Scotland

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Hiking Around Kyleakin

 

I’m literally out in the middle of nowhere!!! My only guide back to ‘civilization’ through this boggy heather moor is a meandering burn. I could keep going for ever, but there were no maps available and I don’t want to get too lost ! I guess that if I continue to follow the burn I’ll be fine, though. It took me a full two hours to get here. Luckily, home (not so creepy after all, amazing what a ½ pint of Guiness can do!) is downhill all the way!

I saw two deer running through the glen!!!

1:42 pm

I’m back at creepy city. It’s raining and rain is becoming a natural (and daily) part of life. All morning, it was pitter-pattering, so I just wore my funky blue hat. At one point, I went to put it on and realised I’d dropped it somewhere out on the moor ! Luckily, I was able to sort of retrace my steps and find it. I must admit that this area isn’t too bonnie.

Tomorrow, most things should be open, so I’d like to take a bus into the more remote parts of the island. The oddest thing is we’re right on the shore of the Atlantic, real sea, but we can’t smell it. In a way, I guess that’s a good thing. The wonderful aroma of dried seaweed, dead and living fish, and salt water makes me nostalgic and restless.

There are inexpensive cruises advertised. That might be fun. It’s unbelievable that a little place like this, at the edge of the world (or so it seems) has the most expensive toll bridge in the world. We’re talking £5.60 for a car, £40 for a bus, and a whole range of other ridiculous tolls for every type of motor vehicle imaginable! Let’s just say that peeved the locals off just a little; they didn’t get any concessions until only a little while back. When the ferry ran, the locals could cross free. Now, they have to pay a toll—both ways. Blech. I can just imagine them loading themselves into cars, really cramming themselves in, in order to go grocery shopping, splitting the toll amongst each other!

Looks like the weather’s clearing up a tad. I think I’ll read a chapter and go back out for a stroll. Not that there’s much strolling to do here! I must admit it’s a quaint little town, if a smidge dead. I guess that it’s because the fishermen have to be up at 5… A.M. Yuck!

7:15 pm.

What a stroll! I meant to go back up to the castle but I got slightly, um, distracted. I decided to climb a peak. I got to the summit, saw another one and kept going up! I ended up with a fantastic view of water and sailboats and eventually I ended up finding what I imagine used to be old crofts. There was only a pile of bricks and stone left, sometimes a perimeter into which encroaches heather and grass. Coming back down (eventually) I got what I deserved. I slipped. I didn’t so much as bruise myself, but one pant leg got soaked through. I had to do laundry when I came back ! I might be going back to the pub tonight. One of the women who was there last night said she would be going and that she’d save me a seat. Why not? I’ll have to wash my tee-shirt anyway!

(I ended up going with two Canadian roomies. I had more fun than the night before!)

 

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In Which I Discover Pubs — Inverness to Kyleakin (Isle of Skye)

10:16 AM

From where I’m sitting, Inverness is rather bonnie! Actually, I’m on a bench on the bank of the river Ness, in a green, ‘parked’ area. ‘Downtown’ is only a few minutes away, but you’d never guess it. I can’t believe how clean the river seems. Parents allow their children to play in the water, so it can’t be that dirty. To get here, I had to cross the suspension bridge again. They’re fun!

I can’t believe the number of Australians and New-= Zealanders I’ve met! I usually have at least one in my room. Last night, we were two in the room, and she was Australian. Haven’t met many Canadians since Glasgow and Edinburgh ; there was an Albertan in Aviemore.

I can’t get over how young the Scots marry and start their families! I’ve seen couples barely out of their teens with wedding bands and the stroller. Since there are many such couples, I assume it’s the norm. Personally, I’d rather live first!

I’m going to keep exploring until about a quarter of 2. Haggis should be picking me up at 2:30. It looks like a long bus ride to Skye (arrival time estimated at 6 o’clock). No worse than yesterday, I guess!

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8:46 p.m.

On the way to Kyleakin, we made an hour long stop at Eilean Donan castle! It’s very beautiful. Unfortunately, the guides are cold and unfriendly. They lack the passion required by the job. There was a cool ‘recreated’ kitchen complete with mannequins. It was creepy but well done!

