Our Scotland Brave Adventure!

[calypso726]

This morning we drove to Inverness airport for our flight to the Isle of Lewis. We were in our own chartered plane and the flight was only about 30 minutes. Seeing a Brave poster from "Visit Scotland" at the airport made me smile.

On our drive over we saw some peat cutting and peat stacks. I also got to smell my first peat fire. I LOVE the smell!!!!!

Our first stop was the Gearrannan Blackhouse village and the Blackhouse of Arnol no. 42. It was pretty amazing to venture inside and imagine going back to a time and place when it was common for people to live in in these types of dwellings.

I am 5 feet tall and I believe this is the first time I have ever had to duck through a doorway before! What a novel experience.

Next stop was the visit to Carloway Broch

The last stop before lunch was the Callanish Standing Stones. This was a stop I was looking forward to seeing. There were a number of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series fans on the tour besides me. The standing stones are a feature in the books which initially take place in Scotland. It seemed many of us were most enthusiastic about this particular stop.

 

[calypso726]

I LOVE reading reports and this one is by far one of my favorites! These pictures are amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!

WOW! Thank you. It's the first trip report I've ever done so I am glad to know it is well liked by someone who enjoys trip reports You are very welcome and I am thrilled to know that others are enjoying the report!

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Really enjoying your report and pics.

 

[rebeccam31]

Well, you should do more trip reports! You are doing wonderfully well. You are making it very hard for me to wait an entire year.

 

[calypso726]

Today we ventured to The Rothiemurchus Estate which is 25,000 acres of sheer beauty. Our groups were divided into 2 groups. One group did the horseback ride while the other group did the mountain bike riding in the morning. After lunch the groups that did biking in the morning did the horseback riding in the afternoon and vice versa. There was an option to do a land rover tour of the estate for people who might have found biking too physically challenging or might have issues with the horseback riding. We opted for the land rover tour since I was not too keen on a potential asthma attack from biking over possible steeps or inclines.
The heather is just starting to come in on the landscape and looks so pretty!

Our first stop on the land rover tour was to see the Highland Cows aka “Heelan Coos.” Our guide, Julian parked by the fence and had us all yell “Come on now!” as the coos were way off in the distance. They came running!

Even the baby coos

Julian put down some feed for them which they seemed very eager to get.

I imagine this stuff must have been very tasty

Next stop was a peaceful loch

Afterwards we set off to go see and feed the Red Deer. Julian called to the deer, “Come on now!” just like he did with the cows. Just like the cows, the deer came running. It was kind of surreal to be chased by a few deer while driving in a Land Rover.

Before we knew it, we were mentally transported to that scene in Jurassic Park and suddenly there were LOTS more and headed right towards us.

Julian gave each of us handfuls of feed for the deer. I had an absolute blast feeding them.

After lunch it was our group’s turn for horseback riding. The trail we took was breathtaking! Surrounded by the beautiful purple heather coming into bloom was a wonderful experience on horseback.

After horseback riding it was back to the hotel and evening on our own. A few of us had expressed interest in visiting Culloden Battlefield. ABD dropped us off there. One can really get swept up in the battle that took place there and everything that led up to that day.

I don’t know any Frasers other than a fictional character from a book series. However, that series and that character made me fall in love with Scotland and got me interested in her real history and the real characters that are a part of her history. When I found the Fraser clan stone it felt right to leave flowers and pay my respects to the real Frasers that fell that day.

Tonight for the dinner on our own we went to Rocpool. The food was wonderful!

 

[rebeccam31]

I am a horse owner, so the horseback riding pictures made me all teary. Actually, the standing stone picture did the same thing. I am a sap.

Edited to add: Also? English saddles!! Hooray! Trail rides here in the state NEVER have English saddles!

 

[paddles]

Ho Calypso - I'm so glad you're enjoying your trip.

We loved the jeep tour at Rothiemurchus as well....especially getting to see the highland cows up close!

