The Last Days of Flat Susan's Scottish Sojourn with Elizabeth

This should have been posted already but life and the fantastic weather got in the way, but I'm here now to right the wrong. What follows is a mainly photographic record of Flat Susan's last few days on her jollies in the Highlands of Scotland.

These photos were taken on an afternoon when we went dolphin spotting on the Black Isle at the very popular Chanonry Point. The lighthouse you can see there is now a private home but it is possible to walk in a complete circle around it. We did spot dolphins leaping about in the firth but I wasn't quick enough to snap them in action, however Flat Susan was delighted to catch a glimpse of them.

The following day we all went on a wee road trip across the mountains, from the east coast to the west, to Ullapool passing grand scenery on the way. There are three dams on this road but the Glascarnoch Dam, near the Aultguish Inn, is the most striking. It was June but we could still see pockets of snow on the mountains as we drove through.

One of the most striking sights was the inaptly named Corrieshalloch Gorge, Ugly Hollow in English ... far from being ugly it is quite stunning. Corrieshalloch is a box-canyon, cut some  2.6 million years ago by Ice Age glacial meltwater. The River Droma runs through the gorge, dropping 100 metres in just 1.25 km, in a series of waterfalls, including the thunderous 45 m high Falls of Measach - very dramatic. For the bravehearts among us there is a suspension bridge near the falls which was built by John Fowler (1817-98), joint designer of the Forth Railway Bridge - so it should be safe!

Ullapool is a picturesque village located on the edge of Lochbroom and is surrounded by beautiful mountains. We were, unfortunately, too late to take a boat trip from the little harbour out to the romantically named Summer Isles where it is possible to spot seals and porpoises in the sea around. We did, however, discover a pub near the harbour serving the best fish and chips ever and a well stocked bookshop directly opposite ... Ullapool hosts a book festival annually. I can't think of a more romantic or prettier setting for the event. Sadly we were not there long enough to do much more exploring but hope to return on day ... maybe for next year's book festival :)

The final day of Flat Susan's visit found us on a serious mission to find the Loch Ness Monster. First we stopped of at the Loch Ness Monster Exhibition & Centre at Drumnadrochit, where, much to Flat Susan's amusement, we came upon what must be the original yellow submarine :) Inside we were taken through a series of entertaining shows featuring lasers, digital projections, and special effects. There was plenty of monsters on sale in the shop but we still hadn't spotted the real Nessie.

From Drumnadrochit we drove north along the shores of Loch Ness to visit Abriachan Gardens and enjoyed an hour or so strolling through, and climbing, this hillside garden. Flat Susan loves flowers. Here's just a tiny selection of what we found in bloom in June.

For the Poppy lovers among us.

And for the Columbine/Aquilegia lovers

And more Hostas showing no signs of slug damage

 ... apparently the bird population provide more than adequate slug control!

The Rowan Tree, aka the Mountain Ash, is associated with witches here in Scotland. Folklore has it that if you plant a tree near your house it will protect you from witchcraft and enchantment. Flat Susan was totally enchanted with the sign beside this old tree :)

That evening, Flat Susan took her final stroll through the grounds surrounding the holiday cottage ...

... down to the bluebell glade ..

... then down the road to the bridge over the River Beauly to see the Kilmorack Damonce more and for a last sight of the 'lupin island' ...

... as usual there was one lone angler out in the river, no doubt hoping to catch a salmon.

The following day it was time to for us to be on our way home, whilst Flat Susan went on her way to South Africa to continue her amazing trip. I'm sure you are all wondering if she ever did catch sight of Nessie out there on the very placid waters of Loch Ness. Well, no, Nessie was never spotted in the waters of the loch but up in the hills, sheltering from all the Nessie spotters ...

 Bon Voyage, Flat Susan, safe journey and have a wonderful time wherever your trip takes you.

Flat Susan Travels Up Country to Strathpeffer

Hello Everyone

One of the highlights of Flat Susan's adventures in Scottish Highlands was this trip toStrathpeffer, a village and spa town in the Ross and Cromarty region.

Although there is no longer a rail service to Strathpeffer (the branch closed in 1946), the charming old station is still well used as it contains a number of shops, for crafts and second-hand books, and an excellent coffee shop that serves delicious soups, light meals and home bakes.