Speaking of creepy, this youth hostel is almost terrifying! I’m just getting this bad vibe about this place. At first, I thought I might just be homesick and lonely, but I met up with some very nice people and the feeling didn’t go away. I’ll spend a night here and if I still feel weird in the morning I might ask for a refund and go elsewhere. There are lots of cheap places around here. What I hate is not being able to pinpoint the origin of my ‘bad feeling’. I can’t tell if it’s about things coming or things that have already happened. Anyhoo, I feel creepy.

I hiked up to the ruins of an old (13th century, destroyed late Middle Ages) Scandinavian fortress. The hike up is unbelievable, there’s no real path. You really have to play ‘mountain goat’ to get up and down. (This was when I discovered that I am essentially immune to the greatest deterrent to Scottish tourism: the midge. I’m told I could market my blood and make an easy fortune! Those bugs are worse than mosquitoes, which love my blood. I’ll never know why the midges left me alone, but bit the people with me to pieces, but I’m glad!)

I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow. I don’t think there’s a tourist information centre here. I would like to go on a trail ride; I’ve seen several advertised, only they’re further ‘inland’, I think. I’ll see how complicated and expensive it is to get out there for day trip.

10:46

I’ve just spent the last hour at a pub with a Swedish girl I met and about 7 strangers! This was the first time I’ve been to a pub. It helps that I can actually drink now, not just a few sips but a whole beer and actually enjoy it (I had a Guinness. Boy is it good !). The only thing is I’ll stink of cigarettes tomorrow. The music was a little loud, but nothing like school dances. Considering the wallflower I am, I rather had a good time. I guess the beer helped! Now, I know what a pub’s like. Imagine going back to North America and telling everyone I never even set foot in one!?

 

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Day Trip to Orkney

8:07 am

I’m on my way to the Orkneys!!! The Eastern coast of the Highlands is lush and green, very fertile, I’m told. This area is known the ‘Black Isle’, only it’s a peninsula, not an island. The guide says that, being so close to the sea, it snows very little, if at all, here.

It’s the North Sea…

8:34

I’ve just left Ross for Sutherland

8:40

Dunrobin Castle. Early 14th century, longest continually inhabited castle in all of Britain.

So many sheep!

11:38

Orkney is so beautiful!!! She looks a lot like Scotland, but even more rugged. There’s no heather as far as I can see. The North Sea is deep blue, but near the shore she’s pure turquoise. The voyage here (by ferry) took exactly 45 min, the water was relatively calm and it was freezing. Luckily, I was appropriately dressed!

The water is patchy, some turquoise, some dark blue. Several beaches look like they should be in the Caribbean! They are pure white sand leading to turquoise infinity!

12:17 pm.

Skara Brae. Lots of heather here. Still, it’s obvious somehow that we’re no longer on the ‘main land’. The islands are for the most part uninhabited, but you do get the occasional fair sized village. In Kirkwall, for example, there is a cinema and a fancy car dealership (why ‘dealership’ and not ‘car store’?)

1:33 pm

I’m so far from ‘home’! (As I walked through the wind and ocean swept cobblestone streets of Stromness, Orkney, the incessant buzz of a ‘strange’ accent in my ears, I came to the realisation of how far away I was from Canada.) Yet, not so far away. I mean, I found a shop that had ‘Backstreet Boys’ memorabilia on the window ! I enjoyed a delicious vegetable broth (90p) at a tiny café. I figure that any place where the soup is ‘always suitable for vegetarians’ is worth encouraging! (and I discovered another use for barley!) I had some kind of delicious chocolate iced cake for dessert (35p). For dinner tonight, I’ve ordered sandwiches offered by the tour. (£2) Stromness is beautiful, all stone and cobblestone. You wouldn’t know driving streets are driving streets until you saw a car carefully inching its way down past pedestrians. The accent here is almost incomprehensible. It took me a while to get lunch ordered!

