THE HIGH AND LOW ROADS

 Yesterday we got up and drove to a remote area called Eshaness, at the Northern end of the Shetland Island.  We met a charming Shetlandtonian named Drew, who also happened to be a retired geologist.  As we walked miles on the craggy coastline, he gave us a short history of the Devonian period about 400 million years ago and how this island actually was forming at the equator!  We saw many cliff dwelling birds and of course, lots of sheep. It was an uncanny beautiful day with no wind and sunshine. And it was our last day on Shetland.

We got up early and left Brae to start the journey home. We have been gone one month and seen and experienced so many things Scottish. We have taken 7 flts, 4 ferries, a train, and countless vans and busses. We’ve taken the high roads and the low roads and met some of the friendliest people on the planet. The Scottish folk are fun, hard workers diligent and resourceful, especially on the outer islands where they have depended for centuries on their own. The weather was rough for summer, with lots of rain, but we were prepared and really used our rain gear. It was never  cold, and we had surprise days of sun every now and then. 

We loved: Scottish ale, the people, the Highland cows, the castles, the Lochs, the history, Sticky puddling, haggis, and even blood sausage, the hiking, courteous drivers, cake fridges, and tea.

We didn’t much care for the fish and chips, the coffee, no wash cloths, early morning wake-up calls, single track roads, the wind….. and the wind.

Our favorite place was the Hebrides, even this it was the roughest weather. The cities were crowded with tourists but so much history in those old stone buildings. 

We are in Edinburgh again and will fly out early am. As they say in Scotland: Haste Ye  Back.

BRAE

 We are still on Shetland and it’s a wonderful place. More Nordic than Scottish, as the Vikings had a big presence here. We are now snuggled in our hotel in Brae. The ONLY hotel in a town of 850 people. A throwback to early days where everyone knows everyone, no one locks their doors and there are many crofting farms and lots of sheep. In fact, more sheep than any other country I have ever seen. Interestingly enough, we rarely see lamb on any Menu…mostly seafood. The mussels are fresh and plentiful, and I have eaten them a lot. Yesterday we toured with a local guide and visited a Shetland pony farm, and sheltie dog raiser, and of course more sheep. We saw the biggest lighthouse on Shetland, Sunburgh, and an old Viking settlement called Jarlsof. We also were joined by a local border and saw seabirds.

Today, Steve and I are going hiking on the Eshaness Cliffs on an exposed headland. It rained all night, but the sun is actually out and I hope it stays. Weather has been a challenge on this trip. We were prepared, but it changes so quickly and literally carry 3 coats in a bag each day. 

SHETLAND

 Up early for a short 1 1/2 hr flight in a prop plane to Shetland Island, where the run way stops on a cliff that plunges into the North Atlantic ocean. That said, it  was a smooth flight and I didn’t look during the landing.  A van picked us up and drove us to Lerwick, which is the capital of Shetland. He told us to keep a positive attitude as the weather can be dicey. DUH! a we stopped at a REAL FAIR ISLES knitting shop, which is indicative of Shetland where most all natives where beautiful FairIsle jumpers, or sweaters, as we call them. I bought a beautiful hat and have been wearing it  everytime I go out …. Wind is ever present.

We are staying at an old B & B within walking distance to everything. Steve and I are big Shetland (the series) fans , so of course we had to see all the sights of our favorite detective, Jimmy Perez. Our van driver also loved that show and he and Steve were yakking about all the scenes and episodes. Our B&B is old, small rooms, but clean and very friendly proprietors. Shetland is a fascinating place, more Nordic and Scottish, and closer to Oslo than Scotland.Lerwick boasts 22,000 residents and is safe and easily to get around…but weather is always dicey. Nothing to break that wind whipping in off the coasts, but the people are hearty and friendly and there are 12 flights a day on and off this big island. There is also a 13 hr ferry ride from Aberdeen….. 

