July 2004 - Scotland Tour

Kimberly on Loch Ness boat tour Anette and Kimberly trying on the local fashions Distillery from tour Anette and Kimberly at the Cooperage Bill and Kimberly in Glasgow Our Scotland Tour In July 2004 we took a family vacation to Scotland.  We flew into Glasgow and after spending one day there headed to the Highlands to see the countryside and do some distillery tours.  Being a fan of Scotch Single Malt Whiskeys the distillery tours was one of our primary objectives for this trip.  After touring the Highlands we concluded our trip with a few days in Edinburgh. Statistics on Scotland Full country name: Scotland Area: 78,772 sq km Population: 4.99 million Capital City: Edinburgh People: Celts, Anglo-Saxons Language: Gaelic, English Religion: The two largest religious denominations are the Presbyterian Church of Scotland (47%) and the Roman Catholic Church (16%), with 28% claiming no religious affiliation at all. Non-Christian religions account for only 2% of the population, mostly small communities of Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews. Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II Head of Government: Prime Minister Tony Blair GDP: US$99.15 billion GDP per capita: US$18,000 Annual Growth: 3% Inflation: 3% Major Industries: Banking and finance, steel, transport equipment, oil and gas, whisky, tourism Major Trading Partners: EU & USA Member of EU: Yes How we got there? We flew from Malmo Sweden (Sturup airport) to Glasgow Scotland via Ryan Air.  This is the European budget carrier equivalent of the USA Southwest airlines.  Nothing fancy but very cheap fares.  Its a relatively short flight so the lack of amenities didn't really bother us. Our Glasgow Visit Upon our arrival in Glasgow we rented a car and headed straight to our hotel The Jurys Inn.  It wasn't a fancy hotel but it was centrally located and more than comfortable enough for our first night in Scotland.  After checking in we took a stroll along the shopping pedestrian street.  Our first impression of Glasgow was that it was a working city and the architecture wasn't picturesque or anything special.  We did some window shopping and I purchased my first of many bottles of Scotch Single Malt Whisky (Old Pulteney) which I enjoyed a dram of in the hotel room later that evening after dinner.  I am a big fan of the Scotch Single Malt Whiskeys and have been collecting them for the past 8 years.  Living in Asia its sometimes difficult to obtain some of the less well distributed whiskeys so I was hoping to add some unique whiskeys to my collection.  In total during this trip I purchased 7 liters of Single Malts.  As of this trip my collection consisted of approximately 50 different Single Malt Whiskeys. The next morning we left Glasgow and headed north towards the Highlands. Glasgow Photo Slideshow View a photo slideshow of our Glasgow visit. Our Highlands Visit / Distillery Tours After leaving Glasgow we headed to the Highlands. Our first stop was the Ben Nevis Distillery.  The distillery tour was interesting but it wasn't the quaint type distillery that you see pictures of in the advertisements.  At the end of the tour we had a tasting.  It was a pleasant whisky but wasn't one of the my favorites so I passed on purchasing a bottle to add to my collection. We continued on our journey northward enjoying the scenery along the way.  Despite occasional rain and cloud cover it was a pleasant drive.  We stopped several times along the way to take pictures of the rolling green hills and valleys.  We finally made it to our next stop at a Bed & Breakfast just outside of Inverness called the Covenanters Inn.  We would be spending the next 3 nights here.  The Covenanters Inn is a family run place and is located in a small village.  We took a walk through the village to a local park and stretched our legs before heading back for a home-cooked meal in the restaurant/pub.  After dinner Anette put Kimberly to bed and I stayed in the pub to try one of the many single malt whiskeys available.  I met several local villagers that were friendly and more than willing to chat and provide sightseeing recommendations. The next day we headed to the Loch Ness to see if we could see the infamous Nessie (Jacobite Loch Ness Tours).  Going through the lochs and seeing the scenery along the banks was very enjoyable.  We took the cruise to the Urquhart Castle and back.  Upon our return we drove along the Whisky Trail, so named because many of the Speyside distilleries are in this area.  There were so many distilleries to stop at but we finally decided on the Aberlour Distillery in Banffshire.  Unfortunately we arrived about 15 minutes too late for the last tour of the day so I signed up for the morning tour the next day.    We head back to the Covenanters Inn and enjoyed a relaxing meal. The next morning we headed back to the Aberlour Distillery where I was informed that I was the only person to sign up for the tour.  What a pleasant surprise, I had a tour guide all to myself to show me around!  Anette and Kimberly toured the local village while I went on my own personal tour.  I learned quite a bit during this tour as I was able to ask many questions.  Unfortunately it was the "quiet period" and the stills were not currently operating as many of the workers were on vacation and maintenance was being performed.  Despite this I was able to bottle my own 15 yr old whisky directly from the cask.  What a great souvenir. Afterwards we continued to drive along the Whisky Trail and enjoy the scenery.  After lunch we headed to the Speyside Cooperage in Craigellachie.  While there we learned everything you could ever want to know about making and repairing wooden casks. Distillery Tour Photos View a photo slideshow of our distillery tours here. Tour of the Highlands Photos View a photo slideshow of our touring of the Highlands here. Cooperage Tour Photos View a photo slideshow of our Cooperage tour here. Ballindalloch Castle Tour On our final day in the Speyside we had our hotel pack us a box lunch and we headed to the Ballindalloch Castle.  The Ballindalloch dates from at least the 16th century. The main tower is plainly of this period. Moreover, the date 1546 is carved on a stone lintel in one of the bedrooms, providing a more precise date for the construction of the Castle. Today, as in the past, Ballindalloch is first and foremost a much loved family home, and is one of the very few privately owned castles in Scotland to have been lived in continuously by its original family. The Castle was originally built in the traditional Z plan, but has been much altered and enlarged over the centuries. Ballindalloch Castle exemplifies the transition from the fortified tower house necessary in 16th century Scotland to the elegant and comfortable country house so beloved of the Victorians in the Highlands. The present family continue to improve the Castle and the Estate, and are pleased to welcome visitors to their home.  After enjoying a nice picnic lunch on the castle grounds we headed south towards Edinburgh. Our Edinburgh Visit Edinburgh Castle high up on the hill overlooking the city Bill and Kimberly on Edinburgh Castle tour Anette and Kimberly at Edinburgh Castle entrance Anette and Kimberly on bus tour around Edinburgh Bill with Mel Gibson "Braveheart" Look-alike In Edinburgh we stayed 2 nights at the Canon Court Apartments.  These were small apartment one bedroom apartments with a kitchenette.  On our first day in Edinburgh we took a bus tour to get our orientation of the city.  Our first impression of the city was that it was a much more quaint and picturesque city than compared to Glasgow.  The Edinburgh Castle sat up on a cliff overlooking the city and you could almost imagine what it must have been like here in the middle ages.  The following day we toured the castle spending about half a day looking around.  Afterwards we simply walked the streets window shopping and enjoying the sites and sounds of the city. The following morning we returned to Glasgow for our return flight to Sweden.  We really enjoyed our visit to Scotland and hope to return again soon. Click here to see more photos from our Edinburgh visit