A Week up North Part 2

After a day of quite heavy history, our middle day was intended to be lighthearted and fun, with both Landmark and Clava Cairns picked out.

Landmark is an outdoor adventure park, and had come highly recommended by older sister and her children as simply the place to go and visit in the Aviemore area. It started off well, we were amongst the first into Landmark which was all bedecked for Halloween and decided to go on the red squirrel nature walk. We instantly realised the place had been oversold to us - the 'really big and long' walk was less than a kilometre long. Missy was on point for the whole trek round and, when we did spot the red tail of a squirrel, she was thankfully behind a screen and unable to see it, despite clearly being able to smell it. 

We took turns (no dogs indoors, although she was permitted in the big marquee beside he restaurant, so we were able to eat under cover) and did the little puzzle and optical illusions house, the butterfly and bird house and also the small roller-coaster and one of the water slides. There were loads of dogs accompanying their families and we took to opportunity to chat to some of them. By that point two coach trips of kids had turned up and the place was rammed with families and a further visit around the squirrel viewing walk showed that the glimpse of the tail was the best we were going to get as kids ran around screaming at each other (which I have no problem of children doing, but red squirrels are notoriously skittish, and will only be seen in absolute silence).

Impostor syndrome had hit hard and we decided that it was most definitely the kind of place kids would have a great time at, but I couldn't justify to myself waiting in a very long queue to have a shot on something when I was surrounded by masses of kids desperate to get on too. We decided to consider the experience as worth doing, but only to repeat when able to borrow some of my nieces and nephews!

The day took a downturn after that. Deciding that Missy would appreciate some peace and quiet, we decided on getting another Historic Scotland site out the way and visit Clava Cairns. Its one of the free sites that you just turn up at and, so long as everybody respects the rules, they are generally nice little sites. We'd got out the car and waited for another to park before making our way to the gate. No sooner had my hand touched the gate when the door of the car we'd waited to park popped open and, engine idling and finger wagging, some middle aged man started shouting at us that dogs weren't allowed in.

My temper gets the better of me in these situations and I invariably say something I shouldn't. I simply snapped back that the sign clearly stated dogs were permitted on leads and we recieved another tirade of abuse that is was a sacred site, the place was covered in dog muck (I barked back that I am a responsible owner and pick up after my dog) and he continued over me that dogs simply werent allowed and he knew 'the rules'.

My husband is far better in these situations. Calm as can be, he simply asked 'do you work here? Are you a groundskeeper?' and at the following response of 'what? No.' the hubby simply walked through the gate and we left the ghastly man behind. It was a lovely site but we took no enjoyment as Mr I-know-the-rules was stomping about the place also, clearly waiting for Missy to do something inappropriate like sniff a rock. Out of the safety of his idling car, he made no movement towards us again, but by that point the whole thing was rather ruined for us. The hubby told me off for trying to get Missy to pee on the mans car as we left and tried to figure out what to do with the day.

Stopping at the local shops to stock up on some ice cream and purchase a new Halloween costume for Missy, we decided to explore the site about the lodge we were staying at. We had been told there was a lake and weren't disappointed when we found the patch of water nestled in the trees. It was completely flat and still and, with the autumn colours in the trees, absolutely beautiful. Upon returning to our lodge, we tucked into the ice cream and made a bullet proof plan for our final day before playing some board games. 

It was time to hunt down Nessie on the Jacobite Loch Ness cruise. The weather was to stay dry but it was one of those formidable days that threatens at rain with dark skies and banks of low lying cloud. Perfect for hunting monsters.

A promising start on the hunt!

The boat ride was dog friendly and the staff were more than happy to Missy come aboard. She made friends with an american tourist who was missing her dog and a couple from somewhere European and they simply insisted on cuddling and patting her. Deciding that the world was back in alignment and that things were how they should be, we settled down for the hour long ride and enjoyed the commentary about the history of the Loch and the lore of the monster.

A formidable landscape

After being told that Columbus had banished Nessie in 500AD, and how Nessie reappeared throughout the middle ages and through modern times, it was quite understandable to reason how such a stark landscape and vast body of water could spark imaginations and tales of monsters. Despite low cloud and dark skies, it was pleasant for Autumn as we rode on the top of the boat and discussed with the other tourists about how the highlands truly were the best landscape to be seen in the world. 

