The first week of August we welcomed back our friend Robin, whom visited us last September. This visit she brought along her new husband Dino. We were the first stop for the newlyweds on their honeymoon trip.
After they rested for a few hours we started the visit with some drinks at home, then a walk downtown for dinner and more drinks at the Ashton.
The next morning we headed out for an adventurous road trip,
for lunch in Fort William,
and of course to take pictures of Highland Coos.
Our next stop was in the town of Beauly.
Beauly Priory was founded around 1230 by monks of the Valliscaulian order. Today the abbey church remains almost fully intact.
The burial tombs are mostly of the Mackenzie family, but we did manage to find a tomb erected by a John Mitchell for his wife Margaret.
Our next stop was the Glen Ord Distillery.
After browsing and a wee tasting we headed for our hotel, The Morangie Hotel in Tain.
The next morning we set out for another adventurous day, starting with a walk around the town of Tain.
St Duthac's Collegiate Church
St Duthac Collegiate Church was built between 1370 and 1458 to house the shrine of St Duthac. At the Reformation in 1560 it became the parish church until 1815 after which it was abandoned. It was restored to its present form in the 1870s, when the stained glass windows were installed.
Back on the road again, our next stop was Dunrobin Castle.
Dunrobin Castle is the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. The castle is thought to have been built on the site of an early medieval fort, but the oldest surviving portion, with an iron gate, is first mentioned in 1401. Most of the present building and the gardens was added by Sir Charles Barry between 1835 and 1850. The Castle has been used for multiple purposes over the years, in 1915 as a naval hospital and in 1965 as boarding school for boys. Since 1973, the house and grounds have been open to the public, retaining private accommodations for the Sutherland family.
We found an interesting connection to our town inside the castle. Lady Helen Sutherland, grand-daughter of the 19th Duke of Sutherland married Sir James Colquhoun, 1st Baronet. He founded the town of Helensburgh and named the town after his wife.
The castle is home to a falconry display. They host daily shows with Scottish birds such as the golden eagle and the peregrine falcon as well as non-native birds, the Chilean blue eagle and the European eagle owl.
Our next stop was the Clynelish Distillery, for a tasting and to get a stamp in our Classic Malts Passports.
We then headed to the Glenmorangie Distillery for a tour.
Tarbat Ness Lighthouse
The lighthouse was engineered by Robert Stevenson and the light was first exhibited on 26 January 1830. The lighthouse tower is the third tallest in Scotland, standing at 174 feet tall.
Our final stop for the day was The Newton Hotel in Nairn, where we checked into our beautiful suites. (It is their honeymoon after all)
It was built as a family home in 1872, converting later to a hotel. It sits on 21 acres of mature parkland and gardens and was once regularly frequented by Charlie Chaplin.
Nairn Beach
The next morning we headed back to Inverness to drop the newlyweds off at the train station where they took the train to Edinburgh and continued on their honeymoon to Rome and London.
Although it was a short trip we had a great weekend with Dino and Robin. We look forward to their next visit with us sometime next year. (This is an annual visit, right?)
After dropping them off we decided to take the scenic drive home following the Malt Whisky Trail, and adding more stamps to our passports
Cardhu
It was built as a family home in 1872, converting later to a hotel. It sits on 21 acres of mature parkland and gardens and was once regularly frequented by Charlie Chaplin.
Nairn Beach
The next morning we headed back to Inverness to drop the newlyweds off at the train station where they took the train to Edinburgh and continued on their honeymoon to Rome and London.
After dropping them off we decided to take the scenic drive home following the Malt Whisky Trail, and adding more stamps to our passports
Cardhu
Royal Lochnagar
Glenlivet
We continued to make our way home, stopping to enjoy a few Scottish sites along the way.
Our souvenirs from the trip, a nice haul that we are looking forward to sharing with our next guests.
Well that's it for this Scottish adventure of castles, whisky, lighthouses, waterfalls, mountains, lochs and coos. Join us for our next blog for more Scottish adventures with our house guest Alanna.
Glenlivet
Cragganmore
We continued to make our way home, stopping to enjoy a few Scottish sites along the way.
Our souvenirs from the trip, a nice haul that we are looking forward to sharing with our next guests.
Cheers,
John and CJ
