This very long day started really early we were all up and about by 4:30 am, yes, even my beloved. We wanted to be out of the cottage in Ireland by 5:45 and in Belfast to catch a 7:30 am ferry to Scotland. We made it with plenty of time and drove the car onto a huge ferry, I mean really huge. It took not only people and cars, but big trucks and tour buses.
The upper decks of the ferry had many lounges for passengers. Tables and chairs, bars, internet access. That is where I was able to post all my Ireland blog entries. It was an almost 3 hour trip across the Irish Sea arriving in Stranraer in southern Scotland. From there we (and by that I mean me) drove north the the highlands of Scotland. I have to say the countryside is even more beautiful than Ireland. The rock walls? Not so much.
We drove thru the mountains where there was still snow on some of the peaks. I was amazed at the number of hikers, hiking is a really big thing here and Chip and I have decided to come back at some time to do a hiking tour. On our way thru these mountains we saw our first kilted man. He was standing on the side of the road playing the backpipes in full regalia. Standing next to him was a young boy also kilted up playing the bodrun. I believe they were selling cd's of their music but was really travelling too fast to stop.
Driving is becoming easier. When we were in Ireland a woman told me that the roads in Scotland were far narrower than the ones in Ireland. She is correct, the difference being that most of the roads do not have curbs! Hence nothing to bounce off of if you get too close to the left side. Well, except maybe for a rock wall, since the rocks on the hills come right down to the road. I am feeling more comfortable driving except when I have to share the road with a big fecking piece of farm equipment coming down the other side of the road at me. Don't tell anyone in the car with me, but I did close me eyes once when I met a big tractor on the road. SSShhhhhh....
We made it Beauly, actually a few miles outside of Beauly to the Aigas Holiday Cottages. It is really lovely here, the stone buildings we are staying in are beautiful, of course they are colder than a witches tit, but they are pretty.
We met up with Annski and Suzettski here and spent our first hour getting groceries and complaining about the towels. We drove into Inverness for dinner and I will admit to making a couple of wrong turns on the way home, but hey it was verrrry dark.
The word wee does not come out of a lot of folks mouths here in Scotland, or course we are not really sure of what is coming out of their mouths sometimes.
It was off to bed in a cold bedroom but we had a comforter that weighs about 10 pounds to pull up over us and all in all it was very cozy.
Until tomorrow.
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