TRIP SUMMARY AND MORE...

Trip Summary

Here are some notes in summary of our fall 5-week trip to Scotland:

First, our rental car, from Arnold Clark, was a Hyundai i30 CDRi (diesel), automatic, 5-door.  I have no idea what all those numbers and letters mean, but the car was a very nice drive

--comfortable, plenty of power, large enough for all our gear (suitcases and golf clubs), and economical (about 42-43 mpg).  We put a little over 2700 miles on the car and paid £1.30 a litre or £5.20 a gallon, the equivalent of $8.25 a gallon.

Second, a summary of our golf shows we played 19 rounds ( six 9-hole, thirteen 18-hole) on a total of 14 different courses six of which were new to us.  That means we played 287 holes of golf 

(a significant portion of them badly) and walked over 80 miles on courses this trip.  

Next, we ate well wherever we went in Scotland, as we do on most trips.  We eat often with our Scottish family in Crieff and we do our own cooking much of the week we spent in timeshare at Scandinavian Village

Scandinavian Village and Our Three Room Apartment

in Aviemore in Cairngorm National Park (the Highlands). When we ate out it was mostly for lunches or tea and sweets in tearooms, coffee shops, and cafes.  We visited 20 different of that ilk.  We did eat or drink in six pubs, including the Clachan Inn (the oldest licensed pub in Scotland).  Our biggest treat was dinner in eleven different restaurants--five great, five good, and one rubbish (a Scottish phrase which fits the Uig Restaurant on Skye). 

We also visited more than 45 of various kinds of tourist attractions: castles, 

Ardvreck Castle

gardens, harbours, ancient sites, churches or religious sites, distilleries, 

Two bottles We Didn't Buy--Check the Prices

Converted that would be $500 and $1900!!!

and natural attractions like waterfalls and beaches.  Ten of the sites were new to us, while others were like old friends.

What were the Bests of the trip?  My traveling partner, Anne, 

is the absolute BEST of any trip--except she beats me too many times on the golf courses.  Bests other than She Who Has My heart:

Best New (to us) Golf:  West Kilbride GC in Ayrshire on the west coast 

and Muir of Ord GC 

near Inverness in the Highlands.

Best Restaurant: Rowan Tree in Aviemore (Highlands), Anderson’s 

We both had the lamb shank at Anderson's.

in Boat of Garten (Highlands), and Harbour View in Portree (Isle of Skye).

Best Pub: Stein Inn (the oldest pub on the Isle of Skye) and Cross Keys Inn 

Cross Keys Inn was quiet for a while, but didn't stay that way long.

in Kippin near Stirling (central Scotland).

Most Interesting Food: see below.

Best New Attraction: Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye and Dunvegan Castle 

(Clan MacLeod) and Gardens on the Isle of Skye. 

All in all, it was such a good trip that we are already planning our return in the spring.

Most Interesting Food

We are one with the Bacon Roll!  We stopped in at the Horn (a cafe between Perth and Dundee on A90) for the first time on our way to Arbroath GC.  

They make the World’s Best Bacon Rolls and have the trophy to prove it.  The Bacon Roll is a bun stuffed with 8-10 pieces of crispy bacon--a cross between our “streaky” bacon and the normal Scottish or Irish breakfast bacon.  

Need I say more!?!

It’s a huge sandwich!  Not very greasy, but still not the most healthful of meals.  But so delicious that it will be hard to pass without stopping.  Damn the Diet, Horn Bacon Roll Ahead!  

A Little Help from My Friends

I’d like you to help me select photos.  Check out the three photos below and tell me which you like best (for whatever reason). 

Meadow, Carr-Bridge

On the Glenlivet Estate

Double Rainbow, Isle of Skye

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