This was the view a year ago today as Joe and I drove to our B and B outside Pitlochry. He’d be heading back home and I’d go on for a couple more days in the Highlands before heading to the Western Isles which would then be cut short. This is Ben Vrackie (Speckled Mountain) seen across the Moulin Moor.
Visiting Pitlochry the next day, we couldn’t resist stopping by the great Aberlour distillery built beside the wonderful Lour burn as it flows into river Spey. “Aber” is a prefix for “above” or “river mouth” where it flows into a larger body of water. Thus, Aberdeen as the Deen river flows into the North Sea. I bought a special 20 year old single cask Aberlour bottle that we first opened when Joe and Kelly announced they’d be having a wee one this May.
Up the northeast coast is the wide beach on Dunnet Bay.
Not far from Dunnet Bay is one of the largest remaining arrangements of Iron Age stones. Over 200 stones run in lines along a small hill. You can only imagine what might’ve taken place here 4,000 years ago.
Heading back down the coast, you need to cross the Kyle of Sutherland. Kyle is the Gaelic word for river estuary. The fresh water burns and lochs from the Highlands flow into the Kyle meeting the tidal saltwater that flows in and out to the North Sea.
Birch are the wonderful trees of northern latitudes. In Scotland, you can call it a Birk if you’d like, and look at this and wonder how long this wall has stood below this hill.
Over to the west coast, as our trip was cut short, we took a brief stop at Glen Shiel to enjoy the snow blowing across the ridgeline, and now calling me back for a return one day.
