Strathpeffer is a resort town of days gone by. It also reminded me of the Catskills. Our hotel’s staircase did have a streak of old elegance, with interesting clan-maps of Scotland and Scottish patterned carpets. But upon the entry to each floor, an ugly firewall had been installed to bring it up to 21st century code. Past the firewall were run-down, fireproof carpets reminding of nursing homes, not a resort hotel. The reason the staircase carpets do still look good may be that most hotel guests are too old to walk them. The hotel’s restaurant menu looked like a fancy version of happy hour for seniors at Denny’s, so we decided to eat elsewhere. That meal was not fancy but perfectly reasonable. I tried haggis for the first time. It was greasy junk food, but enjoyable in its own way.
Photograph © 2016 P.J. Gardner. All rights reserved.