19 September 2014

We knew we were in trouble when the fog was thick in Portree harbor at breakfast. There were two drivers from a small van tour group operation at breakfast. One said yesterday was the strangest days he had ever seen on Skye – lots of fog to the east and sunny in the west. We were hoping that the fog would clear by late morning so we hung around the B&B until about 10. It seemed to be lifting so we started out. No luck. I got a couple of shots of a waterfall, but the next pull out should have been a great shot of the headlands with the entrance to a loch in the background. The fog obscured most of it. And then there were the cows and sheep in the road, looming out of the mist. ack!

Michael was driving and by the time we got to the single lane part of the drive, it was really pea soup. We decided to carry on in hopes that the western side of the peninsula would be better. The fog persisted until we got to Uig. We stopped for lunch and to visit the Uig pottery. I think I can get the small water pitcher in the backpack. Uig was pretty clear, but the fog was still hanging around the mountains. We decided to visit Castle Dunvegan – home of the MacLeod of the MacLeod.

It’s a small castle, compared to the ruined ones from earlier in the trip, but it’s livable. We toured the castle and some of the gardens before heading back to Portree. We got back in time to stop at the craft store and pick up a cross stitch pattern of a thistle and heather. It’s a kit with aida cloth – I’ll take it home and do it on linen. Michael decided he needed a small bottle of the local malt whisky.

View from the room 

There is a loch behind that mist

Uig 

Dunvegan Castle

Loch at Dunvegan

Hydrangea at Dunvegan

Nice dinner at a new Indian place in town. There was a table with 10 young people from the US behind us. Not sure how they ended up in Portree.

18 September 2014

Another really nice day. We left Oban about 9:45 and headed for Skye. Only 150 miles, but estimated time is almost 4 hours – not allowing time for photos. And there is a photo op around every corner. I finally had to give up stopping in favor of getting to Skye before dinner. I picked up a more detailed map of Scotland this morning. After yesterday’s issue with the TomTom, We were checking every turn. No problems today.

The scenery is spectacular. You cannot capture it in a camera. Lochs and glens around every corner. 

Ben Nevis is in there - really. 

Driving is fun around these turns

We stopped for lunch at a hotel along the way. I had Cullin Skink and Michael had a ham baguette. What, you may ask, is Cullin Skink? Think fish chowder with cream, and smoked haddock instead of fresh. They also use leeks instead of onions. It was fabulous. Not exactly low fat, but a wonderful lunch. Michael took a picture of the bar with all the malts. Three different Glenlivets – 12, 15, and 21 years old. Back in the car for the last hour and a half to Portree, which, of course, turned into 2 hours.

There was some sun today and interesting clouds. Ben Nevis was covered in clouds, of course. Note to Scotland Power – can you move the power pole that’s right in the frame for a photo of Ben Nevis from the Commando Memorial? J

Once we crossed onto Skye we started noticing fog banks in the lochs. If you have been to San Francisco, you have probably seen the fog moving into the bay in the afternoon as the interior valleys heat up. The tops of the hills are sunny, but sea level is foggy. This was the same thing. When we got to our B&B, it was sunny on shore, but you could not see across the harbor. I could see the fog moving in from our window. 

Fog bank

We decided to drive the 5 minutes to the center of Portree and wander around and find something for dinner. The first place was a bit pricey, so we did the “ walk”. It’s funny to see everyone going from pub to hotel, to restaurant checking menus. We also found a wonderful store, called Skye Batiks. They carry some batik items that are now made in Indonesia, and a variety of items made of cotton that are designed, woven and sewn on Skye. They are customizing a jacket for me at no extra cost - including the shipping. Really nice people. They used to do the batik on Skye, but they could not keep up with the demand.

Since Portree is on the water, all the restaurants serve fish. I was looking for something else for a change, but no luck. I will say that we have not had a piece of overcooked fish since we have been here. It’s all been perfect, unlike the US where we routinely overcook it.

Harborside at Portree

Did I mention the hydrangeas? I have never seen such wonderful hydrangeas. Most in England were a deep rose. Up here, they are blue > purple. Just beautiful. I think the color difference is because of the different pH - clay vs peat. 

17 Sept 2014

Another long drive up to Oban in Scotland. We got a relatively early start at 9:45. (breakfast is 8:30) TomTom says about 5 hours. The first bit is on the A66 and M6 – equivalent of interstate highways in the US. Speed limit is 70. At Glasgow we get off the motorway onto Axx roads – still pretty good. The scenery is amazing – but we’re shooting through the windows again. All the laybys with a view are on the other side of the road. Around Loch Lomond we stop for lunch at a hotel - $$$, but nice.

Loch Lomond

Loch Fyne

I had set a route to Oban, then inserted Inverary as a waypoint. It looked like a detour of about a half hour. It did not sound that enticing and we were already looking at 4+ hours in the car. So when we set the destination, I did not include Inverary, I thought. So I was surprised to find we were in Inverary. Hm. Not only that, but the TomTom missed the turn onto A819 to Oban. About 7 miles down the road in the wrong direction, she said, “turn around when possible”. Okaay. Back to Inverary and make the turn onto A819. 14 miles up and over the pass.