EDINBURGH

 We spent 4 days In Edinburgh and a lot of eating, walking and hiking and dodging thousands of tourists! Guess it’s the height of the season and on some streets, it was actually hard to walk. We escaped for some hikes in areas that most tourists don’t go..but still… many ,many double decked HUGE tourist buses to dodge.  All the pubs are packed and we tried to have a beer at a couple and couldn’t get in, so ended up at hour hotel  for happy hour.  On the way to Edinburgh , we stopped at St. Andrews and visited the famous golf course where it costs about 700 pounds to play a round. We also went to St.Andrews university and it was impressive. We went to another castle too. In Edinburgh we hiked Carlton Hill and the big one, Arthur’s Head…. Which was a bit challenging. We hiked it on a rain threatening day…and yes, we got drenched on the way back. Edinburgh is so old, has so much history

, and also so many people. I am looking forward to flying to SHETLAND tomorrow but we have to be ready at 4:30 AM!!

ABERDEEN

 We drove thru beautiful landscapes of Cairngorms National Park today. Scotland only has 2 National Parks and we’ve seen them both. I love the country around Aberdeen, as it rolling farm hills and big vistas. Aberdeen is a very ancient Seafaring town with lots of medieval dwelling and sites. I loved it.  We were staying near the harbor and it was easy to walk everywhere. We went to a seaside pub for dinner and they were giving Scottish dancing lessons. Very common in Scotland. They want everyone to have fun! So have a few lessons we joined in the dance.  The next day, steve and I went to the maritime museum and we stayed so long, they closed and we had to leave. It was so well done and tons of info on the oil drilling rigs in the North Sea. Old old pictures of the sardine industries and ships and people who worked this job. Some of the old sea shanties are still lived in by artists and people who like the eclectic lifestyle by the sea wall.

The next day we went to a huge castle and had a tour of the grounds. This was a castle from  1200’s that had been used, remodeled, destroyed, rebuilt, abandoned and finally fixed up by a rich Scotsman. It was elegant and every art piece was original.  There was a small shop that sold fresh scones. The area around Aberdeen has the most castles of all of Scotland. 250 castles in various degrees of ruin and design. I would love to see more.

Finally, we had lunch at a special place called Fly UP. It trains mentally challenged people to have useful jobs and earn their own money and try to be more independent. It was delicious, and actually kind of emotional, as some of the people came and talked to us and explained what it meant to have these jobs. Then they let us take all the leftovers back with us.

EXTRA STUFF

 I wanted to say a couple things that I missed. One thing we did a few morn8 gs ago was visit a Highland Cattle farm. I was thinking “Ho hum”..but I was so wrong. This very interesting couple from Edinburgh made a huge career change about 23 years ago…giving up their CPA jobs and plunging head on into cattle farming.Now, they open their land and home up for tours, and we went on one. We spent hours riding around in a tractor. Petting and combing these gentle animals. We learned so much about  sheep ranching and Highland cows, or coos….as they call them. It was a blast and one of the best days!

Yesterday am we met with two fine Scottish gentleman (who happen to be friends and co

workers in an architectural firm) but had very opposing views on Scotlands future. One wants to stay in UK and the other wants to succeed and form their own separate country. It’s was a lively discussion and included a lot of history and policies  and politics and right up my alley.  We asked questions and got to join in their discussion and compared US issues. Could have spent all day as they were so engaging, but we were on our way to a Scotch whiskey tasting! 

INVERNESS AND LOCH NESS

 We are going to spend a few days in Inverness exploring sights and some museums. On our way we traveled along Loch Ness, famous for Nessie. My opinion is the touristy Nessie stuff is completely overblown, with buses of tourists

(😳😳!!) being bussed in for a Quick look , a souvenir…and then bussed back out. Stupid. We TRIED to avoid all that, but it is everywhere. We finally did stop to see a beautiful,old castle ruin called Urquhart Castle, and that was very cool…… and there was a small bit of Nessie, not not too bad. Loch Ness itself is beautiful and reminded me of Puget sound and islands, and the sun came out, so it was nice to see before we landed at the Radisson smack in the middle of town.  We had booked a table at The Mustard Seed near the hotel. It books up months in advance, so we were lucky to get a spot. It didn’t disappoint.

