A Weekend in Aviemore - Sunday

The Strathspey Railway leaving Aviemore

This morning we had to check out of The Park after a delicious breakfast of scrambled egg and smoked salmon on a bagel. The owners were so nice and we felt very safe with all their Covid precautions.  This is a hotel I would gladly go back to!

After breakfast, we walked along the Main Street a bit after parking at Tesco for a few essentials.  Then we saw the telltale smoke coming from the train station!  Let me tell you we ran to the station, even me with my stiff knee. I was NOT going to miss the train this time.  There it was rearranging itself to get back in front of the carriages so it could then lead the train out again.

Due to my experience of wandering the street aimlessly the day before, I knew where the best vantage point to watch the Strathspey Railway as it left Aviemore was. But I chose the wrong boulder to stand on!  Alan went bit further along the fence to get a nice view, but I was not tall enough for that. So I went back to "my" boulder.  It would have been a great frame for a photo but I could not see the station or the engine revving up.  A man stood behind me about 6 feet on a different boulder.  I asked if he could see it all and he said yes....and then he offered to trade places with me. The kindness of strangers happens in the most unexpected places!

After watching this train leave Aviemore and wishing we were on it, Alan told me his friend who was also here suggested we meet at Blair Atholl for lunch!  But wait, Alan had texted back and said, no we just had breakfast.  An hour ago!!!! And it would take over another hour to get to Blair Atholl, plus we had not had a real meal since Friday.    So I was able to text the friend myself and say yes, we will meet you anywhere for lunch!!!

Of course, I also love Blair Atholl, we camped there with our grandson last year.  It is a beautiful little village with such an interesting mill.  When we arrived there, I went straight to the mill to buy some fresh flour. Always fun to buy so direct.  I got a bag of regular plain flour and also self rising.  They did not have any spelt, like they had the last time I was there.  They also have marquees all over to be able to feed people lunch, but our friends were at the Atholl Arms so we went there instead.

It was nice to sit at a table, even if outdoors, and with other people! To have conversations and enjoy something other than a meal deal or cold chicken.  And in such an interesting place.  The Covid rules are very strict and enforced to the T in this hotel, great by me.  But to enter the building to use the bathroom was a bit daunting.  They asked if I had done track and trace and make sure I keep my mask on.  It is a one way route to the bathroom and then out the back door.  But walking through the entire building was such a treat. The inside looks like it has not been redecorated in, well ever! But not neglected, just historic and beautiful. Then, going out the backdoor you go along what would have been the stables.  This is my kind of thrill. I don't know if I will ever stop being a tourist in this amazing country.

A Weekend in Aviemore - Saturday

What a wonderful invention is the mobile phone! Mine rang at just after 8:30am and I did not hear it.....but the voicemail left told me we had a space on the Hill Trip at the Reindeer Centre this morning!  So we ate breakfast after Alan arrived back from the hide.  This was my amazing pancake  breakfast. Then we headed off to the Reindeer Centre for the 11am trip.

I paid for the tickets over the phone and also got our concession prices since we are both over 60. When I went to the shop to pick up our tickets, they did have a look at my walking boots to make sure I had the proper footwear and I vouched for Alan that he did too.  They used to hire out wellies and also offer people lifts to the starting point, but all this has stopped due to Covid rules.  And instead of there being about 2 - 3 visitors per reindeer, the numbers are limited to about 1 person per reindeer. So you really do get up close and personal to them.

After meeting at the car park, we had a 20 minute walk in the beautiful mountains, some steep climbs and some very rocky terrain.  Since I am still having trouble with my knee, I am not sure I could have made it up some of the steps if Alan had not been there to pull me.  It was not a difficult climb, just some big rocks to get over!

Here come the reindeer!

Once we got there, we had 2 guides who explained what would happen and what to watch out for. These animals are very domesticated but there are some things that are just common sense when you are dealing with large animals with antlers that can kick forward if they want to. There are also the midges and flies.  I did not find them a problem, except when standing right next to a big reindeer, with huge antlers about 6 inches from my face....if he twitched to get the flies off, I was a bit at risk of being banged in the face with his antler!