2:15 Ring of Brodgar

Older than Stonehenge. Nice pile of rocks. Tried to tip a few over. Didn’t work! Up there, it feels like the top of the world. I can easily imagine thousands of half-clad men performing some ritual over 5,000 years ago. Very beautiful ring with a mat of heather in the centre.

Swans!

Orkney—a self-contained world?

A house with a boat as a roof! (The hull of the ship was used to roof the house. Supposedly, it’s rather common in fishing communities in the islands.)

Honest to goodness street sign: ‘otters crossing’!!!

2:48 pm.

Highland Park Distillery—northernmost in Britain. I prefer their whisky to that of Edradour. Here, it’s actually kind of smokey. Sure warms up the insides! I think that last big sip went right to my head, which explains the worse than usual writing!

4:07 pm

My wildest medieval related dream/fantasy has come true!!! I have walked freely through the ruins of a mostly early 12th century castle!!! By freely, I mean I had access to every part of the castle/palace that wasn’t a public danger. I climbed the equivalent of 4 flights of narrow, twisting, flagstone stairs to the top of a watch tower. But, that’s not all!!! I also wandered even more freely through the ruins of an early 16th century palace/castle. This one had plaques indicating the purpose of each room, one room was tiny and unlit, but I could see a plaque. ‘It’s probably the latrine closet’ I thought gleefully as I pulled out my handy flashlight. I was right! It was so cool wandering through ante-chambers, kitchens, dining halls, great halls, bedrooms, latrine closets, narrow winding turret stairs, etc. And it only cost £1.50 pound for both. Oh, and I also wandered through an early 12th century cathedral!!!!!!! As a medievalist, this made my whole Orkney tour ‘worth it’ !

7:11 pm

I’ll never regret this day, but I don’t know if I’d do it again, it’s a hell of a lot of travel ! I mean 2 ½-3 hours to John O’Groats, exactly 45 min ferry ride, then the grand tour of Orkney for the trip home. Whew ! ! However, I think this trip was an excellent compromise between getting to Orkney on my own and missing out on other ‘stuff’ in the south and not going to Orkney at all. I could live there, it’s not the barren isle I thought it would be. The Orkney archipelago has several bustling towns and all the modern conveniences on several of her islands. My favourite quote of the day by our guide: ‘To the left, the North Atlantic. Next stop: America.’!!!

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Tomorrow: Skye.

(This entry conveniently leaves out the part where I almost got seasick from too much whisky on an empty stomach while crossing a choppy North Sea!)

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Culloden Battlefield and Cawdor Castle

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10:16 AM

Culloden Moor, 1746. Cannons are booming. Armies are marching forward. The heather is stained with blood. Sleet is blowing in our faces.

Culloden Moor, 1998. There is an occasional gentle rumble in the sky and the soft chirping of blackbirds. The Moor is beautiful and peaceful, what with the sun bearing down on it from an almost cloudless cyan sky. Closing my eyes, I can see quite clearly the battle, hear the cannons and the roaring of the dying. How can such a beautiful place, such a peaceful place be remembered for such evil?

12:34 pm.

Oh, Bonnie, bonnie Cawdor! The original tower dates back to the 14th century, but most of what I saw was 17th century onward. I did descend some of those narrow flagstone circular stairs I’ve written about. Boy are they scary ! Imagine, people have been using these stairs for over 600 years. The castle is inhabited from October to April and it really does feel lived in. There are books and magazines lying about, a modern telephone sits on a Victorian dresser, a canister holds a handful of ‘Bic’ pens. Yet, the ‘old’ atmosphere remains, preserved almost intact. There are signs which comment on each room and every now and then, the author has inserted a little bit of humour. The grounds are lovely; unfortunately the maze has been closed to the public because the public damaged it.

7:54

I suppose that my visit to Culloden would have been even more powerful had the rain been blowing in. However, the layout of the field was sufficient to get a taste of what happened. Cairns marked the location of each clan, of each leader, of the government troops, etc. I unfortunately did not have time to see the video presentation about the battle, but I did see a great 5-7 minute play about the surgeons and ‘baggage’ (the ladies allowed to go campaigning with their husbands. It’s no fun being baggage;I got a very minute taste of it when I visited Inverness castle yesterafternoon).