Culloden is extremely moving, and a must see for those who have read "Outlander". While in Inverness, I bought a coffee mug that has the Fraser crest and the words "Je suis prest" written on it. My husband thinks I'm nuts.

Scotland is an amazing country with amazing history. I really would love to go back again.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

 

[jjharts]

Probably a silly question but how did you get back to Inverness from Culloden?

 

[paddles]

The guides had scheduled a taxi to pick us up at 6pm to take us from Culloden to downtown Inverness....I believe it was approx 20 pounds.

 

[calypso726]

I can’t believe today is our last day and that it is all over. It seems like just yesterday we started on this adventure and had all the time in the world to enjoy and explore our journey. I don’t know where the time went. We left Inverness this morning and drove to visit Dunnottar Castle which has the most incredible views.

After our visit to Dunnottar castle we left for Glamis Castle. We had lunch there and then our group split into two. One group went to do archery and the other got a private tour of the castle. Afterwards the groups swapped. I am not posting pics of the castle interior because it is pretty amazing and one of those things where first impressions will have an impact. The tour of the castle was very enjoyable and entertaining.

Must be nice …

Our farewell dinner was held at the Signet Library. The venue was stunning!

This was an AMAZING trip!!!! Truly the trip of a lifetime. We LOVED our guides, Zoe and Hanneke. They were awesomesauce!!!! Our group was wonderful and we had a great time getting to know each of the families and travelers. There is NO way we could have done this type of an itinerary on our own. This was not something we appreciated until experiencing it for ourselves. We also would not have chosen to do some of the things we did had we visited Scotland on our own. We would have missed out on some of our top highlights. We will definitely be coming back to Scotland one day. I don’t know if there is any Scottish blood running in my veins, but I do know that Scotland is in my heart and has captured part of my soul. I want to say thank you to everyone who followed my first trip report on our Brave Adventure

 

[calypso726]

I am a horse owner, so the horseback riding pictures made me all teary. Actually, the standing stone picture did the same thing. I am a sap.

Edited to add: Also? English saddles!! Hooray! Trail rides here in the state NEVER have English saddles!

Count me in on the sap club. I was sobbing at Culloden. Many times I teared up at the beauty all around me. Tonight I teared up saying goodbye to Hanneke and Zoe

Ho Calypso - I'm so glad you're enjoying your trip.

We loved the jeep tour at Rothiemurchus as well....especially getting to see the highland cows up close!

Culloden is extremely moving, and a must see for those who have read "Outlander". While in Inverness, I bought a coffee mug that has the Fraser crest and the words "Je suis prest" written on it. My husband thinks I'm nuts.

Scotland is an amazing country with amazing history. I really would love to go back again.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

Totally agree Paddles. I loved the land rover tour and seeing the coos up close. My husband was pointing out anything Fraser and all people named Jamie to me We adored Scotland! We will definitely be back.

Probably a silly question but how did you get back to Inverness from Culloden?

Like Paddles said, a cab ride back. I did hear that there is a bus that runs from Culloden to the town center and you can walk back to the hotel from there.

 

[wld]

Thank you so much for your trip report! We were a little nervous reading the comments earlier travelers had left! We are confident our own trip in about 6 weeks will be awesome and cant wait to see the beautiful countryside. From one asthmatic to another I believe I will make a necklace of my inhaler. And I have broken down and bought the entire outlander series for my kindle . I better get reading

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Enjoyed your report. Safe travels on your return.

 

[disneydeb8]

Terry,

You have done a brrrrrilliant job capturing the profound beauty of Scotland that changes us deep within. I certainly enjoyed the day-by-day trip report an thank you for taking your time to share with us your journey.

I loved your cape you were wearing and wondering if that was a Scotland purchase? My husband and kids got one similar for me at Scottish import shop here in the states for a Christmas gift but not the same as bringing it home yourself !

Safe journey!

