winifredcreamer

Getting to the Orkney Islands

We saved some of the best for last, and after one night in Invergordon after our trip to Skye, we set off for the Orkney Islands. We were advised to check and make sure the ferry was running before leaving home, and found that the first ferry was cancelled due to high winds. The windContinue reading “Getting to the Orkney Islands”

The Isle of Skye

Skye may be the best known island in Scotland, though there are partisans for every island. We decided on a brief visit. You can go for the day from where we are, but it would be very long, so we settled on an overnight, with just two days of touring. This photo depicts the weatherContinue reading “The Isle of Skye”

The North Coast 500

There’s something I would not miss on my next trip to Scotland, but I just can’t do it this time, and that’s drive the entire North Coast 500. There is nothing new about this 500 mile circumnavigation of the Highlands other than marketing, but having driven the portion of the route that we can reachContinue reading “The North Coast 500”

Watching fall come in

Yesterday were were on the beach at 1 pm and the sun was slanted across the sand as though it was late afternoon. Today it’s the equinox. Time sped up lately, since the last I remember the sun barely set by 10, or was that 8:30pm? Birdwatching is more challenging, too. I turn my headContinue reading “Watching fall come in”

Invercharron Highland Games

We were in far southern Scotland for most of the Highland Games season, so we were delighted to be able to get to the final event of the summer, the Invercharron Highland Games. Invercharron is in the Kyle of Sutherland, northwest of Inverness. What a day! The sun shone, there was no wind to blowContinue reading “Invercharron Highland Games”

Photo of the Day: Roadside Attractions

Sometimes there are things by the side of the road that are puzzling but very attractive.This piece of mosaic art is by the side of the road on the way to Cromarty, and is part of a larger art initiative, though I haven’t seen any of the others. Here’s another strange sight. It’s the much-malignedContinue reading “Photo of the Day: Roadside Attractions”

Pictish Stones

We followed “The Pictish Trail” around our area, checking out the Pictish Stones. These highly carved upright stones may have been grave markers, and were carved between about 200-800 AD, mostly in northern Scotland. The Picts are a mysterious group, best known for these distinctive carved stones. They were early converts to Christianity, said toContinue reading “Pictish Stones”

The Center of the Highlands: Lairg

We wanted to see what the highlands are about, so we drove to the middle. Lairg is about 50 miles from the east, west, and north coasts of Scotland.The town sits at one end of Loch Shin, surrounded by hills covered with heather and gorse, green pastures filled with sheep and tan fields of barley.Continue reading “The Center of the Highlands: Lairg”

Photo of the Day–Tain Pottery

We stopped at Tain Pottery just because it was there. What an accommodating place! The showroom displays patterns and finished items, but they also have a page with all the shapes and sizes they make, and another with all their patterns. You can order any shape and size in any pattern. They’ll make anything notContinue reading “Photo of the Day–Tain Pottery”

Cromarty, the town at the end of the Black Isle

The Black Isle gets its name from the dark form of the island in winter. When viewed from afar, Inverness, for example, it looks black. Surrounded by water, snow doesn’t stick (they don’t get very much). Cromarty is a small town at the tip of the Black Isle. It has varied and interesting architectural details,Continue reading “Cromarty, the town at the end of the Black Isle”