HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Getting back to group travel and making new friends
BUMMER OF THE DAY: The ups and downs of the damn weather
WORD OF THE DAY: HAGGIS
DISTANCE TRAVELLED:252km
Today Sharon and I were back to group touring, well me anyway, Shaz continued through Europe on tours and also of Ireland and the UK so this was nothing new for her but I was a little rusty and hadn’t been in a group tour since the 30th April when my South American journey finished in Quito-Ecuador.
Haggis was our tour company of choice. I had always given brochures out for them and knew about their product but had not had the opportunity to travel on them until now. So who is Haggis? Back in 1993 a dynamic team of Scots established a backpacker travel company that broke the mould - fully guided trips that allowed intrepid young adventurers to discover Scotland with the best, most knowledgeable and sexiest Guides leading the way. They believe that a country's culture, history, myths and legends can only truly come to life through a local and that you can have an incredible time travelling on a budget. Therefore choice is at the heart of what they do. They also have a book and go guarantee and mean just that. We have never cancelled a single trip. You have made the effort to come and explore our country so the least we can do is show you around! Haggis has built its reputation through word of mouth recommendation and having started with just one trip they now run a whole range of award-winning adventures throughout Scotland and also Cornwall and Wales.
We had to be at the Haggis office by 8.30pm which was only a 5 minute walk away. We were all ready to go at 7.45am so just decided to hit the street and wait up by the office with the idea that we would grab something to eat for breakfast on the fly. Haggis not only runs multi day tours but also day tours out of Edinburgh and the line-up at the office when we got there was out the door. So we set up our bags around the corner of the office, I sat with them while Shaz did a dash to the corner store and bought 2 lots of sandwiches, a chocolate bar each and a chocolate milk to wash it all down with. It was interesting to see people go into the office and 15 minutes later come out with their bus numbers and if they were on longer than a day trip they also had a Haggis Lonely Planet book in their hands as well. It was then a game to try and work out who were going to be on our tour and who we were hoping were not-a little mean I know as you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but it helped us kill some time. As the day trippers filled the big coaches and departed the yellow 28 seater Haggis branded coaches arrived. We were first off the rank as bus 7 (it is hard to call it a bus after calling Rosita a truck) but she looked like a mini Rosita in the wonderfully obvious canary colour yellow with AWESOME written on one side of the bus and WILD AND SEXY written on the other, this was going to be our home for the next 10 days and I liked the feel already. Sharon and I were one of the first on so next came the dilemma of where to sit. We had no idea if the bus was full or not, but we took a punt and grabbed the back seat in the hope that we could have the whole 5 seats to ourselves. So Shaz grabbed one window and I grabbed the other and we sat and played the waiting game. As it turned out Shaz had someone from her last tour also on this one Zena, so she sat in the middle seat and we ended up having the 3 of us in the back with 22 people on the trip there were a few spare seats floating around.
After everyone was loaded we left Edinburgh at 8.50am for our first destination only 40 minutes away. This is what I am going to find different from other coach tours, is that the driving distances are not going to be hours and hours; Scotland is only so big, so there won’t be a lot of sleep time or IPod time as it sounds like we will be doing a lot of stops during the day. I am fine with this but it is just a little different to what I have been used to for the last 12 months. Haggis weren’t kidding when they say they give you a local guide! Our guide for the next 5 days was a crazy Scot called Andy and for a first impression he had on his family clans kilt and seemed like he was going to be a barrel of laughs. He did make a comment that he loves to eat, so any food gifts at stops would be more than appreciated….. What a character. The other thing we found out was that there were some 5 day people on tour and then us the 10 day’ers and after 5 days Andy would bring the 5 day people back to Edinburgh and we would pick up a new bus and a new driver for the remaining 5 days. I can see the pros and cons of having 2 different drivers but I have to say I was not a fan as you will just get to know him and him with us and then we have to start again with a new driver. Oh well I am sure they have their reasons behind it but it sounded a little wimpy when you have people like Gray, Mark or even Zeme that drive 6000km in 3 weeks with no ‘driver’ swap but then I guess country laws come into place and company policy……
Our first stop was The Forth Bridge which is a cantilever railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. It was opened on 4 March 1890, and spans a total length of 2,528.7m. It is often called the Forth Rail Bridge or Forth Railway Bridge to distinguish it from the Forth Road Bridge, although it has been called the "Forth Bridge" since its construction, and was for over seventy years the sole claimant to this name. The bridge connects Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh, with Fife and acts as a major artery connecting the north-east and south-east of the country. Described by the Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland as "the one immediately and internationally recognized Scottish landmark", it is a Category A listed building and was nominated by the British government in May 2011 for addition to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Scotland. Until 1917, when the Quebec Bridge was completed, the Forth Bridge had the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world. It still has the world's second-longest single span. It took 5000 men to build the bridge and there were quite a lot of deaths during the construction so there was a memorial to all the men who lost their life on the boardwalk and there would have been over 30 names on it. A tough gig back in the 1890’s. We got 30 minutes here to get coffees, take photos and use the rest rooms before we were back on the road again for our next stop.