So tomorrow, the Orkneys.

I went to almost the other end of Inverness today in order to send e-mails. It cost me £3 for 37 min. It sounds like an okay deal. It was weird to type, but I realise that I’ve missed it. Typing is so much quicker and neater and more convenient!

Gotta be up at 6 tomorrow (!) so I’m off.

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Aviemore to Inverness

10:02 AM

20 days to go… boohoo. I’m really settling into this routine of packing and unpacking, settling in and moving on! At this time tomorrow, I’ll have been gone a week. That’s a QUARTER of my trip over, zip, done. I’m glad I’m getting into the ‘stuff’ I’ve really wanted to see. I think it really makes a lot of sense to get through Skye to Fort William, climb the Ben ,and go into Edinburgh for a day. Loch Lomond is supposed to be so beautiful.

… (more rambling about plans!)

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Inverness: 7:05 pm

I decided to go to Orkney on a day trip which will delay my schedule by one measly day (the Ben will be Wednesday). My Orkney day will be expensive; I’ll be ‘blowing’ the extra cash I’ve got. Once I get that out of the way, I’ll still be on my budget, but I won’t be ahead anymore. Who cares? I’ll only be here once! Besides two whole days of exploring Skye appeals to me. Now, if I could only get through to book the hostel! (I would have been ‘stuck’ on Skye Monday, anyways, since Haggis doesn’t do the southern ‘Skye-Edinburgh’ circuit on Mondays. Neither does it do the northern ‘Edinburgh-Skye’ circuit on Sundays.)

8:07 pm.

Well… I’ve got my accommodation booked straight through to next Thursday morning! It’s really nerve wracking, spending all this cash so quickly. At least Skye and Fort William are only £8.50 (no breakfast, of course). I figure that if I get some serious non-perishable food shopping going, I’ll be able to make up for my little folly of going up to Orkney.

I had a very lovely afternoon here in Inverness. I went up to the castle (blech!) and ended up this awesome tour about the ’45. (that’s the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.) I was smart and asked if there was a student price. There was and I save a whole 30p ! Well, that’s a chocolate bar here! (Speaking of chocolate, I don’t recommend chocolate ice cream in Scotland. Every time I ordered it, I was disappointed. It didn’t taste at all like chocolate. ‘Wall’s’ ice cream, the kind on a stick, has good chocolate, though.)

Anyhoo, the group was treated both congenially and as a troop enlisting in the army would have been treated. It was very interesting, the setting of the tour alone was worth the money (it began with a descent into a creepy cellar down damp stone steps and along candlelit walls!). Inverness itself has charming places, but it’s not great. It’s one place where I knew I’d be disappointed, but hoped I wouldn’t be. Still, from certain angles, the castle is stunning, and the bridges spanning the River Ness are pretty; one’s a suspension bridge and it literally rocks as people walk across it. Back on the ‘mainland,’ one feels that one has been on a boat!

This trip is unlike any other I’ve taken and this journal reflects this. I mean, I’ve got bad stuff in here like disappointment and discouragement! But there’s triumph here, too. I want to remember all of this trip.

 

This hostel is unbelievable. It looks and feels like a 5-star hotel. Everything’s carpeted and brand spanking new but… empty, I guess. The top bunks are high up! I don’t know whether to be claustrophobic and sleep up there or whether to be ‘heightaphobic’ and sleep down there! (During my stay, I only slept on a bottom bunk once and I didn’t sleep too well! The best bunks were the ones without ladders, believe it or not! They were easy to crawl onto and get off of and had the best mattresses! Offhand, I remember them being in Perth and Kyleakin, but there might have been a few other places.) There aren’t any keys, either. Instead we have those new-fangled magnetic card things. I hate ‘em. (My first time in Glasgow I had keys. When I returned, they had *just* changed to magnetic cards!) We need them to go almost everywhere in this hostel (into our rooms and into the lounge/laundry/ common room area). And I think that both here and Glasgow got a special on really ugly tartan carpeting! (although, like Glasgow itself, this carpet is growing on me, and I’m becoming rather fond of it!)