Matt and Mum Do Scotland, Part 2

PART TWO: Monsters & Whiskies & Lochs, Oh My!

2016-03-29 to 2016-03-31

Beautiful views over the Scottish Mountains.

We waved farewell to the lovely fishing town of Oban to continue our journey around Scotland on Wednesday 29^th March. Our next destination was in the heart of whisky land: Lossiemouth in the Speyside.

The clouds had rolled back in that morning and the weather around Oban and to the immediate north was decidedly miserable. We had hoped to take a lap around Loch Leven to take in the sites, but in the constant rain, there was little point. We powered on, following the same route we had the previous day towards Invergarry. By the time we got up there, the weather was much more favourable. Heading right (instead of the previous day’s left), we made our first stop at Fort Augustus, at the south-west end of the infamous Loch Ness.

A stunning day at Loch Ness.

We strolled down to the edge of the Loch and took in the incredible views over the insanely blue water – we certainly got lucky with the weather. We stopped in at the Boathouse Restaurant there for a coffee before returning to the car and proceeding up the western coast of Loch Ness, unfortunately never catching a glimpse of the ever-elusive Nessie.

Relaxing for a coffee in Boathouse Restaurant.

About halfway up the Loch on this side, you can find the ruins of Castle Urquhart; a site steeped in history from when St. Columba first converted some local Picts on this site in the 6^th century. The castle went back and forth between owners, sustaining many attacks and battles until around the 1700s. In order to prevent the Jacobites (Catholic claimants to the English throne) from taking and holding the castle, the main gate was blown apart and the castle abandoned. What remains today offers an interesting insight into life at the castle during its reign, as well as affording spectacular views over Loch Ness.

Overlooking Loch Ness from Urquhart Castle.

Urquhart Castle.

Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness.

Passing the north-eastern end of the Loch (still no Nessie!) and through Inverness, we eventually stopped for a bite to eat in the small, sleepy town of Forres. Down a side street here, we found a cozy pub called The Red Lion, offering a toasty fireplace and some tasty comfort food. Mum had a crack at some pork ribs – the meat was fantastically tender – while I tried the pork, apple and black pudding burger (absolutely delicious!).

Lunch stop at The Red Lion.

Pork, apple & black pudding burger.

Pork ribs.

We pushed on and finished our day, checking in at Stotfield Hotel in Lossiemouth; our huge room was a nice change to the hostels we’d stayed at, and the view over the beach and golf course was superb. One of the hotel staff who helped us up to the room ended up hanging around and chatting to us for at least 20 minutes – she said it was refreshing to chat to people who’d travelled sufficiently and was extremely keen to swap travel stories – a very friendly welcome, indeed!

Stotfield Hotel, Lossiemouth.

Our room in Stotfield Hotel.

On Wednesday morning, 30^th March, we planned out a route taking in various sites around the Speyside. First up was the Elgin Cathedral. A fascinatingly large building, the roof no longer remains over the bulk of the building, but most of the walls are still there - not at original height, of course! Inside the multi-storey area either side of the front entrance, you can investigate exhibitions relating to pieces of the carved stonework from various parts of the building, found during restoration work. Some amazingly detailed work is on display – it’s quite incredible what the professional stonemasons could do with such old school tools.

Elgin Cathedral.

Travelling down to the town of Craigellachie, our next stop was at the Speyside Cooperage. We thought this might be something different and could be interesting. For the bargain price of £3.50, you get a very informative 15-minute video about the process of making casks, followed by a visit to the viewing gallery over the factory, watching the coopers at work. Finally, you can have a go at assembling your own mini cask which, in the words of our guide, requires 3 hands and lots of patience... neither of us succeeded! And, of course, a visit to the coffee shop at the end will entitle you to a taste of a certain spirit, which varies by the day. On our visit, we got to try their Heather Cream – a mixture of Scotch whisky, white chocolate and cream. A bit like a Scottish Baileys!

Speyside Cooperage.