An hour on we arrived at the cute little village of Dunkeld. The main focal point was the Dunkeld Cathedral and also from the local bakery a Scottish delight called Macaroni Pie. We were given 45 minutes to have a look at the Cathedral, shops and bakery. The Dunkeld Cathedral stands on the north bank of the River Tay and was built in square-stone style of predominantly grey sandstone; the cathedral proper was begun in 1260 and completed in 1501. It stands on the site of the former Culdee Monastery of Dunkeld, stones from which can be seen as an irregular reddish streak in the eastern gable. Because of the long construction period, the cathedral shows mixed architecture. Gothic and Norman elements are intermingled throughout the structure. Although partly in ruins, the cathedral is in regular use today and is open to the public. The small Chapter House Museum offers a collection of relics from monastic and medieval times, and local history exhibits. In the 11th century, the Celtic Abbacy of Dunkeld became an appanage of the Crown and subsequently descended to the Earls of Fife. Dunkeld Cathedral is today a Crown property, through Historic Scotland. In 1689 the Battle of Dunkeld was fought around the cathedral between the Jacobite Highlanders loyal to James II and VII and a government force supporting William of Orange, with the latter winning the day. Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, known as "the Wolf of Badenoch", was buried in the cathedral following his death in 1405, where his tomb, surmounted by his armored effigy, can still be seen. It was a beautiful church even though the back half of the cathedral is in ruins. The grounds were immaculately kept and with the river only 200m away we were able to get some great photos. The sun had decided to join us for this section and we could have asked for a better setting. There is one point of interest though and I have had many people ask me since my trip: what does a Scots wear under his kilt and I can confirm from the man that was sitting on the bench in front of the cathedral that the answer is nada, nothing, zippo. This Scot had his legs spread apart and his little man just hanging in the breeze and as much as I am ashamed to admit it I took a photo as it was just too funny and let me just say that my 24 times zoom did not leave much to the imagination. I know sick, but it was hilarious and I had a feeling that he sort of knew what he was doing, looking back at the picture he seems to have a smirk on his face. We had time to get a Macaroni pie and as the name suggests, it is literally macaroni in pastry. It was delicious but I was expecting meat to be involved in there somewhere-funny what preconceived ideas you have and what the actual product is differ sometimes. Candice took heed to Andy’s word and bought him a macaroni pie upon our return to the bus, and breaking the ice I instantly called her TP (teacher’s pet) and this was the first friendship to kick off on the bus and little did I know that the name would stick for the both of us for the rest of the 10 days. Some people just give you a good vibe when you meet them and Mon and Candice were two and Jemma from Melbourne and I also just clicked and we were finishing each other sentences and thinking the same thing as the day progressed which is always nice and weird at the same time and I know now, even on day one that she will be a friend I will keep in touch with long after the tour is done and dusted. Jem and I are of ‘similar’ age, which may also have something to do with it but I am pretty sure I will go to bed with a smile on my dial tonight as the tour was looking better each stop as we got to know more people during the day. This is also the upside of getting on and off the bus, you mix with people a lot more than having a 6 hour day of just travelling, I like it even if I didn’t get any IPod time today.
Only a 5 minute drive down the road got us to a place called The Hermitage and also known as Macbeth territory. The Hermitage (officially The Hermitage pleasure ground) is a National Trust for Scotland-protected site just out of Dunkeld. It sits on the banks of the River Braan in Craigvinean Forest. It is home to Ossian's Hall of Mirrors and Ossian's Cave, Georgian follies built by the Dukes of Atholl, who had their former main residence in nearby Dunkeld House (demolished early 19th century), in the 18th century to honour the blind bard Ossian. The Hermit's Cave was built around 1760 for the third Earl of Breadalbane, who unsuccessfully advertised for a permanent eremite. The guide in 1869, Donald Anderson, dressed up with a long beard of lichens and clothes of animal skins. Also in its grounds are several Douglas-fir trees — one of which was the first tree in Britain to reach 200 feet in height. We followed the riverside path which is also the most popular the 1 km journey to Ossian's Hall. There is also a link to a thirty-mile network of footpaths beyond The Hermitage to various parts of Dunkeld. These paths date back to the 18th century. Originally, the popular riverside path purposely deviated away from the river at about a half-mile from the car park. This was to build up the visitors' anticipation for the waterfall (the Black Linn Falls) that is to be found a short distance ahead. A stone bridge, dating from 1770, is located nearby. Standing next to it, and appearing to be growing out of it, is a Cedar of Lebanon, which is believed to be the oldest tree at The Hermitage. It was truly beautiful here, green moss, green trees with a little mud under foot to keep you on your toes. Andy took us to a few spots along the way as we circled back to the bus after an hour. With our last look at the river we saw some salmon jumping and tried to get some photos of them in mid-air with no joy, the closest I got was a splash shot which really could have been anything.
