After our escape from Strathpeffer, the next evening we ended up in a small boutique hotel in Pitlochry. I picked that town because it was on the way to Edinburgh, and Fiona Graham, our hostess in Doune, had recommended it for shopping and lunch. Even though we were going to Pitlochry to sleep and have dinner, I figured it might be a nice town because Fiona had not steered us wrong yet. We were happy to discover that we landed in a charming boutique hotel with an excellent restaurant. What a difference from the night before!
Now we’re back in Edinburgh for our last night before flying to Berlin, Germany, tomorrow.
Our first six days in Scotland were sunny and warm, the last three days were cool, under gray skies. Scotland is big. We did not nearly see everything we wanted to see. I want to come back and spend time in the highlands, but there are many places in the world I want to see where I’ve never been at all, so we’ll have to see.
Highlights: Staying in the Garden Studio in Doune and just being in that general area. Our dinner at the Graham’s, beginning with a bagpipe serenade, was wonderful. I could say the six days of sunny warm weather were a high point, but so was traveling through Glencoe under gray skies. And going to the dentist turned out to be an interesting experience, something you don’t get from a travel agency. Only low point: Strathpeffer, but no regrets. To get the feel of a country you need to have good and not so good experiences. That’s what makes me feel like a traveler instead of a tourist.
Photograph © 2016 P.J. Gardner. All rights reserved.