Kyle of Lochalsh and Eilean Donan Castle

6th August 2009

No trip to the Highlands would be complete without a journey on the stunning Kyle Railway. The four trains a day service takes two and a half hours to make the journey from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh on the west coast of Scotland. The vast majority of passengers who use the service during the summer months do so for tourism, but don't forget this is a normal train service which provides a vital link to Inverness for many small towns (with nearly unpronounceable Gaelic names) as well.

We decided to catch the first train of the day - the 0900hrs! This was great as it gave us a bit of a lie in! We got to the station and bought our staff tickets for a bargain return fare of £4.30 each.

The weather was perfect again and we had fantastic views over the miles of wilderness that the train passes through.


Eventually the mountains give way and the sea starts to appear. As we got nearer to Plockton we were surprised to see a llama out for a mid morning stroll on the beach!


We arrived in Kyle of Lochalsh on time and set about maximimising the time we had. A trip over the Loch to the Isle of Skye would have been nice but would have meant that we would waste a lot of time waiting for buses etc. We decided that we would take a boat trip and then head off to the nearby Eilean Donan Castle.

We bought tickets for a 90 minute trip on the Sea Probe Atlantis and waited for it to come to the harbour to collect us. Soon afterwards we were at 'sea' and being shown the local common seal colony, a salmon farm, things of interest on the sea bed thanks to the glass bottom of the boat and the interesting wreck of HMS Port Napier which caught fire whilst loaded with mines in 1940 and was towed to the other side of the Loch before exploding and sending her bridge onto the shoreline hundreds of metres away!





Eventually we made our way back to dry land and treated ourselves to some fish and chips. As you might guess the fish was fantastic, probably swimming around in the same Loch that very morning.

Next up was a trip to the nearby Eilean Donan Castle, star of many films including Highlander and The World is Not Enough. We made the journey by local bus and 15 minutes after departing we had arrived. The castle is simply magnificent and testament to the labours of Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap who returned the ancient seat of the Clan Macrae to its former glory between 1911 and 1932 following 200 years of ruin.


Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs inside the castle so you will just have to take our word for it that it is well worth a visit. The castle is still owned privately by the MacRae-Gilstrap family and they still retain and use a set of private apartments there. If you are ever passing we can highly recommend a visit, just watch out for the couple of strangely dressed individuals that Elaine ran into on out way out!



Unfortunately the last bus service back to Kyle of Lochalsh does not connect with the last train of the day to Inverness so we had already booked a taxi. Eventually (20 minutes late) the taxi arrived and we made our connection with a whole 5 minutes to spare, not stressful at all!!!

The journey back was every bit as enjoyable as it had been earlier in the day and Elaine finally got to see some Highland Cattle, she just LOVES cows! The following photograph is copyright of Russell Cheyne/Reuters and can be accessed on the Internet at The Guardian's Environmental Gallery here.


We were shattered when we got back to the B&B so we popped round the corner for something to eat and were in bed before midnight. Another good day in Scotland!

Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle and Inverness

Wednesday 5th August

After breakfast at 0800hrs (very tough for me I must admit) we had planned to go sightseeing along Loch Ness.

Elaine very kindly (ahem) allowed me to have a short snooze while she went to the tourist information office to pick up some bus timetables and any relevant leaflets that she could find. I eventually managed to struggle into the shower and prepared for another fun day at the mercy of local public transport. Interestingly the local bus company Stagecoach Bluebird has recently been named as public transport operator of the year for 2009.

We headed off to the bus station and paid the very reasonable £4 return each to Urquhart Castle 17 miles from Inverness on the banks of Loch Ness.

Our bus arrived at the prescribed time and a total of eight passengers boarded for the 35 minute trip. Once the streets of Inverness were negotiated it was plain sailing along the A82, right on the northern bank of Loch Ness giving us such fantastic views we felt like asking the driver to stop for photographs!