The Victorian architecture is stunning and what was the line has now been planted up with roses and hostas. Impressively, there is no evidence of slug damage at all to those hostas, but then the many busy birds that inhabit the nearby trees probably provide all the pest control needed. They also take advantage of the fall out of crumbs from coffee shop customers seated at the tables on the platform. Here's a cheeky wee robin using the sign as a lookout point :)

A project is under way by the Strathpeffer Spa Railway Association to restore some of the track, buy an engine and run a short heritage line. Whilst this would undoubtedly be good for the village, encouraging even more visitors, I can't help thinking it would be such a shame to pull up those fabulous hostas.

Flat Susan got very excited on discovering that the Highland Museum of Childhood is also located at the station. Being a bit of a doll herself, she was delighted to be able to see the Angela Kellie Doll Collection - over 300 of them in fact. The big kid in me enjoyed being reminded of the toys and dolls I played with too many years ago to number!

Just outside the museum was this Rowan Tree in full bloom. There was a heavy sweet perfume coming from it ... the local bumble bee population clearly thought it was heavenly because the tree seemed to hum with their pleasure as they buzzed from flower to flower. Hope you can spot the bee in the lower photograph.

Strathpeffer has a pretty little village square with a few shops, some sheltered by a very pretty Victorian canopy. Nearby is this bicycle shop, the name of which seems to be a contradiction in terms! Alan was fair taken with the penny-farthing ... he would have taken it home if it had been for sale :)

Although the main Pump Room was demolished in the 1950s, the Upper Pump Room still exists and now houses displays showing the history behind the development of the Spa and visitors can, if they want, sample the healing waters. This representation of a lady being lowered into a mud bath is the display that most amused Alan ... he suspects I was the model!?!?
 

On the approach to Strathpeffer we spotted this stunning display of oriental poppies ... we just had to stop the car and take these shots ... they make a fabulous welcome to the village.

We had a wonderful day at Strathpeffer and would happily return there in the future, perhaps making it our base for another holiday. Flat Susan certainly enjoyed her day there.

Flat Susan goes to Beauly and Cawdor Castle with Elizabeth

Hi Everyone,

More adventures of Flat Susan for you - a trip to the nearby town of Beauly. Mary Queen of Scots, back in the sixteenth century, described this little town as ' un beau lieu', a beautiful place, and it certainly is. 

Beauly Priory, located in a secluded spot in the centre of town, fringed by trees and framed by wooded hills, was founded around 1230 by monks of the Valliscaulian order who came from Burgundy, France, settling by the side of Beauly River, just where it enters the Beauly Firth. They were invited to settle there by the local lord, Sir John Bisset, and so members of the order lived a cloistered and contemplative life in the Priory for 300 years until 1560 when the Protestant Reformation brought it all to an end. 

Here's one of the abbots, carved out of wood, begging for donations towards the flowers that would soon replace the weeds growing in the wheelbarrow and tub beside him.

 Beauly is famous for its beautiful floral displays, window boxes and hanging baskets and last year won the Large Village in Bloom competition. 

From the priory there's a short path that leads down to the beautiful Riverside Walk. Flat Susan was impressed with the river, the wild flowers in bloom, especially the honey-perfumed yellow broom, frothy white cow parsley and bright purple rhododendrons which were to be seen everywhere. And, a real treat,  bright little yellow hammers kept flitting about, seemingly not too worried that we were on the path.

After Beauly there was a trip to Cawdor Castle, a romantic fairy-tale castle that has been the home of the Thanes of Cawdor since 1370, east of Inverness and close to the town of Nairn. The castle is associated with William Shakespeare's tragedyMacbeth, in which the title character is made "Thane of Cawdor". Sadly, it's all fiction, the castle was built well after the 11th century King Macbeth existed.

The grounds are beautiful and lovely to walk around. We happened on this colourful caravan just before the entrance gate to the castle ... Flat Susan and I thought it would make a wonderful craft studio :)

And that ends another wonderful day on holiday in Scotland. 

There's more but you will have to wait for the next episode in Flat Susan's adventures in the Highlands. 

Visiting Inverness and Culloden with Elizabeth

Afternoon Everyone,

Here's a few lot more photos from Flat Susan's holiday adventures. Warning - what follows is a photo-heavy post.

The day after we all arrived at the cottage, self-catering, we took a trip to Inverness to make a quick visit to a supermarket to stock up on food. And low and behold, wasn't there a Hobby Craft right next door - what luck!

