Scotland's West at it's Best
- Rhoda Phillippo Harrington
- Mar 15
- 11 min read
A trip down memory lane and old haunts revisited with lifelong friends to celebrate turning 60! Photos courtesy of Tim Harrington
Our flight to Aberdeen was straight forward although finding our hotel took a couple of jumps out of the car for Tim but we got to the Residence Inn in time for him to tune in to watch the AB’s play South Africa. I took a wander over to Marks and Spencers foodhall conveniently located a few steps from the hotel and got some snacks and drinks for the match. Sadly the AB’s lost! We set off to Jan’s and had a lovely evening with her at the Stack in Muchalls – I had Cullen Skink and Mussels in honour of Dad x
On Sunday we had a coffee from Starbucks again conveniently just a few steps from the hotel and then headed up to visit Mum and Dad’s grave at the crematorium, followed by a walk around Hazlehead Park where sadly the best of the roses were passed. Then it was down to Newtonhill for a day of gardening to get Jan’s garden in shape for winter – Tim on hedges and me on weeding some massive thistles and digging over the beds. Tim took a few loads to the dump while I got up in the loft and sorted Dad’s pictures for the sisters to choose which they might want. Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for a lovely evening at the Silver Darling. Mandie had put a lot of effort in with a cake and balloon (which sadly deflated). We were joined by Elaine, Dave, Paula, Lindsey and Alistair all of whom have or are turning sixty this year, and of course Tim, Brian and Kath. It was an evening of reminiscing and fun and laughter – very blessed to have such lovely friends. First day of Spring for us and Autumn for the UK!
We treated ourselves to a slightly later start to Monday with a short walk around Union Terrace gardens and dropping off the paintings the family didn’t want at the charity shop. Then it was a trip out to Newtonhill to drop off the paintings that the sisters would like for later collection and take Jan to the supermarket and say goodbye. We picked up Lindsey and Matthew from Alistair McDonald’s – a lovely home in Forbesfield Road. Sadly the weather was not going to be kind to us and our journey north and west was full of rain. We stopped for lunch at Grantown on Spey and then followed Loch Ness west – virtually no visibility. Eventually we made it to Kyle of Lochalsh and over the bridge to Skye where the cloud started to lift and we finally made it to Taransay House in Portree. We received a very warm welcome from Murdo – the hotel is lovely with only four rooms beautifully appointed. His son Scott does all the cooking. We have a glass of Talisker whisky as we check in and Murdo gives us an itinerary for the next day before we relax and change for dinner. The food is magnificent – Scott could be a Michelin star chef!!
On Tuesday after a filling breakfast (I treated myself to kippers, again in honour of Dad) we headed out on “Murdo’s” route. First stop was Dunvegan Castle where Bonny Prince Charlie hid after the failed Jacobite uprising. Many amazing artefacts here, perhaps the weirdest of all being the Otter Sporan! We also saw the Fairy Flag. Probably from Syria or Rhodes and woven of silk in the 4th century AD, legend has it that this sacred clan banner has miraculous powers. When unfurled in battle, the clan would invariably snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. There was also the Great Sword of Dunvegan, made by the clan of MacLeod – a claymore which would have belonged to Clan chiefs with a three feet blade likely from the 15th or early 16th century. It was made from Scottish iron which was unusual for weapons at this time.
Following this visit we headed to Colbost to visit the infamous Three Chimney’s restaurant. The day had turned out beautiful and we were treated to an astronomical delight at this amazing restaurant. Our menus reflected that it was a 60thbirthday lunch for Lindsey and I and the food and drinks were special. Lindsey was not feeling great so had a cocktail called a Pencillin which was whisky, ginger, lemon and honey!
Next stop was the Talisker Distillery itself where we bought an engraved bottle of whisky for Josh and Jihane’s wedding celebration.
Then it was on to Glenbrittle – Murdo had suggested that we go all the way to the end of this road to visit the bay, however the Fairy Pools carpark was not too busy so we stopped there and visited the pools. The midges were ferocious and the weather had come in a bit but the pools were well worth a stop. As well as being very beautiful the area is the site of the War of the One-eyed Woman where the MacDonald’s and Macleod’s waged a bloody war until the Scottish Privy Council intervened to broker a lasting peace. The area was subject to the Clearances in between 1811 and 1840 leaving it sparsely populated today.