When we arrived at Urquhart Castle we spoke to the driver about our return options later in the day. Elaine has finely tuned ears and after a very short conversation she started speaking to the driver in Afrikaans! Can you believe it, we were in a remote part of the Highlands and our bus driver came from South Africa!

Urquhart Castle is situated near the village of Dromnadrochit in a stunning location on a spit of land jutting out into Loch Ness.


We paid our entry fees and sat through the interesting film show before heading outside into the sunshine. Castles are becoming something of a theme for this blog and now, thanks to one inside the castle grounds, so are Trebuchets! No flying fire bombs this time but a Trebuchet nonetheless!


We spent a couple of hours wandering through the ruins, climbing the towers and admiring the fantastic views, all the time bathed in sunshine. Before we had left Birmingham the BBC weather site informed us that it would rain every day, so far they couldn't have been more wrong! We had our picnic lunch and did a final bit of exploring (Elaine climbing) before we headed off on foot to visit Dromnadrochit and the grandly named Loch Ness Visitor and Exhibition Centre.


The 2 mile walk was very enjoyable, mostly because it was downhill all the way but also because the air was clean and crisp, the views outstanding and the weather fine!

The Loch Ness Visitor and Exhibition Centre was something of a disappointment. It looked a little run down and did not really appeal to us but we did spend some time looking at the vast collection of tourist 'tat' on offer in the shop. Incredible!


We had a drink at the local cafe before boarding a much busier bus back to Inverness at about 1700hrs.

With the hangovers gone we still had plenty of energy so we decided to take a walk along the River Ness to its mouth Carnac Point, where it flows into Moray and Beauly Firths. Another fine 2 mile walk got us to our destination where we met an elderly local who told us that he had lived nearby for all of his life. He pointed out a seal that poked its head above the water momentarily and the salmon making their way back into the Ness to spawn. He even told us that he had recently seen some dolphins (the largest bottlenose dolphins in the world are native here) but not for the last few days.

Heading along the Firth coastline we came across some really interesting wooden benches, carved in the shape of Seals, Dolphins and the Loch Ness Monster. They are apparently the work of a local chainsaw artist and are perfectly positioned looking out towards the impressive Kessock Bridge.


We decided to carry on along the coastline until we reached the Caledonian Canal then follow it back towards Inverness. After another couple of miles we reached the Muirtown Locks on the canal and watched as a large cruiser slowly made its way through each of the four locks.


By now we were getting a little tired and the sun was beginning to set so we headed back towards the Castle Tavern for something to eat. When we met up with the River Ness again we sat and watched a fly fisherman as he attempted to catch a nice salmon, as far as we know he was unsuccessful though!

Once again we enjoyed good quality meals and had just a couple of drinks before heading off to bed, without stopping off for whisky!

Arrival in Inverness

Tuesday 4th August

After arriving in Inverness (on time!) at just after 2000hrs we walked the short distance to the very friendly Braehead B&B, handily placed near to Inverness Castle. We got our keys, dumped the bags, had a shower and took advantage of the late evening sunshine to have a walk and find something to eat.


We opted for the Castle Tavern, a proper pub offering real ales, whiskies and an interesting food menu. Despite the more interesting dishes on the menu we plumped for two pub classics, Cumberland Sausage and mash for Elaine and Scampi and chips for me!


We really enjoyed our hearty meals after such a long day of travelling and chose to sample a couple of whiskies before heading off to bed, well 'when in Rome' etc......

We tried Lagavulin, Clynelish and Cardhu before settling the bill and heading off up the hill for the short walk to the Braehead B&B.

We had already met our landlady Moira when we arrived and as we arrived 'home' we met Willie, her husband. He turned out to be a real character! He insisted that we join him for a 'wee dram' in the family lounge before retiring to our bed. We were made to feel like part of the family and chatted for ages whilst Willie kept topping up our glasses with Glenmorangie! Elaine and Moira both went to bed at a sensible hour. Willie and I needed a gentle reminder that we should go to bed once the clock chimed 0300hrs and Moira came down to remind us! We had finished one bottle and had started on a new one! To say that we were a little unsteady on our feet would be an understatement, what hospitality!

