Broch to Nairn

 You can only imagine what freakin’ spellcheck wants to do with the names of these places we are visiting!

I’ve been down and out for a couple of days. My photo output has suffered as a result. But there are a few.

We had a respectable sunset day before yesterday (whatever day that was):

The next morning, we packed up to head for Nairn. The mechanics of getting four adults with different needs and schedules into one car at a certain time are always interesting, but we generally succeeded. As it had been since our arrival, the wind was constant, gusting to at least 30 and probably more. It was incessant, but it made me appreciate the quality of the building. 

Our first stop was Dun Beag, a prehistoric dwelling only a few thousand years old. See the pic below that explains the various levels.

These are shots taken from below the Broch.

And inside the ruin:

The view from the top was nice, as long as you stayed upright to appreciate it. It was enough to knock you over if you weren’t prepared for it. 

Everyone posed, planned or not. 

By the time we finished here, I was winded, so my picture taking for the day was pretty much at an end. There was the excitement of a blown tire, and a warm ride in a tow truck (where was the champagne or scotch to smooth us?), but the bill for the tow and tire was at least a quarter of what it would be in the States. 

We finally made it to Nairn, outside of Inverness and close to the ocean. We had a pleasant last dinner together at a beach restaurant that included another taste of scotch and a dessert called a Highland Syllabub, which I had to order just to know. It was enjoyable. We walked back to our rental, Cody and Autumn packed, and I crashed as soon as I hit the pillow. 

Today - again, what day is it? - we took Cody and Autumn to the airport at 5:15 am. Later, I went into town looking for a haircut, and I rounded a corner to face a band fundraiser:

It was pretty cool sitting on the sidewalk watching them play. They would stop and the Director would make a few comments and corrections, maybe tweak a drone or two.

I had found my barbershop and made an appointment, so I returned for that. He was a wizard, working faster than I have ever seen someone cut hair. Not that I have a lot, but he made quick work of everything on my head, then there was a surprise moment. He grabbed a long stick and lit it and proceeded to whack my ears with it. My eyes must have been like saucers, because I had never had or heard of Turkish singeing. No pain at all, just surprise, and it was effective. If you are curious, go to this video:

https://youtu.be/LYQ4TcyzSlA?si=AFrqKEQ6IPRzS5XW

Vicki went to trade in the “posh” car for another one, easier to maneuver on little roads. And we are soon headed for dinner. 

Back to Inverness

This is tonight’s top story:

But first, some photos and a video from the remains of a broch (Dan will post better ones, as usual):

Cody’s goob pose

And a test for Cody:

So we were on our way back to Inverness in the *pouring* rain when the left front tire got shredded on the side of the road. Luckily, we were not too far (20

minutes?) from a town that had a place that could replace it. So we got towed, waited about 25 minutes, and had a new tire. For £96. What a deal!

Then it was straight to Inverness and to dinner. Tomorrow at 5 AM, we take Cody and Autumn to the airport and Dan and I hang out here for a bit. 

Shots of the Quiraing

 Vicki said I would provide more photos of the Quiraing, so here goes:

Classic Cody pose

Vicki atop the world

Again, a Cody pose.

Headed for Skye

On the way to the Isle of Skye, we made a few stops. One was Invergarry Castle - actually the ruins of it.

In the river below the castle, there was a shipwreck.

After that castle, we (we being Cody or Vicki - I ain’t driving here!) drove to the Eilean Donan Castle outside of Dornie. As Vicki already said, it was kind of a rip off.

That evening we had a wonderful meal at a restaurant on the loch. Well, Vicki had a wonderful meal, and I wish I had ordered the chowder that she had. 

Here are Cody and Autumn at the waterside.

Quite a few of these everywhere here. In some places, there are no barriers and they are on the side of the road, inches from your bumper. You would expect to see more mutton on menus, but we haven’t found any so far. The blue on this one is a mark the owner uses to identify his flock. 

We have had rain every day. Sometimes just a steady sprinkle, sometimes a hard, driving rain. Not a damned thing to do about it, so we suit up and go ahead with our plans. Then there are those moments when the sun pops out for a moment. Gorgeous. 

We visited the Fairy Pools and while all of us started out on the hike, Vicki and I did not finish it. Cody and Autumn did - in spite of Cody’s antics on the rocks.

More on Quiraign

Dan is sick today, so he and I are staying in while the kids are out playing. Here are the views from where I sit, depending on whether I’m looking out the back

or the front. 

Not a bad place to be. 

We are staying in Ullinish, which is a tiny village on the southwest shore of the Isle of Skye. It’s quite blustery, but not raining. 👍

Quiraign yesterday was lovely. Dan and I hiked 3 miles; the kids did more, but we wanted to avoid very steep ups and downs. Did I write that earlier? Anyway, the views were awesome. 

Dan’s son being a goob

Requisite selfie

One of the coolest things to see - to me - were the two shepherds and their dogs. The sheep were free-range. The shepherds hike up and down the mountainsides with only their shepherds’ hook and their dogs. They have some way (cell phones? radios?) to communicate with each other but use a series of whistles and verbal commands for the dogs. It’s really something to see the dogs going up and down almost vertical hillsides. 

After the kids finished their hike, we were all pretty hungry, so we drove toward Portree to find food. Everywhere either had a long wait or was closed. We finally got food at 5 pm and then headed back to the rental so that Dan could crawl into his bed. Hopefully, this is a short-lasting head/chest something but he may have to get tested for Covid if he can’t shake it. Not sure what that means for getting home in a little over a week… 😳

Tomorrow, we drive back to Inverness via a couple of larger waterfalls. Cody and Autumn fly back to the states on Saturday morning, and we hopefully trade the “posh” car for something smaller. I’ve gotten better about negotiating the size of this thing, but I’m happier in a smaller vehicle.