 

[calypso726]

Thank you so much for your trip report! We were a little nervous reading the comments earlier travelers had left! We are confident our own trip in about 6 weeks will be awesome and cant wait to see the beautiful countryside. From one asthmatic to another I believe I will make a necklace of my inhaler. And I have broken down and bought the entire outlander series for my kindle . I better get reading

You are welcome! This trip was so amazing our guides could have been animatrons and it still would have been the best trip ever! That said, our guides were so wonderful that they raised the bar into the stratosphere. Yes! Don't forget your inhaler but also do not let the asthma stand in the way of some of the most memorable experiences you may have. LOL The first book is slow going at first but you need the foundation it lays. Once it gets going though, hold on to your hat it is a serious roller coaster ride!

Enjoyed your report. Safe travels on your return.

Thanks Terri! Will do.

Terry,

You have done a brrrrrilliant job capturing the profound beauty of Scotland that changes us deep within. I certainly enjoyed the day-by-day trip report an thank you for taking your time to share with us your journey.

I loved your cape you were wearing and wondering if that was a Scotland purchase? My husband and kids got one similar for me at Scottish import shop here in the states for a Christmas gift but not the same as bringing it home yourself !

Safe journey!

Oh thank you! I am beyond smitten and completely in love with Scotland! Yes, I bought the cape in Inverness at the Highland House of Fraser. One of my souvenir goals was a cape from Scotland. I did not find one I liked until I saw that one the day before yesterday.

 

[tufbuf]

It was fun reading your trip report, calypso!!! Would an extra day in Edinburgh enough to visit Stirling Castle (with David) and see the Tattoo?

 

[disneyshakeygirl]

We started off the morning by taking walk down The Royal Mile. The Fringe Festival is getting underway and there are street performers everywhere! I am officially in love with Edinburgh! I love all the expression of creativity everywhere. There are amazing artists, musicians, performers everywhere you look. I love the sheer number of regular people sporting pink, purple or aqua colored hair and unique clothing style choices.

We did The Real Mary King’s Close Tour which was great fun!

The city chamber is right next door.

We walked down the Royal Mile and then had lunch at The World’s End pub.

I had a nice Strongbow Cider with ale steak pie and DH had fish & chips. We both had sticky toffee pudding … mmmmmm

Long time lurker here! I cannot tell you how jealous I am that you a) went on this adventure and b) saw Out of the Blue (the young men in the all blue shirts)! They are my absolute favourite acappella groups and one of the groups Glee is based upon! SO JEALOUS.

 

[calypso726]

It was fun reading your trip report, calypso!!! Would an extra day in Edinburgh enough to visit Stirling Castle (with David) and see the Tattoo?

Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, as long as it isn't the day you fly in and also depending on how much time you decide to spend inside Stirling Castle. We had David pick us up at 8:30 am. We stopped a few times before getting to Stirling Castle. Queens Crossing, Linlithgow Palace were a couple of stops. We probably spent somewhere between 1 - 2 hours inside Stirling Castle. From there we went to the Wallace Monument and climbed to the top. We got back somewhere between 3 and 4 pm.

Long time lurker here! I cannot tell you how jealous I am that you a) went on this adventure and b) saw Out of the Blue (the young men in the all blue shirts)! They are my absolute favourite acappella groups and one of the groups Glee is based upon! SO JEALOUS.

You know, when I was watching them perform I said to Wally, "They remind me of Glee."

It was an awesome trip. My biggest fear now is that no other ABD trip will measure up to this one. I miss Scotland already and I miss Hanni and Zoe

 

[tufbuf]

Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, as long as it isn't the day you fly in and also depending on how much time you decide to spend inside Stirling Castle. We had David pick us up at 8:30 am. We stopped a few times before getting to Stirling Castle. Queens Crossing, Linlithgow Palace were a couple of stops. We probably spent somewhere between 1 - 2 hours inside Stirling Castle. From there we went to the Wallace Monument and climbed to the top. We got back somewhere between 3 and 4 pm.

We will actually do this after the ABD as a post- night since we won't have a pre- night. thanks for the info!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[knewton64]

......esp from the farewell dinner =




You TR has now officially put me in the SCOTTISH mood



THANK YOU for sharing your memories.





T.T.F.N.