Scotland – Liam Escario

Scotland, 18–26 August 2017

There’s no better way to visit Scotland than by going on a road trip of the Highlands with family from the area. We started in Aberdeen in the east and headed for Oban in the west, filling the journey with whisky tasting, country walks and more food than was strictly necessary.

Of all the memorable days, two still stand out: the meals at the Kildrummy Castle Inn, and the hike Clare and I took to Steall Waterfall through the Nevis Gorge. Whisky did not steal my heart away from wine, but I did grow a real affection for the Scottish countryside.

Clare walking through purple heather in the Scottish Highlands — Starting the holiday with blue skies and a carpet of purple heather.

Aberdeen to Kildrummy

We landed in Aberdeen around midday and began the holiday as all rugged Highland adventures should begin: with afternoon tea at Thainstone House. There would be hills later. First, there were sandwiches, scones and cakes.

Our base for the first few nights was the Kildrummy Castle Inn. It was peaceful, wonderfully remote and produced some of the best food of the entire trip. The roads around it cut through fields and rolling hills that looked almost too tidy to be real. Even a short walk became an excuse to stop every few minutes and take another photo.

Heather, Highland games and falconry

Our first full day took us around the countryside near Rhynie, where the heather was at its most spectacular. Clare blended in rather well. I, dressed mostly in black as usual, looked like I had wandered into the wrong season.

We made our way to the Rhynie Highland Games and a falconry centre before meeting the family for dinner. Watching a bird of prey fly directly towards you is impressive right up until the moment you remember that it has talons and considerably better eyesight than you do.

Falconry demonstration in Aberdeenshire — Getting close to the local wildlife.

Tap o’ Noth

Sunday morning was reserved for Tap o’ Noth. The walk climbed through heather-covered slopes towards the remains of an ancient hill fort, with the landscape opening up behind us as we went. Scotland had helpfully supplied a brisk wind so that none of us could pretend the climb had left us out of breath.

At the top, the hills seemed to carry on forever. It was one of those views that a phone camera can record perfectly well but never quite explain. We stayed long enough to take far too many versions of the same photograph before heading back down for a late breakfast.

Liam and Clare at the summit of Tap o’ Noth — Cold, windswept and very pleased with ourselves at the top of Tap o’ Noth.

The afternoon brought the family together for a service, followed by dinner at Kildrummy Castle Inn. The circumstances behind the gathering were sad, but being surrounded by Clare’s family — and by the countryside that meant so much to them — made the day feel warm as well as solemn.

Through the Cairngorms

After the funeral on Monday, we packed the car and began the journey west. Our route took us through Strathdon and the Cairngorms, with stops around Balmoral and Linn of Dee. This was not the quickest possible way to Aviemore, which was precisely the point.

Stone bridge over the River Dee at Linn of Dee — The stone bridge at Linn of Dee.

Family gathered together in the Scottish Highlands — Together in the Highlands.

The following day was an ambitious mixture of Inverness, Loch Ness and Culloden — the last pitched battle fought on British soil. Somewhere among all that history we also found ourselves face to face with a herd of reindeer. I had not expected reindeer to be part of a Scottish summer holiday, but they appeared completely at home on the open hills.

A reindeer grazing in the Cairngorms — A Cairngorm local who was considerably less interested in us than we were in him.

Liam and Clare beside a burn in the Cairngorms, with heather and hills behind — Taking in the Cairngorms.

A calm loch surrounded by trees in the Cairngorms — One of the quieter corners of the road trip.

The Jacobite to the west coast

No Highland itinerary is complete without a steam train, particularly when that train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct. The Jacobite carried us through scenery that looked as though somebody had designed it specifically for cinema. The fact that the viaduct is now inseparable from Harry Potter only added to the excitement of watching it curve across the valley.

The Glenfinnan Viaduct surrounded by green Highland hills — The Glenfinnan Viaduct — every bit as dramatic in real life.

Clare standing beside the Jacobite steam locomotive — Clare and the Jacobite.

Oban harbour under a blue and cloudy sky — Arriving on Scotland’s west coast.

By the end of the day we had reached Oban: boats in the harbour, hills around the bay and seafood everywhere. We had also reached the whisky portion of the holiday. A visit to the distillery did not quite convert me from wine, but I left with considerably more respect for what goes into a dram.

Steall Waterfall

The walk to Steall Waterfall was the highlight of the trip for me. The path follows the Nevis Gorge through woodland and along a steep rocky edge before the valley suddenly opens and the waterfall appears on the opposite wall. It is difficult to make an entrance more dramatic than a 120-metre cascade dropping out of a mountain.

To get closer, we crossed the wire rope bridge over the river. “Bridge” is a generous description: three cables, one for your feet and two for your hands, with the water moving below. Clare went first, which meant I could pretend to be supportive while quietly studying where she put every foot.

Clare balancing across the wire rope bridge near Steall Waterfall — Clare making the rope bridge look much easier than it felt.

Liam and Clare in the meadow below Steall Waterfall, with Glen Nevis behind — Safely across and still speaking to each other.

We returned to Oban in time to find the town full of pipes, uniforms and Highland Games celebrations. After a day of waterfalls and walking, we were more interested in finding food than throwing anything heavy across a field, so we left the athletics to the professionals.

Three islands and Fingal’s Cave

Our final full day was spent on the water. The three-islands tour took us past Mull and out towards Staffa, with Highland cows providing the farewell committee on land. Scotland had spent the week showing us mountains, forests and lochs; now it added black basalt cliffs rising straight out of the sea.

Highland cows grazing near the coast on Mull — The island welcoming committee.

Dark basalt cliffs rising from the sea at Staffa — Approaching the basalt cliffs of Staffa.

Fingal’s Cave is even stranger up close. The columns look too geometric to be natural, as if someone had built an enormous cathedral for the sea and forgotten to add a roof. We edged along the path into the cave while waves crashed beneath us. It was wet, noisy and magnificent.

Looking down the basalt columns inside Fingal’s Cave on Staffa — Inside Fingal’s Cave — one of the most extraordinary places of the trip.

One last pair of giants

On our final day we headed south towards the airport, stopping at The Helix to see the Kelpies. After a week of ancient hills and wild landscapes, these two enormous steel horse heads should have felt out of place. Instead, they seemed perfectly Scottish: bold, slightly mythical and impossible to ignore.

One of The Kelpies steel horse sculptures against a blue sky — A final stop with the Kelpies before flying home.

Nine days earlier, we had arrived expecting a family trip with a little sightseeing fitted around it. We left having crossed the country from east to west, climbed through heather, met reindeer, ridden behind a steam engine, balanced over a river and sailed into a cave.

Whisky may not have stolen my heart away from wine, but Scotland came considerably closer.