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Welcome back, folks! Sorry for the delay. Book writing can keep one busier than you think. But as the school year winds down and I have a wee bit more time to myself to think and wrap my head around finishing this blog, I am reminded of how much fun I had with my family this past August in the beautiful country of Scotland.
While I love all parts of Scotland, there is something mystical and magical about Portree. Sorry, Benson Boone will not be appearing in this blog. Portree is the largest city located on the Isle of Skye, one of several thousand Islands off the coast of Scotland. In fact, Scotland has more than 900 islands, with only 118 of them inhabited by humans. Puffin and seals do not count, nor the stray selkie. Within those islands, they are separated into groups. You have the Shetland, the Orkney, and then the Outer and Inner Hebrides. Portree is part of the Inner Hebrides, located in the Northwestern region of Scotland. Just a hop, skip, and a jump from Fort William, where we stopped to ride the Jacobite Steam train, which is most famous for its connection to the Harry Potter Film franchise. The train not only looks like the Hogwarts Express, but it passes over the Glenfinnan Viaduct like it did in the Chamber of Secrets when Harry Potter nearly fell from Mr. Weasley's enchanted car with Ron at the wheel. While we didn't ride the train this time around, I have included several pictures for you to gaze at.
We had decided to drive from Stirling to the Isle of Skye, only stopping briefly to take pictures at Glencoe. A place we had missed on our trip in 2018. We had decided to stay in a castle in Oban called Barcaldine Castle. A tower more than a castle, but nonetheless exciting and complete with a large fieldstone fireplace, hidden passageways, and dungeons to boot. Having two teenage children turned out to be problematic as it would require Nick and me to split up and share a queen-sized bed with each child at the tune of $300 a night. Summer rates are no joke. If you want a thrill in Europe, head there in the Fall or the Spring to avoid the inflation costs of the hotels and the overcrowding of every single tourist destination. Not to mention, you will save yourself from being attacked by the midges(A small, detestable creature, similar to a gnat).
Back to what I was saying, Glen Coe is a beautiful treasure of the land. Carved out from millions of years of water sliding through the land, as it still very much does, its green hills were the site of a Scottish Massacre known well to Local, the MacDonalds were attacked in the highlands where they lived with their families nested in its hillsides until savagely being attacked and murdered 38 of the clan on February 13, 1692 by Scottish Government soldiers. The Scottish clans were always at war, either with the government or each other. After driving through the picturesque region, we stopped at the Glencoe Visitor Center, part of the National Trust of Scotland. I highly recommend joining these programs. Not only do you get discounts on the entry to the museums, but the preservation programs that are in place are sponsored by the money raised. I'd had for future generations to miss out on the beauty that my family had the honor to see.
Once we arrived in Portree, we checked into our Airbnb. A two-story house set only 1 street above the main street of the town. So everything was within walking distance. If you are looking for the information on the listing, I will leave the renter's information in the links. We loved the location so much that when it came to picking the perfect home for my protagonist to live in Scotland, I could think of no other. During the day, we would drive throughout the steep hillsides, scaling the Old Man of Storr and dipping our toes in the clear water of the Coral Beach walk, located on the other side of the island in Dunvegan, about an hour's drive from our Airbnb. One main road goes around the edges of the spectacular island. We were able to show the kids the Fairy Pools, a stop that one must do while on the Isle of Skye. The water is crystal blue and freezing as it comes from the melting tops of the mountains, funneling together to make thousands of waterfalls that all lead to this collection of watery splendor. The walk is not for the faint of heart as it can be slippery, absolutely muddy, and can be taxing if you are handicapped with steep hills.. Yes, Scotland is full of hills. If you like flat ground, then Scotland is not for you. Check out Minnesota.
While we werent able to visit the Neep Lighhouse as we had done last time there in 2018, were wered able to avoid the large cattle drives blocking the roadway, losing a shoe int he mud and were able to take the kids to Flora McDonalds village where she was claimed to hide Bonnie Prince Charlie from the British after his dastardly defeat at Culloden in 1746. Prince Charles Edward Stuart, as he was formerly known, was dressed as Floras' maid and paraded through the highlands before reaching the village and waiting out the arrival of French ships to take him back to France, where he would live in squalor as a drunkard, humiliated by his crushing defeat, the rest of his days. Never mind the fact that he manipulated over a thousand men to die for him on the battlefield, tired and undernourished after little to no sleep and marching for days on his orders. It only took an hour to lose everything. Tartans were outlawed, weapons taken, men hanged, and others went into hiding. Well, I guess you can watch Outlander if you want the gruesome details. At least there you'll have Sam Heughan to comfort you. Gotta love Sam. After dinner at a fabulous little local spot at Portree harbor called The Lower Deck. Located just a spot down from the famous Chippie shop also featured in my book, The Wall that Divides the Ocean.
We love to take advantage of our housing, especially when we rent a home. So often we will travel down to the local grocer to pick up goodies and make sandwiches for driving around, and a good breakfast to start the day with, local fare. Our favorite place to get goodies is the Co-op. There are so many of them, and in most countries, even though the countries all pronounce the word differently. Co-op, coop, Cope. Just say it's a convenience store with groceries. Granted, some of them can be very nice and rather large, like the ones in Switzerland(Cope pronunciation). When we are tired from a long day of driving or climbing hills, we often scoot over to a restaurant. But Portree is a small town and only has so many places to sit down and have a meal. If one is not savvy and reserves a table beforehand, one may end up at the co-op getting a frozen pizza.
We were lucky enough to be smart about it and got a reservation the second night at Antlers Bar and Grill( Food & Drink - The Portree Hotel, Hotel in Portree )for dinner, and also An Talla Mor 1820 (1820 LIMITED, Portree - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor ) for some drinks and appetizers later. While pub food in the US can sometimes be boring, fried unwhelming options, the UK generally doesn't disappoint me. Agree with me or not, I love the food here.Outside of eating and hiking, you can also head to the shops that line the streets, stuck neatly between pubs and other commercial enterprises. A collection of local artisans as well as the tourist trap gifts of Scottish clans, fake cashmere scarves, stuffed Scottish cows, Nessie collectibles, and of course, whiskey samplers. Portree without any of those things is something special, a place that you should absolutely visit at least once in your life.
Click the link below to purchase a copy of C.B. Giesinger's latest novel, The Wall that Divides the Ocean.
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