Scotland
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Tour Scotland in Two Weeks
My German friends, family and colleagues often get in touch when they are planning a trip to Scotland. “Where should I go?”, they ask. And since I’ve answered this question many times before, I thought it would be good to write down my ultimate Tour Scotland in Two Weeks Itinerary. There’s no way you can see in Scotland in two weeks, so pick what most interests you from the links I provide. I’m tailoring this to the places and activities that I think will most appeal to my overseas readers and that you’ll not find in every tourist guide. This is based on personal experience and so totally subjective! I’ll…
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Secrets of Scotland – Mhorfest
This weekend, we travelled up to the Highlands of Scotland to Mhor Hotel, and their annual MhorFest. We’d intended arriving in time for the Raft Race on Saturday morning, but underestimated the travelling time on the wee roads, and missed it. All was not lost, as the festival was just getting underway. With free entry for kids under 14 years, it was clear that this was going to be a popular event with families, and already there were a fair number of people milling about.
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Secrets of Scotland – The Kingdom of Fife
It’s been a while since I wrote a Secrets of Scotland, so I thought I’d catch you all up on some of the glorious areas of the country I am lucky enough to call home. The suggestions on this blog are many, and you won’t be able to do them all in a day, so pick the ones you like best, and don’t forget to let me know the ones I missed! A lot of tourists land in Edinburgh and drive straight past Fife to head for the Highlands. Or if they visit the area, they drive to St Andrews, and then onwards. When we pick visitors up from the…
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Advent, Advent …
… ein Lichtlein brennt, erst eins, dann zwei, dann drei, dann vier. Dann steht das Christkind vor der Tür. I know, I know. It is not yet December, and I have been ranting on Twitter about creating a vigilante group called the #grinchpatrol to wander around tearing down the Christmas decorations in shops. Christmas should not start in November. However, half of our little family is German, and one of the BEST things about Germany at Christmas time is the Adventzeit. Advent is not really marked in UK, aside from the calendars filled with pretty pictures, or if you are lucky, with chocolate. In Germany, the Adventszeit is almost better…
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Ghosts – The Grey Lady of Glamis Castle
Glamis Castle is on my home turf, not far from my parent’s house and has always been one of my favourite castles. Not just the look of the castle, which with its turrets and towers would not be out of place in a Disney movie, but also the extensive grounds, the charming tour and the massive scones in the Victorian Kitchen Tearoom. There is a wooden playground for children next to a field of highland cattle. Throughout the year, Glamis Castle welcomes visitors with various activities and exhibitions. This summer, inspired by the Royal Wedding, saw a fascinating array of wedding dresses from past times, including the one…
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Secrets of Scotland for Tourists – Review – Aird Hill B&B Badachro
It is a tricky thing, choosing a B&B. You can look on TripAdvisor.com and ask on Twitter, but when it comes down to it, you are on your own. A highly recommended B&B might have had a change of owner, or the owner may be having a bad day. You may simply not like the place, or find the pillows too hard. Trawling TripAdvisor only takes you so far – you have to weed through the reviews a bit as there are some people who are slightly hard to please such as this reviewer of a Spanish hotel. In Spain: “The staff were friendly enough but the food was very…
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The Secrets of Scotland – Scottish Artist Ron Lawson
Is it Awfully Middle-Class to Have an Art Theme? You are all nodding. This is a bad sign. It was not planned, but we seem to have a Scottish art theme in our living room (and now I angst about using living room or lounge, or sitting room. I should not have read the book about class distinctions in UK*). The Scottish art theme is all down to our recent trip. Finding Scotland both picturesque and, in comparison to Switzerland, inexpensive for buying art, we brought home three different pieces. And that sounds even more middle-class poncy than ever. Pieces. Urgh. Anyway, here is what we bought. The first piece…
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Secrets of Scotland for Tourists – Off the Beaten Track – Part Two
All beautiful countries share this problem – you can’t see Scotland for tourists blocking the best views and roads. Find unspoilt and less traveled paths with this series of articles on the Secrets of Scotland If you are looking to go off the beaten track in Scotland, find some places that are not clogged with tourists, turn your back on Loch Ness and Edinburgh and head for the West Coast. As I posted on my blog last week, a lot of the foreign tourists seem to head from Edinburgh up to Loch Ness, then over to Skye. Some of them might journey on further North, but many don’t. The…
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Secrets of Scotland – Off the Beaten Track – Part One
All beautiful countries share this problem – you can’t see Scotland for tourists blocking the best views and roads. Find unspoilt and less traveled paths with this series of articles on the Secrets of Scotland – the hidden parts of the country that are not on the normal bus tour itineraries. Seeing your home country through the eyes of a stranger, as a foreigner, is always interesting. I recall being surprised at some of my husband’s observations over the years. He loved the typical British pub, with carpets. It had never occurred to me that carpets were strange in pubs – but considering all that must get…
