Travels with Mom: Scotland Part 2

After several busy days in Edinburgh, we were ready to embark on the tour of the Scottish Highlands that would span the majority of our time in Scotland. We selected Rabbie’s as our tour operator based solely on online reviews, and we chose the 5-day Highland Explorer for its length and balance of activities. We were very happy with our choices on all counts. While I am not normally a big fan of package tours, for this location a tour is absolutely the way to go, and Rabbie’s is the undisputed market leader. (More about that later.)

Day 1: Edinburgh to Ullapool

Our first day of the tour brought us the first mist and rain of our visit to Scotland, but we were excited to head out of the city. A quick and easy cab ride to the central bus station brought us to the pickup point for our tour, where we climbed aboard a 15-passenger mini-bus with our fellow tourists and our guide/driver Gary. Our group only numbered 9 (6 Americans and 3 Australians) so we had plenty of space in the modern bus. After a quick round of introductions and safety instructions, we were off!

We knew it would be a day full of driving, since the distance to Ullapool is over 200 miles by the most direct route. The day quickly fell into a routine, which we would discover was the rhythm of the entire trip. We drove for about 90 minutes before stopping in the small town of Dunkeld, where toilets and small cafes awaited us. Dunkeld is known for its well-preserved 18th century cottages, its connection to Beatrix Potter (she visited relatives in the area every summer during her childhood), and some important battles. Gary gave us about 40 minutes to explore the town, and mom and I elected to stroll to the medieval cathedral at the end of town. Like other sites we witnessed, part of it is a fully-functioning parish church while part of it is a dangerously dilapidated ruin.

 

 

We then climbed aboard the bus for another 90 minutes of driving before arriving at Aviemore, the town at the heart of Cairngorms National Park, for a 1.25 hour lunch break. The town is known as a base for outdoor activities and we chose to visit a cafe on the second floor of an REI-like outdoor gear store, mostly because of its giant windows facing the surrounding mountains. We found ourselves in line with Marty and John, a couple from our tour, and ended up sharing a table for lunch. They announced (unprompted) that when they retire in a few years they plan to travel full-time in an RV before settling down closer to their kids, so needless to say we had plenty of conversation topics. After lunch we continued northward with a stop at Dores to take in the view up the impressive length of Loch Ness, a stop at Beauly for toilets/coffee/another ruin (Beauly Priory), and a stop at Corrieshalloch Gorge to walk over the shaky suspension bridge and take in the 150-foot waterfall plunging into the deep gorge. We landed in Ullapool in the early evening, where Gary dropped us off at our B&B along with Marty and John, who had selected the same accommodation level that we did (B&B with en-suite bath). We were on our own for dinner, and the weather had cleared nicely so the 10-minute stroll into the downtown harbor area was lovely.

 

Day 2: Coastal and Inland Assynt

Our itinerary for the day mainly involved touring the scenic region of Assynt located north of Ullapool, then returning to Ullapool for a second night, so we didn’t need to pack yet. Instead, we could spend the morning enjoying an amazing breakfast. Our hosts provided a surprisingly-extensive menu when we checked in, and we made our breakfast selections before heading out for dinner that evening. The two-course (!) breakfast offered a first course of either porridge or a variety of fruit/yogurt/cereals, with a second course being a choice of half a dozen cooked meals. Mom loved her fruit and yogurt followed by a traditional Scottish breakfast. Eager to continue eating local specialties, I started with porridge with fruit compote followed by new-to-me kedgeree (curried rice) featuring local Ullapool salmon. Five thousand delicious calories later, I was ready for the day!

 

 

After Gary collected all our tour members at their respective accommodations, we were off for a full day of exploring the area on a schedule mirroring the first day: regular breaks for bathrooms and coffee/tea/snacks, some walking/hiking opportunities, some brief stops for photos at scenic pull-offs, and an hour free for lunch in Lochinver, the largest settlement in the region. This sparsely populated region — there are definitely more sheep than people — features dramatic peaks, rugged coastlines, mostly rocky beaches along with a few sandy beaches, ruins, and an architecturally-interesting bridge. The cloudy, misty weather made for a very moody atmosphere, while the masses of blooming gorse bushes added welcome bright yellow color to the scenery.

 

 

This region also introduced us to the horror that is single-track roads in rural Scotland. The standard, even for newly-constructed roads, in rural areas is for a roadway that is 10 feet wide, yet intended for two-way traffic. Every 25-50 yards there are little pull-offs designated as “passing places.” Naturally people are whipping along these roads at 40 mph despite the mountainous terrain, hairpin turns, and blind curves. And since the road-builders can’t be bothered to add a second lane, you know that guard rails are completely out of the question. You could not pay me enough to drive on these roads. Luckily for us, our tour guide Gary had a long and varied work history, and his prior positions as double-decker city bus driver and as an ambulance driver made this one of his less stressful driving jobs.

