Pitlochry

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Pitlochry to Aviemore

9:17 AM

I’ve had a terrific night. My internal alarm clock is working fine!

Breakfast was definitely worth £2! I couldn’t even finish! There was fresh fruit (I took an apple to eat later, as a snack!), yoghurt, excellent O.J., hard toast (there were 2, I could only eat 1), cereal (Alpen, again. What can I say? It’s great!). I also drank some of the very good cool milk. I’m all set to face the day. There’s about 2 ½ hours to go until Haggis picks me up.

This is my 1st rainy morning in Scotland. It’s sort of a relief. I was getting used to the good weather! It’s time to take out the parka. It’s going to be a pain in the butt, though, this wet weather. I’m going to be soaked all the time and laundry will take longer to dry. Ah! Welcome to Scotland!!! Anyhoo, I’m going to look through my guidebook to see if there are ‘Wallacey’ places near Aviemore. (nope) The closest I’ve come to dear old Bill was yesterday’s hike through Bobby Bruce country!

12:22 pm

I’ve just crossed over into the Highlands. It’s magical, misty, and (brown) heather covered. Just as I’ve always dreamt.

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4:25 pm.

I want to catch up on a ton of stuff that’s been lagging since Glasgow, so please excuse any rambling.

So… this is the Highlands. While Aviemore is butt ugly, They are majestic!!! Tomorrow, I’ve planned a hike around Loch an eilan, which I suppose means lake and island. There’s a castle in the middle of the loch (on the eilan, of course). This is the ugliest hostel I’ve ever stayed in. The building was obviously built with this purpose in mind. Walking down the halls, one’s feet resonate as they do when one walks through a mobile home. This group of French students has just come in and they’re loud! There is nothing to the town and it is very unfriendly. Still, it looks like good walking country. This is a ‘resort’ town and there’s an Americanish feel to it. I glanced at a restaurant menu and guess what was the first item on the menu? I’ll give you a hint. Their version comes with a choice of cheeses and sauces/gravies. Give up? POUTINE!!! And spelled just that way ! ! Unbelievable !

As I walked down to the visitor’s centre (a fair walk, but much more useful, cheap, and friendly than the information centre), there were these weird little black things on the ground. Thinking they might be dog poop, I tried to shove one aside so that people wouldn’t step on them. To my surprise, they were kind of… mushy. I poked on a little, trying to guess what on Earth it could be. Eventually, I gave up and went on my way. A few metres down, I found another. This one had a face. It was a slug. I feel so bad, I most likely killed the other one. I also saw a hare/rabbit in a meadow.

Now, some notes of a much more general nature:

1)         SYH (that’s Scottish Youth Hostels) sleep 5 nights, get 6th free. My 2nd night in Inverness will be free, I guess. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my voucher in Glasgow. If I did, tomorrow night or my 1st night in Inverness would be free. Oh well, I have a whole other voucher, too.

The hostels appear to have a ‘formula’. Big, comfy, comforters  with linen included in the price.

2)         taps: this is the 1st place I’ve encountered where hot and cold water come out of the same faucet (Yay! I won’t have to wash my hair in cold water tomorrow!)

3)         Haggis: basically, I call Edinburgh at least 24 hrs. before I want to move, give them my # (9337) and tell them where I want to go. I’m picked up at the time I was dropped. It’s that easy! The drivers chatter non-stop about anything remotely related to Scotland! Craig, whom I had today, seems more… approachable? than John whom I had Glasgow to Edinburgh to Pitlochry. Both, though, are excellent guides and heaps of fun!

4)         heather: the hills are fuzzy with the stuff! It’s just on the point of blooming, it has a purpley tinge to it already. I’ve been told that a few more days of sun and the hills will come alive, a full month and a ½ early! (no such luck. I’ll have to go in August next time!) Oh! I hope so !

I’ve probably forgotten some stuff, but that’s it for now.

past 8

The kitchen here is unbelievable! A long row of (gas) stoves and several others of sinks. All very clean. I just had soup and milk for dinner, I wasn’t feeling up to par today, maybe it’s the water?.. (I finally clue in!)

Can you believe I saw a car today that had honest to goodness, genuine HAWAII licence plates? I’ve seen a plate like that on a car in Chambly, but in Aviemore, Scotland?! Now, that car’s a long way from home ! Anyhoo, I’m going to retire with a book someone left on the pamphlet rack. Whenever I’m done with it I’ll leave it in some pamphlet rack ! I have yet to decide where I’m going to stay in Inverness. There are tons of hostels! I’ll ask for advice, I guess, I’d like to stay in a relatively small and quiet one.

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In Which I Discovery Whisky and Uskeba is Born

10:27 AM

I’m following the orange trail. I’ve stopped at the Golf pond. You should see the ducks! I shared part of my lunch with them!

