Nature At Its Best in the Cairngorms

Yesterday, we decided that if the beautiful weather held out, we would make the trip to the top of Cairngorm Mountain to ride the Funicular to the very top.

So, when we awoke to blue skies once again, we knew what was on the agenda for this morning!
We bid our delightful hosts goodbye, and headed towards the mountain.

The ascent was rather tame in comparison to many of our previous ventures over the years:  no clutching the dashboard while peering over a cliff on this trip.  Just a gentle curving road that eventually ended in a parking lot near the top of the mountain.

The top is well over 3500 ft. in elevation.  Here is a photo taken from the Funicular on the way back down.

The day was definitely clear, but some of the views were hampered by low lying clouds in the distance.  But that didn't take away from the experience.

After spending some time at the top, we headed back down to the car park.  No one is permitted to walk around at the top of the mountain unless one pays for a private guide, so that limited what we could do.

But no worries, we headed back down the hill and turned onto a narrow road that led us to the Loch an Eileen which stands in the Rothiemurchus Forest.  Michael, our B&B host, had suggested we stop if the weather was nice, as the walks around the loch are beautiful.  

We certainly were not disappointed.

When we arrived at the car park, we spotted several people in the woods, with long, telescopic type cameras set up for viewing.  I figured that there must be something very exciting to see, and I asked the man who admitted us to the lot what was of such interest to so many people.

He quietly said, "Squirrels".  I laughed and said that I thought that was pretty funny and that I had expected him to tell me that there was some sort of rare bird in the trees.   He whispered through the window that he, too, thought it was quite silly.  Well, that really had me laughing.

Then, we realized that the photographers that were set up with their fancy cameras were definitely NOT Scottish.  Perhaps this was their first viewing of a Red Squirrel.

Shucks, they could come visit me!  We have squirrel sightings every day!

When we finished our walk in the woods, I had hoped to get some shots of these crazy people to share with you, but they had all moved on by the time we returned to the car park.  For the record, I didn't see one squirrel while we were walking around, which may explain why the photographers were all gone.

We left the park and continued along the road, in search of The Potting Shed, another place that had been recommended by the couple at our previous B&B.  Christine, Michael's wife, was a real hoot, and she eagerly shared information regarding nearby places to visit, but her suggestions always included food.  She was VERY excited about us visiting this place for the cakes.  She explained how the woman who bought the place was European, and she decided to sell tea and cakes.  Christine went on to say how we would need to stop for tea after our hike, and this place would be perfect, and on the way to our next destination.

Now, I ask.......how could we pass on that?

Marty picked Carrot cake and I chose the Lemon Sponge, both with extra cream, at the hostess' suggestion.  With such a bright sunny day in which to enjoy these delights, how could anyone not be happy?

With our sweet tooth satisfied, we headed out along the road towards Kincraig, where Michael had suggested that we stop in to see the Working Sheepdogs.  But we were early, so we decided to park the car and enjoy the beauty of Loch Inch to pass the time.

Just above the loch stands this Scottish church.

All around us was beauty.

When it got close to 4:00, we headed to the farm for the demonstration, passing this wee pony along the way.

When we arrived and parked in the lot, this fella greeted me, and actually tried jumping into the car!

He was extremely friendly and quite entertaining at just a few months old.

There were a couple of pups who were even younger, only 6 weeks old, who were already eager to herd the sheep upon command.  Note the cute little guy in the lower right hand corner.

And here he is, getting them moving.

Neil Ross,  one of two remaining shepherds in this area, demonstrated sheep herding by the dogs as well as how to shear the wool off of a sheep.

This pup was quite content to just cozy in and take a nap in the wool.

After the demonstration, Neil came out with puppies who were just 15 days old.

Very cute, for sure!

We certainly were not disappointed with any of the advice given to us by our previous B&B operators, that's for sure.

We are now in Kingussie, staying at the Arden B&B.  We actually stayed here last year, and enjoyed it so much that I was sure to make reservations for one night this year as well.  

I don't know what I did, but I can tell you that this year's room far exceeds last year's!

Norry greeted us with a dram of whiskey for Marty and a glass of sherry for me, and we settled in for a relaxing evening.

We have one more day before heading home.  Believe it or not, I don't really have anything planned.  But I'm sure we'll find something adventurous to entertain us!

I'll keep you posted!

Relaxing in the Cairngorms

Does this look cozy?

You bet it does!

Here I sit, relaxing after a superb dinner that was cooked to order by the proprietor of our B&B.  The owner makes dinner exclusively for patrons, and since it appears that Marty and I are the tonly two in the house, we enjoyed a lovely dinner while being waited upon by the charming and extremely entertaining couple who run the Carmoor house in Carrbridge, a lovely village that sits at the base of the Cairngorms.  

But, let me back up a bit and give you a synopsis of the day, which was once again warm and sunny.  I'm fairly certain that this string of good weather has to be a record setter, as Marty and I have never experienced anything like this in our travels here in the past.  How lucky are we?

