Just returned from my first tour of Scotland - three weeks of spending two days on a variety of sites on the coast. Rather mixed weather, but its Scotland after all, and I loved the longer days. My first port of call was Troutbeck in the northern lakes, - well its too far to go in one drive - then two days at Rothiemurchus nr aviemore. Then two days each at Rosemarkie (on the Moray Firth), Dalchalm (nr Brora) Dunnett Bay, Poolewe (yes where Inverewe Gardens are), Bunree (in Loch Linnhe) Caradale Bay (on the Kintyre Peninsular) Ardgarten (on Loch Long)and then one night at Barnard Castle before returning home. Twas a big adventure for me - and am well pleased that I managed it. Hopefully - attached is a small selection of the pictures from the different places I visited. (sorry the link did not work - have put them in seperately - see below) When I was in Dunnett Bay, I saw signs to Mary Anne's cottage - following signs I found what was clearly an old cottage complete with peat stack - but didn't know why it was clearly a heritage site. Later in the church yard I met a local lady - she told me that the cottage was built in the early 1800s. Mary Ann and her siblings had been born there, and she lived there til she was 96 when she had to move to a home. She wanted to give her cottage to the community, but social services wanted to sell it to pay for her keep The community formed a trust, bought the cottage, which they preserved exactly as she had left it, opening it to the public in the afternoons. The community got the cottage, and social services got their money - kinda win win doncha think. [ 18. June 2007, 03:52 PM: Message edited by: Fran ]
Good to hear you had a good time Fran Can`t open up your pictures, for some reason your login page is displaying
Sorry about that - seemed to work last night, doesn't now. Ah well I'll post them individually. Troutbeck Rothiemurchus Rosemarkie Dalchalm nr Brora
Well done Fran!...That was some adventure.There certainly are some beautiful places within our shores..where's the next trip
Thanks Nick, twas my first touring trip and at times was a tad scary. I know your love of Cornwall (as indeed do I) but if you ever go further north, there were two places I fell in love with - but the one that you would love would be the Kintyre peninsular. Twas just magical. It would have been the innermost hebridean island, except it could not lose its umbilical chord :D .
Fantstic scenery pics Fran It`s been 20yrs since I`ve been to that part of the world,must get up there again.
Glad you liked. My preference was for the west coast (excepting Rosemarkie), it seemed more friendly, greener and less threatening. But what do I know after one trip. There's so much more to see. I was glad to see the Northern Coastal Tourist route was becoming two lane - does give more space to admire what you are seeing - rather than single track with passing places I will be back. I was sorry to see that the main eastern route, the A9 bypassed villages - no doubt kept the villages undisturbed, but it meant that unless you were running out of petrol, that turning off was something you didn't do, unless the village was your destination. Made the route kinda desolate - but of course spectacular.
Seems like you had a good time Fran, it looks so peaceful, we will get up there one day, it is on the list.
