There’s a little of that breakaway republic feel to Orkney, the alluring archipelago in the north of Scotland. Orcadians have their own dialect, their own flag, their own history, and their own identity. About what Isle of Man is to England, Orkney is to Scotland, proudly preserving a distinct culture. What you see here now is an evolving blend of Viking and Scottish heritages, both…
Category: Scotland
Banana Leaves Glasgow
Time to say goodbye to Bonnie Scotland and we intend to finish with flourish. For us that means drinking as much as possible in Glasgow, while remaining a beer or two behind a hangover. Tough job! It’s especially tricky to be sober in this town, as Glasgow has some of the finest pubs in the…
The Speyside Way: Summary of a Long Walk
Before taking the first wee steps on the 100 mile-long walking trail known as the Speyside Way, we needed some breakfast. And where better to have said breakfast than at the Cairngorm Brewery? The tour and tasting offered liquid courage and calories for the long road ahead. The brewery tour guide was an affable old gent, a skilled storyteller…
The Speyside Way Day Nine: Here, Buckie!
The seaside community of Buckie was named after the founder’s dog, a Scottie. I jest. I haven’t the slightest why the town is named Buckie. The area actually used to be called Nether Buckie, which is an appropriate name for a foresaken place. This town architecture is not so bad, but the town…
The Speyside Way Day Eight: Penultimate
On the Eighth Day, god created mushrooms. I have compiled a photologue (http://singlesteppers.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-mushrooms-of-scotland.html) of nearly 30 mushrooms found along the Speyside Way. I would have loved to try some, get in touch with my inner druid. I will have to stick to whisky for now. Unfortunately Day 8 was practically a dry run. The only distilleries…
The Speyside Way Day Seven: Big Butts
“Never mind the whisky at the Glenfiddich,” said the owner of the B&B. “Just go make sure you use the ladies’ room. The one near the reception.” Sure! I quite appreciate a good loo. Don’t you? So I went into the Glenfiddich distillery for a wee wee (that must be a Scottish term–it’s what comes…
The Speyside Way Day Six: Duff!
While you were watching Miley Cyrus, I was getting drunk in Dufftown. And enjoying some fine Black Cock. Actually I lie. Black Cock sucked. And I was not drunk in Dufftown. I tasted 11 different whiskies, plus 2 beers, and did not get drunk. It’s true, I swear. So I saw new mushrooms today….
Speyside Way Interlude: Tripping on Mushrooms
Tripping, not trippin. There are dozens of different mushrooms blooming on the Scottish forest floor this August. I tasted none, but wanted to. Here are a few I saw and photographed with my iPhone 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. This next two…
The Speyside Way Day Five: We are Walkers.
Aberlour, Scotland is a major waypoint on the Speyside Way long distance walk. It also happens to be home to Walkers shortbread. Here’s the short and long of Day Five. Expecting a tourist trap with piped-in bagpipe music and tartans tarting up the walls, I was pleasantly surprised to find Walkers bakery shop has a…
The Speyside Way Day Four: Keeping Spirits High
This is how to lift your spirits while walking 15 miles uphill and through a bog: So at the spur of the moment, we decided to walk a spur route to Tomintoul. It would add an extra 15 uphill miles to our total walking. But at the halfway point was the Glenlivet Distillery. Free…
The Speyside Way Day Three: Learning Gaelic
bedraggle \bih-DRAG-uhl\ , verb to make limp and soiled, as with rain or dirt. dreecht \dreechkt\, adj. Scots Gaelic for grey damp gloomy day My footsteps were angry trudging uphill through bog. Before leaving Grantown-on-Spey, the owner of the B&B told us of a Gaelic word “for days like this.” That word was dreecht. …
The Speyside Way Day Two: Aqualung, Smoked
After the nervous energy of Day One burned off, Day Two seemed more sluggish AND we had to cover about twice the distance as Day One. But there were a quite a few highlights today, not least of which was getting more up close to he river that makes this region special. We continue…
Love and Barley 