Sadly we were not allowed to hand feed them as in normal times. but not sure I missed that, since it was just so much fun to watch them without the distraction of feeding them or getting slobbery hands!  Or maybe I am confusing them with my Boxer's slobbery way of eating out of my hand!  I will never know.

This was an amazing experience and I highly recommend if you are in this area - go meet the reindeer!

That is my shadow, the antlers are
 about 6 inches from my face!

By the time we finished at the Reindeer Centre it was time to get back to Aviemore and find lunch.  This was another meal deal from Tesco and a quick download of photos for Alan before he needed to get back to the Osprey hides.  I suggested he take the car this time so I could go get a Strawberry Daiquiri!  We saw these amazing daiquiris while walking around Aviemore on Thursday and I decided I needed one of them. This was ok with Alan and he left for the hide.

But then I realised I had left my fleece and my raincoat in the car!  This was not good.  In Scotland, there is a saying not to "cast your clut until May is oot".   Meaning don't take off your coat until May is out.  But this is August....and I still needed them since it could get chilly or even rain.  Not to have my outer clothing would defeat the purpose of letting Alan take the car.  So I had to run out of our room and hope to catch him before he left with them.

Running down steps with my stiff knee when I usually still go downstairs like a child was a very bad idea and I fell down them!  Very strange feeling as I was sliding down these rather steep steps.  Looking back, I think it was great that they were so steep, because I literally slid down them.  Alan heard the crash and came back as I was sliding.  We both knew he was in a hurry and also that I was not injured, the main evidence of that was I just could not stop laughing.  I got my fleece and raincoat and Alan went on his way.  Yes, I was a bit sore, knee was twisted a bit and my ribs were sore if I tried to turn too fast.

But this did not interfere with my plans first stop was directly across the street at St Andrew's church.  They had been advertising an art show and this was the only time I was near the church during the time they were open.  It was a lovely display of artwork done by the members, some of whom were sitting together at the altar side of the church.  I started talking to the and it was nice to speak to local people in such a tourist town. We exchanged impressions of what it is like to live in a tourist town.  Although where I live is considered one, it does not feel like that to me.  I lived in a popular town in Florida and watched it go from a sleepy beautiful place to an overbuilt, over developed and over crowded destination.  I had to move away it was just too much for me.  Although these women could understand my feelings, they also have the gorgeous and spacious countryside to escape to if necessary.  This art show is held annually starting on the first Wednesday of August and going through the weekend.  In normal years there would be cakes, teas and coffees and it would have been held in the church hall. The church hall is now a food bank and that is why the show is in the body of the Kirk this year.

The main reason I let Alan take the car this evening was my plan to  go to Mambo's. and getting that daiquiri!  It just looked too good when we walked by on Friday for me not to get one.  I chose to sit inside since the picnic tables outside seat 6 people and it seemed a bit selfish to use one only for me. There were no people inside when I sat at first.  Another family came in and sat relatively close to me and when the coldness of the daiquiri made me start to cough, I felt compelled to explain to them it was the cold causing this, nothing more sinister!  This Daiquiri was as good as it looked, glad I did this.

As I was walking along, I decided not to go as far as the train station due to my knee being a bit sore. Then I noticed people watching the rail line along the fence and saw that, had I walked to the station when I had decided not to, I would have seen the Strathspey Railway coming in!

Alan was a bit later coming back tonight. What I didn't realise was he had come back a bit earlier the night before due to them stopping early as a result of very heavy rain.

We walked to a pizza place intending to get it to go and eat in our room since it closed at 9. But the seating outside was still out and they said it was ok to go ahead and eat there.  It seemed a good idea not to take it back and smell up the room, but the midges ate us alive!

A Weekend in Aviemore - Friday

Alan's alarm went off at 4:05am!  He needed to be in the hide at 5am.  Since he would be back for breakfast just after 9, he took the car.  I thought I would get up early and go for a walk, but I got lazy and just did my blog and edited photos while I waited for him to come back.  It was nice to catch up like that.

