The weather was awful as we drove around Loch Ness so there were no sightings of Nessie, but we did get some photos of Urquhart Castle. Tim dropped me off at the campsite in Nairn while he went to look for fuel for our stove. It was the first time we set up the new tent and I had no idea what I was in for. A nice gentleman from a couple of pitches down took pity on me and helped me set it up after I struggled with it in the rain for a while. I never would have been able to set it up on my own.
A note on the people in Scotland. I think the people in Scotland are some of the friendliest we've met on our trip so far. Everyone is pleasant and always willing to help us out. Even the lady at the toll booth was nice when we showed up lost, with only Euros, and had no idea what to do. She helped us sort it out and sent us on our way with a smile. When was the last time you had that kind of service at a toll booth?
The weather was still being typically Scottish so we did not get to hike around Nairn. Instead we spent a long day driving south to Scone ( pronounced scoon ), past Balmoral Castle ( one of the Royal families' private residence ), and on to our next campsite. Since we had our spiffy new porch area, we decided to make smores over our camp stove using chocolate covered digestive biscuits and funny colored marshmallows. We got marshmallow all over, but they tasted so good.
On the drive from Scone to Motherwell, we stopped off at Scone Palace where we made quick work of the star maze. Next stop was Doune Castle which was featured in Monty Python's Holy Grail. Of course I had to torment Tim with horribly misquoted one liners from the movie for a while after that. Then on to Tullibardine distillery for another tour and a sampling of whiskey with absolutely no peat influence. It's amazing how many variations there are given everyone starts out with the same three ingredients and follows essentially the same process.
In Motherwell, we stayed with some friends for the night where we were treated with an honest to goodness bed and true Scottish hospitality. Thank you so much Fiona and Robert for everything. We will absolutely return the favor next time you are in Seattle.
We are now in Edinburgh for a couple of nights before heading back out on the road and back into the tent. Once we start camping again, I expect we may be offline for a little while. We are scheduled to arrive in London on June 28 so if you don't hear from me before then, I'll try to get a post up as soon as we arrive.
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Hi Kari,
ReplyDeleteA friend who just got back from London has been raving about the production of Arcadia that is at the Duke of York. Don't know how easy it is to get tickets, but it sounds well worth seeing.
cheers,
Yvonne