Sunny Day on the Isle of Mull

Look what we awoke to this morning!

What a difference a day makes!

See that mountain in the background?  We didn't even know that it was there until this morning!  Who knows what pleasures we've missed?

But not today!  Our plans were to take the Ferry to the Isle of Mull, and we couldn't ask for more perfect weather.

After a scrumptious breakfast which included porridge with cream and whiskey (which was marvelous!), we headed to catch the 9:40 ferry.

The sun seemed to make everything sparkle!

Soon we were onboard and beginning our journey.  Not far out of the port of Oban, Dunstaffnage Castle came into sight.

You can see the top of the keep peeking up over the trees in the forest.  It looks so remote from this vantage point, but it is obviously not, since we drove by industrial buildings to get there yesterday.

As the ferry continued its journey, we passed this lighthouse, which I found to be quite lovely as well.

The ride took about 45 minutes, and waiting at the other end was a special bus to drive us to Duart Castle.  We probably could have walked, but it was about a 3 mile drive, and a one price ticket that included ferry, bus and admittance to the castle sounded like a fair deal to me!

The views from the lot were equally beautiful.

Honestly, can you believe the gloriousness of this day!

Here you see Duart Castle, obviously undergoing some renovations

It's just too bad that the scaffolding was set up, because this picture perfect day would have resulted in some awesome photos!

Duart Castle is the ancestral home of the Clan Maclean.  It stands in a spot where three lochs meet, upon a crag, at the tip of a peninsula.

In 1367, a papal dispensation allowed Chief Lachlan Lubanach Maclean to marry the daughter of the Lord of the Isles, Mary Macdonald.  Much of the island, as well as the castle, was part of Mary's dowry.   As with most castles, Duart underwent many battles and there were many renovations over the years to make it a stronghold, and over the years, it had changed hands several times. 

In 1911, Sir Fitzroy Maclean purchased this ancestral castle and began restoring it to its former glory.  It has continued to be in the Maclean family since.

The interior was filled with family heirlooms.  The walls were covered with old photos from days past, each one identifying the subjects.  One could spend hours looking through the artifacts that were on display.  It told the story from the late 1400's to the present day.  

There was a gown in perfect condition from 1803 which had belonged to one of the lady's in the house.  It reminded me of the very same gowns that you see in Jane Austin's pride and prejudice.  I just couldn't believe how well preserved it was.

One of the rooms featured an added bay window, looking north, where one could actually see Ben Nevis in the distance.  Yesterday, I don't think we would have been able to see the water from that room!  But today cleared out beautifully, allowing the picturesque views of the mountains so far away.

Near the white lighthouse there was a very small island that had an interesting story associated with.

Around 1520, the 11th Chief of Clan Maclean, Lachian Cattanach, married Catherine, the sister of the Chief of Clan Campbell, the Earl of Argyll.

After some time, when she failed to produce an heir, Lachian decided to have her stranded on the small island, which is now known as Lady's Rock, to await the incoming tide, which he knew would cover the island, causing her to drown.

Just as expected, the next morning found Catherine gone, and Lachian sadly reported her death to her brother, the Earl of Argyll.  He was invited to a banquet at the Earl's castle in Inverary (which we visited in past days), and when he arrived, he saw Catherine sitting next to her brother at the table.  

Unbeknownst to her husband, she had been rescued by a boat of men who just happened to be of the Clan Campbell, and they had safely taken her home to her brother.  

Lachian was permitted to lave unharmed, but he was found murdered in Edinburgh in Nov. 1523, apparently stabbed in revenge by another of Catherine's brothers.

We never did learn of what happened to Catherine.

Since there was plenty of time before the bus would take us back to the ferry terminal, we decided to walk around a bit to enjoy the scenery.

Across this bay stands another stately home that I was able to zoom in to see better.

Marty had his binoculars and was still looking for those sea monsters

Actually, he has been looking for seals, but once this fishing boat showed up offshore

His eyes were keen on seeing just what showed up on board.

In the meantime, I was happy to take more photos

You can see just how the castle stood upon the crag from the bottom near North Shore.

Marty took a photo of us beneath the castle

And, soon, it was time to board the Caledonian for the trip back to Oban.

On the way back, we passed the spot where Duart Castle stood majestically overlooking the loch.

The wind had picked up on the ride back, but we still had the sunshine to help keep us warm.

As you can see, it was a picture perfect day, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

When we walked down to dinner, which ended up being rather late, I took a photo of the McCaig's Tower 

You can see how close we were to it as we walked into town.

