Scottish Historical Sites - Day 17

 Another day and more planning.....  we have a few places that Kelly has in mind to visit and after some consulting with the "locals" we had things organized. Thomas, one of the workers at the shop, gave us a back road route that would provide for some better sights along the way, particularly the Culloden Viaduct.

Off to our first stop at Cawder Castle. The road became a single track and we quickly figured out the right of way with the system of passing places. Pretty straight forward. 

 We had a nice walk around the Gardens and into the forest area. Lots in info on the Wikki page here.

Cawder Castle

 

Sequoia!

 

 At the courtyard eatery, Kelly noticed scones and had to have one with her tea. 

Tea time!

We then traveled the "back way" to Clara Cairns and made a stop along the way for a visit with some other locals.

Kelly's friend.

We drove under the Culloden Viaduct on our way to Clava Cairns and stopped for a few pictures.

Culloden Viaduct (train bridge)

We then went to Clava Cairns, the ancient burial site. Kelly said this area was an inspiration for the book & TV series "The Outlander" that she enjoys. 

One of the Clava Cairns

Kelly's special rock... although not really "the" rock.

Clava Cairns wikki page here.

We then headed over to the Culloden Battlefield and Visitors Center and explored the area of a huge battle between the Jacobites and the Government troops of the Duke of Cumberland. The battle was short but over 1600 men died within an hour. Of that number, 1500 Jacobites had perished. We had a walk about the fields and explored the lines that the British and Jacobite fighters had held before fighting began. All very interesting.

 

Cabin used as a field hospital by the British.

Grave Marker for that clan.

We still had a bit of time so we drove off to Fort George which is a military garrison that was built to control the highlands and protect the waterway into Inverness. Unfortunately due the late hour, they would be closing soon so it did not give us any time to explore further. We may come back tomorrow, time permitting. 

Further details can be found on the Fort George Wikki here  

We enjoyed the scenery as we drove and some of the single lane roads certainly were a test in planning & patience. One spot that did not offer a view of oncoming traffic was memorable in that a caravan and huge lorry suddenly appeared. I stopped and backed up until I reached a passing point to allow then by... only happened once thankfully!

 

We headed back to the Manse and on arrival, enjoyed a beverage in the courtyard with Vicki & Roger. It was perfect weather, calm winds with the sun beating down on us... we had a lovely conversation on the building & how it transitioned over the decades to what it is now. Funny.... the building they are living in was built in 1842 and this is the original slate roof!! It's older than our country of Canada!! 

 

A great dinner followed and some more inside details on the finer points of the antique business were shared. He showed us some of his personal favorites that he has saved. Roger then brought out a nice bottle of scotch for us to all enjoy. It was very nice!

 

 We all headed for bed after watching Euan prepare his banana bread cake for a work friend. We all had a sample and it was delicious. 

 

Steps -10,500

 

Weather 18ºc with light winds and scattered cloud. We have been so lucky!!! 

Portessie Bound - Day 16

 Another nice sleep in for us.... this country lifestyle is growing on us!  We had some coffee and did some planning for the day. 

We had a morning rollie and then after showers, went over to the cottage to see Doris. She was very happy to see us and we got reacquainted quickly. Roger had a nice tea all set up and we enjoyed great conversations of family and goings on. She was keen to learn of our family activities and plans for the future. We looked over some old photos that Doris had brought out that included Thelma. A lovely touch. 

Roger gave us a tour of the cottage (all 5 bedrooms!) and of course, beautifully appointed with antiques. 

Kelly, Doris, Roger & Vicki. 

Thelma on the left with her dad Peter, Doris's brother Alex and kids Valeria and Billie 

 

We always loved this clock when we came in 1994.. she still has it!

Parisian Clock

 

 

I had a quick walk around the property and took a few pictures before we left for Portessie.

The cottage is nestled onto an est. 3/4 acre parcel of land in the village.

Lovely spot for Doris.

Nice big rooms with lots of windows.

 Next up was a trip down the A96 & A98 and away to Portessie, the town where Kelly's mom Thelma lived in her early years. The house she lived in was updated but still there. 

No 9 Rannas Place 

The stairs she played on in her youth. 

View from stairs

We wandered the area looking for the old train station location from the late 50's & early 60's. It was from this spot that Thelma and her mother Dorothy & father Peter had picked up and left family for new adventures in Canada. It was bitter sweet as the family members waved goodbye to each other as the train pulled out... not to be heard from for months, unsure of their plight. Eventually mail would arrive with news of a safe passage. I did a quick google search for images and found this one.

This is a picture of the station well after it closed. You can see the brick platform in the forefront.

 With this in mind, Roger suggested this spot would be ideal for any kind of special remembrance.  We hiked up the hill and with some assistance from a local lady, found the pathway that was once the train tracks. We followed the path until we came across the brick wall that was the edge of the station platform.  Comparing photos, we determined that we had indeed found the correct location of the old train station & platform. 

The old platform.

It was nice to be in that very spot that Thelma had waved goodbye back in 1957... she said hello again...  she was home. 

We wandered back down the stairway and had one last pic outside the old residence.

 Next up was a winding drive eastward through Findochty and into Portknockie where we went to see the Bow Fiddle Rock, aptly named due to it's shape. It was quite spectacular. 

