Continuing the trend of nice weather on this trip, we were treated to a beautiful sunny day in London. We thought heading towards the Thames would be a good way to enjoy the weather, so we decided to start at Bishops Park and Fulham Palace. Fulham Palace Fulham Palace library Wisteria! Unfortunately, the famous walled garden was already closed by the time we got there, but we could peek in through several of the gates. After a quick stop for some gelato we headed toward ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: long layover in London
Scotland 2018: Speyside food + snacks
Thursday On our way to the Tomintoul Distillery tour, we grabbed some caffeine at the Caoldair Coffee and Craft Shop. I had a scalding hot latte that took me forever to drink (I finally had to get a to-go cup) while Eric enjoyed his (less-hot) hot chocolate. Tables are interspersed with stuffed toys, postcards, and clothing items and there seemed to be a few locals hanging out. Due to a whiskey event for the boys at 7pm, we made an early reservation at the Copper Dog. We were seated in ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Glen Grant garden walk
On Sunday morning before our scheduled Glen Moray heritage tour we took a detour to the Glen Grant Distillery to explore their garden walk. One of the few activities in Speyside we did that didn't involve whiskey, the self-guided walk includes many landscaped areas, a few small waterfalls and (at least when we were there) no other people! A lovely way to spend an hour in Rothes. ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Spirit of Speyside whisky bars
Besides the Spirit of Speyside festival events we also visited several of the famous whiskey bars in the area. The Quaich, Craigellachie Hotel, Craigellachie Located just up the road from our apartment (completely on purpose) we spent the most time at our favorite wee pub in Scotland. Over the last few years we'd seen way more of Lindsey—who Leandra got to chat with for about ten minutes between events—but this year it was Angus who kept us entertained and full of whisky. Ask him about his ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Spirit of Speyside independent bottlers
During the Spirit of Speyside festival we attend three events that featured independent bottlers, groups that buy casks through brokers (usually) and then decide when and how to bottle the insides. Craigellachie Hall Whisky Tasting Thursday evening 'Whisky Tasting and New Releases' in Craigellachie Hall. Hosted by two smaller independent bottlers, Spirit Still and Dramfool. Only four tables for this event, but quite fun and informative, with a nice range of interesting whiskies. ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Spirit of Speyside Craigellachie Bridge tasting
Just like in 2017, Craigellachie hosted a fun tasting on the beach next to the Craigellachie Bridge during the festival. In fact, in 2018 they held an event on both Saturday and Sunday! On both days the weather was fantastic, with sunshine and warm temps, so it was a really nice way to end the day before heading into the evening festivities around town. hearing about the whisky on offer; drams by the River Spey Saturday Tasting Craigellachie 51 - Eric tried this one, and found ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Spirit of Speyside distillery tours
Tomintoul Our first distillery tour of this trip. Through the festival, we scored four of the ten tickets available. Unfortunately for us, four extra people were added to our tour group that also included a large group of Dutch that had clearly enjoyed a few tastings already... The larger group size was disappointing as it made it harder to hear and interact on the tour. Tomintoul's facility is quite large with millions of liters of spirit output per year. Tasting ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Fort William food & drink
Eric and I did not spend much time exploring Ft William itself, mostly using it as a jumping off point for Glen Coe but we did have some memorable eating and drinking experiences in town. Tuesday The Grog & Gruel - a long walk from the B&B in the rain, but worth it! We had spent several hours in the car and were all feeling a bit antsy. Just ask us about each others rap names some time. ;) Natalie and I both got a cask stout which reminded me of a Guinness. Very pleasant. Eric got ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Glen Coe, Hidden Valley, Glen Etive
Needing a break, our friends took Wednesday off from hiking, so Leandra and I set off on our own to explore Glen Coe. On an earlier trip we had driven through and loved the views, so for this trip we wanted to get out and do some hiking as well as experience some of the hard to reach spots. With rain forecasted for the afternoon we made sure to start our morning with Coire Gabhail, also known as Lost Valley or Hidden Valley. A several-mile hike takes you part way up the mountainside to a ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Isle of Skye – Fairy Glen, Mealt + Lealt Falls, Quairaig
Our luck with good weather held out for our full day on Skye, starting with some great light in the morning. We decided to work our way along the Trotternish peninsula clockwise, making our first stop at Fairy Glen. Parking is along the road here, and by starting early, it was fairly easy to find a spot and start our exploration. The views are absolutely stunning with the green grass and the blue skies. After taking our fill of photos we continued along the ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Isle of Skye – Eilean Donan Castle, Fairy Pools, Portree
On our way to the Isle of Skye, we stopped off at Invermoriston Falls (a falls we photographed a year ago) to take advantage of some blue skies. Then it was time to head west toward Loch Cluanie and beautiful sweeping vistas. And goats! We reached Eilean Donan Castle just as a parking spot opened up in the small lot. How lucky! The castle was a bit pricey, so we skipped going inside, but enjoyed the views from the outside nevertheless. Once we passed over ... continue reading...
Scotland 2018: Inverness + Drumnadrochit
Our first stop was the Clava Cairn burial mounds, just a few miles from the airport. These tomb mounds are ancient, dating back to the Bronze age, and the entrances are situated to line up with winter sun patterns. Also nearby was the very tall River Nairn Railroad Bridge. From here we continued into Inverness to seek out some lunch. After finding an ATM we walked through the pedestrian zone to Black Isle for beer and pizza. Eric got a saison and then a scotch ale, and we split a ... continue reading...
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