Travelling By the Book: Weather, Words, Whisky and Wildlife

Travelling by the Book: Weather, Words, Whisky, and Wildlife

Four weeks of Spring in Scotland experiencing a little of the Lowlands, a lot of the Highlands, and two islands.   

"Failte tae Glesgae!" My husband turned to me with a look of shock, "what did he say? Was that even English?" Our first introduction to the Glaswegian (Weegie) accent was a bit overwhelming. Our brains soon tuned in to the way the words slurred together in a sentence, r's are rolled, t's and some endings are dropped. The yarns we were told at breakfast were dark and fantastic, full of delight in the awful weather (dreich - cold, damp and miserable), the football clashes and the travelling mishaps. "Whit's fur ye'll no go past ye." Whatever is meant to happen, will happen.

Sweeping drifts of hail battered our Land Rover as we headed north to the Isle of Islay. The rolling gait of the ferry, the glittery white-capped sea and the approaching misty shores welcomed us to a new adventure. A whisky adventure! First stop Bruichladdich (pronounced brookladdie), staying in the old doctor's house right by the sea loch. A fascinating tour of the distillery revealed Victorian equipment, wonderful warm peaty smells, and tastings of course. They even make a gin (The Botanist) using an old still called Ugly Betty. Then there was Bowmore whisky (pronounced b'more) with its warm, amber colour and peaty smokiness and Laphroaig (la-froyg), described as a "big, peaty slap in the face". Also a huge excitement for me - one early morning just as the sun had risen I saw the gorgeous furry presence of a sea otter on the rocks!

The Isle of Skye was next, over the bridge and onto an atmospheric patchwork of moors, mountains, cliffs and quaint towns. Talisker distillery beckoned. The verdict: spicy, peppery, peaty with hints of sea salt. We stayed inland from Portree, a picturesque village with great pubs. The weather cleared as the sun went down, so we sat outside soaking up the sounds of rural Skye. The grunting/rumbling sound of deer, the flitting of bats, ponies snorting, cuckoos calling...

Next, we travelled onward to the north, via the winding, narrow, hair-raising west coast road. Breathtaking views everywhere! The famous road to Applecross was an experience I will never forget. Blue sky, temperatures over 20 degrees - can this be the north of Scotland in May? We stayed in Tongue, a delightful place with an incredible view over sea, mountains, rural farmland and even a ruined castle (Varrich) to walk to. Dunnet Head is the most northern tip of mainland Britain, another stunning spot. The active lighthouse here was built by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson. It was such a clear day we could see the Orkney Islands in the distance. If you want to spot a puffin, this is one of the best places to go.

Driving down the east coast was much tamer. We stayed inland from Inverness in a cottage near the village of Beauly, another idyllic spot with a small secluded loch nearby. Here we saw beaver lodges and gnawed saplings - yes we had stumbled upon one of the sites of the reintroduction of the Eurasian beavers. Beavers are back in Scotland after 400 years! They are nocturnal beasties working from dawn to dusk, so sadly we didn't spot one. But we were privileged to see two endangered Scottish Wildcats about to be reintroduced into the area. My heart is now in Scotland!

Some delightful place names we discovered along the way: Muir of Ord, Shieldaig, Scrabster, Breakachy, Lechfurin, Coldbackie, Loch Oich, Loch Snizort, Loch Lochy, Knockglass, Killiecrankie, Slochd.

Shirley Jones, Senior Library Assistant

Recommended Books.

Fiction

Buddha Da. Anne Donovan

Whisky Galore. Compton Mackenzie 

Wolf Border. Sarah Hall


Non Fiction

Findings. Kathleen Jamie

In Search of Scotland. H.V. Morton

Raw Spirit: In Search of the Perfect Dram. Iain Banks

Ring of Bright Water. Gavin Maxwell  

The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands. Rob Humphreys

Scotland and its Whiskies. Michael Jackson

Scotland's Highlands and Islands. Neil Wilson

Whisky, Kilts and the Loch Ness Monster: Traveling Through Scotland with Boswell and Johnson. William Starr.

Wild Voices: Journeys Through Time in the Scottish Highlands. Mike Cawthorne