IONA

 Long day today as we traveled by 2 ferries and a big van to a historically important Isle called Iona. The most important religious person to invade Scotland was from Ireland. St. Columba, traveled in the sixth century to spread the Christian word. He built a Celtic Church and the Iona Abbey, where historians think the Book of Kells was written. There are ruins all over the place and breathtaking views. The Vikings had a huge presence there also, and because it so remote, there is still much standing, even tho it’s been built and rebuilt thru history. We walked all over between rain showers with a local guide who explained everything and also told us of life for about 200 people who live on Iona. The road was long, winding, and typical of remote rural roads in Scotland: single track. That means if a car or truck is going the opposite way there is no way each can keep going until one of the vehicles pulls over to a turn out. If there is no turnout, one vehicle has to back up until they find one. It’s like a game of chicken over and over and there is lots of braking

, stopping and turning. Perfect for motion sickness. I did take a pill and was able to withstand a full day of traveling. The ferries were ok, and one was only a  10 min ferry ride.  We got back late and I snagged the last serving of local mussels at a seafood stand by the dock. Steve found a Fish and chip place that was still serving. 

OBAN

 Left Glasgow and traveled the winding roads to Oban. There is a shorter way, but we wanted to see the scenery which didn’t disappoint. We traveled along the length of Loch Lomand  and stopped at a tourist scenic cruise. Typical lake cruse on a small boat and it started raining pretty good. They did serve tea and coffee and shortbread. This seems to be a custom where ever we go. After that, we stopped at a 500 year old Pub called the Dover Inn. It didn’t seem like much had changed! It was so old. Smelled old, looked old, was old with heads and bodies of old animals who were once hunted. We had Mac and cheese and it was the best I have ever eaten! Oh…and beer. 

We continued to Oban, which was bustling with tourists when we arrived.   It is nestled on a beautiful bay and reminded me so much of Port Townsend. Lots of little shops, and lots of seafood. Small street that cars get back up on this time of year. After checking in and getting settled we took a small van to a Barn outside of town (another very old place) and had dinner at the Barn Bar. Quirky and fun, but good food. They had small cottages for rent also.

GLASGOW

 After a short early flight from the Isle of Lewis, we landed in Glasgow for 4 days. Largest city in Scotland and we are smack downtown. But it’s easy walking to so many things. We got here so early our rooms were not ready so we did a walking tour around the hotel vicinity. There is any kind of restaurant one would want except for Mexican! Haha. Lots of Indian food tho. In fact steve and I went to an Indian place last night and had a great meal. No one tips around here. It seems weird. This am we got on a bus and had a tour of the city and some special places like parks and cathedrals. Then we ate at Soul Sisters . It’s a place run buy immigrants of all kinds. They cook the food and try and learn English. Because of  Brexit….the immigrant population has dwindled. Like us, they depend on immigrants to do jobs no one else wants, so they have the same problems with help wanted all over, and services are slow and places shutting down.

This afternoon I spent 3 hrs with a friend from Scotland I have only met on line thru FB. We bonded on a site about a Norwegian trips we were both going to take but it got canceled because of Covid. Well, we kept corresponding and today she took a train to Glasgow from her small town and we met and really really enjoyed each other’s company. It was so fun. Steve walked to one of the many museums while Linda and I were yakking. 

Glasgow is a great city with tons to see and do. All the university’s in Scotland are free as is vocational training and advanced degrees. All health care and prescriptions are also completely free. Kids can vote at 16! Anyone living in UK/Scotland can vote even if they are immigrant.

GUGA HUNTERS

 We traveled by van today to the “Butt of Lewis” it’s the most Northern point in all UK, and known for its ferocious winds and weather. They have recorded winds up to 161 mph at the lighthouse. The lighthouse is Brick and has 168 steps to the top and is 37 meters tall, so before this was automated…it was a fun climb up and down! The weather did not disappoint. It wasn’t a gale, but it was windy and also started to rain. No one was there but us! 