Bonnie Scotland!

You may be wondering why we have posted so many updates in one day! Well firstly we have been getting a little behind and secondly we are on our way to Bonnie Scotland for a few days. We have taken advantage not only of our free (first class) travel passes but also of the free wireless internet connection offered on National Express East Coast trains (excuse the plug for my employer!).


We left our old home town of York at 0955hrs this morning and spent 4 hours in Edinburgh before catching the 1633hrs to the 'Capital of the Highlands', Inverness. As we speak we are somewhere near Kingussie enjoying the stunning scenery.


The plan is to spend 4 or 5 days exploring the Highlands (by public transport) before heading back to England at the weekend. We'll try our best to add some photos to the blog as we travel around but if we can't you'll just have to wait!

Jess and Gary get married!

We certainly had a very busy 48 hours last weekend. After getting home from Rachael and Andy's wedding at 0300hrs we had a few hours sleep before setting off to see Jess and Gray get married! Fortunately their wedding was also fairly local so we could maximise the time we spent in bed!

Once again we met the groom and most of the congregation in a local pub before the event (do you think that Elaine will allow me to do the same next January 9th?!). This time Elaine went the whole hog by wearing a hat! Unfortunately we have no evidence of this but I am sure that someone will provide a suitable shot!

Unfortunately the weather was terrible but that didn't bother Jess and Gary, after the service they were straight out in the rain for some photos, which I'm sure will look great as bad weather always seems to give very special light conditions.

The reception was nearby and the photographer took advantage of a break in the weather to take some more photos of the wedding party and guests. In true Gary style the newlyweds made a grand entrance to the reception and received a standing ovation!


The reception was hugely entertaining and we met some interesting people as well as some old friends. Speeches were delivered between courses (this worked really well - obviously we were filling notebooks with ideas at both weddings!) and included a speech from the bride herself (Elaine has now sealed victory in this department and will no doubt have her say at our reception)! It has to be said that Gary is a very funny man and his speech didn't disappoint, I think he missed his vocation!

We were entertained by the father of the bride's band afterwards who were excellent, as was Jess' mom who sang for us in the church. Not sure if either of ours will be doing that for us!!

As the evening wore on it was time to release some chinese lanterns, covered in good luck messages from all of us, into the Birmingham night. They made a real spectacle as they kept on rising and flying away towards Moseley.



All too soon it was time for us to take our very tired bodies home for a well deserved sleep!

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Hitchmough!

Rachael and Andy get married!

After a cracking Stag at Ascot Races the weekend before and a round of golf at Moor Hall the day before Friday 31st July was finally the day that Andy married Rachael!

We got dressed in suitable attire and met the groom in the pub next door to the church for a quick final drink as a single man! Unsurprisingly the pub was a popular meeting point for much of the congregation and soon enough it was time to head off into church.

Unusually the ceremony was conducted by Andy's father and was followed by the christening of Andy and Rachael's daughter Ruby. Everyting went very smoothly and soon afterwards the confetti was being thrown at the happy couple outside.


This was a very local wedding for us as the church is about 1 mile away from our house and according to Andy, the groom, we live 1700 yards from the reception at Moor Hall Hotel We arrived before the guests of honour and enjoyed having characateurs of ourselves drawn by an artist and leaving video messages (these must have got funnier as the night wore on!). Elaine, being South African, is not used to the tradition of wearing hats at weddings and has always laughed at 'fascinators' previously but guess what? She went for it at this wedding! The following photo is especially for all of her friends!


The photographers eventually started marshalling the guests into the required formations for the group wedding shots and those of us not required spent our time hanging around on the professional's shoulders to get our own version of their shots! Here are Andy and Rachael with their two children Max and Ruby.


