One of the best international travel decisions I’ve made
was leaving the states early evening due to time change. Our 9-hour journey to
London left out of Denver at 8pm mid-July. And after a mid-morning meal and 3
hour layover, we flew up to Glasgow, Scotland.
This is my third trip to Scotland but first time to Glasgow.
I was shocked to learn how large it was, with over 1 million people in
population. The downtown area is beautiful with so many old buildings and
gorgeous architecture. I found it
strange to see so many spaces “to let”. I’ve heard numerous times that Glasgow
has a bad rap and is the step-child to Edinburgh but I have to say I was
pleasantly surprised with the city centre and what little we saw.
I found out from our cab driver that people from Glasgow are
called Glaswegians and in Gaelic it is translated “dear green place.” After
checking into a chain hotel right in city centre, we went on a walkabout to
find a pub and a bite. It was late but the sun was still up. We both love
Indian food and found a restaurant called Chaeoyaya that boasted some of the
best thai green curry I’ve ever had (next to a few spots in Kinsale, Ireland).
We had a nice dinner then stroll around the square before attempting
to catch up on some sleep from the jetlag. 
The next morning we got our rental car and started on our
journey… on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road. Our first
stop is a village called Luss, which I’ve been to before but only for a short
time in Winter at dusk. This time I was able to walk the cemetery at the Luss
Parish in the daylight and could spend a wee bit more time looking at the
tombstones from 150 years ago- Vikings graves and all. There are some great
little shops in this village and it’s located right on Loch Lomond. We made one
of our smartest decisions in Luss- we bought a CD with Celtic music, bagpipes
and drums for our week-long journey. Then we had a great cheese sandwich (which
is not to be confused with a grilled cheese sandwhich… nope, just grated cheese
and bread...And it was delicious) and a pint and continued down the road.
We stopped along the way at a tea shop called Tarbet Tea
Room. It was a small space with only one table occupied and a beautiful young
lady called Katy came over to take our order. In her sweet Scottish accent she
said, “we’ve only tea, coffee and pastries- that okay?”. She was 10 years old and she and her brother
were helping her grandmother out in the shop. There was a table with three
ladies and a hilarious Scotsman sitting next to us. The women took turns
slagging on the man and he never skipped a beat with his comebacks. It was
hilarious and took about 4 ½ minutes for us to strike up a conversation.
Ansley & Margie are from Ireland, Olga from Italy and
Bill from…. Scotland. We had a great chat with them and although I turned down
Bill’s offer to go with him ;), we all had some great laughs and sweet Margie
gave me a prayer card when they left. I simply adore Irish people! We tipped
young Katy a large tip and told her she needed to come to Texas one day, then
stepped out as we heard her excited voice sharing the news with her brother.
Continuing on our journey, we arrived in another great village
I’d previously visited: Inveraray, located on Loch Fyne. The castle in Inveraray
is beautiful and still occupied and the town bustles with tourists and locals.
When I’d passed thru this lake(loch)-side village in the past I told myself I’d
be back to stay a night and
We first met the bartender, a gent named Jordan from
Australia. As we chatted with him about travels thru Scotland and Ireland, a
few guys at the end of the bar started talking to us. Mike and Mike were from West
Virginia visiting for a few weeks- first Scotland and The Open followed by
Ireland, specifically, my favorite village in Eire, Kinsale! This led to a 45-minute
lecture (given by yours truly) on all of the spots and people they needed to
visit whilst in Kinsale. “And you must say hi to Michael Frawley at “The White
House” at the end of Main Street”, and “don’t forget to give Anthony at “The
White Lady” a hug from us”, etc, etc, etc.
After a pint (or five) with Mike and Mike, we decided it was
time to grab a bite. Most of the restaurants in Inveraray were booked so we
managed to get the last ressie at Loch Fyne Oyster Bar. When we first got in
the cab to head over to the restaurant, Jimmy needed to go to “the loo” but he
was debating with himself and then with me under his breath trying to make a
decision before he got in the cab. “Our reservation is in 10 minutes. Do you
think I have time? Eh, I’ll just hold it. Eh, but I really need to go” Curious
as to what was taking so long, the cabbie finally turned around and blurted out-
“what are ye bustin fer a piss er what?” LOL. We laughed so hard but wound up
just speeding off down the road for dinner.