Speyside Cooperage - trying to build our own mini cask.

And of course, when you’re in the Speyside, you have to try pretty hard to not visit a distillery or two! We drove out to one of the big names of Scottish whisky, The Glenlivet. A tour around the distillery here will cost you absolutely nothing, and even comes with a taste of one of their products at the end. Our tour guide gave a fantastic explanation of the process of making whisky, which is, of course, very similar to the Irish whiskey process. The main difference is that Scottish whisky is only distilled twice, while Irish whiskey is distilled three times. Secondly, the western Scottish whiskies often are smokier in flavour because the grain is dried over a peat fire, while others are dried with hot air. I, personally, prefer the non-peaty flavour!

Whisky tasting at The Glenlivet.

On the way back towards Lossiemouth, we dropped in at another distillery called Strathisla, famous for being the home of Chivas Regal whisky. We had hoped to only do a tasting rather than a tour, since the process was going to be identical, but unfortunately, it’s a package deal. This tour is not free, but the tasting session at the end is a bit more extensive, with four different whiskies to try and some tasting notes and discussion. Definitely a worthwhile tour if you’re into whisky!

Maturation in progress at Strathisla.

Nosing and tasting at Strathisla.

We got back to Lossiemouth and went for dinner at the Beach Bar, not far from our hotel. The setting was very casual, a bit like a surf club overlooking the waves. Not much of a Scottish menu, but some good options nonetheless! After quite a long day, I thoroughly enjoyed an Enchilada. Mum, on the other hand, found her “Hunter’s Chicken” to be a little bit too strong on the BBQ sauce flavour!

Enchiladas for dinner at Beach Bar in Lossiemouth.

On our second day in the Speyside, I was feeling quite worse-for-wear. I’d managed to catch a head cold before we left Oban, and it had really taken hold. Nevertheless, we had things to see! We drove towards Inverness and visited Culloden Moor. Here, in 1746, the Jacobite uprising against Protestant England was quashed once and for all. The museum runs through the events of the several years beforehand leading up to the final battle, which actually lasted barely an hour. After wandering through the various exhibits, you can take a walk around the moor, accompanied by an audio guide, exploring the exact place that the battle happened.

Memorial to the fallen soldiers at Culloden Moor.

Clan memorial stone at Culloden Moor.

Culloden Moor.

Entrance to Fort George.

After the battle, King George was keen to ensure that the Jacobite threat remained defeated, and so a fort was built on the coast a few miles away, known as Fort George. However, by the time it was completed, the Jacobites had all but disbanded and so the fort simply became a barracks. We paid a visit here as it was included on our Scotland Explorer Pass. An audio guide is also available here, and through some 30 points around the barracks, you can learn about the history and use of Fort George over the past 250-something years. It is still an active barracks to this day; to visit all of the audio points would take about 2 hours, but you can pick and choose how many you actually visit.

Chapel at Fort George.

I found this seagull in charge of the cannon.

For a lunch-stop, we had been advised by the chatty woman at our hotel to try a town called Findhorn, most famous for its controversial Findhorn Foundation. We dropped into one pub there, but the menu was not overly extensive and seemed a bit pricey for what it was. We backtracked along the way we came in and stopped at The Abbey Inn on the outskirts of Kinloss, finding a simple but pleasing offering of dishes available. I tucked into a “Black & Blue” burger, containing black pudding and Stilton (blue) cheese. It was a delicious combination of flavours, and I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

Black & Blue burger at The Abbey Inn.

We had planned to visit one more distillery, but by the time we finished our late-lunch, it was almost 5pm, so we just retired to the hotel. Around 7pm, we walked down to the beach to take some photos of the sunset over the water, which looked quite remarkable on the mostly cloud-less evening. Enjoying a drink in the hotel bar, we finished our stay in Lossiemouth and the Speyside. Only one stop remained on our circuit of Scotland: a few nights in the “Inspiring Capital”, Edinburgh.

Stunning sunset over the North Sea at Lossiemouth.