Bow Fiddle Rock 

Kelly said it was time for a dram so off we went to find a distillery. A quick google search and we found the Dallas Dhu Distillery just south of Forres. This worked out well as it took us back towards Auldearn.... unfortunately the place was locked up tight with no obvious entrance. Not to be deterred, we found the Benromach Distilery close by and headed over to it. They were about to close but Kelly managed to order a dram for herself (I was driving so abstained).

  

It was still open!!

Kelly toasted her mother's memory. Job done!

 

A quick stop at Tesco for some supplies and we headed back to the Manse. It was family mayhem as Vicki was off to choir practice, Euan's Salsa dance was cancelled so we had a good chat with him on his travel plans with Amy to Australia. Roger came home and kindly went to the local chipper and picked up fish dinners for us all. Very good but huge portions!

We then looked over some old photos of family along with a picture book of the reconstruction of the mill building. Lots of work went into that project!!

Steps - 6100

Weather 17ºc with a spit of rain & mixed clouds. Warm when the sun came out! 

Auldearn Antiques - Day 15

 Up after a good nights sleep... aided by the fact that it is so quiet here! Feeling better and hope to have more energy today. Figured out the coffee machine and enjoyed a cup. 

Part of the antique business over here is to know your prices and also, as Roger points out, have a buyer already lined up for items that you purchase.  I had the chance to watch him bidding during an online auction. It's not as much fun as being in the room but you can get some good deals. He also has to buy enough to fill the company van in order to justify the drive to go pick up the items. Lots of interesting tidbits on the antique business. 

We went into Nairn and visited the beach area. It's quite cool with the overcast skies and the wind but there were some hearty souls out swimming.  Not a chance for us! 

 

Beach visit in Nairn... looking East

 Up to High Street to walk the shops and pick up some items for dinner. Kelly managed to find a bakery and they had buttries (morning rollies) so we bought most of them :-)

A stop at Clark & Sons Butcher Shop for some steaks and we then headed back to the Antique Shop. It was a quick ride back to the residence where we managed to get a couple geocaches close by the house. We dropped a couple travel bugs that we had from Australia and New Zealand.

Main display hall.

 

 Vicki prepared Auntie Doris’s dinner and Roger took it over to her house a short drive away. They do one meal a day for her and do a catch up.  As both of us have a cough, we thought it best to wait a day or so before going over to visit with her. 

 We had a great dinner and Roger gave us a recap of the history of their move up to this area and how the rest of the Milton family followed. They first came and looked at a run down old mill property that Doris had sent them to see. It needed lots of work but Roger and Vicki where keen on it. They bought it and spent the next 18 months living in a caravan on the property while they went about rebuilding it. 

 

Eventually Willie and Doris moved up and had purchased an old church with livestock outbuildings and a manse. They soon turned into the antique shop that became Auldearn Antiques.   

 

As Willie and Doris wanted to reduce their workload within the shop, they bought a cottage in the village and sold the antique business to Roger and Vicki. They in turn, made the mill into a rental accommodation and it's been very popular. It is called Drumduan Mill and it's details are here

 

Although Willie has long past, Doris still lives in the cottage... which we hope to visit tomorrow at some point. 

 

Euan finally came home after rugby practice and I got to meet him. We enjoy a bit of scotch and told a few stories around the table.  Such great hosts. 

Steps -  8600

Weather - 17ºC with light winds & broken cloud 

Glasgow Done - Day 14

 Coffee after a nice sleep in although I did not sleep well…. Showers and packed up all our stuff. Ordered an Uber to the airport to get our rental car.  We will return in 6 days to fly out so this made the most sense. 

Car rental straight forward with an upgrade for 10£ a day.  We had to wait a bit for the car to be ready as we were a bit early. Sadly this wait went on and on before we finally got our car. Due to the delay, we were able to negotiate an extra driver (Kelly) at no cost and they gave us a 20% discount. We will take it! We videoed the car for damage and then loaded it all up with quick access to our water bottles and treats. Away at 12:25. 

 

Several accidents along the way slowed our progress and we arrived in Pitlochry just before 3:00.  A stop at the chipper for a drink and food... and a short wander through some shops. Out of Pitlochry at 16:00

 

Next stop was in Aviemore where we grabbed some beverages at the local Aldi store.  

 

We then took the back way through to the Auldearn Antique Shop as this cuts off a fair amount of time.... we learned this in 1994 when we where here then. Plus it’s very eerie looking drive 😂

The A939 route.

We arrived at 6pm... well past our anticipated time but still a good trip. I was not feeling very well, exhausted and lacking any energy. We met Vicki and got settled in. We also met Amy, Euan's partner who lives here as well.  Bags unloaded and then we had a drink with Roger when he arrived home. It's a busy place with lots of activity.

 

 

Shops

House

The following pictures come from the shops and the old Church building which is now the main antique shop. Even the building is an antique as it was built in 1840.

Antique Store

More Antiques

I was still not feeling well so I excused myself and headed up to my bed.  Lights out! 

 

Kelly enjoyed a nice dinner and met Euan when he got home. She eventually retired around 10pm. 

 

Weather = 27ºC in Pitlochry and cooled to 16ºC once over the hill into Aulderan.