A quick bus trip to the Royal Mile and we were boarding a Rabbies tour bus. Barney, our driver, has a great sense of humour and a history degree so we are in good hands.
The whole day was a series of perfectly timed stops. We headed out of Edinburgh with a running commentary about how inept the Scotish government is when it comes to building projects.
Our first stop was a photo op at Stirling Castle. Mary Queen of Scots was crowned here and because the Stirling Bridge was the farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth it was very strategic and has been under seige at least 8 times.
Barney pointed out some Highland cows. Sheep are prevalent in the Highlands but there are only a few Coos.
We drove by Doune Castle which is most famous because it was controled by the French and when the British surrounded it a French soldier shouted "I fart in your general direction." and "Those aren't horses they're just coconuts".
Next stop was Calander where we had the best ever meat pies. Debbie had steak and haggis and being more conservative I had a steak pie. I tasted hers and it was delicious too.
Shortly after Calander we got our first sight of the highlands and we stopped at Glencoe. We learned that the history where the Campbels massacred the McDonalds was, in fact,wrong. It was really government troops that did the dastardly deed. Massacres aside, it is a beautiful spot.
We stopped briefly at Inverlochy Castle. Although a ruin it is one of a very few castles to survive the wars of independance (1296 -1397) making it one of the oldest in Scotland. It was also a good spot to get photos of Ben Nevis which is the highest peak in the British Isles.
We stopped in Fort William for a so-so lunch but chosem for it's location on the waterfront. From there we headed up the Great Glen (valley)and across towards the Isle of Skye with a brief stop to photograph Eileene Donnan Castle which was used in the "Highlander" film and 17 others. It is a beautiful castle surrounded by water.
From here it was a quick run across the Skye Bridge and up to Portree. We settled into a great B&B (Quiraing Guest House) and headed into town for another fantastic dinner. Smoked salmon, mussels, salmon for Debbie and sea bass for me followed by a delicious strawberry and shortbread dessert.
The only downside of the day was when I found out that we won't be going to the Talisker Distillery and that their 18year old whiskey is completely sold out. Where will I find a good "uisge beatha". I will sit here sipping my 12 year old Edinburgh Castle single malt whisky and contemplate it.
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Location:Portree, Isle of Skye
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