The food was amazing… especially if you like the freshest
seafood ever. I am more a of a steak and potatoes kind of girl so I had a quick
meal but focused on the best desert I’ve ever had- Honeycomb ice cream. Creamy
ice cream with honey and chunks of honeycomb, I’m salivating just typing about
it.
After this delicious meal, although we were too full, we
decided to go back to The George pub for one more pint. When we walked in about
half past 9pm, the Mikes were still there, although they were exhausted from
their trip over so were about to head up to sleep. So we bought them another
round. And then another. THEN one of the Mikes made the fatal mistake of
telling me it was his birthday at midnight… so we made him stay in Pub in The
George Hotel and “celebrate” with us until the clock struck birthday. It was
too funny.
Naturally, the head was a bit rusty the following morning
and naturally we had a 6-hour drive to The Isle of Skye. Fortunately it was one
of the most breathtaking and gorgeous drives I’ve been on so that helped curb
the ache in the head.
Words and even pictures cannot do what we saw in the
Highlands and Glen Coe justice. I’d been
thru the Eastern highlands before on a sunny day with snow on the ground but
this was the true Scottish Highlands experience. Fog, a little drizzle, crisp
fresh air, bagpipes and drums on the radio and reading about the feud between
the Campbell and the MacDonald Clans. Discovering that
We were so enamored by the scenery and the overwhelming
ambiance of the Highlands that hunger snuck up on us quickly. The only problem
was, we were out in the middle of nowhere, and just when I started to get
borderline cranky hungry, like an oasis, we drove around a curve and there was
a lone restaurant in the middle of the peaks and valleys of Glenmoriston. So we
stopped into Cuinie Restaurant for a pint and fish and chips. IT WAS SO GOOD
and sitting next to us was an adorable, talkative little boy from Miami named
Mark. We chatted with him for a bit and then continued on to the Isle of Skye.
The constantly changing topography and weather made for an
interesting journey and there was plenty to see.
To get to the Isle of Skye, we drove over the bridge at Kyle
Lochen. It was gorgeous scenery and somewhat enchanting to think we were
finally heading over the sea to Skye. Unfortunately we were in a big hurry to
catch the ferry from Skye to Rasaay where our evening’s stay was (place
apparently gets REALLY booked up and is not supportive of our spontaneity ;) so
we didn’t get to do much sight seeing at this point. But I can tell you, Skye
is a wonderful place.
It’s about a 30 minute drive up to the ferry we were to
catch. The problem is… when we arrived in Sconser, we discovered we’d mixed up
the times and the last booking had left at 6:45- about 45 minutes prior. Again,
with most places being booked we finally got lucky with a B&B in a small
village called Kyleakin which is back down by the bridge we’d just crossed.
That night we ate at the only restaurant still open called “Taste of India”. It
was so delicious and we were famished but realized we didn’t have many pounds left
and they didn’t accept credit cards. It was kind of fun to be on a budget again,
scraping together all we had to see what we could afford on the menu, naturally
ordering pints first…
After our meal we drove into town to get some pounds to pay
for the room and stopped at the bridge to walk to the center. There were some
locks on the bridge and it reminded me of the bridge in Paris we put locks on earlier
this year.
The next morning we drove up to Glenbrittle at the foot of
the Black Cuillin Mountains to the Fairy Pools.
Now here’s where I place my mid-blog disclaimer….
Many times we try to capture experiences, scenes, conversations
and even atmospheres in words to share with one another. Well I’ll be the first
to tell you words cannot describe the day we had at the Fairy Pools in
Glenbrittle (but I’ll do my best).
