451 Miles

Today, we covered 451 miles, some of which by car and some of which by train.  If we added the on-foot mileage, I have no doubt it would be a couple more miles.

We started off our morning in Oban where after a full Scottish breakfast, we did what every Scot would do: sample some whiskey.  We toured the Oban distillery, a place that has been making whiskey for almost as long as our country has been a country.  The distillery is one of the smallest around, but its whiskey is known world-wide and it is still made in a very similar way to how it was made over two hundred years ago.

I was thoroughly impressed by the process: the precision, science and patience that goes into it all.  I'm not much of a whiskey girl, as I feel the sting so sharply, but the flavor of our samples was really wonderful.  A full, rich, caramely flavor that stayed with you for a bit.

After a couple of samplings, we headed off towards our next destination of the day: Inverarary Castle.  The castle, built in the mid-18th century, is one of the most beautiful I've seen.  It is richly decorated and even houses the tallest room in Scotland.  The castle is quite large, but as the Duke and his wife (a Cadbury) live in the home, we were only able to tour a small portion of it.  We did manage to see, however, where the Granthams dined while visiting their cousins in the Highlands!  Yes, this was the home used in Downton Abbey in the final episode of this season.  It was easy to see why!


Since the tour of the castle did not take nearly as long as we had expected, we decided to go for a recommended, although somewhat strenuous, hike up.  A tower looks out over the loch, the castle and the wee town; the climb was a little difficult, but the incredible views were well worth it.


The drive through the Highlands of Scotland was simply breathtaking: rolling hills of green and brown, snow-capped mountain peaks, furry sheep, playful lambs, yellow daffodils, moss-covered stone walls, and glorious, shimmering bodies of water.  I was thrilled to get a tour of this area with Mack and Stephanie, and equally as thrilled to welcome them into my home tonight so that they can see where I live, work and spend my days!  What a joy to have family come visit!




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