11:08 AM

I’m sitting on a carved piece of wood that has a plaque which says ‘sit and enjoy the view’. So I am. The whole of Perthshire is laid out before me. Everything is so painfully beautiful and green. I’m following a road that Robert the Bruce marched across in 1306! Is it a wonder that I have ‘Scots Wha Hae’ running over and over in my mind! And to think that I couldn’t get myself out of bed this morning! It was 9 when I finally dragged myself out. Well, I’ll be on my way. I do want to make it to the distillery today and I must do so before 4. Lots of time, you say? I’m still at the beginning of this walk and it’s like 9.5 klicks or something. I haven’t felt so at peace since Colorado. Here’s another place where I’ll leave a chunk of my soul.

time? I don’t care! near noon

I’ve just finished an incredible hike up. The view here is so clear we can see straight through to the Glencoe mountains in the west. This place is called Craighower Hill. (The view out to Skye is ‘the Road to the Isles’, which can only be seen on a clear day, which are very rare. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky!!!)

12:58

Well, I’m back on the bench! It’s taken me 2 whole hours to get up and back. The road down was very twisty. The people who design roads in this country must be a little loco! The view from Craighower was incredible. I felt like I had the whole of Scotland at my feet. I used to find Canada rugged, well it isn’t, it’s untamed. Scotland has tamed its lands, while not foregoing an endearing ruggedness. ‘How could people have survived here for so long, fought to keep the land?’ (I took this paraphrase from the Lonely Planet guide to Great Britain) Oh! It’s so beautiful, better than in all my dreams! I walked through meadows of what I assume to be unbloomed heather. I’ll be on my way now, I want to do the distillery walk and the distillery opens in an hour. I can’t wait to taste the supposedly foul tasting brew. I’m told that most people don’t like ‘water of life’, so, since I’m so unlike most people, I’ll probably like it! Yeah right! I’m not expecting to enjoy it, but I look forward to finally tasting some.

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5:38 pm.

I think I’m in trouble. My initial reaction to whisky was the same as my initial reaction to beer: ‘I don’t like it, but I don’t hate it’. One knows how I have come to acquire a palate for beer, to say the least!

I’ve done more than enough walking for today! I am so stiff! I luxuriated in a scalding shower and put on totally fresh clothes, including jeans. I’m spending 2 nights in Aviemore, so if I launder straight away when I arrive I should have pretty much 2 full days for my laundry to dry! (turns out Aviemore is one of a few hostels I encountered which has a ‘drying room’—a room where the heat is turned way up at night so that clothes may dry more quickly.) I’m so pooped I can’t envision going down the steep hill outside leading up to the hostel in order to get dinner. I’ll have to go up it, after!

I’m very ahead in my budget so if I manage to get my butt ‘downtown’ I think I’ll have dinner in a restaurant. I should be eating more. Maybe that’s why I’m not up to my usual speed.

On my way back from Craighower, I stopped to feed the ducks (again). I got some to eat right out of my hand! One even clamped his beak down on my finger, but it didn’t hurt. One of the birds had a lame foot. I was extra generous to it!

It’s almost 6 so I guess I’ll go in search of dinner. I think tomorrow will be a ‘down’ day. They are necessary, I think. Tuesday, I’ll explore the area around Aviemore just like I did today in Pitlochry. Later.

7:48 pm

I returned from a yummy dinner of a veg. burger (hey, they’re cheap and filling, and this one was (and still is) the best I’ve ever eaten!) to find 2 guys in my room. Thanks to Edinburgh, I was hardly fazed. I nonchalantly headed down to the common room to discover that in my absence one of the ‘hostesses’ confronted the Aussie who was also staying tonight, claiming that she and I hadn’t paid for tonight! Well, my roomie got that sorted out. Anyhow, I found out that 6 guys had been put in the room and we had to move. It’s no big deal, but it is a hassle. I’d just spread out some wet stuff (now all those guys know what my undies look like!) and after rummaging through my bag, I’d left stuff strewn all over the bunk. Plus, I had to remake the bed. Oh well, it is better than sleeping w/ the sheep! I hope I won’t be hassled about ‘not having paid’ tomorrow! I asked for directions to the ‘small dining room’. I was told to look for a door marked ‘strictly private’… and go in. Boy, I love the Scots!!!

… (extremely tentative itinerary)

Hell, I’m never going home!

Despite its beautiful name, it would appear that there isn’t much in Inverness. That doesn’t matter, I guess, since I’ll be using Inverness as a ‘springboard’ to the northern Highlands. I’m even starting to think that I shouldn’t ‘rush’ things with Haggis and just make a quick ‘overnight’ to Edinburgh to meet John and Linda (the authors of the ‘MacBraveheart’ homepage). I think Skye will take a long time to explore. It would appear that Eilean Donan (castle) is worth the trip. Besides, Skye is part of the Hebrides! ‘And we in dreams behold the Hebrides’. (‘Canadian Boat Song’) I have to go!