And here's a view from the pier.

You can rest assured that this is NOT a Roman Colosseum overlooking the town.  John Stuart McCaig decided to build this structure to keep local stonemasons employed during the winter months, and to provide a lasting monument to the McCaig family. He died in 1902, and the tower was never completed.  It actually feel into a mess of weeds and rubbish until the local council took it over, cleaned it up, and made it look as it appears today.

Last night's colors were green.  Tonight, they were purple.  If I were here longer, I could tell you if it changes again tonight, but, alas, we're off to Helensburgh.  (Pronounced Helensburr…..I have to keep reminding myself of the different pronunciation!)

Hope you enjoyed today's spectacular beauty!  You know that we did!

Destination: Oban

Today is Sunday, and when I planned this trip, I picked Fort Williams as an overnight spot because I knew that there was a Catholic Church in the town with a mid-morning Mass.  But I was pleasantly surprised to find the church right next door to the Berkeley House.  It just didn’t get any easier than this to attend Mass this morning.  Norrie, the B&B proprietor had no issue with us leaving our car in their lot while we attended services.

When we exited the church after mass, rain was coming down at a pretty steady rate.  Our hope was to drive out of it as we headed to Oban.

Guess what?  Our hope didn’t work out.  We made better time than I had anticipated, so we decided to stop off and visit yet another castle before entering Oban. 

By the time we were finished walking around, it looked like someone had sprayed us with a hose.  Thank goodness for my raincoat.  I looked drenched, but stayed dry inside, and that’s what is most important, right?

You may not believe this, but it had not been in my plans to visit this castle.  It certainly wasn’t of any significance as far as we knew, but we couldn’t check into our B&B for a couple of hours, so why not?

I’m fairly certain that none of my blog followers will have heard of Castle Dunstaffnage.  And Marty and I were taking bets as to what significance this fortification would have to offer.

Yesterday, it dawned on me that every castle that we have visited has some feature that makes it unique in the eyes of the Scots. 

The biggest, the oldest, the longest continually inhabited, a unique design, visited by royalty, etc. etc.  You get my point.   

The first thing we noticed was that the castle appeared to rise out of a giant slab of rock.  Just as we thought, it was built on the edge of the peninsula right on top of a giant rock.  This castle had once held the Stone of Destiny, the rock upon which the Kings of Scotland had been crowned, for safe keeping during the Viking invasions.

It was underwent a siege by King Robert the Bruce in 1309,  and eventually became the property of the Campbell clan.  Flora MacDonald, the woman who aided Bonnie Prince Charlie’s escape by dressing him up as her maid, was held prisoner here after she was  arrested by the British.  Marty made the comment that Flora surely seemed to get around, as her name kept coming up these past few days while we were visiting Jacobite History.  Flora and locks of the Bonnie Prince's hair…..wonder if there was a connection?

On the property grounds, tucked into the nearby woods, a rather large chapel ruins still stands.

You can still see the spots were windows adorned the sides.

Marty found a spot to stand under in an attempt to get dry.

That was short-lived!  You can see the rain glistening off of his jacket.

Walking back through the woods to the car park offered an entirely different perspective.

  This oasis is actually surrounded on its land-side perimeter by industrial buildings and housing developments.  Thank goodness for Historic Scotland buying up the property to preserve this beautiful area.

We decided that since we were already soaked, we should head into Oban, find a parking place, and head to the Oban Distillery, take our free tour, and worry about finding our B&B later.  I was remembering what the man at the Talisker Distillery had told us at the end of his tour:

"There's always a blue sky somewhere

and, some days, when you can't find it

a wee dram of a good whiskey might help you to find it."

I was certainly up for the challenge!

After our experience at Talisker, I figured that we would have to sign up for a tour time since it was obvious that Oban was overrun with tourists.

Much to our surprise, we were able to take a tour 10 minutes after our arrival, and only 4 other people ended up joining us.  What a difference from the other two, more remote distilleries!

Our tour guide, Marilyn,  was from France although she had more of an Eastern European accent.  I found her very difficult to understand, and had I not already gone on two distillery tours in the last week, I would have had no idea what she was trying to explain.  However, her enthusiasm was appreciated, and she was obviously excited to share what she knew about distilling whiskey in Oban, even if we couldn’t understand her.

This facility is the oldest distillery, built originally in 1795.   It is also the smallest distillery of its kind due to the fact that there just isn’t any place to expand. 

But, they still manage to produce 5000 liters of whiskey a day, but it is not stored on site for maturation.

