I visited was the women's restroom. There was, as always, a long line. But this view greeted me when I finally had my chance.

I don't think I've ever seen a toilet tank so high up. I couldn't fit it all in one photo, so I did a panorama picture going up. I felt very clever having figured this out.

Entry, complete with a fire in the fireplace.

Dining Room

Dining Room from the other side. Look at the ceiling. It's incredible.

The old music room, now filled with trinkets and memorabilia spanning a couple hundred years. 

The breakfast room.

The Drawing Room- with more ornate ceilings.

The library, complete with lion skin rugs.

 Elaborately decorated radiators.

Official and royal dress. The family has been to coronations.

Another bathroom photo. Sorry I cannot help myself. This one has a real chair over the toilet. When indoor plumbing was put in, they took out some of the corner, circular stairwells and put in the water closets there.

On to the older part of the castle. The first part was Victorian; this next part is Georgian.

Its opulence would be daunting to be surrounded by day to day.

On the other hand, your family history would have been meticulously recorded and you could see what your ancestors looked like in the days before photographs.

Onto the gardens. There were three formal gardens, plus a croquet field, and the whole falconry area.

They are stunning.

The gate that leads out to the beach.

Formal gardens up close.

I think the big leaves were giant rhubarb?

The falconry presentation was about a half hour long. It was fun to watch.

Then we headed back to Inverness and took our own walking tour. This was the Victorian Market. There was a whole food court, where we had planned to eat dinner but it closed at 5 pm.

Leaky's bookshop is a defunct church building stuffed to the rafters with used books.

The bouncy bridge lived up to its name.

We stopped and listened to an outdoor concert for a half hour or more and then we were ready to find some dinner. We didn't realize the Victorian Market food court closed at 5 pm until we arrived at 6 pm. Oops. We ended up following our ears to a restaurant with live music. They had some good burgers. I was a little disgusted to see bottles of mayo just left out on the tables. I know technically you are supposed to refrigerate ketchup and I see ketchup left out on restaurant tables, so I don't know how this is any different. But I still felt grossed out. Mayo should be kept cold or it gets more greasy looking. Anyway, Heinz has a pretty high opinion of itself. I didn't try any.

We ordered haggis as an appetizer. When in Rome and all that. I don't know that I need to try it again if given the chance. These were breaded and deep fried. It tastes like organ meat and an interesting collection of spices.

We probably overstayed in the restaurant. There were people waiting for seats, but I enjoyed the live music. The people around us didn't seem in a rush to leave either. Between sets, we listened to an entertaining history lesson about traditional Scottish dress, with audience participation- one for the gals and one for the guys.

When we were tired, we walked back to our rented flat. We happened by a bagpipe and drum group practicing for a parade. 

I noticed that street name signs are attached to buildings in Scotland.