Castles, Whisky and the Black Isle

It's absolutely beautiful today again, we couldn't really ask for better weather at this time of year!

I know the Scot's talk about the weather a lot, but there is a reason for it; we are used to four seasons in one day and going from brilliant sunshine to wind and rain within seconds.

In fact, it is so nice, we are going to leave the hotel early and get on our way. First stop was breakfast! I had read about the breakfast here, and given there are loads of hungry golfers, I guess it has to be good. I had Scotch Pancakes which were lovely, its just a shame the group of golfers, I'm not naming nationalities, were loud and pretty rude. 

Iain - Let's just say that Todd, Chris, Brad, hey buddy, et al... loved to discuss scorecards and at one point told the waiter that the egg benedict breakfasts sent to another table were probably theirs and if they could double check, thank you so much... (they actually never said the thank you part). There was more, but it's definitely a culture thing and that's just how VIP Freedom Loving Americans treat the staff apparently.

We packed our things and headed on our merry way; next stop Dunrobin Castle. It was only a 20 minute drive back up the A9, although there seems to be a ridiculous amount of roadworks just now, with guys flicking signs from stop to go, and they don't seem to be paying much attention to the traffic! 

Dunrobin Castle is the most northerly of Scotland's great houses and the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. It is also one of Britain's oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300s, home to the Earls and later, the Dukes of Sutherland.

The Castle, which resembles a French chateâu with its towering conical spires, has seen the architectural influences of Sir Charles Barry, who designed London’s Houses of Parliament, and Scotland’s own Sir Robert Lorimer. It feels like the first castle we have been in lately that you can really imagine living in. Plus it helped that the gardens were beautifully maintained and the weather was glorious. I even got a "pic-y with vicky" - that's Queen Victoria to you!

We walked around as many rooms as we could, as only a handful were open to the public, before wandering into the gardens to see the falconry display. It only lasted 20 minutes but it was great; we were explained the differences between a hawk and a falcon, before seeing them both in action. I never knew that the falcon was the fastest animal in the world, recorded at 242mph when it is in full swoop. The hawk was just cool, it's also known as the "Chefs bird" as it is so good at hunting and more efficient than the falcon. It will find a target in a group of prey at ground level, swoop down from hundreds of feet above, knuckle its claws and basically 'destroy' the brain of the target in a single whack. Who knew they were such efficient murderers! It was fairly sobering stuff. 

After the display, we left the castle via the gift shop. The car park was getting busier so it seemed like good timing. We had a 30 minute drive to our next stop in Tain.

Now known as the Distillers of Tain (originally it was the 16 men of Tain, but they have two women now), Glenmorangie has been around since 1843. We had a 30 minute tasting session as they weren't doing tours yet, although I was driving again; thankfully it is another distillery that caters for the driver though. 

We both really enjoyed the tasting (just nosing for me!) as you always take something away from each distillery; this one was definitely the giraffes! The stills are the tallest in Scotland, and they have necks the same height as an adult male giraffe, which has led to it being adopted by the brand.

We exited the tour via the gift shop; poor credit card!

After our distillery visit, we drove to Cromarty on the Black Isle. Google maps decided to take us the fastest way which we didn't realise included a ferry transfer; we decided not to wait on the boat which was due in another 20 minutes and set off back the way we came. In hindsight, it would have been quicker, but the drive was pretty quiet once we left the A9.

We parked the car opposite the Royal Hotel which looked out onto the Cromarty Firth, then took ourselves a wander around the village. We stopped at The Cheese Shop, in an old police station and bought a couple of things, mainly because the woman was terrifying! By this point, we decided to go to the next pub, which was interesting to say the least. It did serve food, but we thought better of it and headed back to the Royal Hotel once we had finished our drinks (I was on Orange and Lemonade!).

Thankfully, the hotel could fit us in and we sat in the conservatory overlooking the water. I was a bit fed up of fish so it was beef stroganoff for a change. After dinner, we drove to our stop for the night, a B&B in Fortrose. It was on the beach front and we were hoping to see dolphins. The place was spotless, and we had binoculars on the window sill for looking out.

We had obviously already eaten, but quite fancied a drink or two. Our new host told us we could go to the golf club, but would have to pay for a temporary membership. This sounded expensive until she told us it was £1 for both of us! We sauntered along the sea front, passed the caravan park, to the golf club beside Chanonry Point.

After a couple of wines, we toddled back to the B&B for some sleep, and a lie in.