Road Tripping to the Highlands

We both sleep hard, our bodies finally succumbing to several days in a row of strenuous physical activity. Today is Queen Elizabeth's funeral and a Monday to boot, which means many places that serve breakfast are closed. Our best option is to return to the same hotel restaurant where we dined the night before. Our waitress is coughing and sniffling, which is unnerving to say the least, but we both order the full Scottish breakfast, get full American bellies, and then return to the AirBnb to pack and check out. Today we head to the Highlands!

Our drive is only three hours and we have six hours to kill between the check-out and check-in times at our different accommodations, so we decide to take the long way. We start off with a visit to the Wallace Monument in Stirling. After all, what better way to give monarchy the middle finger than to visit a monument to one of the leaders of the First War of Scottish Independence. We know the monument is a tower on a hill, but have vowed to climb no hills today. However, as soon as we arrive we realize that the shuttle bus up to the monument is closed so, if we want to see it up close, we'll be climbing. We do it, of course. I'm somewhat glad the tower itself is closed because, despite our bodies' protests, we would probably climb that too.

Wallace Monument, Stirling

A panoramic view of Stirling from Wallace Monument

The perfect sitting tree

Next we drive north in an S shape to Loch an Eilein in the Cairngorms National Park. The geography and scenery change in startling ways along the route, from rolling hills blanketed in heather, to dense pine forest. We stop at a scenic overlook near Pitochry, where the light is hitting the golden hills just right and reflecting off of the intersecting waterways between them. It is honestly breathtaking.

A scenic overlook near Pitlochry, Scotland

The only news to be found at the petrol station

One of the draws of Loch an Eilein is the tiny ruined 14th century castle on its island. But even without that, the lake and its surroundings are enough of a draw. There's a four-mile walking or cycling loop around the small lake laden with soft duff from which mushrooms spring at regular intervals. Numerous species of ferns lie under the shady canopy of trees and some plants are still flowering even now in autumn. Docile ducks float on the clear shallow lake water, and bird song echoes through the trees constantly. If we had a little more time and a little less muscle soreness, we would do the full route to discover all this area has to offer. Maybe next time.

Loch an Eilein Castle (with kayaks visiting)

Documenting the fungi

A mushroom in the Russula genus

The last leg of the drive goes through tiny but busy Aviemore, a haven for outdoors enthusiasts who are traversing the national park in various fashions, and the city of Inverness, where the other drivers suddenly become much less patient with my excessive caution. In an hour we arrive in charming Strathpeffer, whose main draw appears to be golf, a spa, and charming B&Bs in large old Victorian homes. Ours is no different, and we let ourselves into the Holly Lodge, a 120-year-old, three-story house with a sprawling garden, which we explore on arrival.

Holly Lodge, Strathpeffer

The view from Holly Lodge's garden

Native black bees kept in hives in the garden

A slug on a feather, bringing whimsy to the garden

The house smells 120 years old, but not necessarily in a bad way (think used book store). We find our comfortable, well-appointed rooms, which even include a dram of whiskey!

Then it's time to figure out where to have dinner. I love that this is the biggest decision we have to make every day. Today we settle on the Coul House Hotel, a supposedly expensive place in the neighboring village of Contin. We make a reservation and then take the winding road there, past rolling green hills, and cow pastures full of what Taylor has dubbed "big-ass cows". We even see a momma nursing her tiny calf.

We walk into the hotel and immediately feel underdressed, but it's too late to do anything about it. They are very procedural here, and seat us in the cozy bar for drinks. They present us with menus and take our food orders there, and then later escort us into the formal dining room. Thick white table cloths and shiny silverware top each table, and an enormous chandelier hangs from the middle of the high domed ceiling. The napkins are folded into fancy shapes. We both have great meals and the service is, unsurprisingly, impeccable. Despite the reputation for being expensive, we walk out only having spent $130 for three courses and drinks. It was well worth it.

A distinguished gentleman in a fancy chair

Happy

Flipping delicious

I drive us back to our lodge on extremely dark, narrow roads that make me nervous, and am glad I encounter no deer. When we get to the lodge, we meet our hostess, Fiona, who has just settled in to watch the Queen's funeral. She seems sweet and enthusiastic, and does her best to accommodate our every need. It should be a nice couple of days here.