We traveled to Ness where we met at man at their historical society that was a guga hunter, and he was a wealth of knowledge. He had a slide presentation of the centuries old custom where men, and only men, sail out to a remote uninhabited island called SULS SGEIR. They set up a camp for 10 days by climbing a rock face and hauling all the gear needed to hunt and harvest the guga chicks that are about. 5 months old and fat and oily. guga is what locals call these birds , known as Ganets. They only harvest the chicks which are fat with meat and oil. They salt the meat to keep,it from spoiling. They are allowed 2000 birds each year, and usually get their limit as the birds are not afraid of man, so…….they just take a long pole and slip a noose around the neck of the bird to pull it out of the nest, and another man is ready to kill it with one stroke of a club. It sounds awful, but it’s been the food and a way of life for centuries. Bird flu and “ lazy teens who don’t want to go into the trade” are changing things..Dod, the ol guy who was schooling us was quite a character..typical Scottish man with a fine sense of humor.

We returned to Stornoway on a sideways rainstorm and passed quite a few bikers on the narrow roads. Not ebikers either! We hopped off the Van and said goodbye to Claire, who hast

driven for us a lot. Can’t say enough about her! All good. Steve and I went to Lews Castle and investigated the grounds while waiting for the rain to stop so we could walk back to town and the B&B.

Tomorrow we rise early and catch a 7 am flight to Glasgow….

Busy Day

 Left our AirB&B this am for a small crofting farm and a couple who left professional jobs to learn weaving the way it’s done for Harris Tweed. They have to follow a strict protocol to work for Harris Tweed and we learned the ins and outs about it all. I could NOT believe how interesting it was. it’s a big deal in this part of the Isles and employees many people, each in their own homes or shops who basically weave exactly what Harris Tweeds wants.

The rain stopped and we continued to a historical place called Blackhouse. People in this area of Scotland were extremely Hardy folks and lived in these stone houses for centuries. They burnt peat to heat and cook and so we also learned all about peat bogs and how important they were to the Northern Isle people but also, how important

peat bogs are to our eco system. Even more important that rain forests 

We traveled North on very skinny one lane roads and came to Callanish Standing Stones. Very very cool! 3000 yrs B.C. And some of the oldest rocks in our universe, and still no one knows who put them there and why. Some people get all jiggy with it and hum and dance around in circles …. But I didn’t get it. Still, it was such an awesome place. After that we climbed a hill to another old stone edifice , which no one knows why it is there. This is such a remote area and only about 20,000 inhabitants…. But something went on here eons ago.

On the way back to Stornoway, we stopped at a memorial that’s was erected because w ship returning from WWI with a few hundred men crashed on the rocky waters only 30-40:yards from shore and over 200 men, who had all survived WWI and were returning home to their loved ones, died. It was called IOLAIRE MONUMENT and it was quite moving. Steve and I decided to walk the 2 1/2 mile path back to town and we saw each head stone along the way. Then we walked into town and had fish and chips down by the harbor. Busy day!

Harris and Lewis Isles…

 After we left Portee on a weather threatening day, we got on a ferry for a 90 min ride to the Isles of Harris and Lewis, which are basically connected. It turned out to be a calm crossing and after landing we drove to our B&B in Stornoway. It was a few hours so by the time we got settled,  we wanted to go out and eat. Stornoway is an odd town, supposedly the most religious place in all of Scotland. We were warned the the zealous residents may reprimand people for doing forbidden things on Sunday…. like washing their cars, shopping, and normal stuff that we never even think about. Mostly everything is closed, but we did find a very nice pub that was crowded and we had an excellent fish dinner with drinks, So there! 

Our AirB & B is old and cute and quite nice. The new owners just opened up a week ago, so they are taking great pains to make everything perfect for their guests. We really like it and even tho it is in the middle of town, was quiet last night. We had to pre order our breaky and Steve selected Black pudding which is only authentic if if comes from Stornoway. It’s pigs blood mixed with oats and flax and then fried. It really was pretty good and very protein rich (which was why it was originated in old times when people didn’t have the modern food we eat now). Tomorrow we will be doing alot of sightseeing…. And getting to drive to Callanish Standing Stones in the very north of Lewis Isle. Looking forward to that!