Amazing vast scenery, crystal clear water, staircase upon
staircase of waterfalls, bright blue rolling pebbles, surreal remote green
surroundings filled with the freshest of air.
After climbing down a hill and up another to the pools, we
got in the freezing cold water and walked around for a few minutes while
sipping on a nip of Loch Fyne Scotch Whisky. What a day. If you decide to visit
Scotland, I have three “must-sees” I will insist on: Edinburgh, Glen Coe
Scottish Highlands and Isle of Skye/Fairy Pools.
On the way back up came up the hill, we came upon a man
who’d slipped and fallen so we helped him back up to the road. He and his wife
had just gotten there and begun their journey down and up to the pools. I felt
so bad for them because they’d traveled all the way from Aberdeen and had to
turn back. Such a nice lad.
After spending about three hours at the pools, we headed
down the remote country road back thru Isle of Skye. We stopped at a
bite and a pint and then journeyed on, bound for Loch Ness.
The Eileen Donan Castle, one of the most photographed
castles in the world was on our path so we stopped for some tea and a tour. It
was a great ancient castle with tour guides in time-appropriate garb and
accents. More history and experience acquired!
This was a fun part of the road trip with the windows
cracked to allow the cool Scottish wind in and bagpipes playing on the CD we’d
purchased.
Once we pulled into the Loch Ness area, we found our
accommodations for the evening at the Clansman Hotel just past the Loch Ness
hub. We were right across the street from the loch and had a beautiful view
from our humble little balcony. The dining room at the hotel has a wall of
windows that overlook the water and we read it’s the largest loch in the UK. No sign of “Nessie” though.
We woke up and drove up to Inverness where we stopped for a
coffee and some long pants for the golf tourney. We didn’t see much of
Inverness because we were in a hurry to get up to Royal Dornoch although it
definitely looks like a town I’d return to for a bit more exploring.
Dornoch is an adorable village. Antique buildings, shopping,
the golf club is very nice and the bar was bustling with people from all over. We
grabbed a pint before Jimmy went off to golf and I drove back down the hill (on
the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road).
After I went on a wee walkabout in this enchanting town, I
checked in and discovered Jimmy had set up a massage in our room in Royal
Dornoch Castle Hotel. THIS was a gorgeous place to stay right on the town
square with large rooms and a fun pub/restaurant on the bottom floor. We stayed
on the top floor which boasts a beautiful view of the garden /courtyard in the
back of the property and also provides a strenuous workout of 4 steep flights
of stairs to the accommodations! J
After a lovely dinner at the hotel, we walked back up to the
Royal Dornoch Golf Club and saw a gorgeous double rainbow over the golf course
(although it was 9:30pm and the light was so low our cameras couldn’t capture
it very well). Then we went over to the Royal Dornoch hotel pub and after
ordering a pint, got some sad news from home that a dear friend and Korean War
veteran had passed away. We toasted Harold Weeden and watched the sun set on
beautiful Scotland and an amazing life.
The next morning we started heading South to make our way
down to The Open. Jordan Spieth is having a great morning (Hook Em). We stopped
off the Highway in a wee village called Davinot at a café called “The Dairy” to
grab a bite and a pint.
Great little spot tucked away off the highway and in a
beautiful setting.
Then when we were very close to our destination, we stumbled
on the Dalwhinnie distillery. THIS was a great spot we saw from the highway with
an impressive campus and the Scotch whisky was delicious. We had a nip and a
bite of chocolate then continued on.
It wasn’t a long journey this day (fortunately) and in no
time we found ourselves at the Fonab Castle. This was by far my favorite stay
in Scotland.
Absolutely gorgeous five star establishment with an
expansive and beautiful suite in a quaint, comfortable and classy setting. The
castle was restored and turned into a hotel just two years prior and they boast
an amazing menu, spa, pool and are right across the river from the Pitlochery
Theatre. Our concierge Mike was very friendly, knowledgeable and a veteran! We
had a bite to eat in one of the hotel’s dining rooms (over looking the loch)
and then walked over to a showing of “The Importance of Being Earnest”. It was
a really special evening.