We headed out of Dufftown towards Grantown-on-Spey for some tourist information, via the scenic route. We hadn't traveled far when the sign for Glenlivet Distillery popped up.  It seemed a waste to be so near and not at least stop in.

Glenlivet is one of the few distilleries that continues to offer free tours, and although I thought that I had convinced Marty that by this point  I could give a proper distillery tour, I somehow found myself in a group, being led into the mashroom by the guide.  Honestly..... how many distillation columns can you look at?  But I went along with the group, noting some of the differences from previous tours that we have taken. 

Glenlivet uses no peat in making whiskey.  (Hence no smokey flavor)

The wash barrels are made of Oregon pine, which gives a different flavor to the whiskey. 

Glenlivet uses continuous Copper stills during the process which also affects flavor of the whiskey.

The most notable difference was the state-of-the-art facility which commanded some awesome views of the countryside.

Can you imagine working in a place that offers that view every morning?  Although several months out of the year it is surely covered with snow due to the high elevation.

Surprisingly, the tour was over rather quickly, and in no time, we were being escorted into the tasting room where a generous sampling of 3 different whiskeys awaited our palates.  Sorry to say, but none really suited my taste.  I am just not meant to be a whiskey connoisseur,  I suppose. 

Here's a little amusing history surrounding Glenlivet.  Back in the early 1800's this area was filled with illegal stills, since the taxes were ridiculously high, and the terrain and weather made it difficult for anyone to enforce the rules.  

In 1822, King George IV was traveling through this area, and was offered some of Glenlivet whiskey.  He enjoyed what he tasted so much that he wanted to be certain that it wasn't his last taste.  Within short time, the excise taxes were lessoned, resulting in George Smith obtaining a license to become a legal distiller.  That certainly turned out in his favor!

There was no photography permitted on the tour, but there were a few items of interest in the visitor center, this whiskey holder being one of them.

Now that we were done with Glenlivet, we were on our way once more, when we passed a road sign for Cragganmore Distillery.   ( Did I mention that this was Distillery heaven!)

Of course, we had to stop in since this one was in our passport!

I agreed....under one stipulation.....NO TOUR!

So, imagine my relief when we walked through the door, and the woman behind the desk asked if it would be OK with us if she just stamped our Whiskey passports and offered us a wee dram!

No arguing from me!  Apparently there was a sudden shut down and no tours were being offered today, lucky for me.

And, to top off that surprise, I actually enjoyed their 12 year old Cragganmore!  Who would have figured that?

Back on the road, and within short time we were in Grantown on Spey, where we made a quick trip to the information center, walking out with a town map and walking tour of the village.  That took all of 20 minutes.

Here you see what was once an orphanage:

Main street with mountains in the distance.

War Memorial

A lovely view

And a baptist church

That didn't take much time and we were soon driving into Aviemore, where I had reserved tickets for us to enjoy high tea while riding on a steam locomotive through the Cairngorms.

We arrived at the train station where we saw a grouse cross the road right in front of us.

I wonder why he crossed the road, since he was headed right towards the railroad tracks.

You can see that the views were awesome before we even got on the train!

Marty managed to get a photo of the two of us, waiting to board.

And one of me after we were settled in, although the sun was definitely beating down on me.

 Soon, our lunch was served, and as you can see, it was quite delectable!

Views from the train were amazing, although the view from the opposite side was much nicer than what we were able to see out of our window.  I was able to zoom in for a shot, unbeknownst to the couple sitting across from us. 

The train stopped at Broomhill for a brief time where we could get out and walk around.  The station here is the one that is featured in Monarch on the Glen, which Marty and I have enjoyed watching on Netflix.   The Glenbogle name is actually fictitious, but I enjoyed getting my photo taken there nonetheless.

Views from Broomhill were stunning.

 Soon we were back in the station and departing the train.

Back in the car, we headed to our B&B where we were greeted by Michael, the proprietor, who let us pick our choice of room.  I went for the larger room, as it had already been paid for on hotels.com.

Michael gave us some maps, and we headed out for a quick walk, or what was supposed to be a quick walk!

We passed a sign advertising next week's Spurtle contest where Porridge will be made and  judged.  Apparently it is a HUGE festival that requires booking a year in advance!  I realized how lucky we are to be here this weekend and not next.

We had no problem locating the famous Carrbridge Bridge.

which is a beautiful structure built in 1717.

We walked along the river, and ended up popping out near a field where horses were grazing.

And, just when we thought that we were nearly back at the B&B, we came to a spot where the trail split into three parts.  Let me just say that  "eenie-meenie-miney-moe"  didn't come up with the right choice, and we soon found ourselves opening a gate into someone's backyard.

Lucikly, the owner was gracious enough to let us trod through his property and out to the road, where we managed to get back in plenty of time for our reserved dinner time.

We settled into the lounge, next to a roaring fire, where we were asked to pick our dinner selections and to enjoy a drink while our meal was being prepared.

We were then escorted to the dining room when it was ready, and back to the lounge afterwards!

I could get used to this type of living,  which is probably why it is a good thing that we are only staying here one night. 

 I don't want to risk being spoiled!