8:55pm, Fair Isle B&B, Rosemarie
Man, Scotland highways are not built for slow trucks. No passing lanes Can make for a slow drive… Footsteps and bustling in the house ~7:15am woke me up, even though there was still 45 minutes until the 8am alarm. After awhile I got up and worked on the journal from yesterday that I forgot about last night. At 8:15am we had our breakfasts. Wendy opted for a cold breakfast, with cheeses, deli slice, hardboiled egg and yogurt. I had the usual Scottish breakfast which included a Black Isle black pudding cake. This was very good. 2 other groups ate breakfast at 8:45, so it was a full house here.
Wendy's cold breakfast, and my hot full Scottish breakfast...
We left ~9am, heading north to Golspie, to visit Dunrobin Castle, described as a "fairy tale" castle. The drive again felt like upstate NY, with the exception of a frequent coastline to the east. Wendy actually dozed in the car for the first time in Scotland (tells you how impressive the scenery has been in the west to keep her alert). We were caught behind some slow vehicles at times, and eventually reached the castle ~10:30am.
Sure enough, Dunrobin Castle was indeed a fairy tale castle, with a huge garden. We paid the £9 fee, and roamed the elegant halls. There was a billiards room with a pool table the size of a small swimming pool. Queen Victoria had stayed in this castle. No photographs were allowed past the opening stairway…
We drove up the tree lined driveway to Dunrobin Castle. I took a pic immediately inside, before reaching a sign saying no photography...
Dunrobin Castle gardens...
Looking back up at the castle, while descending to the gardens...
At 11:30, we attended a falconry presentation in the garden. The falconer was amazingly skilled with his birds of prey, and had them swooping over the crowds. Our heads got brushed by the bird during the fly-by. He fed them during the show, and we saw an owl gulp down an (already dead) chick. The owl flies slower than the falcon, but has a stealthily quiet glide. We also saw a Peregrine Falcon, known for it's speed (100mph), that shot across the lawn, catching it's food out of the air.
The falcon swooped back and forth across the crowd...
I actually felt it brush my hair once...
An owl also made fly-bys too...
Incredible wingspan on this owl...
Gobble that chick!
We learned that long ago, the art of falconry was important because the birds were useful for catching prey (small birds, rabbits), and people would eat what the birds left. In return people would care for the birds and help flush out prey in their direction. This system worked well until the mid 1700s when gun precision got good enough to shoot birds in the sky. Then all of a sudden, people were shooting falcons for food instead, and a delicate art was lost, in addition to a dramatic loss in falcon population.
The presentation was excellent. There aren't many falconers around these days, so this was definitely a treat. This particular falconer had a great stand-up act and was very entertaining.
We wandered around the impressive gardens, during occasional rain and sun, before visiting a small museum featuring busts of tons of animals (huge game from India, Africa) the Dukes of Sutherland had hunted in the early 1900s. It was a bit depressing. The gardens however, were gorgeous.
Yeah, I see why they call it a fairy tale castle...
Croquet and lavendar...
Wow, these are the larges leaves I've seen! One more look inside the castle, at the entranceway...
After departing the castle grounds, we drove half a mile down the highway to hike the Big Burn trail. But first we sat in the car and had a lunch consisting of leftover snacks we had accumulated. The walk was short, with some pretty forest scenery, a large viaduct arch, and a waterfall.
The water was really muddy, but my long exposure helped make it look whiter...
Then we drove back to our B&B (Wendy dozed on and off again, still maintaining her navigational duties), stopping at the nearby lighthouse to see if any dolphins were in the sea. Turns out we arrived just in time to see them leave the bay.
Only caught a brief glimpse as 2 dolphins headed out to sea with the tide. 2nd pic: A look across the water towards our B&B in Rosemarie...
Back at the B&B, it was 4:30pm, and we took a rest with some hot honey water before taking one more short forest walk at the Fairy Glen of Rosemarie. This trailhead was only .5 miles from our B&B, but we drove there anyway. The hike was pleasant and tranquil, with mossy covered trees, and a couple of twin waterfalls.
The walk was short, and led to some waterfalls...
Tripod shots...
Afterwards, we stopped at Crofters Bistro for dinner, the same place we ate at last night. I ordered a haggis, neeps, and tatties tower and a venison burger with blue cheese and mango sauce. Neither were as amazing as the lamb from last night, but still good. Wendy loved her sweet potato and mushroom linguini from last night so much, she ordered it again, along with some mussels. We were too full for dessert. I gave the waitress a deck of my 14er cards.
My venison burger, and Wendy's sweet potato dish...
Wendy REALLY liked it (she ordered it the previous night too). Our room at the B&B...
Now back at the B&B, we're planning out our day tomorrow as we drive down to Edinburgh. Still need to book a place to stay, and are looking up restaurants and bus info. Planning on an early 7:45am breakfast to get a jump on the day.
Got a big day of driving tomorrow, need to get some good sleep tonight…