Tag: Scotland
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A day of rain and fearsome mountains
We awoke to a rainy gloomy day today and spent the first half of it relaxing inside by the fire and eating soup. To avoid coming down with cabin fever we ventured out in the early afternoon to take in some of the sights around Glencoe. The mountains looked particularly fearsome with dark clouds above.…
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Pottering around at Glenfinnan Viaduct
We visited the Glenfinnan Viaduct which is a concrete rail bridge built in the late 19th century. It’s located at one end of Loch Shiel, in the west of Scotland, about 17 miles from Fort William. It’s famous for being a film location in the Harry Potter movies: the Hogwarts Express traverses the Glenfinnan Viaduct…
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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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Aurora hunting, vegan treats, and made in Scotland
We went aurora hunting last night because every newspaper said we’d see a magnificent light show when a solar storm arrived, supposedly sometime between 6pm and 9pm. But it turned out to be a non-event because there was no aurora. We drove to Dunnottar Castle thinking it would be a good spot because it’s away…
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Highland dance and TV rants
It has been a crazy busy week and the craziness is still going. Elizabeth has been performing in her Highland Dance show and we’ve had rehearsals and performances all week with the finale tonight. I helped backstage on two nights and it was really well organised. I’m so impressed with the dance school. The students…
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Creag Choinnich
We walked up to the top of Creag Choinnich today and it was marvelous. It’s probably one of the loveliest hill walks I’ve done in Aberdeenshire. The views from the top are even nicer than those at Bennachie. I love hill-walking. The effort required to get to the top is always rewarded with magnificent views…
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A lost kayak and the Queen’s Drive circuit
Some kayakers lost a kayak in the River Clunie today and we watched the rescue operation. I’m amazed anyone kayaks on this part of the river because it looks way too treacherous to me. The kayak was bobbing up and down for a long time – at least half an hour. It was caught in…
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Photos of Braemar
We’re in Braemar today and gosh I love this place. I think I could retire here. You can just make out the River Dee in the valley in the next photo. This is the River Clunie gushing beside the Fife Arms Hotel. The entrance to the Fife Arms is beautiful. This is the duck pond…
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Skiing in Aberdeen
We had another glorious day in the snow today. My mum is visiting and here she is getting into the spirit of the day and throwing snowballs at the grandkids. We got out our skis and went into the park to practice. Even Granny had a go. It was snowing quite heavily. You can see…
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Winter wonderland
We woke up to a glorious winter wonderland this morning which was followed by a lovely sunny day. I cycled to Newton Dee like I always do. It wasn’t slippery but it was hard work cycling on the snow. There was lots of resistance; a bit like cycling on the grass. I was grateful for…
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Burns night
It’s the 25th January today which in Scotland means it’s Burns Night. This is an annual celebration of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. It’s not a public holiday here but that doesn’t mean it’s any less a special day for Scots. It’s typically celebrated with haggis, whisky, tartan, and of course poetry. Every year at…
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Skiing at the Clashindarroch Forest
We had a magnificent day today. We ventured into the Clashindarroch Forest with our newly bought, second-hand, cross-country skis. Last year the Huntly Nordic Ski centre had a sale of second-hand skis and we decided to get some for just this purpose. I love the snow and I love being outside in it and what…
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King Robert the Bruce
Earlier this year I was reading the kids a children’s book on Scottish history. In it was a chapter on Robert the Bruce and although I had heard of him before and seen statues of him (there’s one in Stirling), I’d never heard his story. At the end of the chapter I was thinking, “Oh…
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Malt whisky country
We finished our weekend in malt whisky country with a trip to the Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown. Before leaving Glenlivet this morning – which is where we spent our weekend – I got this nice photo of the Glenlivet distillery from afar. The drive from Glenlivet to Glenfiddich is not very far: about 10 miles…
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Autumnal snow
It’s not often we get to see snow and autumn colours simultaneously but that’s exactly what we got today. We drove past this next distillery on our way to Grantown on Spey and the building looked particularly striking in the snow. It was one of those, “Wow, look at that!” moments in the car. I…
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The Glenlivet
The Glenlivet Whisky Distillery is about 1.5 hours north-west of Aberdeen in a beautiful, rural pocket of the Cairngorms. It’s surrounded by forests, rivers, hills, and farmland. The buildings are black in this next photo because the whisky production process attracts microorganisms causing it to go black. A fungus – Baudoinia compniacensis – feeds on…
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Smacking is a euphemism for assault
Smacking is to be banned in Scotland, hopefully from next year, and I’m very happy about this. But apparently only 30% of Scots support the new legislation. I find this surprising. Hitting a child is assault. It’s always done in anger and it can cause long-term psychological harm. Once upon a time it was legal…
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Gathering llamas with the Queen
We had a fantastic weekend away at Glenshee Ecocamp and the Braemar Gathering. We stayed in a vintage train wagon which has been converted into off-grid accommodation. It was wonderful! Very quiet and peaceful (except for our noisy kids!) and lots of stunning scenery including a starlit sky at night. The kids were not bothered…
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Bike paths for all demonstration on 9th September in Aberdeen
The new bypass for motor vehicles – the AWPR – is set to open soon and I posted recently about the attempts to make up for the absence of cycling provision in the new road by organising a cycling event where you cannot take a bike. After a lot of bad publicity the event was…
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The Bridge House Stables
We’re just back from a fantastic weekend away staying at the Bridge House Stables in Perthshire. It’s an old bridge built in 1881 over the River Ardle and now let as two holiday homes. The interior has been tastefully renovated and in keeping with the age of the bridge. Straddling the river means you can…
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