After spending much too much time taking in all that was to be seen there, and buying a few crafty bits and bobs, we made our way through Inverness to Culloden, site of the Battle of Culloden that put an end to the Jacobite Rising.

Now owned and managed by the the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) the battlefield is a place of pilgrimage for people from Scotland and throughout the world.

Just a few of the gravestones found around the site. The first is for the English buried there, the second for mixed clans and last for named clans - who presumably fought in the Atholl Highlanders, the Duke of Atholl's private infantry regiment - the UK's only legal private army!

The 20 feet (6.1 m) tall memorial cairn, erected by Duncan Forbes in 1881 - the same year he erected the headstones to mark the mass graves of the clans.

The site is now covered in shrubs, wild flowers and heather - here you can see a wild orchid, a thistle and yellow gorse -  but during the time of the rebellion the area was used a common grazing ground, mainly for tenants of the Culloden estate, so would have looked quite different then.

This is Leanach Cottage, an tiny farmhouse that survived the battle, although it has been restored several times since. The roof is heather thatched, a traditional Highland craft. The planting of the Rowan tree (Mountain Ash) nearby is also traditional here in Scotland - it's said to ward off evil spirits! 

Just a couple of the exhibits inside the Exhibition in the Visitor Centre. The painting depicts the battle between the Highlanders (the Jacobites) and the English (actually a mix of Lowlander Scots and English). 

Here, after watching the daily Living History presentation, which brings the battle to life, you can see some  visitors from the US having a giggle being photographed with reproduction weapons of the time. 

The ceiling of the restaurant has a fantastic record all the names of people who have donated to the building and upkeep of Culloden. 

And finally, just a sample of the fine food to be had in the restaurant - haggis withoatcakes, beetroot chutney and salad. Flat Susan was impressed with this tasty Scottish dish.

I've pared down the masses of photos taken at Culloden but I hope you can see from those posted here what an amazing experience it is to visit and to walk through the Culloden Battlefield and then view the results of recent archaeological and historical research in the Exhibition Centre. 

And after such a busy day Flat Susan was only too happy to join her travelling companions on the drive back to the cottage :)

Flat Susan Takes the High Road with Elizabeth

'Oh, ye'll tak' the high road, and I'll tak' the low road,

And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;

But me and my true love will never meet again

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.'

Loch Lomond looking towards the North

We set of on Saturday, 15th June, and it was a dull day with some rainy spells so Loch Lomond, the largest inland stretch of water in Great Britain, our first stop wasn't looking it's best with a mist hanging over the hills and grey clouds hovering overhead.

Looking back towards the South

It's a bit brighter looking in the direction we came from. Flat Susan ventured out of her suitcase just long enough for a photo shoot. A quick look at the beautiful loch and she was then back snug and warm for the next leg of the journey.

The entrance to Glencoe

The approach to Glencoe is always something worth stopping for even when the top of the mountains can't be seen for mist.

Flat Susan was impressed with the Three Sisters, especially as the sun was peeking through by this time.

It's June and there are still patches of snow on the top of those mountains.

The view from the Glencoe Visitor Centre - the Pap of Glencoe. Glencoe is owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland and has a polite 'no litter bin, take your litter home' policy - it costs a great deal of money to clear up litter. And it works,  it is a vast area but we didn't see any litter anywhere in the glen!

Beaufort Castle

Following the directions we had been given, Flat Susan was delighted to find that the we were going to be spending the week in the grounds of a real Scottish castle,  Beaufort Castle, in Gaelic Caisteal Duuaidh, that was until recently the traditional seat of the chiefs of Clan Fraser. Near Beauly and just north of Kiltarlity, it was sold in 1994 to Stagecoach director Ann Gloag by the then Lord Lovat, to meet inheritance taxes.

The Larder

The Larder, our cottage home for the week, has an equally interesting history and is so named because it was once, before a complete refurbishment, the hut where the game was stored ... in the days when Lord Lovat and his guests would go out on shoots. Now the wild life, deer, hares, badgers, etc., are left to live happily undisturbed on the estate.

A final photo for this post - the view from the window of the cottage.

Absolute bliss!

So that was just the trip up into the Highlands of Scotland, a fascinating journey that took in fabulous lochs  and grand mountains to be sure, but that was just the start of a wonderful holiday. For even more lovely photos be sure to look out for the next instalment of Flat Susan's Scottish sojourn ... it was quite a trip, with a lot of sightseeing packed into just a few days.