We awoke to the sounds of birds singing in this beautiful setting at the mouth of Loch Tay.
Jeff was really intrigued by the forest of Douglas Fir trees. Pseudotsuga menzesii is native to the west coast of British Columbia and it is unusual to see such a large number of them growing to such heights. Having spent many years walking in the forests of BC, Jeff felt quite at home here and many old memories came flooding back.
After the falls we headed for Dunkeld and the Cathedral. Originally established by Celtic missionaries in 570 AD as a monastery it was rebuilt in 848 in stone by Kenneth MacAlpin, King of the Scots. The cathedral itself was built over a period of 200 years from 1260 to 1501, but has had a turbulent history. Following the Reformation in 1560 the Privy Council issued instructions to local lairds to destroy “images of idolatry”. They interpreted this order freely as an excuse for widespread destruction. The building was partially re-roofed in 1600, but the Nave has never been restored. In 1689, during the Battle of Dunkeld which followed the Jacobite victory at Killecrankie, the Cameronians, fighting against the Jacobites, won a significant victory but at a considerable cost – the Cathedral with most of the town was devastated by fire. Note the scaffolding on in the center of the picture and the height of the Larch and Douglas Fir trees surrounding the cathedral |
After a brief drive we arrive at Hermitage and wander up the river to see the Black Linn Falls. With all the rainfall the Falls were running pretty good, but there weren’t any salmon making a break for it by heading upstream.
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What caught our attention was the large portion of the church that had been left to the elements and the size of the trees on the grounds surrounding the cathedral.
Now this is our first time taking a formal Tour, but we’re thinking it’s a bad sign when the Coachman (Roddy - on left) and our Tour Guide (Roy) are both studying the map before we re-board the bus.
Next stop was the Grouse Distillery, carefully nestled in the hillside so as not to arouse suspicion from the tax collectors. We learned a considerable amount about the distilling process required to produce Whisky (or as we know it, Single Malt Scotch). We also learned:
- there are 3 differences between Scotch Whisky and Irish Whiskey. 1) In Scotland they use peat to dry the malt (the sprouted or germinated barley) which introduces the "peaty" flavour to Scotch 2) In Scotland the Whisky is double distilled whereas in Ireland they triple distill their Whiskey 3) Irish Whiskey is spelt with an "e" and the Whisky in Scotland is not There was even an opportunity to taste the various brands under the Grouse name, including Glenturret. It was a very enjoyable education! |
At the end of the day we got an incredible surprise. Roy and Roddy (almost sounds like it could be a comedy team like the Two Ronnies!) managed to get us access to the Taymouth Castle, which is very close to Kenmore. This castle is several hundred years old but has most recently served as: a military hospital in WW II and also as a base for the commanders during the same war. In the 1970’s it was used as a school. We were given a tour of most of the building and saw the restoration and rehabilitation taking place in many phases. In November 2010 the Taymouth Estate was purchased by Meteor Asset Management with the intention of developing the Castle into a luxury hotel and also creating leisure and residential properties around the Estate. These plans include extensive remodelling and upgrading work to the golf course which commenced in February 2011.
Why was this castle significant, besides the fact that it is in a beautiful setting just below Loch Tay? Well maybe because this is the castle where Queen Victoria spend part of her honeymoon. Once the renovations are completed and the site becomes public, there will be other pictures available. Possibly, some day this site will be featured as part of an official PGA golf event.
Later we learned that two of the architects responsible for this wonderful castle, one had contributed to the Georgian design in the area we stayed in while we were in Edinburgh and the other one was responsible for the architecture in the British Houses of Parliament.
Later we learned that two of the architects responsible for this wonderful castle, one had contributed to the Georgian design in the area we stayed in while we were in Edinburgh and the other one was responsible for the architecture in the British Houses of Parliament.
As this beautiful castle has not been completely restored we were asked to restrict any pictures to the outside of the building.
A short distance from our hotel in Kenmore is a historic site called the Scottish Crannog Centre. Crannogs are manmade or modified natural islands, found throughout the lochs of Scotland and Ireland. Today, they appear as tree-covered islands or remain hidden as submerged stony mounds. These dwellings were first built as defensive homesteads in Scotland as early as 5,000 years ago. Some were inhabited periodically up until the 17th century. Their remains are found in many shapes and sizes, and the nature of their construction varied with their environment and the period of their occupation.
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At the Crannog Center there was also a few hands-on exhibits representing some of the tools used by these people to shape wood, create holes in stones and generate fire.
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After seeing this exhibit and learning about the design and construction of Crannogs we were much more attuned to looking for them as we continued our travels. In fact, after the tour was over, enroute to Glasgow by train, we stopped in the town of Linlithgoe to tour the Palace. While wandering through this amazing Palace, which was home to Mary Queen of Scots as a baby, we noticed what could be two Crannogs in the Loch adjacent to the palace.
After viewing the Scottish Crannog Centre we boarded the bus and Roddy directed us north towards the Highlands and Inverness.
Next - to Inverness and the Battle of Culloden
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