We returned to Ullapool a little early because of rain late in the afternoon, which meant we were able to get into the dining room at the Ferry Boat Inn without a wait. My fish and chips and mom’s venison burger both really hit the spot after a chilly, wet day of touring.

Day 3: Ullapool to Portree

The third day we packed up, enjoyed another outstanding breakfast from our hosts Matthew & Maureen, and headed out of Ullapool in the direction of the Isle of Skye. Our day of coastal driving included several stops in charming villages, lunch at the Applecross Inn, and an afternoon drive on the fearsome Bealach na Bà. It’s always disconcerting to start down a road with multiple types of warning signs (“not suitable for learner drivers,” “20% grade ahead,” and more) but I had faith in Gary. I’m also glad that cloud cover meant we couldn’t clearly see just how large the non-guard-railed drops off the side of the 10-foot-wide roadway might be. (Side note: In researching this post, I learned that this road is a top bicycling destination in the UK. People are nuts.)

 

 

We arrived into Portree, the main town on Skye, in plenty of time to settle into our lovely B&B and stroll into town for our dinner reservations at the Rosedale Hotel. This would be our fanciest dinner during the tour, as evidenced by the fact that we drank wine instead of beer.

 

 

Day 4: Touring Skye

We once again started the day with an outstanding breakfast at our water-view B&B. Then our full day on Skye featured a return to excellent weather, which allowed the breathtaking scenery to shine. The rugged volcanic Cuillin Range forms the backbone of the island, while the coastlines are flanked by steep cliffs. In the morning we headed southwest to visit Sligachan, Glenbrittle, the famous fairy pools (waterfalls with pools), and the Talisker Distillery before returning to Portree for lunch.

 

 

Our afternoon started with a birthday celebration for mom and one of the other tour group members celebrating a milestone birthday. Marty and John kindly treated our whole group to decadent pastries from MacKenzie’s, and nobody sang. It was truly lovely. Then we toured the northern Trotternish Peninsula, where we spent quality time strolling through Castle Ewen in the Fairy Glen, the dramatic formations of The Quiraing, and numerous coastal overlooks, before returning to Portree for dinner.

 

 

Day 5: Skye to Edinburgh

Our fifth and final day on tour was a mirror image of the first, with lots of driving to get from Skye back to Edinburgh. Our principal stops were at Eilean Donan Castle, lunch in Fort William (another base for outdoor sports in the Highlands), and multiple scenic stops in the Glen Coe area. Gary dropped us off at the Edinburgh Bus Station, we made our tearful goodbyes with the charming members of our tour group, and we hustled back to The Caledonian for a final dinner before heading home the following day.

 

 

Return

We both made it home safely despite the fact that our flights went through Newark. We were delayed, we were frustrated, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, but everyone eventually got home.

 

 

Rabbie’s is Highly Recommended

My biggest take-away from the Highlands experience is that touring with Rabbie’s is the best choice if visiting rural Scotland. The roads are so treacherous, and the conventions for dealing with the strange single-track passing situations are so unusual (headlight blinking, waving, yelling, and occasional backing up all seem to be part of the process), that driving in the area as a stranger would be incredibly stressful and not at all enjoyable. Plus, Rabbie’s has been in the market so long that they have locked up many of the best accommodations. I suspected, and our guide Gary confirmed, that the places we stayed (which I would categorize as B&B PLUS) basically have exclusive booking arrangements with Rabbie’s. It was hard to ignore the fact that at popular stops or along the roads we saw many other Rabbie’s mini-buses; our record was 5 parked in the same place. With that sort of market penetration, it’s easy to understand how Rabbie’s can provide the best accommodations, the nicest buses, and also the best guides.

 

 

And we did really enjoy our guide, Gary. He offered a great mixture of stories about history, geology, and interesting local quirks like the Scottish “right to roam.” He kept us entertained with a personally-curated soundtrack of music that related to the places we visited. He ably handled a range of questions from our tour group on topics from the care and feeding of Highland cattle to the prevalence of rooftop solar in Scotland. And we felt completely comfortable in his hands on the terrible roads. The whole experience was outstanding, and could not have been a better way to celebrate mom’s birthday.

 

Next: I’m back to North Carolina for a summer of mostly-local travels.