Visiting mainland Scotland and the Isle of Skye

For a small country, Scotland has alot to see. We spent time near the Trossachs National Forrest which includes a number of beautiful lochs (lakes). This is Loch Katrine, a classicly beautiful lake with a steam driven ferry boat. 

View down Loch Katrine from the Sir Walter Scott Ferry

Being July, Melanie rocked her Scottish Bikini on board the ferry

A blanket two-piece!

This gentleman owned a small, private steam launch and showed 

Justin how he fires and maintains the boiler. 

We had a lovely housesit nearby for three cats and a super cute Dachsund, named Aggie. she really likes to cuddle but also enjoyed seeing a sheep herding demonstration and hiking in the woods. 

The snuggly joy of a small dog....

During this sit we visited a wool museum and watched a great demonstration of how Border Collies herd livestock. In this case, The pen was too small to herd sheep, so the Collie directed a flock of ducks through an obstacle course.

We've seen a billion sheep but this ewe may be the cutest!

After a great week, we headed toward Edinburgh, passing the Eileen Donan Castle on the way. This maybe one of the prettiest location for a castle that we've seen to date. We happened to catch this in a clear morning,

Enroute we stopped to see two very compelling, and different attractions. Below are "The Kelpies" a 98 foot tall sculpture recently installed and officially opened about a month ago. They don't serve any practical function but startinglingly loom over the highway and Forth River. 

 The other sight was the Falkirk Wheel. It was built to lift canal boats, crossing Scotland's canal waterways up almost 100 feet to meet the higher lake. It works by perfectly balancing two containers of water and floating boats and rotating the lower boat up and the upper boat down. If there is only one boat the law of displacement ensures that the containers are still perfectly balanced. It's so well designed, it uses only $15 worth of electricity each day. The wheel is a beautiful melding of function and beauty.

Boat entering the wheel

Wheel at half turn

Boat exiting the top of the wheel and heading to the next lake.

Edinburgh was a delight to visit. New Town, is a carefully designed Gerogian masterpiece with wide squares and long curving building facades, with gardens and green spaces at regular intervals. This gives this section of town a great outdoor experience, while housing a large population, 

The city has a rich culture, with writers, artists and musicians as well as engineers and academics settling here. Justin, desperate for a haircut, nipped into a barbershop. Halfway through the cut, he learned that his stylist was none other than "Angie" who cuts author Alexander McCall-Smith's hair and is even mentioned in one of his 44 Scotland Street novels. He was due to stop in any day, so we kept a close watch but did not see him.  

The famous Angie and her not so famous customer

Some of the sights: The Sir Walter Scott monument, 

only 287 ever narrowing steps to the top...

Aboard HMS Britania, the private yacht of Queen Elizabeth,
retired from active duty

The Flower Clock. A workng clock made of flowers that chimes on the hour.

A statue comemorating one of Edinburgh's well known authors, featuring his famous charachter.  

After feeling like city-slickers we headed to the remote Isle of Skye. Some years ago, the isle was linked to the mainland by the constructtion of a bridge. Many locals claim that it's no longer an island and has lost all of its character. It may not still be an island, but it's still got lots of character and is a remote hiking wonderland.

Overview of lakes

 Visiting the Fairy Pools:

Hiking upstream toward the pools

One of the small waterfal and pools. Sadly, not warm enough to swin in...

Hiking to the rock enclosure where early Scots hid thier cattle from Viking invaders

These loom 80 feet over the trail. 

Fresh water falling into the sea below      

Our next update will be from the wee country of Wales! 

Touring Southern England

As you may remember, we spent May in Ireland and then June traveling around southern England.
Here are a few shots from London, a beautiful and interesting city.

Practice sesion for the Queen's birthday celebration.

These booths actually have a dial tone!?!?

One of the Elgin Mables, once attached to the Parthenon's frieze

Justin selecting our perfect tow vehicle

Back of Westminster Abby

After a fun week in London, we traveled south to house sit in East Sussex. It's a picture perfect slice of English countryside with fields of sheep or horses, edged in hedgerows, narrow lanes and profusely blooming flowers.  We took a house sit and enjoyed country life for a few weeks.

Entertaining two of our charges. 

Every afternoon, the 5 ponies got a little treat. If said treat was late,
 they started shouting from the stalls. They are almost as good a time keeper as the dogs. 

Nearby, was the home of the beautifully restored Blue Bell Railroad. The train and stations were in perfect condition, all managed by volunteers, mostly retired men who tidy, paint and repair old engines. Melanie was tempted to sign Justin up, it's a perfect match for him!

One of the conductors invited Justin into the Engine for the rail line turn around.
The engineer's saftey lecture: "If its brass, it's hot. If it's red it's dangerous.
If it's black, it's dirty. Don't touch anything"
 

The stations are beautifully landscaped, nicer then when the stations saw daily use we suspect.

