Travel notes: 2365 miles in 2 weeks

Our plan was to head to Kingussie the next day where there were two things we particularly wanted to do – other than finding somewhere to sleep! – visit the Highland Folk museum and go to a working dog display. Dr. Isabel Grant – since deceased – was one of those pioneering women that created her own path in life and her legacy was to preserve a way of life that has since all but disappeared. She observed that we went to great efforts to save and preserve treasures and rarities but we didn’t save every day things for that reason – they were every day and perceived to hold no great value. Witnessing great changes in her own life time she set out to build a museum that valued and stored the things that ordinary Highland folk used. (She also wrote several books; one of which I now want to read.)

The first museum was on Iona funnily enough but now has a permanent home in Kingussie (there is also another site a couple of miles away but we didn’t get to see it.) Everything from kitchen utensils, farming implements, packaging, clothes, art and pottery have been preserved and what with the accompanying text and pictures it makes for a fascinating glimpse into the past. There is also a cottage in the grounds so you can go in and experience how small and dark and cramped living conditions actually were.

This year is the year of Highland Culture so entry to the museum was free – a small but welcome bonus.

I was very excited about the sheepdog display and I have to say it was one of the highlights of the trip! The person that runs it is himself a champion shepherd who trains his own and other dogs – some of whom are also champions. He used 12 dogs and demonstrated herding geese, sheep, sheep shearing and hand feeding lambs. We also got to play with several month old puppies and hold several week old puppies as well. It was fantastic! The relationship between him and his dogs was incredible. He spoke in Gaelic to them and I was transfixed from beginning to end. I fed several lambs and my partner even did a bit of shearing!

We had found somewhere to stay; another hostel – again nicer than some B&B’s and hotels we had stayed in. Private room (we don’t do shared rooms!) and en-suite. The only problem with hostels is that they are all single beds (understandably) and not always easy to move together!

That night we headed to the Tipsy Laird which I have to say doesn’t look all that from the outside. (Proving again that looks can be deceiving.) Inside was a fantastic restaurant where we tried venison steak and pork with apple and mustard fritters. Service was a little hit and miss but we enjoyed the food very much.

The next day we were heading to Edinburgh and decided to go on walk around Loch an Eilein before we left. I had visited the Loch five years ago on a much needed long weekend when I decided to take off on my own; book a train ticket, book a hotel somewhere I had never been before and hope for the best. The fact that I could go back all these years later and share it with my partner was very special. Despite it being only 8.45am and having no breakfast inside of us, we decided to tackle the 3.5 mile walk around the Loch, breathing in the clean sweet air and watching woodpeckers.

We stopped in Aviemore again to fill up with petrol – for the car and for us – before the long journey to the capital. We ate in the Mountain View café, I have to mention it because it was possibly one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever eaten (not counting what we cook at home because I’m v. v. good at home-cooked breakfasts!) My partner had the veggie breakfast and if the noises were anything to go by, it was also one of the best breakfasts she had ever had as well! Of course the stunning view over the Cairngorms didn’t hurt and the long walk had sharpened our appetites! Good service, great food and not bad value although you will pay a bit extra than your run-of-mill caf’ but you do get free coffee (or tea) refills.

In Edinburgh we were staying in a wooden wigwam! 4 miles outside the city in Mortonhall was an amazing holiday park – again clean and very well run (I can’t tell you how lucky we had been with accommodation, I’ve known people go on holiday and spend four or five times what we did and not be as impressed.) The wigwam comes with a kettle and a fridge and even a small heater! It’s well lit, insulated and private. Perfect if (a) you don’t like camping or (b) you do like camping but the weather is too unpredictable! That night we ate a lovely meal outside (with citronella coils smouldering away to keep the bloody midges at arms length), drank champagne and slightly less romantically, did some much needed laundry!

Our final day in Edinburgh was relaxed and involved sitting in cafes drinking chilled beer, buying sausages, getting last minute presents, walking in the park and holding hands. We popped into St. Giles Cathedral (not strictly a cathedral for some reason or another) and although the famed stained glass was impressive it didn’t hold much appeal – neither of us being religious. We were bussing it so we went to another pub for dinner and a pint or two. It was the Jekyll and Hyde (can’t remember what street) – go for the unusual décor and the friendly service. The food is very standard but the beer was nice!

It took ages packing up the car the next day although we might have just been reluctant to admit our holiday was nearing an end. One final stop in England and then back to pick up our beloved Pluto who had had his own holiday, whilst we had ours. At least the sun was shining as we headed south...