Marilyn was excited to offer us a sample of the Oban Whiskey, and surprisingly enough, I liked it!  I’m not saying that I’m crazy about the stuff, but I popped a piece of the candied ginger into my mouth that was offered to me, swished the whiskey in my mouth, and actually enjoyed the mingling of the two tastes.   I would never have believed it.

By now, it was time to find our B&B.  It is located on a hill, in an old building built in the mid 1800’s.  We have a room on the top floor that overlooks the bay.

Now, how amazing is that?

Our B&B host, Sarah, is a hoot,  and it appears that just might be a trend.

There are two of this wooden owls standing on the banister at the turn of a landing.  Unique, to say the least. 

Before you get too excited about the room, there are a few things worth mentioning.  Apparently the hot water is not left on during the day, and I sure hope that it is up and running in the morning when I plan to take a shower.  The light in the bathroom above the mirror doesn't work, and when I asked Sarah about it, she told me that it was the end of the season for her, and she wouldn't have it fixed until winter.  Also, the bath towels look like the rags I used to use to dry Buster, there is no bath mat, and the hand towels are the smallest that I've ever seen!

I'm not complaining here…..just setting things straight regarding the accommodations.  But the owner really is quite delightful.  She is apparently ready for her winter holiday to begin next week.  and, I know that I am lucky to have found a room, and equally lucky to have the beautiful view and not a brick wall to look at!

She directed us to a fabulous place for dinner along the bay and we began our descent of the hill down into town.

Lucky for us, the rain halted for awhile, and the clouds even let a wee bit of sun shine through for a short time.  (The Talisker man must have been right!…it was the wee dram, wasn't it?"

At the restaurant, we were lucky to get a window seat. 

We were more than happy to just take our time and enjoy a leisure dinner while the sun went down.  Not that we actually saw a sunset, since the skies had since clouded over.

I snapped a few shots on our way back to the B&B, and here is one to admire.

Just lovely, don't you think?

Tomorrow we hope to take the ferry to the Island of Mull for a short adventure. We will be leaving the car parked here in the hotel and hoofing it for awhile.

Here's hoping for a break from the rain and heavy winds, or we'll be rethinking our plans for sure!

Birthday Gallivanting

Greetings from Fort William on the mainland of Scotland, where the weather is a bit warmer, less windy and, perhaps, a wee bit sunnier!

But this town is brimming with tourists from Europe as well as Asia, and, of course, America. (Besides us, of course). 

In fact, we've seen quite a few Americans on this particular trip, due to the Ryder Cup being played, here in Scotland, this weekend.  Last I heard, the American team was ahead. 

 I'll be quite honest and tell you that I had no idea what the Ryder Cup even was.  In fact, I thought it was a horse race.  That brought quite a laugh from our last B&B hostess.

It all came to light as we headed out north on Tuesday, out of Inverkeithing towards the Cairngorms and I spotted a giant blown up Golf Ball off in the distance.  Unfortunately, Marty was driving too fast for me to manage to snap a photo, so you'll just have to leave that image to your imagination.

Apparently quite a number of Americans came over to watch the event, and planned side trips to coincide, which explains, once again, why I had such a difficult time booking rooms.  

But this area is busy due to the fascination with climbing Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in all of Scotland.  People come from all over the world to attempt to climb the cliffs.  Rest assured, that I am not one of them!

But, let me back track to this morning.  As Marty and I headed off the Isle of Skye,  the weather was miserable, but as I turned my head, what did I see?  A beautiful rainbow nearly in the same spot as when we arrived on Thursday, but not quite as brilliant.  

I wonder what the chances are of that?

Our first stop was Eilean Donan Castle.

No bright blue sky to highlight this castle today.  I can only imagine how beautiful it would look with a little sunshine bouncing off the walls.

Eilean Donan translates Island of Donan from the Gaelic.  It was named for St. Donan who came to the island in 580 and it is believed that he lived in a small cell there as a hermit.

In 1260, King Alexander II had a castle built on the island to protect his subjects from Viking invasions.  It passed through many owners over the years, finally being partially destroyed during a Jacobite uprising in 1719.

For 200 years it lay in ruins until Lt. Col John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911.  He spent 20 years restoring the castle to its former glory.  

We were able to tour the interior of the castle and learn the history of the MacRae family who continues to own this magnificent building.  No photos of the interior were permitted to protect the privacy of the family who continues to use the building throughout the year.