The boat sailed to and around Urquhart Castle. Some people got off here to visit the castle and those from the earlier tour joined us. The site does not permit dogs and the reason is simple, in peak season 2000 people can visit the site per day, so its simply too busy and dangerous to allow them. Urquhart Castle was our plan for the day  after sailing so, after discovering all the loch side walks flooded, we walked Missy in the woodland above the loch for an hour before heading over. Leaving Missy with food, water and a blanket in case it got chilly, we headed inside and explored the infamous site.

That's not the jetty, that's meant to be a courtyard

Urquhart has a long history, originally being the site of a pictish settlement before becoming the now-ruined castle it is today. With a full sized trebuchet upon entering the site, it certainly has lots to see and we explored the tower and the citadel whilst quoting Knightmare and filling in our kids quiz. The visitors centre was full of artifacts that had been found in the area and a ten minute film condensed more than a thousand years of history and explained how the castle had swapped hands and sides before being blown up by its very owners to stop it getting into Jacobite hands. 

We returned to Missy and drove to the nearest village of Drumnadrochit to try and find a late lunch. Nowhere was dog friendly and also serving food, so we found a cafe with outdoor seating and laughed as we were one of six outdoor tables occupied by dog parents. Missy was treated to a buffalo ear as we had lunch before we popped into the information centre and enquired about local walks. A forest walk was indicated to us and we were soon trekking up an enormous hill through woodland. Missy ran about looking for squirrels and rabbits, all of whom were wisely out the way and we made it back to the car just as the weather broke.

And the weather certainly broke. With Storm Calum attacking Ireland, we had weather warnings for rain through the night and on our return trip. Deciding it wisest to just head home, we didnt have any outlandish stops but treated Missy to one of her favourite local walks upon arriving home.

And that was it! Why do holidays always pass so quickly? We've earmarked the highlands for another return visit, so it certainly wont be Missys last attempt at trying to find Nessie!

A Week Up North Part 1

It was time for our annual dog staycation and, in our ongoing quest to get all of the Historic Scotland sites, we decided a trip up north was necessary and so settled on Invergordon as our base of operations. We managed to fit a lot into our week, so I think I shall split the blog into two parts!

To break the journey up and give us all a chance to stretch legs, we stopped at Killiecrankie to see Soldiers Leap - the spot where a government soldier leapt 18 feet across the river Garry to flee the Jacobites. It was the start of a theme for the holiday as the Jacobite rebellion is probably the moment of time that dominates the history of the north. 

Autumn has made its mark and the trees were all turning yellow, making the walk all the more splendid. Killicrankie is also one of two places you can go bungee jumping in Scotland, so whilst we heard the occasional scream, it didn't break the idyllic feel of the place. The hubby suggested that next time we stop at Killiecrankie we should do the bungee jumping, which I am all up for, once the weather is guaranteed to be calm and a little warmer!

Our first full day was spent predominantly at Fort George. We did the day a little backwards as Fort George was built after the Battle of Culloden as a way to control future threats from the North which never arose. Its a huge fort that has, and still does, serves the army as a training ground. Dogs were not permitted inside buildings, and it was strange to watch groups of squaddies jogging in laps about the place whilst reading how it was designed and re-purposed from first the fear of a landward attack from the Jacobites, and then a seaward attack from the French.

As I've already mentioned, it was massive. Audio tour headphones on heads (most definitely worth taking advantage of) and kids quiz in hand, it took up about 4 hours to get around the place. Its history is long and, despite never having been attacked or seen battle, it was interesting to see how it was used during wartime (including both world wars). We took turns going in and out of the mocked up barracks and the Black Watch museum and found a sheltered spot for lunch outside the cafe. The museum covers the history of the British army, and is current in including Afghanistan as a modern conflict.

The rampart is more than a kilometre long and we finished our visit by strolling along the area looking for dolphins (we were slightly off season for those) and counted the number of canons (31) that kept watch for attack. There are a lot of sheer drops about the ramparts and signs warning people to keep away from edges, so we ensured Missy stayed on a short lead and stuck close to us. The area was, perhaps unsurprisingly devoid of wildlife, but we still didn't want to risk anything!

On the website, a pet cemetery is advertised. Whilst we saw this from the ramparts, upon asking, we were informed that you could only gain access to it if you were on the tour. So just a heads up if its something you're particularity wanting to see!