Our final stop today was to Carbost and the Old Bridge. John Mackenzie - the first British professional mountain guide of Alpine standard - formed a prolific climbing partnership with his great friend Norman Collie, which lasted 50 years during which they mapped and named many of the Cuillin peaks. A bronze statue in their honour is here. Then it was back to Taransay House for a drink and another of Scott’s amazing dinners.
To get rid of our excessive eating, Matthew and I rose early on Wednesday and had a lovely 6km run around Portree – it was an amazing still and sunny morning and the views around the town were truly spectacular. After breakfast and checking out we drove back to these views so that Tim could get some photos. We then set out on the northern island circuit as suggested by Murdo. Our first point of call was the Old Man of Storr viewpoint where we were witness to a hilarious exchange between a lorry driver and some nervous old ladies who wouldn’t push through to pass the oncoming traffic!
We visited the waterfall at Brides Veil and then onto Brothers Point. Next up was Culnacnock at the northerly most point of the island with wonderful views back over to Scotland and waterfalls cascading down the rocks. We saw Kilt Rock and this area, Staffin, is host to the most impressive collection of dinosaur remains found on the Jurassic rocks on this coast. Dinosaur footprints can clearly be seen in the rocks here.
We then headed to Uig to catch our ferry – our fish and chips took too long to come so we had to have them boxed up and eat them in the car while waiting for the ferry! The ferry journey was only 90 minutes but exceptionally lovely because of the sun that we had all day.
When we landed in Tarbert we made a stop at the Isle of Harris distillery to get some gin for Matthew’s friend Norrie who was to be our host for the next couple of nights. The single malt there is called the Hearach, the name of the first legal dram from the Isle of Harris. The distillery has revived the traditions of distilling that were lost in 1846 when the whisky makers from Pabbay were cleared from their homes.
Before travelling up to Stronoway we headed south west to visit the amazing Luskentyre beach where Lindsey and I had been many years ago in our teens. White sands, clear blue seas and amazing views wherever you looked. If it wasn’t for the temperature you could be in the Carribean!! We eventually arrived at 14 Plantation Road, Stronoway (Rathad A’ Phlanntail) and met Norrie. A few drinks and a Chinese takeaway later we were all the best of friends!
On Thursday Tim and I rose early and went to find coffee and walk around Stronoway, visiting a little local craft market in the town hall (where Tim bought my birthday present, a beautiful blue copper bracelet), the harbour and the castle and avoiding the massive groups of tourists off of the cruise ship that was in that day. This was to become a theme of our day!
Matthew was in charge of the itinerary that day and seemed a little vague to start with about the order!! First stop was Callanish and the standing stones. Like in Orkney the purpose of the stones remains a mystery. These were erected in the Neolithic period (4000-2500 BC) and have both astronomical and landscape alignments. Tim and I managed to get locked in the toilets here and had to be rescued!!
Next stop was the Broch at Doune – a really fine example of a Broch. Then onto the Black Houses at Carloway. This is a museum as the last residents were moved to council houses in the 1970’s. In one was a working loom with a man making Harris Tweed and his loom was over 100 years old. In another the layout and the peat fire showed what life must have been like in these thatched homes with no running water or electricity.
Lunch was a picnic provided by Norrie on Dalmore beach – another stunning example of the beautiful beaches around the islands. Cemeteries are built right down beside the beach as the soft sand is the only ground where graves can be dug. The Machar (or moor) is too hard or peaty for this purpose. Our next stop was Shawbost to visit the Norse Mill – again a fabulous preservation of a mill from 400BC which was working until the 1930’s and restored in the 1960’s.
As we headed back to Stornoway Lindsey asked if we could visit the HMY Iolaire monument which we did after a hilarious misunderstanding about which monument we were headed for! This is a tribute to the 200 soldiers who tragically lost their lives within a couple of hundred feet of Stornoway harbour when the Iolaire which was bringing them home from World War 1 on 1st January 1919, took a wrong turn and hit the rocks.
That evening we treated Norrie as a thank you for his hospitality at Italian restaurant La Balenaand then spent a fun evening in an Irish pub where it was open mike night!
Our trip with Lindsey and Matthew has reached an end and on Friday after a walk around the town and a coffee we said our goodbyes and hit the road for the next leg of our journey. First we headed up to the lighthouse at Portvoller where some people were watching humpback whales way out at sea.