It was time for speeches and food so we took our seats and listened with interest. Always good to have a laugh before a good meal I say, though importantly there was a very serious side to both the groom and best man's speeches. Breast cancer has affected many people known to those of us in the room so the opportunity was taken to highlight what we could all do to help promote the fight against it, starting with a generous contribution from the groom. We would appreciate it if you all took a moment to visit Cancer Research UK to find out more.

The speeches were followed by a really good meal and the traditional dance! The free bar was an unexpected treat and really helped to get people in the mood for dancing. Not least Bas, who will be one of my best men next January, who treated us to his famous interpretation of 'Ice Ice Baby' and didn't leave the dance floor again! To say he was a bit sweaty by the end of the night would be an understatement! He finished a great night in the wee small hours shirtless and wearing an improvised tafetta tie!


Congratulations Mr and Mrs Jefferson!

Warwick Castle - Medieval Adventure!

On the 28th July we took advantage of some 2 for 1 vouchers that we had aquired which were valid for entry to any of Merlin Entertainment's facilities in the UK. Being so close by we chose to visit the magnificent Warwick Castle.

When we arrived at just after 1100hrs we feared that we had made a mistake as the school holidays had already started and we had to park about two miles away from the entrance in the overflow car park! It did mean though that we were parked nearer to the exit than most and would probably get a quicker escape at the end of the day!

We walked up to the entrance and paid our £19.95 fee which turned out to be a real bargain. Things have certainly changed for the better since my last visit here over ten years ago.

We wove our way through the throngs of school children and took the obligatory pictures in the stocks. Elaine was fortunate as 400 years ago we would have been throwing rotting vegetables at her!

The original castle was founded in 1068 by William the Conquerer so there is quite a bit of history to work through during the visit! The Castle retained its defensive role until the 17th century when it became more of a stately home, remaining so until 1978 when it was sold to the Tussauds Group (of Madame Tussauds fame) which turned it into a major tourist attraction. Pictured from Ethelfleda's Mound (the original 1068 earthworks) the defensive qualities of the castle are clear.


The central courtyard is the venue for regular medieval combat demonstrations. The actors are really good and provide an hilarious commentary as they demonstrate ancient techniques and lay to rest many myths about fighting in those times.


The castle is home to various exhibitions detailing life behind its walls throughout the centuries. From Kingmaker, through to the Great Hall, Victorian life and even the more recent visit of HRH Queen Elizabeth II super realistic Tussauds waxworks entertain the visitor. In the Great Hall Elaine finally found her 'knight in shining armour'!


The 'Flight of the Eagles' show takes place outside the ramparts twice a day. The audience have the privilege of getting up close and personal with an Eagle Owl, a Rüppell's Griffon Vulture, a Bald Eagle and a fabulous Stellar's Sea Eagle. The show is so up close and personal that the Rüppell's Griffon Vulture's wing even clipped Jon's head as it came in for a swooping landing from the castle ramparts!

Bald Eagle


Stellar's Sea Eagle


Next up on the list of activities for us was our picnic lunch, what a fantastic setting for some cheese and biscuits! Keen not to miss out on anything we ate quickly and headed down to the river island to see the jousting tournament. Once again the actors provided a very realistic show for us to enjoy whilst the Jester worked hard to keep us laughing!


A walk in the Peacock Garden was rewarded with a full show by many of the cocks. They are obviously natural showmen but I'm afraid that we seemed far more impressed than the hens did!


We took a quick walk around the ramparts so that we could get all the way round to Caesar's Tower before the 1700hrs firing of the world's largest Trebuchet. The top of Caesar's Tower gives a fantastic view of the river island and the large catapult to which it is home! 1700hrs came and off shot a 150kg fire bomb over 200m through the air. A very interesting way to round off a great day in the castle.


We hot footed it out of the castle, through the archery and medieval cookery demonstrations, to get to the car and beat the traffic. We were semi-successful and decided that we should call into Warwick itself before heading home. The town has some fabulous architecture and many Tudor buildings still survive. How could we resist having a quick drink at The Tudor House Inn to bring an end to a fabulous day?