After a big breakfast and departing Fonab we continued South
for St. Andrews and Kings Barns.
We pulled up to The Cambo House just as the long dusk period
began. This is a very special place. When we pulled down the long drive it felt
like we were miles away from any village. The home itself stands very tall and
vast. Inside it is so reminiscent of Downton Abbey. Once passing thru the
entrance you come to a huge wooden staircase that takes you up to a large long
dining hall set for about 20 people. The fireplace and furniture and even the
place settings were antique and beautiful. Right next to that was an expansive
sitting room complete with furniture and rugs and wall hangings that you know
have been there for over seven decades. Just beyond the sitting room was a
ballroom that they have set up with bar and a television (which doesn’t fit the
rest of the home but was quite useful seeing as how The Open had already
begun).
Our room was very large with a beautiful canopy bed and claw
foot tub all in the one large room. Only the toilet and sink were set in a
separate space. The ceilings were very tall and I’m not going to lie- I felt
like Lady Mary in this room. We had a view out the front of the home so I could
see down the drive while in the tub and it was quite surreal.
After we checked on the golf in the ballroom, we took a
walkabout on the impressive grounds of Cambo House. The family, we came to find
out, owns quite a bit of property so it was a gorgeous walk back through some
wooded & spring area. At the back of the property, we realized we were
neighbors with the Kings Barns golf course and immediately saw some gents with
Longhorn bags (also Speith fans).
With daylight lasting from 4:30am-11:30pm we had plenty of
time to run to St. Andrews (about a 20 minute drive) to explore the buzz of The
Open.
We stopped at a little Italian pizza place and then walked
around for a while.
The Dunvegan Hotel is owned by an Aggie, and in spite of
that is a GREAT spot to check out in St. Andrews. The pub downstairs was
well-stocked, well-staffed, and overall a really great time. Within 20 minutes
of arriving in the standing room only space a Scotsman started a sing-songy
chant that the rest of the pub quickly join in on. “Stand UUUUUUP if you love the golf. Stand
UUUUUUUUP if you love the golf. Stand UUUUUUUP if you love the golf.” You get
it. But we all stood up and sang/chanted along! (and frankly it a tune that you
can’t get out of your head!) It was great atmosphere and we wound up visiting
“The Dunny” every day we were in St. Andrews.
We met some people and had a great time but realized that
the Legend himself, Tom Watson was about to cross the bridge on 18 and jogged
the block over to the course and got there just in time to see him walk up. It
was getting dark outside but the crowd was far from thin. He was proud, a
little emotional, and beaming. It was a great moment in golf history and an
honor to be just yards from him at the time.
The trick to the long days in Scotland is that it’ll be
light outside, you’ll start to realize you’re hungry for dinner and then see
that it’s 10pm. Most of the restaurants in St. Andrews and other smaller
villages close or stop serving at 9:30-10. Yikes. So after an extensive search
we found an Indian food restaurant (the Indian food in Ireland and Scotland is
AMAZING).
The next day, after Jim played Kings Barns early and then we
went over to The Fairmont which has an amazing view of St. Andrews and did a
little spa time and lunch before heading to The Open. The wind was ferocious so
they delayed play until that evening. So we had quite a bit of time to kill and
fortunately my friends Bailey Mosier and Brandel Chamblee are always in town
when we are at golf tournaments since they’re with The Golf Channel! Brandel
was tied up so we got to meet up with beautiful Bailey at The One Under Pub.
This spot offers such a fun atmosphere right across the cobblestones from The
Old Course. We met quite a few people from Scotland, Alabama and beyond ;)
Bailey is doing so great and it was fun to see a friendly face (although most
of them are in Scotland). Including Ricky. What a character.
After too many pints, we decided to go on the nightly search
for food and stumbled on an Italian restaurant that was completely packed. We
figured there was no way we’d manage a table but got lucky. The manager of Little Italy was running a well-oiled machine, taking advantage of the increase in
population and getting people in, fed and out as quickly as possible. To add to
the joy of securing a table for two, the food and drink was amazing!