As I said about doing the day backwards - we visited Culloden as part of out afternoon walk. I will admit that I was hesitant about doing the visitors centre (which does not allow dogs - we walked Missy for about an hour on the field before putting her in the car to sleep for an hour, with it being barely 12C, she was in no danger of boiling) as I was concerned about the direction they would tell the battle from. I know many people who use Culloden (and the subsequent highland clearances) as their excuse to dislike the English and the government, and was concerned such a slanted viewpoint would be reflected in the visitors centre. I need not have worried, again armed with our audio tour (another one that was well worth using as it gave far more information than was written on the wall) it explained from a completely neutral viewpoint of what the Jacobites did and how the Governement responded.

Make note on the two terms, both Irish and English fought alongside the Jacobites and there was a Scottish regiment within the government forces - the only bagpipes played during battle were from the Governments side. It was a lot murkier a story than simply Scotland against England. And really, when the throne is concerned, it was a Frenchman trying to steal it off a German - which makes the whole thing more confusing.

That is not to say that it was fought fairly. Bonny Prince Charlie was no tactician and simply fled when it was obvious it was going horribly wrong. And the aftermath of Culloden was atrocious to the Scottish people, and Britain as a whole was horrified to learn of the actions taken against those who were accused of sheltering Jacobites. With fog rolling down the hills, the atmosphere well matched the dark material of the day and we found ourselves a cosy dog friendly pub (The Snow Goose) to discuss what we had taken from the days military history before moving onto more lighthearted conversation with the other guests who had sat in the dog friendly area. 

Missy trying some non-alcoholic doggy beer

A tremendously good day despite the subject matter, and a refreshing change from talk of Mary Queen of Scots and Cromwell, who dominate the history of the central belt. 

I shall leave the adventure at that - next post includes our hunt for the Loch Ness Monster!

Kildrummy, Glenbuchat and Corgarff Castles

We were visiting the out-laws this week as a continuation of the birthdays (the hubby and I have our birthdays 6 days apart). It was just a quick visit up and down again due to other commitments, but it's always nice to go away where you don't feel obliged to get on with jobs. With storms hitting Northern Ireland, we had a nice lazy day where it really just rained and rained. Poor Missy fell into a puddle up to her neck and, after that, she was rather indignant about the whole being-out-in-the-rain malarkey and was quite happy roasting herself by the wood burning stove.

A very old Flash

Missy and her Uncle Flash get along very well, although it was quite upsetting to realise that, now 12, Flash is really starting to get quite old and isn't able to keep up anymore with her. Whilst he's been slowing down for some time, this is the first visit we've had were he's decided that he won't even try to follow her through the woods.

We had already decided that we may as well take advantage of the more northerly location and get a few of the castles in the Aberdeen area ticked off the list. Bearing in mind that Flash was struggling a bit now, we decided to keep the day simple and avoid anything with too much in the way of spiral staircases.

 

The first castle we managed was Kildrummy. Despite the rain of the previous day, the weather was glorious, and I suspect one of the last true days of summer we'll have this year. The sun and the warm weather appealed to both dogs as they explored the ruins quite happily. Described as the 'noblest of northern castles', I must confess, I would have loved to have seen this castle standing. As it is, it's a complete ruin - parts of the towers remain, but there's no stairs remaining and it offers only hints of its once grand past. My favourite part of the castle was the tower remains, although watching both dogs peer down the towers latrine was a good comedy moment!

 

Next on the hit-list was Corgarff Castle which is a bit of a misnomer! This one was a pleasant surprise for us as it is a completely intact medieval tower house and was used by both Jacobites and redcoats. Most of the central belt revolves around Mary Queen of Scots, so it was really refreshing to see a different bit of Scottish history and warfare. We stopped for a terribly British picnic of tea and sandwiches before going inside to explore. Dogs weren't allowed inside this bizarre little building that stood bleakly on its own on the hillside, so we took turns walking them around the star shaped outer wall whilst the others went inside and explored the twisting allegiances this building held. One of the particuarly nice things about this building is that some of the rooms have been recreated, including the guards quarters and you can also choose your allegiance by means of dress up!

 

As a small hat trick, we managed to bag one last castle on the way back. Glenbuchat is currently closed because of renovation work, but we managed a small walk around the building. By this time both the dogs were tired and the weather had begun to turn, so we called it quits and went back for a well deserved cup of tea with both dogs snoring soundly away.

Just a short post today!