Since the castle juts out into the spot where 3 lochs meet, you can well imagine the beautiful views

Marty was still looking for that sea monster

And, for a minute, it appeared as if he just may have found a couple

We ventured around the grounds of the castle, managing to dodge the raindrops, but were full victims to the heavy winds.  The wind even managed to blow Marty's knit cap off his head!  Luckily he was able to retrieve it between gales!

Around the side of the castle stands this monument to the victims of World War I.  The inscription on the bottom is written by the man who rebuilt the castle, Lt. Col. John Mcrae:

We are the dead, short days ago

 we lived, felt dawn, saw sunsets glow,

 loved and were loved, and now we lie 

in Flanders Fields.  

Once again, a reminder of how many young men lost their lives in a single battle.

With the weather so cold and blustery, Marty and I decided to stop into the cafe for some tea before continuing our journey.  I took this shot from the cafe window. 

As they say in Scotland, "Brilliant!"

Refreshed and ready to go, we began our travels east, driving along the road which borders one loch after another while weaving in and out of mountain ranges.

We stopped for a photo of the mountain range known as the 5 sisters:

Don't ask me which are the 5 sisters, as there are obviously way more than 5 mountains in this section.  There must be a couple of brothers stuck in there that no one mentions in the tour books.

Finally, we made it to our destination of Fort William and the Berkeley Hotel.

We wasted no time checking in and heading into town to the information center.  The young lady recommended that we check out the Highlander Museum.  It was free admittance, so why not?

What a wealth of information is stored behind those walls!

The very first room that we entered was devoted to the Scottish Commandoes, an elite group of men who were trained in stealth warfare specifically to deal with Hitler's forces during World War II.  This area where we are staying, which was sparsely populated at the time,  became the training ground for this group due to the severity in climate, wild mountains and remote glens.

It was fascinating to learn about the training, and to see that American Rangers trained here as well.

Some of the artifacts were interesting, if not macabre. 

Special guns for warfare

 and a chart detailing body parts, which, when stabbed with a knife, would result in death, and the time it would take for that death to occur.

Something I'm sure I would have never thought would be documented anywhere, but it was one of the training tools that these Commandoes used.

Moving along, we were able to go through the many rooms of Highland history, and, once again, ended up in the Jacobite era room which was filled with many interesting artifacts.  

First, there was a bagpipe that had been played in Bannockburn in 1319, which I found pretty amazing.  I learned that the harp was actually the first musical instrument introduced to Scotland, but this bagpipe obviously had been around for quite a long time!

Included in the collection was a vest from Bonnie Prince Charles

I had seen a similar vest in a different museum.  He must have been leaving his clothes around as he hurried to escape the country after Culloden.

There was, yet again, another lock of his hair on display. Marty made the comment that the guy gave away a lot of his hair.  I can't help but wonder if people snuck a cut in, here and there, as he was sleeping. Surely he didn't have the time to be giving out hair samples for souvenirs!  

Moving on, we decided to check out Inverlochy castle, which stands along the River Lochy just on the outskirts of town.

The castle was built in 1280 by John Comyn.  It has 10 m high angled walls to prevent against scaling ladders, and nearly 10 ft. widths to those walls.   The construction was pretty impressive.  Unfortunately, it was abandoned in 1690 for a wooden fort built nearby, and the ruins have been standing since.  Even Queen Victoria was "unimpressed" when she came to visit.  

Although there was a schematic of what it would have looked like in 1260 when it was first constructed.  

One can only imagine.

By this time, Marty was itching to see Ben Nevis.  As I mentioned, this is the highest mountain in Scotland, and Marty wanted a closer look.

So, we headed off in the direction of the Ben Nevis Visitor center. It was closed when we arrived, but it wasn't too difficult to see where the mountain was.  After all, it is taller than all of the others surrounding it.

But we decided to walk along and get a better view than the one from the parking lot.

I took this view so that you can get the romantic feeling of the stone wall along the fields, with sheep munching away, and Ben Nevis looming in the distance.  The cloud was kind enough to lift so that you can see the cap of the mountain.

Marty took this, so that he could prove that we were there, although it does appear that the mountain is a bit washed out here.  But we look pretty good…..don't you think?

And, this was my favorite, taken from a suspension bridge across the river.  The view was pretty awesome, if you ask me.

By now it was time to head for dinner at a local restaurant.  With today being my birthday, I decided to celebrate and order dessert, which was a sampler of 4 different desserts, along with a cappuccino.

Great idea on my part!

If you think it looks good……you are absolutely right!

And, if you think it was too much…….no way!  I enjoyed every bite!

Until tomorrow…….