Lunch was only a 30 minute drive away (see what I mean about the short drive distances) at a small town called Pitlochy. Pitlochry is a burgh in the council area of Perth and Kinross lying on the River Tummel. Its population according to the 2001 census was 2,564. It is largely a Victorian town, whose success as a tourist resort was due to Queen Victoria visiting the area in 1842, and the arrival of the railway in 1863. It remains a popular tourist resort today and is particularly known as a centre for hillwalking, surrounded by mountains such as Ben Vrackie and Schiehallion. The town has retained many stone-built Victorian buildings and the main street has an unusual period cast iron canopy over one side. I wasn't too hungry after my macaroni pie but managed to fit in a chicken and leek pastry which I have to say was fantastically delicious and I think I am starting to get the idea that I will be eating out of bakeries for the next 10 days to which I have absolutely no issue with what so ever. It was here we saw another 2 Haggis buses on day tours from Edinburgh and they had different words on the side of their including Gorgeous and also Wild and Sexy. They are great looking busses that is for sure. As for the comfort, the jury is still out as Shaz and I have a spare seat next to us, but for the guys sitting next to each other, it looks a little tight.
After our 45 minutes here for lunch we were back on the road for only 10 more minutes before getting to Killiecrankie which is a village on the River Garry. In 1689, during the Jacobite Rebellion, the Battle of Killiecrankie was fought on the northern edge of the village. The Highland charge of the Jacobites took the government forces under General Hugh MacKay by surprise and they were completely overwhelmed in only 10 minutes. Donald MacBean, one of William III of England's supporters, having lost the contest, is said to have cleared the pass, from one bank to the other, at "The Soldier's Leap". The battle, disastrous as it was to the government forces, was in reality the end of the insurrection, for the controlling and commanding genius of the rebellion John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee was killed in the battle. An eponymous folk song commemorates the battle. It was a beautiful nature walk for the 10 minutes to get to the bluff and to see where Donald MacBean is said to have made the leap. It looks a little too far for me to actually believe the story, but who am I to judge what has been recorded in history and the walk itself with the sun still playing its part I can see why so many people have said just how beautiful Scotland is.
We finally got some road time as we left the trees, forests and national parks and headed into the Highlands of Scotland. We were now travelling on the highest road in the UK at 462m above sea level and we passed also at this time the highest whiskey distillery in Europe-Dalwhinney. In the Highlands there are very few trees and there is a lot of heather on the ground to which we are very lucky to see flower. This only happens once a year for 3 weeks and the colour of the purple against the green and brown of the Highlands really makes it something special to see. It is also an important food source for various sheep and deer which can graze the tips of the plants when snow covers low-growing vegetation. Formerly heather was used to dye wool yellow and to tan leather. With malt, heather is an ingredient in gruit, a mixture of flavourings used in the brewing of heather-beer during the Middle Ages before the use of hops. The use of heather in the brewing of modern heather beer is carefully regulated. By law, the heather must be cleaned carefully before brewing, as the undersides of the leaves may contain a dusting of an ergot-like fungus, which is a hallucinogenic intoxicant. White heather is regarded in Scotland as being lucky, a tradition brought from Balmoral to England by Queen Victoria sprigs of it are often sold as a charm and worked into bridal bouquets.