We are staying at The Park Guesthouse.  I expected it to be more like a bigger B&B, but it was more like a small hotel and I loved it! There was great parking, with all the Covid Rules in place. The link lists all the rules, like the one way system and the fact there would be no cleaning or refreshing of rooms. If we needed towels or more coffee for the room, just let them know and this would be left at our door.  Actually when I did need towels they were hand delivered to me.

Their breakfasts were fab too.  I imagine they had buffet before but now it is all table service, assigned times and tables to make sure of the social distancing and pre-order the night before. We were there 3 nights and there were 3 choices of main breakfast. So I tried them all! The first morning, I got the full Scottish breakfast, complete with Haggis. The second morning, I got the American style pancake, yes only one.  Served with a banana.  OMG, it was SO GOOD!  They made me another one and I just pigged out. These were big and delicious pancakes.  The third morning, as much as I really wanted a repeat of the previous breakfast, I ordered scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and a bagel. Glad I did because it was delicious too.  Breakfast!  My favourite meal!

After this, we went for a drive, not exactly knowing what to do.  I had thought about going to the Highland Wildlife Park or visit the local distillery, the reindeer centre, and many other choices.  The time was more limited for these than I expected since Alan had to be back to the hide by 2!  So we tried the reindeer centre.  No luck!  Again, those Covid rules, have to book ahead and limited space.  Nothing for the whole weekend.  But they kindly put us on a waiting list for Sunday.  I did not hold out much hope but it was nice of them to offer.

Looking out from the Reindeer Centre -
they are in those mountains somewhere!

Even driving around this area is stunning.  We drove along Loch Morlich and were impressed with the beach and all the boats. Since Taymouth I seem to have developed an obsession with getting a kayak. Unfortunately, I am too late in the season now. There don't seem to be any around here, at a decent price anyway.  Oh well, I will have one for next Spring anyway.

RSPB centre, closed!

We also drove to the RSPB bird reserve called Loch Garten, where you can sit in their lookout area to see nesting Ospreys, they are not close though and you need a telescope. However, they are still closed due to Covid and why were we there when Alan can get up close and personal in the hide he is spending most of his time in this weekend?  The road to Boat of Garten was blocked by a vehicle or we might have gotten a coffee there.....not to be this time though. So back to Aviemore to get this man some lunch!

We hear about the congestion on the roads in the Highlands
due to so many people doing Staycations this year.
This is at Loch Morlich.

In case you are thinking of renting a car in Scotland,
this is actually a 2-way road!
Not many are like this, but it is nice to know they can be!

There seemed to be loads of gorgeous,
vintage tractors around too!

Stumbled on this interesting wooden bridge on our drive.

Public trails have stiles like this to help climb over fences.

Lunch consisted of the meal deal at Tesco and eating it in the room so Alan could download his pictures.  Meal deals are our main midday meal when travelling.  Plenty of choice and easy to do, so as not to waste time eating when there are so many more interesting things to do.

at Rothiemurcus

I dropped Alan off at Rothiemurcus and was able to walk in with him and see the hides for myself. There are 5 of them, all at water level and about 20 feet from the centre of the pond, where Ospreys dive for their dinner.  I was so lucky and one actually did this while I was there!  I doubt I will ever be that close to an Osprey again and felt very privileged to see it. Especially when they told me later that there was no other dive for 4 hours.  How they can sit there that long is beyond me!

Arriving back at Aviemore, I took a lovely walk along the Main Street but was not interested in doing much else, since I had also been awake since before 5am!  However, I saw a Costa Coffee and thought yes, that will be my Saturday night treat!  Where I live, Costas are still take away service only and the thought of actually sitting inside and even reading my book was too much to ignore.  Again, all Covid rules applied, including reporting in with the QR number at the table.  But oh boy, a skinny latte and salted caramel brownie....it was wonderful.

Lucky for me, Alan was dropped off by a man from Aberdeen so I did not have to figure out how to get in that car park after it was closed.  (there is a way!)

They stop at the hide around 8pm and this is really too late for Alan to have a meal, so we went into Tesco and got cooked chicken and a salad.  It was enough, but the cold chicken was so cold, it was actually frozen and poor, tired Alan had to get in the car and exchange it for a more edible package!

