Be Verwy Verwy Quiet We're Hunting Deer

Thursday....

Ahhh...the sport of kings!
"Common.." Says Dougie..".I'll Take you out to the Queens Summer residence and I Guarantee you'll see deer.." Wow Miky was very exited (I was a little :-)) )...and of course it was perfect timing, being the coldest windiest wetest day to day. Driving, driving driving through the heather to.....Loch Muik (said Loch MIK)...It's a sign!...we'll see deer for certain!.......IT WAS FREEZING...Looking..." Lets take a walk to the Loch.." says Dougie..(Bissy was smart and settled in out of the wind)...Looking, Looking, Looking...... I'm begining to think that there is no such thing as wild deer!......So after a quick huddle and a snap shot, we're off to lunch and "The Prince Charles" .... and home again..

After a close encounter with a red Squirel, we were off home.... not a dear to be seen.

Friday...

Today we're of to see Lindsey 'ald school mate,from 25 years before, at her rambling property..."Poor us.." I lamented.... "Lindsey's uncle guaranteed deer ...none to be seen". "We always have deer at our property" says Avril.... Much cheering...

We Scoffed down lunch and went down to spot deer!!..Looking, Looking, Looking.....All dressed for the part.... THERE ARE NO DEER IN SCOTLAND....NONE!.....Hugs and tears (mainly due to lack of deer)...tomorrow Lindsey favorite ocean side fun Park!

Sunday....

Wooho0...now thats what I'm talkin' about!....Lindsey thought it looked a lot bigger (30 years ago)... These people are mad.....Lett me paint the scene..... It's 3 deg's and we're water log riding ...what a top way to remember Scotland...who cares for castles and deer...... we got saturated by the north see riding plastic logs in tubes!!!!... Tomorrow.... Hongkong!!

To all, Thankyou all for a the best time in the second best country in the world!!

Off we go to the Whiskey Factory

The day has finally come......off we go to the Whisky factory...(that's like Willy Wonker Land for Grown ups!)...Of course the scenery along the way was beautiful ...... but ....... Are we there yet???
Finally we arrived in the River Spey Area at the famous Glen Fiddich Distillery......
There were big Copper thingys' and other thingy's and some things I couldn't take photos of because the air was filled with Whisky Fumes......I really like this place!!
After a few samples....(we were all offered one, but no one was drinking ... so waste not want not....)
A couple of Photos at the possibly the best theme park eva!! and we were off to a massive castle like hotel for a coffee and a we dram before heading home. Yes.....thats all Whisky. Dougie said "....pick any one you like and I'll shout ye a dram'...." Luckily I selected one younger than me...the really old stuff was Around 90 Pound a 'shot!!

Well I'd like to tell you more about the trip to Whiskey Factory But I don't remember.....

Ahh..Bonney Scotland..

After invading the relatives ..(and attempting to understand this strange and foreign dialect) we head off to visit a couple of local castles (the ones that hadn't fallen down) and take a closer look at the fantastic surrounds













..Some where a little spooky...but Lindsey encouraged me all the way.






Next we where off to Stirling..down in the middle bit of Scotland...the home of William Wallace and the massive Stirling castle and Tollbooth (Jail for those of you who don't speak the Scot')....This of course was the castle of Robert the Bruce... To the sound of bagpipes we gazed across the valley to the Wallace monument. After a visit to the goodie shop, we had a moment to reflect on history............Clutching Lindsey's hand we passed through the store in record time! "...off to the Falkirk Wheel!....Hooray!". Now just what is the Falkirk Wheel, I'm glad you asked..you see it's this massive wheel thingy that turns to deliver the boats and barges from the lower Lock to the upper Lock...the girls were amazed..(well I think that was the look on there faces), it was the highlight of everyone's day, as we waited for the wheel to slowly, slowly, slowly rotate "WOW!." Mmmmm....Apparently we were supposed to be dropping into some Fine glass making place or something on the way home but we ran out of time.. "Oh well I said..:-/" ....now..... I want you to imagine the less than pleased look on Lindsey's face right about now...so, I thought I'd brighten the drive time by explaining just what an engineering marvel the Falkirk Wheel was.. "...And did you know the whole thing runs on the same power as a light Bulb!..", about then Lindsey turned the volume up on BBC Radio 1.....Perhaps we'll drop back to Creith Glass later in the week. ;-/

Looking for hadrians wall

Looking...looking....looking....SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE TOLD US THE STUPID WALL HAD MOSTLY FALLEN DOWN!!!....after about 2 hours (Lindsey says 3)...we found it!...a small pile of rocks on top of a hill....a pile of rubble here...a stone or two there...Some wall!!....

It was about then we realised you are supposed to pay to park and look...along came a parking inspector...RUN!, we bolted for the car and vanished into the hills!!!..the Romans may have built it over hundreds of years, but We Saw-We Photographed-We RAN!

Right!! ..Lindsey's turn to select the B & B (she's a bit grumpy by now)...".just stop here and take the first one we see."....Well apart from the bar fight that started across the road the second we made it to our room, not a bad stop...(if you don't mind sleeping in possibly the most run down pub in Balloch. What we didn't know was we were walking distance from beautiful Loch Lomand!!...I feel a song coming on....."..Oh you take the low road..." never mind.

Fort William and Loch Ness here we come....AMAZING!!....the best scenery in the highlands...(so far)...I think we found "Nessy in the Loch!!.. (In my best Scotish Broge)...














A few more hours and up to the very top of Scotland.....














down the river SPEY...Whisky Country, (Mental note :- "Must stop on way back")
.....over the Grampians....And.....into Aberdeen..

Today we meet Miss Potter...

...Ohhhh...You tak the low road and I'll tak the high road and I'll be in Scotland before ye..for me and my true love will never never part...by the bonny bonny banks of Loch Lomand...
Off we go on our trek up to the highlands...First stop Windemere (you know the lakes district high in the north west of England, the home of Beatrix Potter and William wordsworth...We stayed in possibly the smallest B & B in Britain!!..very cosey and typically english. We saw Miss potters inspiration ...Jemima Puddle Ducks every where .. badgers .. foxes .... Took a nice walk in the evening to a nice little Italian restaurant down a lane, into an ally way and through a tiny door way.. woke up early to be entertained by our hosts and given guidance to the north through the lakes district, past the stone circle, turn right at William Wordsworth's house and then clear to ... Hadrians Wall (you know the Great Big Wall built by the Romans that separated Britain from the hoards in the highlands!!....)