The mystery of Loch Ness and castle Urquhart certainly deserved a whole day of exploration, but we were headed for our last Scottish B and B, in Inverness. With our hearts full of snow-capped mountains and castle ruins, we partook of a pub dinner and a good night’s rest.
We headed off before breakfast and stopped at The House of Bruar, by way of more stunning mountains. This place is hard to describe but here goes. The main purpose of the House of Bruar is to showcase Scottish produce, especially that in the immediate locality. I could have spent hours there, exploring all they had to offer, including bread, cheeses, meat, sweets and fruit and veg. The most impressive sight was rooms and rooms of upmarket Scottish clothes, including kilts and jackets. We had breakfast at the restaurant and sampled our first black pudding- delicious.
Just up the road from The House of Bruar was Blair Castle, Queen Victoria’s favourite Scottish retreat. The castle dates from the 1200s, perfect for my research of medieval life. As with all castles, this one had been renovated numerous times. Sad to say, we were not allowed to take photos inside until we reached the grand hall, which people will recognise from the mini-series, Victoria with Jenna Coleman.
The grand hall was the last venue before leaving the castle and contained dozens of antlers and spears as well as swords and plenty of lords. It is now the venue for weddings and can comfortably seat 220 guests. Imagine having your reception in the same hall in which Queen Victoria hosted her parties!
The woods near castle Blair are the home of gigantic trees and a picturesque river, not to mention the family burial crypt and a chapel. My greatest regret will be not being able to take photos of all the rooms we visited.
On the way back to England, we skirted Edinburgh via this bridge, The Queensferry Crossing, and slipped back over the border. We will return to explore more of this magnificent country!
Our last night of this Scottish jaunt was spent in Felton, Northumberland. We could see the pub from our B and B. This charming tiny country hamlet was the perfect spot, just off the A1. The next morning, it was back to Yorkshire and a day of cricket!
I didn’t imagine our UK experience could get any better than Scotland, but more amazing adventures were just days away!
See you next week…
Bernadette x
