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Glen Affric, Inverness and our last night in Beauly


Home -> Europe -> Scotland -> Travelogue Scotland -> 22 to 25 July 2000

Saturday 22 July, Glen Affric, Inverness and our last night in Beauly

Main square at Beauly Loch AffricWe have had enough long journeys the last few weeks now, after first hanging around in Beauly, we visit Inverness at our leisure and then tour around a bit. On the photo the village square of Beauly.
It is a nice day to go to Glen Affric and walk around. At the end of the Glen you can make short or long hikes in this beautiful area that ends at Loch Affric (the photo on the right is a scanned postcard).
Cathy behind the bar Regular ArchieIt is not as busy as yesterday in the pub, but still crowded enough. Well, it is a saturday night, after all. When most people have left, we take some pictures of the pub and the people we have come to known.
Iain with cigar Cath fills upAfter closing time we have to stay and talk, orders from the hotel owners, Iain (left) and Cathy (right). Well, we don't mind because we enjoy talking to them. We really feel at home in this place. But before we know, it is a few hours later. Whatever they say about Scottish people, we have learned to know them as very heartily and gentle people. Sometimes they can a bit shy in the beginning or have a big mouth but a soft heart. One has to start talking to them, show some interest and then they turn out to be very open people. We don't want to hear anything 'bad' about them (except for the hooligans, of course)!

Sunday 23 July 2000, back to Strathyre

Goodbye to Iain and CathyIt has been late, very late, last night, but also very pleasant. Fortunately, we are not in a hurry and take a late breakfast, after which we have some coffee with Iain and Cathy. It costs us a lot of trouble to say good-bye to these hearty people and we promise to come back once. We make some more pictures, of which most are overexposed, because Teije opens the camera too soon! Next year we try it again.
Mountains at Fort WilliamWe have lots of time to drive to Strathyre, so we turn right near Dalnacardoch, off the highway. Again we have a look at places we haven't been before. Via Trinafour, along Loch Tummel, we enjoy driving on the narrow roads and the view on this unspoilt nature. The weather is warm and sunny. Via Castle Menzies we drive towards Aberfeldy.
When we arrive at Loch Tay, we decide to take the road on the southern side, because that is a single track road, probably the last we will see for a long time.. The area is hilly and the road lies high above the Loch. With the sun shining through the leaves it is almost a fairy-tale trip. Every 100 metres there is a new hillock and every time it is a surprise if there would be oncoming traffic. Teije would love to drive this road again, assuming the weather conditions are the same. The Loch is 23 kilometers long, but because we can only drive slowly, it feels as if it takes hours before we come to the end of this road. But after that we soon arrive at Strathyre, for the third time this journey. Our last night in Scotland, well, for this year...

Monday 24 July 2000, Strathyre - Newcastle

Castle in Engeland Bamburgh castleWe have all the time of the world. It isn't until late in the afternoon that we have to embark, so we try to stay in Scotland as long as we can. But we cross the borders before we know it. The farther we go to the south, the worse the weather turns. But England also has its share of castles, so we have a look at a few of them.
Like Bamburgh Castle, build in the 12th century to prevent the Scottish to invade England. But even before that there had been a fortress for centuries on this place.
Back on the boat Our cabin on boardAt the end of the day we embark and install ourselves in a bar. This time Elisabeth sleeps a bit better than the first time.
We already feel homesick for Dcotland, but mostly we are very glad we have been to the country, at last. Time flies when you are having fun, they say, and it is totally true about this holiday.
We are already homesick for Scotland, but we are especially happy that we have finally seen the country. Holidays just pass too quickly. Teije used to travel a lot in the past but the last 10 years he has been busy with his compaby. But now we are both sick, sick with the travel virus...

Tuesday 25 July 2000, return to the Netherlands

Elisabeth slept better this time than on the way to Scotland so she is better rested than on the first day in Scotland. From IJmuiden we drive straight home. No reason to enjoy the landscapes in Holland, we don't like it too much, compared to most other countries. Every time when we return home, we try to see the beauty of our country, but every time we fail to do so. Compared to all the sceneries we have seen on our trips, Holland is a bit disappointing. Sigh, when can we go again...?
The map of ScotlandThis journey has made it very clear to us: we have lost our hearts to Scotland. Though we have to make many other trips, to Scotland we certainly will return!

And that has happened as you can see in the travelogues that we made of our trips the next years. Now we want to go every year for at least a week. On the later travelogues you will find more and better quality pictures and longer stories. Still, we hope that this short account of our first trip to Scotland has made it clear what a beautiful country Scotland is.

 


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