A weekend in Aviemore - Thursday

Funny how much we used to travel and, so far this year, this is only our second trip and the last planned one of 2020!

Alan had the opportunity to photograph Ospreys with a friend of his and I just came along for the weekend, not expecting to spend much time with him.  I must give him credit though, he took time out of his day to do something with me.  Looking back, I thought those times were when the hides were closed, but he could have spent the whole time there - not trying to entertain me.  Give credit where credit is due, it was very nice of him to do that.

Alan's last chance for an action shot of Little J

On the day before we headed out for Aviemore, we left Taymouth Marina after spending a super time with our family there.  Our son, GF and puppy came back with us, since it was on the way back to London where they live.  So we squeezed in another night and morning with them before saying goodbye - for who knows how long these days?

As soon as they left for London, we left for Aviemore!

It is always a scenic drive through Scotland, going past Stirling Castle and heading into the Highlands and then the Cairngorm Mountains.  We arrived at Aviemore in time to wander along the main, or only street, before trying to find a place to eat.  This was difficult!  Aviemore is certainly not as crowded as it would be in a normal year, but there are many people here and all restaurants have to take bookings for tables to comply with Covid regulations.

We ended up at the Winking Owl.  I must say, it did not look welcoming. It is off the Main Street and dark looking.  Also not being able to enter the front door may have not helped the first impression.  Sadly, we also had to sit indoors because - by now - we could not be picky, we needed to eat!

Sitting indoors was a nice surprise! The dining room was almost empty with only about 3 tables in the room We were the only diners for most of the time we were there!  And the food was super!  Due to allergies, I was limited to what I could order - mine are odd, nothing to do with the menu choice.  I am allergic to cumin and bell peppers!  So I ordered what I assumed would be run of the mill Haddock goujons.

I could not have been more wrong. These goujons were absolutely delicious!  Turna out, they buy the fish fresh from the fishmonger across the street. Alan got a steak burger that he said was very nice too.

So a successful dinner and the last real meal to be had until Sunday. Did I know that Friday night?  Not really!

Leaving Loch Tay

Making the most of the last day

Although check out was at 10am, we were still able to make what felt like a full day before heading our separate ways.  Our son booked canoes and kayaks for anyone who wished to go.  Alan prefers not to go out so he can take photos, I offered to watch the baby so both her parents could  enjoy the water.  Little J?

I think he would have preferred cuddling in to Alan's jersey, but there was a spot in the Canadian canoe just for him, and his shark life jacket!

If you look closely, you can see Little J there too

There he is in his shark life jacket heading for shore

not the best way to share a kayak

Our son and grandson shared a kayak, which turned out not to be that great of an idea.  Our grandson spent most of the time in the water, mainly acting as an anchor for the kayak, and abandoning his paddle. But all in all, I believe everyone had a super time and it was a good way to say goodbye to Loch Tay.

We all left in our 3 different cars, but only to regroup at Karelia House for lunch.  It is a bit out of town, but a great place to meet and then have to say goodbye. They have great cakes and sandwiches and fantastic soup!  I got Parsnip and Apple soup!  Then a cake I had to cut in half and save for later, this sort of behaviour is unheard of for me, to give an idea how big it was!

The last group photo, taken by my grandson 

Technically, this is the end of the family holiday.  Our son, his girlfriend and Little J had to come back to our house for one more night just because the drive to London would be too far.  Glad of the extra night with the 3 of them.  We even squeezed in another walk the next morning before each heading their own way = them to London, us to Aviemore!

Visiting the Scottish Crannog Centre

Scottish Crannog Centre
next to Taymouth Marina

Everything in the UK had been closed during Lockdown and we did not know if the family holiday we booked last year was going to really happen.  Technically, it didn't since our date was 10 July and our accommodation would not have been permitted to let us stay.  Taymouth Marina was fantastic when I asked them what would happen and we were able to reschedule for August when travel and staying overnight was permitted.

