Our first day in Scotland, as we left a small village, we read a sign that said "Haste Ye Back". Last night we stayed in the 'Open Arms Hotel'. That really sums up our stay here. The people of Scotland are so very friendly... without exception in my opinion. Now if I could only smarten up a few fellow travellers all would be well.
The last blog left off at Gairloch. It's impossible to sleep well when your bed is over the bar as the noises of the night crash around your head. That meant a fuzzy start to our otherwise sunny day. When the fuzz cleared we headed for one of the most amazing drives of our trip. If you look at a Michelin map for Scotland you will see white roads with polka dot markings alternating at the side. Roughly translated those are "That car is coming at me right down the middle of the road which is barely wide enough for one car and there's a straight drop off with only a little "Passing Place" (barely narrow enough for the sheep) to get out of the way" . That being said those polka dot roads do slow down the traffic. Anyone in a hurry is sure to find another route. 
From Gairloch we went through Glen Torridon to Shieldaig where we began to navigate the coastal route around the peninsula. Rough, rugged scenery and beautifully sunny weather! This spectacular drive continued as we crossed the peninsula to Lochcarron then south west to the Isle of Skye.  
Now for the royal watchers out there you will know that everyone is on holiday as they make merry for the Queen's Jubilee. What we were beginning to realize was that this is also a school holiday and the only place with nice weather on the whole island is Scotland (I might have said that in the last blog but it bears repeating). We were very lucky to find a place on the Isle of Skye so we decided to stay two days. We chose, actually we had little choice, to stay in Portree which is the largest village on the island. Set on a lovely sheltered harbour (which we could view from our B&B window) we were able to walk to town for an amazing sea food dinner. In fact the food at the Sea Breeze was so good we booked to go back the next evening. It was necessary to book because there are only a couple of good restaurants in town and an over abundance of tourists. The people who could not get a seat were munching take out fish and chips by the marina as we walked home. Good thing it wasn't raining. It also helps that the sun is up until after 10PM.
Next morning we set off to drive around the Isle of Skye. Driving north from Portree the scenery is spectacular. Set off early to avoid the tour buses. Past the Old Man Storr rock, Kilt Rock and Duntulin Castle the road narrows to one of those polka dot roads I told you about. This meant no tour buses and great views.  
This rugged part of Scotland with steep escarpments, sandy beaches and thousands of sheep is also dotted with vacation homes (summer homes for the wealthy). It is a mecca for hikers, bikers, kayakers and (apparently) motorcyclists....makes for pretty tricky driving on those polka dot roads.  
It is easy to do short hikes off the road. The walk down to the lighthouse at Neist Point is one that should not be missed. Found a great place to have a picnic and watch the world go by.
Next day we took the road south to Fort William. Stayed in a delightful B&B (Rhu Mhor Guest House) run by an elderly woman and her son. On our way we passed Eilean Castle and drove along Loch after Loch and Castle after ruin. Once we had settled in we headed along Glen Nevis to view Ben Nevis (not Glen's son but it's mountain), again very beautiful on a sunny day. This is a stunning piece of country to hike in.  
At the end of the day we decided to visit Glenfinnan, a memorial to the Clans that began their journey at this place before their eventual slaughter at Culloden Battlefield (east of Inverness).
Fort William is a quaint town but it is ragged at the edges. Many shuttered store fronts on their main street right next to a Travellodge under construction. Had lunch in the Royal Hotel which was completely (over the top) decked out in Red White and Blue for the Queen's celebration.
After a good nights sleep and a great breakfast we headed south past Castle Stalker and Dunstaffnage Castle before heading east (past Kilchurn Castle) to the village of Fintry.  
Fintry Estate, near where I live in the Okanagan, was built by a man from this village. This quaint little town has a sense of pride though it is apparent that the state of the economy is having a big effect here. We drove around taking pictures of the area even visited a manor house in the hopes that there might be some connection to Captain Dun-Waters. Only connection I found was in the grave yard of the Church of Scotland. Pretty part of Scotland to visit.  
From Fintry we fought the highway traffic between Glasgow and Edinburgh as we made our way to Dirleton and the Open Arms Hotel.  
Now fighting that traffic is not as easy as it should be. The M9, like most major highways here, is a nightmare. There is a divided highway that turns in to a highway with a passing lane that turns in to a two lane road with no division before turning back in to a four lane divided highway again. Last weekend the road was closed because of a number of fatalities. If you are not paying attention it would not be difficult to think you are on a divided highway when you aren't. So, driving this road at the end of the day during rush hour with memories of the fatalities still fresh in your brain, is a little unnerving. No wonder we were so pleased to arrive at the Open Arms. An old farm that was converted to a hotel after the last war, this quaint hotel is full of grey hair and walkers which made us feel right at home. Actually, we probably were the youngest residents but that made it all the nicer. Very British, very old school... we even dressed up a bit for (a very delicious) dinner. It's good to take off the hiking boots once in a while.
So now we leave Scotland. With our last stop at Tantallon Castle (we missed it on our way through last time and are so glad we went back) we took the coastal route to England. I will leave you here as I think back fondly to the sunny skies, friendly people and incredible scenery of Scotland. Just wish the heather was blooming, it would have been perfect. But those rhododendrons!!!!