As part of the celebrations for Lesley’s 20–year work anniversary she went on a wee road trip with our Operations Director, Jacqui.
Day One
We set-off from home on a rather grey wet morning and travelled through Fife into Perthshire passing Pitlochry and stopping off at House of Bruar for a browse at the Scottish goods and a takeaway coffee. By the time we arrived in Aviemore the sun was out as we explored the local shops before hopping aboard the Strathspey Steam Train for our 90mins return journey stopping off at Boat of Garten and Broomhill. In our First-Class compartment we enjoyed lovely views of the Cairngorms whilst tucking into delicious soup and sandwiches.
There are some great events coming up that the Strathspey Railway is involved including the Flying Scotsman Steam Gala in September.
Our next stop was at the Highland Folk Museum which is free to enter however they do request you donate. This mainly outdoor museum allows you to step back in time and experience life in the Highlands from the 1700s to the 1950s with over 35 historical buildings onsite to explore. A particular favourite for us was the area that was used as an Outlander filming location for season 1. Claire and Jamie visited here accompanied by Dougal when they were sent by Colum to collect taxes for Clan Mackenzie. There are staff on-site dressed in traditional costume who can tell you more about this.
From Newtonmore we continued our journey to Fort William passing some stunning scenery including Loch Laggan and Spean Bridge. We enjoyed dinner in our hotel before setting off on our evening cruise with Cruise Loch Lihnne. Whilst on our 90mins cruise we were able to enjoy spectacular views of Ben Nevis as we passed islands teeming with birdlife. We also saw a seal having a wee nap! The team run a variety of cruises from the pier in Fort William all year round so in the winter you can see snow-capped mountains, or you can join one of their Seal Island wildlife cruises.
Day Two
After a restful night, the second day of our road trip began! We made the short drive to catch the Corran ferry from near Fort William over to Ardgour a crossing which took only a few minutes. From here it was an interesting drive down to Lochaline on mainly single-track roads with passing places in the rain! We took the Calmac ferry from Lochaline over to Fishnish on the Isle of Mull, the sailing took around 15mins. From Fishnish we travelled on some narrow roads to the pretty town of Tobermory. With its colourful buildings you can’t help but be charmed by this lovely town.
After a walk along the main street and a visit to several shops including the Tobermory Chocolate Shop we made the short drive to Sgriob-ruadh Dairy Farm and Distillery where they make their own cheese and spirit from the milk of their herd of cows. There is also a lovely café with fresh coffee and cakes and a small farm shop where you can purchase cheese, spirit, and other produce. We also made a pit stop at the lovely Tobermory Fish Co for a few souvenirs and popped into the gallery next door.
For the return journey of our road trip we drove to Craignure and made the ferry crossing over to Oban which took just under an hour. After a late lunch stop at the Oban Bay Hotel it was homeward bound stopping off enroute at the Green Welly Stop in Tyndrum for some final shopping and a rest.
We didn’t quite manage 500 miles, but we did cover 385 miles and had a great time!
