Aberlour

October 17, 2012

Dreary and cold.  That’s the weather for today. But no rain! 

After another wonderful breakfast at Linnmhor we set off for Drumnachit.  We went back through Beauly waving hello to the Campbell Tartan shop ladies.  Our destination was the Urquhart Castle. 

We found the Castle with no problem.  The Urquhart Castle sits alongside the Loch Ness.  We bundled up as it is 4 degrees centigrade.  We walked all over the castle remains.  It was built in the 1300s and many people “owned” it over the centuries.  What we’ve gathered with all these castles is that someone owns them; someone else decides they want it, and they take it, and then they fight over the castle for a hundred years or so, then finally the last someone blows the place up so the Jacobites or the English won’t get it.  And now Scotland owns them all and charges 5 pounds per person to see it and there you go!  Capitalism wins!

Here are some pictures of the castle:

Now, we think we have big news on the BBOY front.  While bc was taking pictures of the Loch Ness, he captured what we believe to be the Loch Ness Monster, (Nessie).   And if you look very closely, isn’t that a piece of yarn attached to Nessie’s tail?  Look again! 

Well, though we are fairly certain the BBOY may be attached to the Loch Ness Monster, we cannot be 100% sure.  So, we vow to continue on!  We will not let you down!!

Once we left the castle we drove to Inverness.  It’s a big city and a good place to drive through.  We headed to Elgin.  We took a side trip to Fort George.  It’s a working fort; we could hear gunfire in the background.  We would have liked to pay our 5 pounds and seen it, but it was very cold, on the water and we said nah….

After we left Elgin we drove through Fogwat, Rothes and dingdingding…. I win the gold star; make that a double gold star, for seeing the signs to The Macallan.  Now, anyone who knows bc knows he is The Macallan’s biggest customer.  As we drove up to the distillery I swear a saw a tear in his eye.  BC here – “When we stepped out of the car in the wee parking lot, I could swear the smell gave me a recall of me Mum’s love…….”  The good news and bad news is that we missed the last 2pm tour, so we booked a place for tomorrow’s 11am tour.  Since we each get 2 tastes and I don’t drink scotch, bc will have to secretly tell me which 2 to choose.  I had thought about buying him one of those little airplane bottles of 1948 Macallan, but at 500 pounds I had to disappoint bc.  But I’m saved as the lady who works there says it is very peaty as during the war years they burned more peat than coal to dry the barley.  Whew, saved! 

We found our way to Aberlour and the Mashtun Inn.  We are sitting in the bar having a drink, eating peanuts.  We will be staying above the bar in the Glenfarclas room.  Horrors!  We ran out of clean underwear, (this is what happens when you just dig through the big suitcase yanking things out as needed).  However, the bar lady asked the lady in back and she’ll wash our underwear for us!  Cool!

BC went to the post office to mail back the key we absconded with from Linnmhor House only to find out that on Wednesdays, and that’s today, they close at noon.  So off to the post office after breakfast tomorrow.

There is only 2g internet here so we’ll have to wait to post this sometime down the road. 

Love to everyone, we miss you, bc and gc