The train heading around for the return trip.

Riding in the restored car.

Here is the "his" and "her" portion of the trip. The WW II flight museum. It tells the story of the courageous Royal Air Force and the Battle of Britian.  If you are history buff, the Battle of Britain is a story of bravery, sheer courage and luck. Fantastic reading.

An important plane, Justin can give you the details.....

Flight simulator around the southern coast of England

Homing Pigeons used to carry cameras to take photos of German airstrips
and storage depots

And something for you literary types....

Jane Austen's House Museum!

Jane spent eight years with her mother, sister Cassandra and a family friend. She revised her first 3 published novels here and wrote three more. Jane suffered from poor health and sadly died soon thereafter. The house and gardens are wonderfully maintained with many of her personal belongings inside.

Jane's writing table at right, placed close the window for best light.
Her writing desk is kept in the  British Library but they don't allow photos...

The bedroom she shared with her beloved sister, Cassandra.

Jane's household of unmarried or widowed women lived very modestly. Her brother Edward had the good fortune to be adopted by a childless and very rich uncle. Edward was kind enough to deed the Austen ladies a home for life but his life was very different.

 This is the drive leading up to one of Edward's three estates.....

Travelling south, we visited the classically beautiful city of Bath. Famous for the only UK hot springs and endlessly flowing mineral waters. Bath was popular social hotspot for those needing a cure and for those bored in the country side. Sadly, one cannot soak in the famous Bath bath. It's now an ultra modern and pricey tourist spot but the city and its famous sights make for a lovely walking tour.

In the downtown park you can let sun chairs and sit among the gardens

The river flows throughout the city.

The famous Pump Room, it was the most popular meeting place of its day.
It was one of the few public places where women could see and be seen. 

Southern England was lovely and warm but we turned northward to Scotland. Next update from the city of Edinburgh and Isle of Skye!

Galway, Aran Islands & visiting Family

After some nature in Dingle, we visited the city of Galway. It's home to a university, several large US tech companies and many, many street musicians. It location along a river and adjacent bay, makes for a pretty and vibrant city.

Skiffs moored along the river

Some of the oldest buildings in the city, originally against the city's protective wall 

Typical street scene

We heard a new to us instrument called a Hang. It looks like a cousin to the steel drum but is played without mallets. For a sample of how it sounds click here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYbFa-6OYOE

We left for the Aran Islands, off the coast of Galway. The seas were a bit rough heading out and it's fortunate it was a 45 minute trip and not a 48 minute trip.

No joke, the crew handed out plastic bags

Once we arrived, the island was lovely with lots of rock walls,  rocky shores, sheep and old forts.

 A commemorative cross near the center of town

The Black Fort,  is a double walled fort, with almost completely intact walls, it's located on the highest point on Inishmore, giving a clear view the island. It is believed to have been built sometime between 550 and 800 BC and was probably home to an extended family and their animals. 

The nearby cliffs steal the show. They fall a few hundred feet to the sea and are home to nesting birds. 

Another photo to sooth her parents...

If you look carefully you can see two people on the opposite side.

The island has an unusual rock formation called the "Worm Hole" its an all natural perfect pool formed by broken slate. Water surges up through the bottom making small waves. Red Bull staged a cliff diving championship here a few years ago. For scale, Melanie is standing on a lower ledge near the back.

The worm hole from above

Back on the main land (the return ferry ride was muuch smoother!) we took a day trip to Kylemore Abby. Once a house of an Irish aristocrat, it became a convent for Benedictine nuns and a private girls school. The nuns still reside here but the school is closed and they are redeveloping it as a retreat and music learning center. The house reminded us of the Newport summer cottages. 

This is the Killary Fjord. A fjord is an ocean inlet that reaches deep into the land between mountains, It was striking to be so far inland and smell the sea. Mussels are farmed in the fjord and we could see boats harvesting as we walked along the banks. 

View of the burren which bears a resemblance to Maine's central and northers coasts. 

The next town we visited was Kinsale, one of the oldest towns in Ireland and it reminded Justin of Marblehead with its narrow twisting streets, houses cheek by jowl and active waterfront.

We had the good fortune to be in Ireland while Chris and Angie were touring with their group of students. We met them in Ennis and invited ourselves along for a dance hall session, tour of the historical site of Cragganouwen, and a few music sessions.

Atop a castle tower with Angie.

Dr. Smith cleverly inserts a history lesson into the tour.
We learned more in this tour than all the forts combined!

We returned to Dublin area to await Westy's ship to England, This gave us a few days to explore and Melanie go to meet this little cutie....

Disappointing, he wasn't looking for a date, just fundraising "Swimmers for something."
It was worth a few euros to see him jump into the Liffey river. 

Westy arrived in England on June 2nd and we camped outside London for a few days.  The next update will be from the UK.