We arrived into our last stop of the day at 4.15pm. The Battle Field of Culloden which was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart fought loyalist troops commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The loyalist victory at Culloden decisively halted the Jacobite intent to overthrow the House of Hanover and restore the House of Stuart to the British throne; Charles Stuart never mounted any further attempts to challenge Hanoverian power in Britain. The conflict was the last pitched battle fought on British soil. Charles Stuart's Jacobite army consisted largely of Scottish Highlanders, as well as a number of Lowland Scots and a small detachment of Englishmen from the Manchester Regiment. The Jacobites were supported and supplied by the Kingdom of France and French and Irish units loyal to France were part of the Jacobite army. The government force was mostly English, along with a significant number of Scottish Lowlanders and Highlanders, a battalion of Ulster men from Ireland, and a small number of Hessians from Germany and Austrians. The battle on Culloden Moor was both quick and bloody, taking place within an hour. Following an unsuccessful Highland charge against the government lines, the Jacobites were routed and driven from the field. Between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded in the brief battle, while government losses were lighter with 50 dead and 259 wounded. The aftermath of the battle and subsequent crackdown on Jacobitism was brutal, earning Cumberland the sobriquet "Butcher". Efforts were subsequently taken to further integrate the comparatively wild Highlands into the Kingdom of Great Britain; civil penalties were introduced to weaken Gaelic culture and attack the Scottish clan system. The moor is flagged on where the Government lines and Jacobites were and there are now mass graves of each of the clans that lost family members during this short bloody fight. To think hundreds of years ago there were over 4000 people all fighting each other on this very place we now stand is a little eerie if nothing else. With the long grass blowing in in the wind and not another sound around it was a place to pay some respects to long lost men battling a war that they believed in.
Our stop for the night was another 60 minutes away at Inverness for the night. Inverness "Mouth of the River Ness" is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom and lies within the Great Glen (Gleann Mòr) at its north-eastern extremity where the River Ness enters the Moray Firth. At the latest, a settlement was established by the 6th century with the first royal charter being granted by King David I in the 12th century. Inverness is one of Europe's fastest growing cities and is ranked fifth out of 189 British cities for its quality of life, the highest of any Scottish city. Andy calls Inverness Munters-ville and I hate to say as we drove through the town there were a lot of ‘odd’ people walking the streets. Would we have noticed as much if Andy hadn’t of pointed it out? Probably not but man it was funny every time I looked out the window and people gazed as we drive past. The way Haggis work the accommodation on their tours is that you have paid a price for a seat on the bus with your driver guide and they make your hostel bookings for you and when you arrive you pay the hostel directly for the nights that you are there. Taking that into account I think their tour is a little over priced when you have no accommodation or meals included in the price you pay, but to see what we will see in the space of time that we will do it, makes it worth the payment in the end I guess. The other downside of the pay as you go for the accommodation is that you have to wait 20-30 minutes as 22 people all have to get checked in and paid up. There has to be a better system than to make us all wait to pay before we can get into our room. The cost for the Inverness Youth Hostel was 18GBP and Shaz and I were in a 6 share dorm and this is where we are good to travel together as I like the bottom bunk and Shaz is happy to take the top bunk for me. I am just too old to be climbing up these things now and I am just not sure on the weight restriction testing on the bunks with me all the way up there and then the horror of me falling through. This brings back a bad memory of me doing just that on my Contiki tour Scandinavia in 2007 when I fell through the slats of the bed onto an un-suspecting Anne in Trondheim-it was funny at the time as we had all had a few drinks, but poor Anne had a bruise the next day from the whole ordeal and this has scarred me from getting onto the top bunks if it can be avoided.
The hostel had Wi-Fi for 3GBP for an hour or you could use their computers for 1GBP for 20 minutes. I just did the 20 minute option as I just wanted to check my FB account for messages from Zeme and I didn’t have any blogs to upload which I feel bad about that I am currently only up to Birmingham, 6 days behind, and the way this tour is paced I am either going to be too tired each day or just too busy to try and catch up while I am in Scotland. Then when I get to Ethiopia I know that I won’t get any blogging done there (the 2 times I have been more than 2 weeks behind have both been in Ethiopia) so I think by the time I get to Phuket I am going to be around 3 weeks behind which is a record for me, but it just can’t be helped and I am taking more notes to make sure I don’t forget anything and will, WILL catch up in Thailand. I HAVE to.
There was a group meeting at 7pm to walk into town for Thai for dinner and a few drinks, but myself and a few of the others decided to stay in and we ordered Domino Pizza’s to be delivered to the hostel. Shaz and Jemma walked to the shops and bought some vodka, mixes and some snacks and we had a small welcome party in the common room of the hostel and got to meet a few more of the group. So now I know Callum, Jemma, Candice and Zena and I have to say the group is starting to look really good and I have a great feeling about the gel and mix which is really refreshing after a few of my tours lacking that small component and it is amazing how this can affect the overall experience of a trip.
So welcome back to group touring, welcome back to making new friends and welcome to Bonnie Scotland.
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