We had the same uncertainty with the Scottish Crannog Centre!  Museums, etc were not permitted to open until 1 August. Our dates were 2 - 5 August,  So that only gave us 2 free days.  Lucky for me, there was a phone number listed on their website and I called them and explained our timeline. They informed me the online booking system would be operational soon, and then they called me to let me know it was!  I feel we were so lucky to have had that kind act.  I booked the second day we were there and was very happy with this since the weather had taken a turn for the worse.  Being inside a Crannog was much better than being in the middle of Loch Tay on a paddle board!

It was only myself, Alan, our son, his girlfriend and our grandson who went.  The baby would have counted as a person in these days of social distancing and it was not worth keeping someone else from being able to be on this tour. So she and her parents spent some time on their own relaxing!

Again, with social distancing and Covid rules, we had to stay within our 3 bubbles - there were 3 families on our tour.  The tour was different than normal, but we would never know since we have never been here before.  The first stop was the museum, with loads of very well preserved artefacts dug up through underwater archeology.  Since the Crannogs are built on stilts over the water, many things will fall over and also through the floorboards and the pressure of how the lake bed works preserves them very well.

Waiting to go in the Crannog

Next was the actual Crannog and learning how they built it and how many people lived in one.  The work that went into building them is phenomenal considering they were doing this in the latter part of the Bronze Age with very limited tools.  The rope had to be made also, and was possibly done with nettle fibre.  The assumption is that one Crannog held an extended family, with up to 20 people. They slept in alcoves above the floor and animals could have lived on the main floor.  There is a central fireplace that was probably always kept lit.  No chimney and no hole in the thatched roof.  When they built this recently and tested it, the smoke was absorbed by the thatch and the air was not too smoky. In some ways this made me think of the Black Houses in the Highlands and Islands, but Crannogs predated them for so long, I was hesitant to ask something like that!

What the sleeping alcoves might have looked like

Look at the beautiful work put into this roof

After being inside, we were escorted to the demonstration areas.  Here, crafts such as spinning, dying wool, making pottery, and working with wood were explained and shown. Thanks to Covid rules, we could not touch anything or try the spinning with a weighted spindle.  (I used to be able to do that and was looking forward to that!). There was also a lovely and dainty shawl made out of nettle fibre.  We were not permitted to touch that either. Maybe one day I will return when Covid is not so prevalent.

Being greeted with food!

There was also a food demonstration and we could taste what the bread might have been like, along with a lovely cup of nettle, mint and honey tea.  The bread was like pita bread without the salt and the tea really was nice.

On the shore line, you could go to take better photos of the Crannog, and the log boats that had sparked my imagination were there too. But, again, we could not try them....Covid!

I loved every minute of this, not sure the rest of my bubble did, but at least they had agreed to go with me.

The kids had booked paddle boards for the afternoon, but they had been cancelled due to short staffing, which was very lucky. The weather was not great at this point. So each family went their own way - our son's - which include the grandson for this whole weekend- went on a long walk, in the horrendous rain.

Alan and I went for a drive hoping to find a stone circle or something but we were not successful.  I think we will get better maps the next time we are in this area.  So we ended up driving along and discovering things like Castle Menzies - another thing to put on the list when we return since there was no time to visit this interesting castle properly. Went to Dewar's distillery and had to get our temperature taken before entering (covid)!  It was a nice and interesting drive.

This must have been when our daughter's family, without her son! - went to Aberfeldy for cake and coffee. There is a government program called Eat Out To Help Out where each diner gets a discount of half price on their meals, up to £10 per person and not including alcoholic drinks.  The restaurant they found in Aberfeldy participated in this and had a table we could book, so dinner was all settled!

After gathering once again, we all headed off to the Fountain!  With new Covid rules, we had to go into the alleyway to enter through the backdoor (exit through the front door). Then one of us had to give our name and phone number for "Track and Trace" and then each of us got our temperature taken...thankfully we all passed!

Dinner was lovely and funny to think that this table held my entire immediate family. These times are so precious to me, especially since I moved away from my mother when I was about the age of our children.  She was amazingly brave since I was her only child, but it makes me treasure the time with my kids even more, knowing what she missed.