To the Highlands

Collecting sea glass near the Firth of Forth.

We set out from Edinburgh this morning with our sights set on the Highlands, home of Whisky, Nessie, and the Polson family.  We started our drive by taking the coastal route toward St. Andrews.  On the way we stopped at a beach and decided to take a walk.  Within a few seconds of stepping on the beach we began to spot sea glass mixed among the rocks.  Within half an hour of beach combing we ended up with probably close to a pound of well aged sea glass, by far the greatest concentration I've ever seen.  We ended the morning in St. Andrews where we took in the views and grabbed a bite to eat (including Mom's first haggis), before setting out toward Inverness.

Barber "incentives" in St. Andrews.

We decided to take the slower, but more scenic route to Inverness through the Cairngorms National Park.  We haven't had to try hard to take the scenic routes as our Garmin seems to default to it.  It has a definite tendency to send us down narrow country lanes rather than more developed roads.  Since the British default speed limit is 60, it just assumes we'll be able to go as fast on these little roads as on the more developed highways.  We've definitely seen more of the countryside because if it.  It has also allowed me to compare the English and Scottish road systems.  I'd have to say I prefer the Scottish roads, where even the back roads are likely to have a shoulder.  In England many (most) two-track country lanes are about 11 feet wide with an ancient stone wall directly abutting either side, such that there is about 1.3 inches to spare when two vehicles pass.  Of course the English drivers think this is plenty of room and drive straight at each other at 60 mph.  Surprisingly a few of them have managed to keep side mirrors on their vehicles.  After driving this gauntlet, the Scottish roads seem tame and luxurious.

Heather covered hills.

We weaved our way through the beautiful country surrounding the Caringorms, passing straight through the Glenlivet estate, eventually arriving in Inverness.  We checked into our hotel, a 12-room inn, and discovered that our room has a beautiful view of Inverness Castle and the River Ness.  After a brief break, we grabbed dinner (excellent Thai food) at a local pub called Hootenany (which was recommended by a friend).  They have live "Traditional Scottish" music every night.  Tonight two young local musicians performed and put on an excellent show rotating through guitar, banjo, mandolin, and fiddle.

~Shawn