We woke up early, packed our stuff, and were out of the apartment by 8:30 am. We started heading north and after a little over an hour we arrived in the small town of Pitlochry where we parked. We wandered up and down the streets of this lovely community, going in and out of shops. We stopped in a coffee shop to rest and have a cup of coffee and hot cocoa. Before we left the town we stopped at the Blair Athol Distillery hoping to get a tour but they were booked solid. So we wandered around their gift shop for a little bit and then we hit the road again driving towards Inverness.
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| Main drag in Pitlochry |
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| Coffee shop in Pitlochry |
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| Around the town (and next picture) |
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| Blair-Athol Distillery (and next picture) |
As we headed north, the scenery became absolutely magnificent with rolling hills and lush greenery. There are fields with cows and sheep grazing. We stopped along the side of the road so I could jump out and take pictures.
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| This picture and the next one were taken from a moving car! |
About 90 minutes later we arrived at our airbnb in Inverness. The neighborhood leading up to our rental was kind of industrial and we got a little nervous that it might not have been the kind of place we wanted to be. But suddenly we turned onto this lovely street of small brownstone houses and walked into the most charming house! There is a beautiful living room and kitchen downstairs, two bedrooms upstairs, and even a pretty, little private backyard! We're really delighted to be here! The Innes Pub was just up the street so we stopped in for a quick lunch.
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| Our flat! |
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Living Room
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| Master BR |
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| Second BR |
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| Bathroom |
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| Backyard |
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| Backyard |
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| Lunch! |
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| Our lunch restaurant |
After lunch, we hopped back in the car and headed to Culloden Moor. This was the site of a battle between the Government forces and the Jacobites in April of 1746. The Jacobites were quickly defeated in under an hour and the Government forces not only slaughtered virtually every Jacobite or potential Jacobite, but passed laws banning the entire Clan way of life - including speaking Gaelic or wearing their Clan plaids. On this site are stones marking the names of the various Clans who fought and died there. It was sad and interesting.
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| Our tour guide |
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| The Culloden Moor Battlefield |
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| Battle of Culloden Monument |
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| Clan markers - however these were erected more than 100 years after the battle. No one knows exactly where anyone is buried or what clans they were from |
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| Outlander fans will recognize this marker |
Then on to Clava Cairns. Clava Cairns are a well-preserved Bronze Age cemetery complex of passage graves, ring cairns, kerb cairns and standing stones. Just past the Clava Cairns was an amazing railroad viaduct. The Culloden Viaduct is on the HIghland Main Line and was opened over 100 years ago.
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| I gave it a try but I'm still here. |
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| Standing stone circle |
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| Railroad Viaduct |
On the way back, we passed a field with cows including some of the famous Scottish "Hairy Coos". We stopped so I could take a few pictures! Then we went to the Aldi Supermarket to get a few items for breakfast. Then we just relaxed at home for a bit.
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| Regular "coo" |
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| "Hairy Coos" (and next picture) |
Dinner tonight was at the Mustard Seed, considered one of the best restaurants in Inverness. Our table, however was squeezed between the wait staff station and the back stairs. We asked if there was another table and the hostess said they were sold out but if something came up..... Not ten minutes later a table for 2 vacated and we asked for it and got it. Our new waiter seemed very cranky. I asked for no cheese on my salad and got no cheese and no dressing. I also asked about a different vegetable cause my entree came with red cabbage, which I don't like. He seemed quite annoyed about that. I said any other vegetable would do. He seemed confused about David's drink order and later forgot to bring him his beer. The food was very good though.
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| The pink sipper (raspberry gin and other yummy stuff!) |
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| My salad, minus dressing |
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| David's appetizer sampler |
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| David's gnocchi |
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| My duck breast |
