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A White Christmas in Scotland |
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Although it is not the most
appropriate time to visit Scotland in the midst of winter, we decided to
spend Christmas this year with our daughter, Leandi, who works and studies
in London.
The days are short, usually drizzling
and cold, with limited sunshine. But when the bleak sun does break through
the dense clouded sky, picture perfect scenes unfold to brighten the days.
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At the Lamb Inn, in the
almost forgotten Cotswold Village of Burford, the flickering
fire in the grate welcomed us. Excellent home cooking and simply
decorated cottage style rooms combine the convivial atmosphere
of an English Pub with that of a comfortable family run hotel.
Llandudno, on the
northern coastline of Wales is a typical English seaside resort
town with six churches within walking distance. The Blands, at
St Tudno Hotel on the promenade, are meticulous in attending to
every detail of their hotel for the past 30 years. |
Ballantrae - near Girvan, on
the south western peninsula of Ayrshire in Scotland, near the beauty
of the Galloway Forest Park - introduced us to the hospitality of
the rural Scots.
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Glasgow has challenging
examples of contemporary architecture in the likes of the science
and technology centre on the banks of the River Clyde.
Soon past Glasgow, the
Fjordlike Lochs dawn out of the mist : Loch Lamond, Fyne and
Awe, all border the densely forests of Argyll Park in the Bute
district.
Inveraray, renowned as
gateway to the western highlands : the Inverary Castle, Loch
Fyne Oyster Farm smoke house and old town jail.
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Magnificently mirrored on its
own bay, on pretty Loch Awe, Taychreggan is a small, tastefully
appointed 300-year-old Inn, where guests can enjoy peace and
serenity and award-winning cuisine. The old storehouse and courtyard
is beautifully situated in its own 40 acres of garden and natural
woodland.
The next day we travelled on
a remote meandering road through the Inverinan Forest to Balliemore,
and the Isle of Seil, reached by a masonry bridge and renowned as
the only bridge crossing the Atlantic Ocean!
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In Oban, gateway by ferry to
the Isle of Mull, we spent some time in tiny shops in the main
street, selling authentic Scottish label clothing like hand woven
100% pure virgin wool Harris Tweed jackets, ties and hats as well as
Pringle shirts - as famous as the single malt Scottish whiskies of
Ardbeg, Glenmorangie.
To reach the Isle of
Skye, we crossed the Sound of Sleat at Mallaig by car ferry to
Ardvasar. In Portree, capital of the Isle of Skye, time has come
to a standstill : narrow streets and brightly coloured
renovated waterfront buildings house cute boutique like batik,
clothing and handcraft shops. |
Despite the fact that we
prefer good wines, we were introduced to typical local made Skye
Whisky : single malt Talisker neat on ice; and I have to admit, I
have developed a taste for good Scottish Whisky on the rocks! -
thanks to our daughter.
The scenery of Skye is
postcard pretty : the Storr, Kilt Rock, Duntulm and Dunvegan Castle,
as well as the Cuillin mountains, all with its own distinct
uniqueness.
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Our route took us over
the Skye Bridge (an engineer’s marvel) back to the mainland of
Scotland, welcomed by the Eilean Donan Castle. Despite the dark
clouds and overcast weather, the Lochness Monster also evaded
us! Near Kingussie we had lunch at the Cross and enjoyed a
bottle of Thelema Sauvignon Blanc, all the way from Stellenbosch.
Afterwards we visited the trout-breeding farm in the Spey.
Heavy snow awaited us when we
reached the Cairngorm Mountains. The winding road took us past
Glenlivet Distillery, the whisky town of Tomintoul, Ballater,
Balmoral Castle and Braemar. |
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Edinburgh was our last
stopover. Since we last stayed at the Malmaison in Leith five
years ago, this ex-seaman’s mission on the Leith dockside, which
dates from 1881, has been totally transformed by designer Amanda
Rosa. The subtle style and avan garde sophistication of the
award-winning hotel, contributed to a large extent to the
revamping of the old harbour.
The Terminal Shopping
centre serves as an injection to this once dilapidated Docklands
area.
In Edinburgh, the Royal Mile
(high street) is renowned for the whisky shops, heritage centre and
pubs. |
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The way back to London
took us through the historic city of York on River Ouse:
ideally located, halfway between the two capital cities of
Edinburgh and London, it has a beautiful pedestrian area, partly
enclosed by the remainder of medieval protecting walls. The York
Minster is an excellent example of Gothic architecture.
The M25 ring road around
greater London has its own quota of traffic jams, but luckily we
were in time at Heathrow for our six-o-clock flight back to
South Africa. |
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- Johann &
Monique Beukes
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