On The Road to Edinburgh - and Expect the Unexpected
/I didn’t mean for today’s title to be so ominous - but then again, I didn’t foresee what was coming late in the day. But let’s start with the good stuff, and there’s quite a bit of that!
It was a restful night’s slep at the Laggan Hotel. With nothing surrounding us but mountains, farms and sheep, I was awoken not by my iPhone, but by a different type of “Nature’s Alarm.” We hated to say goodbye to this peaceful place.
Today’s destination - Edinburgh, similar to previous days, we had several stops along the way - the first, Blair Castle.
Originally built in 1269, it has been home to the Atholl family for over 7 centuries. The current (12th) duke of Atholl, Bruce Murray, lives in South Africa and only visits the castle once a year to carry out ceremonial duties.
The castle is now open to the public as an incredible museum of historical significance, covering the Medieval, Georgian, Victorian and Millennial Periods. I could have spent all day there, but with our limited amount of time, I tried to get a good sample of what is featured in the castle.
Outside the gardens, the wildlife and event the young bagpiper in the castle courtyard made this an exceptional experienc!
Our lunch break today was at another charming town, Pitlochry, with an abundance of stores, restaurants, and a sense of humor!
On the drive to our final destination in Edinburgh we passed by Dalwhinnie Distillery, the highest distillery in Scotland at 1164 feet above sea level.
At last we reached the pinnacle of the day! a Visit to St. Andrews: The Home of Golf! We had less than an hour to visit the course and gift shop - not nearly enough time. We were actually allowed to walk on the Old Course, the oldest and most iconic golf course in the world, established around 1400! It remains a public golf course, open to all.
After leaving St. Andrews we made our way to our hotel in Edinburgh and got ready for what should have been a fabulous dinner and show at Ghillie Dhu Bar and Restaurant in the West End of Edinburgh’s City Centre. We were greeted by a Bagpiper and dancers…
…bur no sooner did we get to our table, Sara had a vertigo episode! She tried to push through, but I knew it would be unsuccessful. Such a brave soul, but I insisted we leave and go back to the hotel. Our guide Mike was our hero, finding us a taxi to arrive within 10 minutes when there were none to be found. Sara will be fine tomorrow - it’s not the first time, nor will it be the last. She just has to sleep it off. Tomorrow we have an amazing day planned in Edinburgh!