Scottish Tour Guide's Blog » Mountains

Visit Strathspey Steam Railway, Visit Scotland

catswhiskers — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:58:17 +0000

Strathspey Steam Railway, Highlands, Scotland

This evening, I am focusing on the Strathspey Steam Railway which operates on a 10 mile length of track between Aviemore, Boat of Garten and Broomhill, near Grantown -on-Spey. Steam trains run between April and October over part of the original Highland Railway which passes through stunning mountainous scenery of the Cairngorms taking in moorland, woods and sweeps of the River Spey. There is a buffet car on most trains.

Tour Highlands, Tour Scotland

catswhiskers — Sun, 20 May 2012 21:30:08 +0000

Cairngorm Mountains, Aviemore, Scotland

This morning, we departed our lodgings at Ballifeary Guest House, Inverness after breakfast and drove south to our first stop at Aviemore. This small town is located in the Cairngorm mountain region and is popular with hikers, birdwatchers and outdoor enthusiasts. We had coffee at a high elevation restaurant which offorded superb views over the snow-capped mountains. Our visit coincided with the scheduled departure of the Strathspey Steam Train from Aviemore which was an added bonus.

Next we drove down the A9 to our next stop of Dunkeld with a photo stop for Blair Castle en-route..At Dunkeld tour guest played his Scottish Small Pipes in the Taybank Pub which itself is a popular music venue. We also had a light lunch here. After a short walk around the centre of Dunkeld we continued south to our next destination of Stirling Castle, one of Scotland’s top visitor attractions.

We visited all main aspects of Stirling Castle including Great Hall, Royal Chapel and Kitchens. The recently restored Royal Apartments were of particular interest with assistance from actors in period costume.

After departing Stirling Castle, we continued south to our final destination of Edinburgh but first availing of a light meal at the Granary Pub on Leith’s popular waterfront.

Final drop-off was neraby where we exchanged fond farewells at conclusion of a fascinating 10 day round Scotland tour with emphasis on the Outer Hebrides.

Tour Sutherland, Tour Scotland

catswhiskers — Sat, 19 May 2012 20:58:36 +0000

Ullapool and Loch Broom, Scottish Highlands, Scotland

This morning, we departed our Ullapool lodgings and then drove a few minutes north to a vantage point for a landscape photograph of Ullapool and Loch Broom. Then we continued as follows:

Tour Wester Ross, Tour Scotland

catswhiskers — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:27:05 +0000

Common Seal, Dunvegan, Scotland

This morning we depaerted our Tarbert, Harris lodgings early tro connect with the 7.30am ferry to Uig Skye. On arrival at Uig we proceeded as follows:

Tour Isle of Lewis, Tour Scotland

catswhiskers — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:38:35 +0000

Snow Capped Mountains, Harris, Scotland

This morning, we departed our lodgings at Tarbert, Harris and headed north to Isle of Lewis passing en-route through some stunning scenery entailing mountains topped with an overnight covering snow which reflected nicely in the sunlight. The tour progressed as follows:

Tour Harris, Tour Scotland

catswhiskers — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:09:47 +0000

Black Lamb, Harris, Scotland

Today, we first caught the mid-morning ferry from North Uist to Harris in the Outer Hebrides, arriving about 11.30am. Following which we proceeded to:

Drive through the stunning mountainous scenery and coastline.

Visit Glencoe, Visit Scotland

catswhiskers — Sun, 13 May 2012 15:40:15 +0000

Oban Harbour, Scotland

This afternoon our tour is experiencing a 7 hour delay due to adverse weather conditions which has disrupted ferry crossings to the Hebrides. Consequently we are facing an unplanned sojourn in Oban on the west of Scotland.

Tour West of Scotland, Tour Scotland

catswhiskers — Sat, 12 May 2012 21:39:26 +0000

Ben Lomond, Loch Lomond, Scotland

This morning I collected guests from Argyll Hotel in Glasgow and then headed north-west visiting the following sites:

Loch Lomond where we stopped to photograph a snow-capped Ben Lomond.

Visit Strathpeffer, Visit Scotland

catswhiskers — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:48:12 +0000

Strathpeffer, Highland Region, Scotland

This evening, I am focusing on the town of Strathpeffer in the Highlands of Scotland which is situated N.W. of Inverness, near the Cromarty Firth.

Strathpeffer is a very impressive small town which derived its prosperity from a sulphurous spring which was discovered in the mid 1700s. Subsequently, Strathpeffer developed into a fashionable ‘Spa Town’ reaching its peak in the years prior to World War 1, aided by inclusion in the rail network during the 19th century. The Spa Pavilion still exists but the rail link does not.

Strathpeffer is well endowed with hotels dating from the past century and as such continues to attract tourists including hikers and walkers.

Overall, Strathpeffer impresses as being clean and prosperous in a stunning Highland setting with Ben Wyvis (3433 ft) in the background.

Visit Mackay Scottish Ancestry, Visit Scotland

catswhiskers — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:46:26 +0000

Mackay Gathering, Orrin Side, Scotland

This morning, we departed Tulloch Castle Hotel and then drove a few miles west to the upscale town of Strathpeffer which boasts a few luxury hotels and a Spa. No doubt latter was the catalyst for the holiday business dating back to Victorian times. Here we visited the Mackays Hotel to explore any possible family connections.