Holy winding roads!

Published on 24 June 2023 at 13:35

We're doing it. We're driving on the wrong side of the road. Well--to be clear, Steve is driving on the wrong side of the road. I'm fretting. And really, it's not the wrong side that's the scary part, it's the roads. They are winding, narrow, sometimes totally blind, and cars go fast. So I wouldn't say this is an enjoyable part of the adventure, but where it gets us--worth it for sure!

Our first stop on the road trip was Balmoral, the summer and holiday home for the royal family. The grounds were spectacular, especially the kitchen and cutting gardens which are bountiful and colorful.

Balmoral Castle was purchased by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in the 1850's and was fully redesigned over the course of a couple of years. (It wasn't big enough, apparently.) The estate was owned by different nobility through the centuries, including Alexander Gordon, Earl of Huntly and the Gordon clan for 200 years in the 15th-17th centuries. (Gordon is my mom's clan!)

And then I spotted them! The Highland Coos I've been so excited to see! They are so big and calm with the sweetest faces. Walter with horns. I could watch them all day.

Back on the road, we drove through Glenlivet Estate in the Craingorms National Park. The roads were fast, hilly, and winding, but there were pull-outs, which were a welcome break on the 40-minute 18-mile drive to our inn for the night. We spotted this little abandoned house along a stream at the base of the hills.

We drove into Tomintoul and found the Gordon House, our destination for the night. The house dates back to the 1600's and was originally a farmhouse. Later it became the Gordon Arms Inn to house soldiers, and when a new hotel was built, adjoining it, it remained a pub until 2016. The owners (one of whom comes from Clan Gordon as well) bought it and began to renovate it as their dream home, but they ran out of money and opened it up as a B and B to fund ongoing renovation. When we arrived, our hosts handed us a sip of whiskey and said, "This is not your normal bed and breakfast." Nope--far from it, but lots of fun. We were welcomed, fed well, and entertained all night.