We highly recommend a visit to Warwick Castle. There is plenty to see and do to keep adults and children alike entertained for a full day. We didn't visit the Princess Tower (a mile long queue of little girls dressed as Princesses did though) or the Dungeons (you must pay extra to visit this new exhibition but by all accounts it is well worthwhile). Just remember to take a pair of comfortable shoes and a spare memory card (or film for some of you) for the camera!

Happy Birthday Ella!

The 18th July also saw Bas and Charl's daughter Ella reach her 4th birthday. To celebrate we went for Sunday lunch the day after at Miller and Carter with Bas, Charl, Tor and of course 'nurse' Ella!


After a very nice meal and the entertainment of watching Ella eat her chocolate ice-cream (chocolate everywhere!) we headed back to Bas and Charl's house for the afternoon. Inevitably I had to build Ella (now Princess Ella) the usual Lego tower for her to knock down! This was a pretty good one with some solid foundations - not that it helped very much!

Fireworks

On the 18th July after 1 had been to see Aston Villa play Peterborough and Elaine had been to a pig roast we went to see the fireworks marking the end of the Lichfield Festival with my cousin Samantha and my Mom.

As you probably already know, Elaine LOVES fireworks and was really excited despite the bad weather, as you might guess I was less enthusiastic but went along nonetheless and attempted to get some good photos without getting the camera wet! I especially like the effect created by the children's spinning light thingies!


The firework display was great, especially as it was free. We were treated to about 20 minutes of colourful explosions and a gunpowder scented walk back to the car.

Bournemouth and Southampton

On Friday 10th June we said goodbye to Rei and James and headed off to visit Ade, Meg and Freya in Chandler's Ford (near Southampton) for the weekend before heading off to Birmingham.

We got up early and drove accross South London towards Barnes (where Elaine worked before Christmas last year). The traffic was TERRIBLE! I hate driving in London! 90 minutes to travel 14 miles! That's why I always use the train/tube when I'm there normally.

Eventually we hit the M4 and headed off on a slight detour to the South African shop in Maidenhead! Only off the plane for 48 hours and Elaine was already craving koeksisters and Fanta Grape!

As Ade and Meg were working all day I decided to show Elaine the delights of the English seaside at Bournemouth, especially as it was so warm and sunny in London. We got ourselves down to the M3 and a little over an hour later we arrived on the English Riviera!

Predictably the wind was blowing at somewhere near galeforce and the sun was obscured from view by large dark clouds. Nevertheless we were at the seaside and we British are brought up from a young age to tolerate such beach conditions! We set off for a walk along a mile or so of beach from the cliffs to the pier. Bracing! It brought back many happy memories of childhood summer holidays to see small children shivering with cold as they ran into the sea, watched by far more sensible adults sitting on deck chairs wearing hats and jumpers, not to protect themselves from the sun but from hypothermia!



The hardest task though was trying to explain to Elaine exactly what beach huts are used for! There were hundreds lining the beach and some were being used, giving us the opportunity to peek inside. As far as I can tell they are for storing chairs, making tea, getting changed and sitting around in! If anybody knows better please let us know as Elaine is still intrigued and somewhat sceptical as to why anyone would want to pay £30,000 for a garden shed next to a beach!

We returned to the car after an hour of good excercise and decided to drive along the coast towards Poole and visit the exclusive area of Sandbanks, apparently the fourth most expensive real estate on the planet! Poole Harbour seem to be a very popular place for kite surfing, though it looks a little colder than it did when we saw our last example in SA!


After a nice afternoon looking at properties that we couldn't afford it was time to head off to meet up with Ade, Meg and Freya at their home in Chandler's Ford.

It is always great to catch up with the Marks family and this weekend was no exception as usual great food, wine and company were enjoyed by all and it was fantastic to hold full conversations with little Freya who is now very grown up!