On beautiful sunny Sunday, we headed to the Dunvegan again,
early this time, and met some nice people from Edinburgh that had just come up
for the day via train.
I was telling them all about Texas traditions (see, most
Europeans, when they travel to the states go to Vegas, New York and Miami… One
by one I’m converting them). Was telling this couple all about Texas and the
Longhorn logo and then we started talking to some Longhorns that walked in- Corbin
Casteel and Randy Sparks. Great gents and we quickly realized we had a bunch of
mutual friends in Austin. After a few appearances on the tele, we decided it
was time for a Piper to play “The Eyes of Texas” on the bagpipes. Fortunately
we found young Jake Willis who figured it out and did an impromptu performance
for us on the corner. It was pretty epic.
Paul Dunne, a young Irish amateur was the story of this
round and I couldn’t be happier. A Texan and an Irish lad in the final running
for the Claret jug. While we were at The Dunny, pints were flowing and we spoke
to a lot of people- in particular, some gents that are pros at Dunne’s club in
Eire! Great lads and we all exchanged info and agreed to hang out on the
Emerald Isle in the future.
We decided to dine that evening with our new friends from
Texas and headed out to find a spot (since we once again had forgotten to eat
and that all of the restaurants closed at 10). I’m so glad we did though
because our extensive search led us to Forgan’s. I MUST suggest this spot when
you visit St. Andrews because the atmosphere and décor were great and the food
was even better. Fortunately they had a table by the musicians playing and
acoustic set and although it was packed, the service was first class. Can’t
wait to go back to this great spot!
Monday morning we woke up and it was chilly and rainy- not
exactly the best weather to attend a golf tournament in. But we bundled up and
headed over to the Old Course. Because of the delayed start on Saturday and the
postponing the fourth round to Monday, it only cost 10 pounds to get in! There
were a lot more children and Scottish people in attendance. We arrived just in
time to see Spieth and Zach Johnson and Dunne tee off. We followed each for a
little while but eventually got set right in front of the bridge between 17
& 18. As the final round came to a close we were right there to see it all
and as you know Johnson wound up bringing home the cup. We were thankful to be
there and really proud of the gents from Texas and Iowa representing.
We made the hike back to the car and went on to Edinburgh,
one of my favorite cities I’ve been to. This is my third time to Edin (as the
locals call it) and the two times prior were in the winter time when the sun
comes up at 10:30 and sets at 4:30 in the afternoon…quite opposite of this
trip. We booked in at The Inn on the Mile which is right on the Royal Mile
which is right down the street from “the castle”. If you haven’t been to Edin,
“the castle” is one of the most amazing tourist attractions- not only because
it is a GORGEOUS, gothic castle that is quite expansive and impressive- but
also
One of the things I’ve always found so enchanting about
Scotland is the history and the people. The stories are incredible and the
people are so proud.
Because this was our third trip to Edin, we have established
some favorites and are fairly familiar with the layout of the city centre so we
walked over to Thistle Street (right behind Princess and George). Although the
first two restaurants we tried were done serving for the evening, we were able
to get the last table at Fishers in the City and had a great meal before heading to
get some sleep.
Unfortunately our experience at The Inn on the Royal Mile
wasn’t a good one. The building was beautiful from the outside and surrounded
by monuments and old structures but the room was tiny, loud and it is right in
the heart of downtown Edin which, during the Summertime and Jazz Festival… not
good. There was a man speaking in tongues at the top of his lungs at 3AM just
under our room and between he and the seagulls and the bell clock and the
street cleaners and the singers, we were a little more than sleep deprived when
we headed to the airport the next morning.
Always bittersweet leaving Scotland. No place on Earth like
Texas Home but this is an enchanting destination. I’ll leave you with this
quote by J.K. Rowling, who wrote most of the Harry Potter series from
Edinburgh…
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