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Linn of Quoich
We had a delightful walk at the Linn of Quoich today. We walked upstream along the Quoich River further than we’ve gone before and I found myself having to stop over and over again for photos because it was just so pretty. It was very quiet too. Practically no-one else there. Daniel pooed on the […]
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Christmas 2021
Christmas in the Scottish Highlands is turning out to be one of the best Christmases we’ve had. I even saw a pine marten for the first time ever. These are very elusive creatures whose numbers have dwindled over the past couple of centuries due to hunting for their fur, habitat loss, and predation control. I […]
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Ruthven Barracks, Kingussie
It snowed last night so it’s looking like a white Christmas for us this year, hooray! It was a lovely sunny day today so we walked to Ruthven Barracks. On a natural mound, a stone’s throw from the village of Kingussie is Ruthven Barracks. There was once a wooden castle here in the 1200s. It […]
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Creag Bheag, Kingussie
We did a hill walk up Creag Bheag today. We were lucky to have views in all directions from the top and it was so calm with not even the whisper of wind at the top. The landscape has been gloriously silvery all day again today and it really felt like we’d stepped into the […]
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Gynack Burn, Kingussie
We made it to the highlands! I’ve got holiday cancellation PTSD and before each holiday now I get paranoid that it’ll be canceled too. The night before we left I woke up at 2am thinking I’d lost my sense of taste and smell. I went downstairs and tasted some salt, felt reassured that it tasted […]
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The Highland road trip past Corgaff Castle
We’re back in Aberdeen and fast wifi again – yay! We loved our weekend away in Aviemore; our first trip away since Christmas last year when the whole of Scotland was put in lockdown that eventually lasted more than 4 months. I think lots of people had the same idea as we did because Aviemore […]
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On escaping to the Highlands during a pandemic and preparedness
I think Prince Charles made a grave misjudgment in coming to the Highlands last weekend. He was apparently well when he travelled last weekend but the key point is not that he was well but that he travelled last weekend. It was prior to last weekend that it became clear people were trying to isolate […]
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Loch Morlich
We went for a walk around Loch Morlich today. Loch Morlich is an inland fresh-water loch near Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland. It’s a reasonably flat walk on a good path that goes through forest and along the beach. Yes, Loch Morlich, which is miles away from the sea, has a beach with sand. […]
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Glencoe and Hagrid’s hut
We’ve had a lovely couple of days in Glencoe, Scotland. What a beautiful place! Part of the reason we came here is because we recently read all the Harry Potter books to the kids at bedtime. This is the second time I’ve read them aloud because I did it for Daniel some years ago and […]
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Kishorn and Courthill House
All good holidays must come to an end and that end, for us, is today. Yesterday we spent a quiet day pottering around Kishorn and sitting in front of the fire. I even did some crochet. Here’s a photo I took of Loch Kishorn a couple of days ago when I got up early and […]
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Diabaig, Scotland
I must be a sucker for punishment because we went for another scary drive today. This time we took the road from Torridon to Lower Diabaig. Like the Bealach na Bà it’s also steep, narrow, and with hair-pin bends but marginally less scary and without the snow. It starts off with a drive around the […]
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The Applecross Pensinsula
Yesterday we drove over The Bealach na Bà which was terrifying. It’s like driving into the jaws of a giant mythical creature. The towering cliffs that rise on either side and seem to engulf you as you get higher are the beast’s teeth. I’ve taken a screenshot of the route on Google Maps. It’s only 11 […]
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The Bealach na Bà
I summoned the courage to drive the Bealach na Bà today and it was a hair-raising and buttock-clenching experience. The road rises to 626m in just 5 miles with an almost 20% gradient in parts and is the steepest ascent of any road in the UK. It’s a two-way, single-track road with several hair-pin bends. If […]
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Lochcarron Weavers and Strome Castle
Yesterday was rainy and so we had a lazy day and pottered around Loch Carron. We spent an hour in the Lochcarron Weavers Shop. They have over 500 tartans and lots of knitted garments. This is my kind of shop! Daniel spoke to one of the shop assistants at length about Martin tartan. They don’t […]
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Sack racing in front of the Queen
We were very pleased to return our campervan today and return home to hot water and flushing toilets. I’ve realised that those old VW campervans are just for young, cool people who can defy their natural biology by not producing any poo. Ben and I both have war wounds. Ben for hitting his head on […]
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Plant a tree in our grove
It’s our 10th wedding anniversary on the 26th November 2016 and we have started a grove of trees in the Scottish highlands as a way to celebrate. If you’d like to plant a tree in our grove then please feel free to do so. One tree costs £5 and all you need to do is visit our grove […]
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Exclusively Highlands Craft Fair at Drum Castle
We’ve been to Drum Castle more than any other castle now, mostly because it’s so close, but it’s terrific and one of the best in Aberdeenshire. It’s also open all year round although only on weekends over the winter. Most other castles close for the winter. Every weekend I check for events at Drum and other nearby […]
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Ballater in the snow
It snowed this morning in Ballater. I was ecstatic. An Australian in the snow is a bit like a puppy with a smelly leather shoe to chew. Ben was less excited about it. This is the Royal Station in Ballater, a magnificent building: The River Dee, which is lovely in all kinds of weather, was particularly beautiful […]
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