Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

Visit Harris Tweed Manufacture, Visit Isle of Harris

catswhiskers — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:53:30 +0000

Weaving Harris Tweed, Tarbert, Harris

This evening, I am focusing on the manufacture of Harris Tweed cloth which takes place on the islands of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. This product is trademarked and protected under the auspices of the Harris Tweed Authority which was established by Parliament in 1993. The Act specifies that Harris Tweed must be:

“Handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides.“

Additionally, ancillary processes such as dying, spinning and finishing must all take place in the Outer Hebrides.

A trip to Harris will enable visitors to witness weaving and various other manufacturing processes and, of course, make purchases from a wide range of finished jackets, coats and other products made on the islands. A first class experience!

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.

Visit Abhainn Dearg Distillery, Visit Isle of Lewis

catswhiskers — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:40:14 +0000

Abhainn Dearg Whisky, Isle of Lewis, Scotland

This evening, I am focusing on Scotland’s youngest whisky distillery, namely Abhainn Dearg ( ‘Red River’) at Carnish on the Isle of Lewis . This was founded in 2008 and is the only distillery in the entire chain of islands comprising the Outer Hebrides. Abhainn Dearg is the brainchild of local businessman, Mark (“Marco”) Tayburn.

Having passing the minimum three years plus one day maturation period the new single malt is now produced in a limited edition. Bottling currently available is single cask, non-chill filtered and 46pct ABV.

Unlike rival distilleries on nearby Islay, the whisky is not peated.

Here is a video clip of the distillery which was taken when maintenance was in process. Note that the copper stills do not fall in the ‘pot still’ category, unlike most Scottish whisky distilleries.

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.

Tour North Uist, Tour Scotland

catswhiskers — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:54:08 +0000

Traditional Thatched House, Benbecula, Hebrides

Today we undertook a tour of the heart shaped North Uist, starting Benbecula and finishing Lochmaddy, Hebrides. This encompassed a rich diversity including:

Tour Barra and Uist, Tour Scotland

catswhiskers — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:29:02 +0000

Castlebay, Barra, Scotland

This morning, we arrived at Castlebay after an 11 hour crossing from Oban on the Scottish mainland.This journey had taken twice the normal time due to delays caused by severe weather conditions.