Our return to Scotland after 37 years

Killer Owl. A very capable Hunter. 

Six hours in and around Edinburgh, saw us learn & see more than we remembered from our 3 months  spent here in 1979.

Edinburgh Castle

The breadth of history as usual is quite overwhelming, involving as always religious & power struggles among the ruling classes with the recurring theme off  the peasants being no more than a resource to these Powers and Pretenders. The peasants being dispossessed at the whim of the landed gentry, (sheep became more profitable,than tenant farmers) or worse sent into battle with little more than staves and pitchforks to fight other peasants for their their respective lords,  and this upper class largely still very wealthy today at our working classes expense. An ongoing struggle comrades!
Edinburgh is, as we fondly remembered, a place worth visiting hence our pilgrimage

Looking out across Edinburgh
to the Castle

north into Scotland, where alas spring has still to make its warming inroads, though the lambs and daffodils seem able to ignore.

The Laigh 1979

We ventured 4 hours further north on to Golspie to renew the acquaintance of Joan and John Spicer, whom we had the good fortune to meet when Sheryl worked for Joan in a fine bakery\coffee shop "The Laigh" in Edinburgh when there in 1979. Joan ran this successful business for many years on the back of her divine baking skills. Over the years Joan & Sheryl always kept in touch at Xmas, and it was a shoo- in that we would renew our friendship on this trip.         They now run a quaint boutique B&B in the small seaside village of Golspie.

Now 2016

They are both involved in very select catering appointments at some of the  areas Lodges and Castles occasional dinners and events. John also works at the "local castle" Dunrobin Castle.

Joan, John, Sheryl & Bill enjoying the scenery.
Brier was being shy

They made us very welcome , feeding and rooming us to standards we are not accustomed, very nice. They  also took us for  a run through the highlands across to

the west coast, to soak up the quintessential Scotland.

Dunrobin - a fairytale Castle

A rare occasion for me not having to drive. The highlands can be isolated and desolate, having a beauty not always appreciated, but for us, pure unspoilt wilderness.

A visit to Dunrobin Castle was another insight into the other half. It is one of the many  homes of the Duke of Sutherland, reputedly one of the greatest land holders in Europe, second to the Tzar of Russia at one point in history .The Castle  is presented as a snapshot of an age past, glory, wealth and privilege as enjoyed until recent years. Indeed these old families are still very well connected and wealthy, just slightly more

under the radar so to speak!

Ruins of Ardvreck Castle looking into Calda House.

The castle also boasts a working Falconer, an interesting insight as to the origins of this sport (originally food hunting) and how it survives today on the back of rescued birds. The Falconer still uses the birds to hunt, a lifestyle far removed from this day & age.

Looks like Spring!!

We sadly left our generous hosts to resume our wanderings and though assailed by driving sleet and snow continued to enjoy Scotland's Northern Vistas. The Pictish

The Highlands drop into the sea

People occupied these environs when the Romans arrived (so called by the Romans for their habit of painting themselves blue or was it just the cold?), and though the Romans basically sealed off the northern lands with Hadrian's Wall this didn't stop the Christians heading into the area in the 3rd century to wreak their evangelical havoc amongst the prior contented people. There followed the familiar pattern of conversion blah blah. The

Spendid Isolation

Pictish are largely forgotten apart from a few Standing Stones covered with christian effigies, their previous gods and culture lost.
  Scotland's stunning scenery continued to captivate us as we headed from Inverness to Fort William taking in Loch Ness. We spent a night beside the Loch ,sadly not seeing Nessy as also was the case those many years previous. We did see the lock system to raise and lower the boats through the Lochs.

Pictish Standing Stone

Ancient glacial valleys  run from coast to coast, the passage is largely used recreationally, however were developed as commerce routes in days of old. On Loch Ness there was an aluminium smelter which the environmentalists were condemning as  travesty against nature in 1896 when it was first built to utilise the abundant power produced by a hydro project tapping the head of water at the Foyers Falls. It was bombed during WW2. as it was producing vital aeroplane products for the war but production quickly resumed, indeed till 1996. Sadly for us the renowned falls were but a sad reflection of their former glory.

Moody Loch Ness

Falls that inspired  a great poem by Robbie Burns no less.........,verses of this were engraved in rock on the descent down to the falls, heightening our expectations, ultimately being dashed once the falls were finally reached, not even warranting a photo, sad to say.

Lovely little fishing villages
along the Scottish Coastline

Nessie's & the falls no show for us, was helped though with the trinket shops at Fort Augustus, humming with tourists ,the whole area being a scenic, historical, retail hotspot. We had driven down the North side of the Loch which although slower, is more scenic and no tourist buses etc. The late development of spring leaves on the trees allowed largely unimpeded views of the lake side as we ambled through at a comfortable unhurried speed.
The drive from Fort William through large open country with Ben Nevis, tarns and Lochs everywhere is stunning if you like open space, throughout walkers on tracks going every which way. The country is similar to NZ's  high country, The Molesworth or Arthurs Pass coming to mind, also a lot of names familiar to us as well, obviously the Scots naming many places in NZ

Awesome Rigs awaiting work.

We are further north here at about 56Deg as opposed to Invercargills 47 south so the twilight is very obvious even this early in the year. The sun sets obliquely, when it appears close to the horizon it continues to skid along the tops bouncing from one crag to another making for lovely light evenings. I am ashamed to admit I have little idea what it does in the mornings.......
Heading south to out next assignation with our friend Frank the Tibetan, and his faithful retainers Bev & Mel, the incorrigible threesome from Spain. Luckily as alluded to before we are prepared with stocks of economical wine and beer from the continent.