Travelogue 5 : UK-Scotland Trip Part 3

Destination #5 - Pitlochry, Scotland

The long journey from Lancaster to Pitlochry, Scotland was a 'spritual journey'. Subhanallah, thank God for granted us the opportunity to be in Scotland and to appreciate His creation.

I've ranked Scotland as the most wanted place to visit (Perhaps I can list down the rank - my wish list in separate post). Nevertheless, this is the unforgettable memory ever. The greenish pine trees on the bottom part of the terrain and yellowish trees as it goes up. Little bit of ice/snow at the peak of some of the hills. Crystal clear creek, river and lake along the journey (in Scotland, lake is known as loch). It was very pictureque.

We arrived at Pitlochry after a calm 4 hours journey. Pitlochry is located in the heart of highland Perthshire.

By the road side at Pitlochry

The main attraction in Pitlochry is the Salmon Ladder at the hydroelectric dam.  The ladder was specially constructed to enable salmon to by-pass the dam and make their way upstream to Loch Faskally above. The ladder is 310 metres long and consists of 34 chambers, linked together by tunnels that the salmon can swim through. It enables around 5,000 salmon to return to their spawning grounds each year - a journey of some salmons are 6,000 miles! However, chances of seeing a salmon are slim (Autumn is usually when they are most prolific).

With the Salmon Ladder

We thought that we would be lucky enough to see the Salmon as we were there during Autumn. But we tried our luck for two times, there were no sign of salmon swimming at all. Therefore we decided to proceed with buying fresh salmon at the nearby local hypermarket. As highlighted in my previous post Part 1, we brought 30kg food in our bag which include rice and spices. So we can cook Malaysian food in Pitlochry..

We stayed at a homestay named My Scottish Cottage. My Scottish Cottage is adjascent to Moulin Inn which it was used to be the laundry room for that hotel. It was converted into a very nice two storey cottage fully equipped with fire place, kitchen and cooking utensils, living cum dining area, 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. There is a small stream at the backyard. In short, the cotttage was superb.

We had a great home-cooked dinner i.e grilled Salmon, fried local wild mushroom and rice. And to make the dinner even greater, we ate in front of the fire place. So classic.

A perfect cottage

Destination #6 - Glencoe, Scotland

It was the fifth day of our vacation. We made a simple breakfast as the journey started very early in the morning. The road is very narrow along Loch Tay but it is not bumpy and no potholes. So it was comfortable to drive in Scotland.

Glencoe was not in the itinerary initially. We only have 3 days to spend in Scotland. We had few options to select and it was a tough decision to made as all places come with good reviews and we dont want to miss any good place. The options were
1. Pitlochry
2. Oban
3. Loch Lomond
4. Inverness (Loch Ness)
5. Loch Etive
6. Fort William
7. Glasgow
8. Edinburgh

After a thorough study via google map and Trip Advisor, we eliminated Inverness as it is too far at the north tip of Scotland and there are many other Loch along the journey. Glasgow is just a typical city. Loch Lomond initially was in the list but after reading review, it is quite dangerous to drive to Loch Lomond especially at night, so we decided to remove Loch Lomond. Fort William is an hour journey from Oban, so we are considering Fort William.

A week before our departure to the UK, Mr Hubby showed me a scene from 'Skyfall', and I was like..fantastic..we are going there (I never watch James Bond movie). We found the exact gps coordinate in google (56.6194755,-4.9309293).  This place is named Glen Etive.

On the left is picture from the James Bond scene, on the right is Us mocking the scene

There was a tragic moment at this scenic place. Kimi was very excited to go out from the car. It was less than 8 degree Celcius, with tremendous gale of wind. This poor small boy fall down in the mud puddle because he was too excited to take picture. To add some drama, Mama forgot to bring extra pant for Kimi and as a result, Mama had to wash the pant and mitten in a freezing cold puddle. The water was damn cold. Mama cannot enjoy the scenery that much..hmm..what to do..

Kimi was pantless in the car. Mama got to buy new pant for Kimi in the next stop which was Oban. 

Destination #7 - Oban,Scotland

We continued the journey to Oban. Mountain, creeks, pines, lakes, river and sheep grazing the grass along the way.

Oban is a fishing village. The waterfront is very scenic where strolling on the pavement while admiring the boats can be a way of appreciating God creation in Oban. However, during our visit, the strong gale which resulted from the Typhoon at the North Atlantic Ocean had made our day in Oban can be considered as not enjoyable as we even cannot  standstill including my 0.1 Tonne hubby..My contact lenses like wanna fall out from the eyes due to the strong wind. Poor Kimi as he need to ride on the stroller pantless while waiting for mummy searching for a shop to buy new jeans for him.

Within Oban itself, one of the most prominent features is McCaig's Tower. The tower is  a Colosseum lookalike that stands above the town and features in many of the postcards you will find for sale in the shops on George Street. The Tower was built by a local banker, unsurprisingly called McCaig. The aim was to provide work for local stonemasons and provide a lasting monument to his family. The interior comprises of a grassy hilltop, with the wall of the tower encircling it like a crown on an uneven head.

Scenery of Oban from McCaig's Tower

We are on the look alike colosseum

Prayer by Loch Etive facing Dunstaffnage Castle

We had a very nice lunch in one of the Fish and Chips restaurant in Oban. Of course we bought a fresh salmon and trout for our home cooked dinner. In conclusion, it was a tiring day due to the super long hours journey,  super strong wind and additional work for mummy to wash pant in a super cold clear puddle at Glen Etive.

Destination #8 - Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

The next morning, we had Nasi Lemak for breakfast. My supermama brought daun pandan, ginger, coconut milk, anchovies and blended chilli all the way from Malaysia.

Before we left Pitlochry town, we've visited the Heathergerms Factory Shop and Visitor Center. Heathergems is a unique and imaginative range of Scottish jewellery and giftware, made in Pitlochry, Scotland from natural heather stems.

Our last checkpoint in Scotland was the famous Edinburgh Castle.

The place is quite crowded with tourists not like other places that we've visited in Scotland. We just took few pictures around the castle as we don't want to waste time going into the castle to read about the history and so on. (I didn't appreciate history that much especially when I have to pay ticket to enter into the castle/museum). 

Saying goodbye to Edinburgh Castle, we continue our journey to Durham.

In conclusion, Scotland is very scenic and worth a visit. Super delicious salmon and trout, the weather is extremely chilling but it is not a suitable place for shopaholics. 

On a serious note, Afi hardly cry in Scotland maybe because of the chilling weather, his mouth became numb that he even cannot open his mouth to cry. Perfect!