Finally arrived in Oban about 4:30. Oban is a working harbor. Unlike Chipping Campden and Keswick, it does not feel like a tourist town – it is, a bit, but not as obvious. The B&B is nice – we have a ground-floor room and parking. All of the B&Bs have been in old houses. The rooms are 14-15’ square with a bath carved out of one corner. Breakfast has been more that enough – cereal, juice, eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms. Oink.

We wandered down to the harbor and found a restaurant next to the ferry dock. Wonderful dinner of roast cod on a potato and asparagus pancake with wild mushroom cream sauce. And a starter of mussels. Yummy. The sunset was wonderful.

Weather continues to hold. Tomorrow we are off to Skye for 2 nights.

16 September 2014

The plan for today is to do the scenic 1-hour drive from Keswick around to Buttermore and back to Keswick. One hour if you don’t stop 57 times to take photos. We don’t know how to do that. There are pullouts for a change. It took us 3 hours. Here is a sample of the photos.  Apologies for the exposure issues. It was hazy and these are jpegs - not tweaked in LightRoom. 

Note the lack of a center line. 

These guys looked like they were waiting for someone to take their picture. 

We stopped back at the B&B to drop the car and walk to lunch. Michael took a snooze and we headed back out to Glenridding on Ullswater – a half-hour in the other direction. The goal is a trip on one of the steamers that sails up and down the lake. Round trips are about 2 hours. The clouds seem to move in at this time of day – or maybe it’s just the lake effect. I had a nice chat with an older woman who lives on the lake. Her husband said she has Alzheimer’s. Not too bad, yet, fortunately. 

There are several anchorages on the lake and a yacht club. We saw a number of boats out sailing. We sailed on the Raven, which was built on the Clyde and transported in pieces to the lake. She was reassembled and launched in 1889. In the 1930s she was converted to diesel. 

The lake is 7.5 miles long and the boat goes from one end to the other with a stop about midway for hikers

Sister ship to the Raven headed back to Glenridding

Ullswater Yacht Club

Lone sailor out on the lake

Sun shining through the clouds

Dinner at another Jenning's pub. Local trout. and back to the room to get a place to sleep on Skye. 

15 September 2014

Today is going to be a longish drive up to Keswick (pronounces Kezzick). But since the woolen mill is not open Sundays, we need to make a slight detour, 5 miles south, to check it out.

The town of Trefwil used to be a major trade center before the river silted up. Today the woolen mill museum is the major attraction. They buy wool from the surrounding farms and blend it with wool from New Zealand, spin it, dye it, and weave bedspreads and yardage to make pillow covers, purses, hats, skirts, etc. The museum consists of three floors, a blending area where they combine the various wools, add spinning oil, run it through a huge carder, and create a pencil roving; a spinning area where they spin the singles, ply it, and put it up on cops or cones. Some is converted to hanks for dyeing. They also create the warps on this floor. On the bottom floor they have a dobby power loom – they call it a dobcross loom – with four fly shuttles. I took some videos – not sure how the blog will deal with them. (see FB for the video)

The whole place is run on hydro turbines, just like the Clifton Mill - only the pipe diameter is 20" instead of 30". 

Interestingly, they do not use the local wool It’s too coarse (Welsh Mountain). They use a blend of Shetland, Dorset, and Corriedale.

After I decided I did not need to spend L319 to buy and ship a truly beautiful bedspread home to OH, I settled on a pillow cover. Then there was the yardage. I passed on that too. They have a website and do mail order. Michael bought a couple of hats – a tweed tilbury and a waterproof cap.

There is a school next door, which is due to be closed next year and the kids will be bussed to the next town. The woamn in the shop was concerned about what would happen in bad weather. Sounds like the consolidation we have in the US. 

Back to England on the main highways. We stopped for lunch at a WelcomeBreak south of Preston – Burger King, KFC and a Subway. Actually, it was nice to be able to grab a quick lunch, even if it was lunch American style. Top up the diesel and we’re off.

The scenery is wonderful, but as usual, there is nowhere to pull off for photography. We’ve started using the iPad to shoot through the windshield.

We stopped at Ambleside to check out the boat rides, but decided to postpone the trip until tomorrow in favor of getting to Keswick and getting the laundry done. There are a lot of people walking along the road, or waiting for a bus to take them back to wherever they started.

"Steamer" on Lake Windemere

Keswick is an interesting town. I have never seen so many stores selling hiking gear in one place. Boots, jackets, hats, rucksacks, walking poles – you name it. Everyone walking around town has boots on.

We are staying on a street right off the main drag – Edwardian houses. Every other one is a B&B. Our hosts are really nice and the room is good sized. Lots of choices for breakfast. I am hoping to step back from the eggs I have been eating for a week. They are great, but more than I am used to eating.

Still need to decide what we are up to tomorrow and make reservations for Skye. Michael is reading something that ways you need to spend a month to photograph Skye. Great idea, but not this trip.