It’s 8:35 and I’m just about ready for bed! I hiked almost non-stop and was up for 8 hours. I guess this is how I’ll feel once I’ve tackled Ben Nevis ! Actually, I have a ton of packing to do. Breakfast is from between 8 and 9 AM. And I have to be out of the room by 9:30. I’m supposed to be out of the hostel by 10 :30, but I’m sure I’ll be allowed to stay until the Haggis bus comes (there are 4 of us leaving, at least). I hope that the Aviemore hostel isn’t on top of a hill.I’m going to have to rethink my travel arrangements, I’m losing a lot of time.

 

I just discovered that Aviemore is in the Highlands!!! Yippee!!! This is way cool. Cool, cool, cool, cool!!!

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Edinburgh to Pitlochry

7:37 AM

I’ve had a most comfortable night. What I like about this B and B is that a whole family lives here (the owners, of course). I’m getting a taste of what life is like for a family in Edinburgh. I’m glad that Yvonne picked me up yesterday. The B and B is situated in this tiny courtyard called Coiney House Close, just off New Skinner Close. To get into the building, you have to open this great big barn-like door, go up 3 flights of stairs until you reach another number 3 (the address is 3/3). The courtyard is so European, all cobblestone and stone buildings, very beautiful. I must say that finding this place was more than luck, it’s the sort of thing you read about in travel journals but never have happen to you. Breakfast, though, was not great, it was adequate: oatmealy cereal with raisins (I ate it with milk) and (white, yuck) toast with pineapple jam (yum!).

Of course, I never expected much sun in Scotland, so I didn’t bring much in the way of sunscreen. You should see my nose! I also have a nasty scrape on my wrist from scraping it against the rough wall as I clambered up the stairs after Yvonne with my huge pack (I would soon become known by everyone on Haggis as ‘the Canadian with the *really* small pack! I must say my packing job was *excellent*. I had nothing I didn’t need, and I’d only forgotten two minor things I could live without!). I have to make sure it doesn’t get infected. I never thought I’d be using the 1st aid kit so soon in my trip! Well, I’d better be going. Haggis is expecting me in 15 min. Both Michael and the guy from Laval are with Haggis also, except they’re doing 6 and 3-day tours.

Later (from Perth or Pitlochry?)

9:24 AM

I’m crossing the Firth of Forth.

10: 32 AM

We’re driving through the very pitiful remains of Birnam woods.

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3:24 pm

Well, I’m in Pitlochry. It’s very beautiful. I’ll most likely take a day trip or 2 from Edinburgh into Fife. I saw Perth and that was enough. I’ll be staying here for two nights. Tomorrow, I plan on hiking. Scotland’s smallest distillery is here, and I’ll be visiting it tomorrow (supposedly we get a free dram at the end of the tour).

Figures. I leave a big city for a town with a pop. of 2,000 and I find my 1st (and only, so far) stop sign and a ‘real’ supermarket. I’ve got my next three meals covered (that’s 4 in all) if I don’t mind eating bread, cheese, peanut butter, apples, and water for a while. I’ve bought Galloway cheddar. It’s delicious. On the way here, we stopped to hike a bit. I saw ‘Braes Folly’ (actually I’m not sure if that’s the real name, but ‘Braes’ and ‘Folly’ are 2 of the names associated w/ the area. Lodging here is £15… for 2 nights, breakfast not included. Even with the breakfast you can buy (£2), it’s still cheaper than Glasgow or Edinburgh, and the sheets are provided.

8:25 pm

I attempted to do the ‘Moulin’ walk today, but somehow got off the trail! (during the summer, the sun sets incredibly late. You can go out for a long walk/hike after dinner, and be back before twilight!) I still got some great mileage in cow country and soon discovered to my relief that I wasn’t lost but merely misplaced since I finally ended up just where I should! The countryside is so very much like the Cantons de l’est, that must be why so many Scots settled there. On my walk, I crossed some very noisy sheep and some stupid, staring cows. I also scared a… pheasant! Or something that looks a hell of a lot like a pheasant. I also saw a hare. I really got a taste of the ‘freedom of passage’ thingamabob. I was walking straight through fields of grazing cows for Pete’s sake! I even had to open and close a few barriers and climb over another. I ended up in some ‘old’ couple’s yard. I was embarrassed but the lady only glanced up long enough to say ‘hello’.

I called (my mother) tonight through ‘Canada Direct’. It was ridiculously easy. She’s happy to have a more detailed itinerary. I’m thinking of Aviemore for 2 nights, then Inverness and my long sought Ben and Loch Loyal up way north! I’m doing fine financially and time-wise (the former, yes ; the latter no, as I would soon discover to my ‘horror’!), so why not see if there’s anything to be seen! Of course, once I enter the Highlands I’ll enquire about whether it’s actually worth going up there.