Then we headed to Bernera and the Iron Age house there where a very informative guide told us about the excavation on the beach and described how people would have lived and the possible theories about why and how they would have been driven out.
We then drove almost as far south as we could on Harris to visit Northton Beach which, like Luskentyre, was another stunning white sand beach with clear blue seas and skies – we have been so lucky with the weather! We stopped at a quaint café called The Temple there for something to eat and drink.
On the way back north to Tarbert we stopped to take in the breathtaking views at Seilebost looking back north to Luskentyre Beach. The scenery back up that road, travelling along by Ardhasaig was just amazing.
We checked into the Kirkland Suites (part of the Hotel Hebrides) – a very nicely appointed two bedroom self -contained unit, one of four that the hotel has and then headed for dinner in the hotel – mussels for me – this has really been my seafood holiday!
On Saturday we were up very early to drive to Leverburgh to catch the ferry to Berensay. Despite a stunning sunrise as we left Tarbert we hit heavy fog in the mountains of Harris so the drive was quite hairy for Tim. This fog also delayed our ferry so we had a coffee and roll from a caravan run by a quaint English couple who’s van claimed it had four Michelin tyres!!
We stopped in Loch Maddy in North Uist for a more fulsome breakfast and then in Benbecula for some lunch before heading down to Lochboisdale in South Uist to catch our ferry to Mallaig. A long crossing of 4 1/2 hours, the weather stayed true to form and I sat on deck enjoying the hot sunshine and watching as we passed Rhum and the other islands on the way to Mallaig. The drive from Mallaig was lit up by the most amazing sunset which we finally stopped to photograph at Barcaldine. Making it to Oban after 12 hours or more of travelling we were delighted to meet up with Susanna at the Perle Hotel where we were staying and share a lovely dinner with her.
On Sunday we met Susanna early and had a walk around Oban foreshore – a very quaint Victorian design which reminded me of many places on the South Coast of England. Susie told us that was because it was a favourite destination of Queen Victoria. We had a nice breakfast in a pub, Coasters Bistro and Bar, and then parted company – Susanna to go to Mull and us to drive to Glasgow. The first part of the trip was very misty so we didn’t get to see the full grandeur of Ben Nevis however when the mist cleared we had stunning mountain and loch views as we headed South. We found our way to Glasgow airport and dropped off the hire car and caught an Uber into the city and to our hotel, the AC Marriott, which was right beside George Square. We had a wander around and a drink in Glasgow – Tim was not feeling great so we had a relatively early night.
On Monday, Tim was still feeling less than 100% so after coffee and a brief walk I got my running shoes on and went out for a run around all the sights – used the Strava app for a 10k route (turned out to be 12.5k!) and had a very pleasant run through the centre of the city and down to the edge of the Clyde and out to the tall ship Glenlee, which has made several trips round the Cape of Good Hope.
Then back along the river bank to the Clyde distillery as far as Glasgow Green where I saw the Nelson monument and the site where the last public hanging happened during temperance.
Tim and I then headed out to buy a new suitcase (for Mason’s luggage!) and had a very nice lunch at Sloans where they have a Ceilidh every Friday – sadly it was a Monday so Tim has yet again escaped the opportunity to try this weird Scottish phenomenon.
The weather was a bit dreichit so we got tickets and got on the red hop on hop off bus and Tim got to see all that I had seen that morning on my run. It was a worthwhile bus trip and we enjoyed it. We got back to the hotel just in time to see Susan, Lydia’s friend, struggling to unload Mason’s suitcases and took them inside. We met Tina and John in Vroni’s bar for a drink before heading to The Citizen for a lovely dinner. It was lovely to meet up again after our trip north and hear about their trip to Thurso.
On Tuesday the sun was once again shining so we set off for coffee at what has become our favourite coffee stop – Spitfire - with parts of all world war 1 planes as the tables and lovely serving staff. We were somewhat surprised by the contents of Mason’s bags – cricket bat, 2 rugby balls…..but got on with rebalancing so that we were ready for our flight and decided to declare everything when we got to Australia. Our trip south from Glasgow to LHR was without incident and we hopped on our plane home. A truly lovely trip with loads of memories created and revisited.
Excellent blog and superb photos. Western Scotland at its best takes a lot of beating.... :-) :-).