Ade and I did our usual trick of staying up late talking rubbish and drinking red wine. We always pay for this the following day!

Saturday saw us visit the Romsey Beggar's Fair and despite the rain we all had a thouroughly enjoyable day, especially Freya who enjoyed splashing in the puddles in her pink polka dot wellies!

Another first for Elaine was the sight of a side (apparently this is the correct collective noun) of Morris Men. If you don't know what they do just follow the link, I can't even begin to explain!!!!!!


Ade and I cooked a gourmet meal once we got home and a slightly earlier night meant that we could take full advantage of the fine weather to go picking berries the folowing day, yet another first for Elaine! Armed with punnets of raspberries, tayberries, loganberries and red currants we headed off for some lunch before Elaine and I had to say goodbye and make our way back to Birmingham.

Thanks for another fabulous weekend Meg and Ade!

Time for an update!

Once again it has been a while since we last wrote to you all!

We're not sure where the time has gone to be honest but let's see if we can remember some of what we've been up to. Well as we've already said Elaine landed safely on 8th June and I managed to get to London that night to meet up with her.

The following day we hit London town, heading off to Camden Town with Reinette whilst poor old James went off to work. Believe it or not it was a lovely sunny day and we thouroughly enjoyed a traditional extended pub lunch with a few pints of Magners!

After a few enjoyable hours we tried to get on the tube back to Kings Cross but couldn't due to some problem or other at the station. We decided to get the bus from round the corner but that let us down too! Eventually we made our way back to the tube to find that the problems were now sorted afterall!

At 'The Cross' we all made ourway to meet up with my mate and former colleague John Cole at the world famous (well in our world anyway) Skinners Arms. It's always good to catch up with John and whichever ex MML men are there and we enjoyed a few sociable beers before it was time for rei to head off and for Elaine and I to take John for a beer nearer to Charing Cross and his train home!

Sometime later we were heading solo on the South Bank being entertained by a rather large purple inflatable cow lying on its back surrounded by trees with red polka dot trunks!! Good stuff that Magners!



Finally we made our way through to one of our favourite parts of London, Borough Market for one last drink at another great pub, The Market Porter before catching our train back to Sydenham from London Bridge.

All in all a fairly boozy and fun day in the capital!

Time to catch up

Elaine has already been back in the UK for a week now and we really don't know where the time has gone. Let's hope that things slow down a bit over the next few months so that we can get on with the wedding plans!

Elaine landed at Heathrow very early on 8th July while I was on a train heading north to Glasgow to graduate from the BSc in Railway Operations that National Express Group had kindly paid for me to complete!

Once Elaine had experienced with the usual stress of dealing with Border Control (30 minutes apparently) she headed off to meet up with Reinette at Victoria Station, I know that she was looking forward to this as they had not seen each other for 4 months since Rei came back to the UK. The plan was for Elaine to stay overnight with Rei and James while I was in Glasgow and for me to head down the following day.

Glasgow was great, a few beers with my old colleague Nicko and his wife Tracy, a near two hour session of clapping and droning and a reception afterwards courtesy of the Institution of Railway Operators to toast our success. A particularly nice touch was the presence of a man wearing a skirt who was piping us out of the venue by strangling a cat!



Elaine didn't know it but Rei and I had hatched a plan! I was going to get the last train from Glasgow at 1840hrs to arrive back at my house in Birmingham by about 2330hrs. Then I was going to jump in my car and drive to London to avoid having to sit in the traffic the following morning and to give Elaine a big surprise!

Amazingly everything went to plan, despite nearly missing my connecting train at Carlisle, and at just after two o'clock in the morning Rei let me in and I went upstairs to Elaine's room. I was using my mobile phone to provide some light but this probably scared Elaine even more as she woke with a scream! Surprise! It was great to see her again and even though we had only been apart for two weeks I'd really missed her.

I was shattered after being awake for 20 hours and travelling 1200kms by train and car and fell asleep within 30 seconds!