Early AM - Akron Canton airport
Our plane arrives
Baggage is being loaded
The “girls” outside our window in Ireland are curious
One is still looking - how curious, Americans!
Ardee
Shopping Center - Drogheda
Our hostel “The Green Door” cream building on left. Door wasn't green - nothing else was, either. Hmmm.
Our room - not luxurious, but perfectly adequate
Road to Newgrange near by.
Kirkoswald - view from window of “Shanter Tavern” where we spent the first night in Scotland
Kirkoswald Cemetery
Another view of Kirkoswald
Souter Johnnie's - celebrated by Robt. Burns - the shoemaker of Tam O'Shanter fame - he drank with Tam
Another view of Souter Johnnie's - near our digs for the night.
Shanter Hotel -THE Shanter Inn of Burns fame
Town outline
Old Kirkyard
Souter Johnnie's grave
“Kirkton Jean” - her resting place - she predicted doom for Tam
Tam O'Shanter
Interesting tombstone
Fist view of Isle of Arran
Here's our transportation - good old CalMac
Ferry landing
That's really not all me - the vest pockets are full
Beautiful view of highest peak on island
Lamlash Bay
Lamlash
Kilbrannan Sound
Ailsa Craig & lighthouse at Pladda
stone circle near Machrie
Another view of stone circle
Heelstone
This was a display within the Arran Island distillery
Castle Ruin near Lochranza
Bay near Lochranza - ferry port to Kintyre. Crossed to Cloanaig - not a luxurious crossing
Standing stones near Dunadd Fort on Kintyre - note Himself in background
More stones
Crusader stones in churchyard at Kilmartin
More stones - can these have been Knights Templar?
Kilmartin churchyard
Dunadd fort - where the Stone of Scone originally stood and where early Scottish Kings were crowned.
Climbing Dunadd
View from the top - not an easy climb. No elevators here.
View from Dunadd - different direction
Still another view from Dunadd
Possibly the castle atop the hill - the actual Dunadd fort
Doesn't look that forbidding from this angle - trust me, it was a climb
And still another climb - this time to see Pictish stone markings (look close)
Okay maybe not Pictish - but early. 487 meters from road - all an upward climb
The group has arrived!
I think they're glad to have their plane trip behind them...
Chapel at Stirling Castle
Distant view of Stirling Castle
Guide showing us around “Barony” part of Strathclyde University
Glasgow Cathedral - Kentigern (fondly known at St. Mungo - which means “friend') founded it here on ancient worship site.
cathedral window
Holy well - ancient worship site - here long before cathedral
St.Mungo's grave
Ah! Tea Time!
Himself makes a point
View of cemetery
Another view of cemetery
Willow Tea Room - designed by Charles Rennie MacIntosh
Tea inside the tea room - wish Ann Heflin could see it with us
Margaret Opphile & Cheryl Rankine debate their order
Ft. William
Jacobite Steam Train!
Note the white heather on the light - good luck for our journey..
Donna & Margaret - seated & ready to go
That's our luggage - stowed for the journey
Don & Joann, Gene & Betty - we're on our way
We sure had a lot of luggage
Nydah & Joann taking pictures out of the side of the train
View of the mountains along the way
Viaduct made famous in Harry Potter films
Glenfinnan station
Ah! The inevitable piper - longer than normal layover here due to landslide on track ahead
more of the beautiful scenery
Himself - he loves to have his picture taken
scenery - taken while the train was moving
Arisaig view
View from our window in Mallaig - long climb to the West Highland Hotel, but well worth it. Charming place.
lobster nets
We're moving on to Skye - lobby of hotel
Himself liked this butterfly at Armadale Gardens
These gardens were lovely & the Clan Donald Centre was interesting - I would like to return there
Eileen Donan castle entrance
View of Eileen Donan
Nydah by Eileen Donan castle
View of Eileen Donan - home of Chief of Clan MacRae
Another view of Eileen Donan
Our bus
Window view - Atholl House hotel
Dunvegan Castle - home of Clan MacLeod - at last I saw the fairy flag! - that's our driver, Alasdair MacRae with Gene
Blacksmith shop at the Museum of Island Life - hope my great grandfather was a better looking blacksmith
typical island house - part of the museum
Lunch stop at Columba Center
Tinches are heading back to the bus
View from Brogaig/Quairaine - fantastic weather and phenomenal view thanks to Alasdair
more of the view
Can you believe it? Skye is very seldom seen like this.
or this...
Or even this - we need to make an offering to the weather gods. Amazing.
And still more Skye scenery
See that road? You cannot imagine how daring our driver was to attempt it...
Islands of Rona & Raasay
Mealt Falls
We're all taking pictures of the falls
What else? Scottish thistles.
While the group takes pictures, Alasdair enjoys an ice cream from a van parked near by.
Old Man of Storr - taken through bus window
Another view of the old man..
Still visible - and look at the scenery
The old man is in the distance - and the scenery is still gorgeous
Yep, old man and view
Tulloch Castle
The green lady haunts the castle - and apparently my camera as well.
Fireplace at Tulloch Castle - Clan Davidson home
Culloden
Culloden Moor
Comfort stop
Got comforted
Jim & Gene orderig refreshments
Laddie explaining process
Carl Tinch looks interested - Betty looks bored
Ah - lovely tubs
That's the “spirit safe” in the corner and a good view of Ginny's jacket
blurry view of spirit safe
grains used to make the whisky
Church where John Knox gave fire & brimstone sermons in Perth
explanation
Edinburgh & the Fringe Festival
part of the street display for the Fringe events
Model of Jenny Geddes famous stool in St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh
Fringe stuff
Royal Mile
Lively group performing
The wee lad conquers!
He strikes again! What a brave laddie...
Wee break at the museum coffee shop
Part of the Lewis Chess Set
Royal Mile - St. Giles in background - Don Mellen a tad closer
Firth of Forth Railroad Bridge
Firth of Forth regular road bridge
St. Andrews - castle
Entrance to castle
Examining sign at entrance - North Sea beyond
Inside castle courtyard
Castle courtyard
St. Andrews cathedral
Famous golfer “Tommy”
Fishing boats - Anstruther (best fish & chips in Gt. Britain)
Anstruther harbor
Maritime Museum - ship - Anstruther
Another view of museum ship in Anstruther
Looking out to sea from Anstruther harbor
breakwall & lighthouse at Anstruther
Pub on Rose Street in Edinburgh - Don studies the menu
Neat bar in pub
Edinburgh Castle by night
Scott's ship “Discovery” in Dundee
The “Discovery”
Glamis Castle - highland cattle on display
Seen too many tourists to be interested...
Glamis Castle - back
Glamis Castle - front - Queen Elizabeth's mum's family home
The swallows are at home here, too...
Bench across from Atholl Villa B&B where we stayed. Interesting?
Our digs. Blair Atholl distillery within walking distance - Heather Gems factory right across the street. Ideal.
Our transport
Alaisdair being indulgent
Falls of Dochart at Killin
Another view of the falls
View from the other side of the bridge
Oban view
Another Oban view - misty day
Oban harbor view
McCaig's folly in view on the hill - still Oban
Highland mist
Loch Lomond
Nydah with Clan Elliot cap on - Loch Lomond
still Loch Lomond
Mellens with Alasdair
Loch Lomond - Margaret & Ginny & Carl
Ouch - the sun came out
The good weather left with the group. Sea bird center - Bass Rock in background. Rainy day.
Another view of the Bass Rock - large gannet colony - camera view inside center
Is that a puffin I see ? Nope, long gone out to sea.
Nice beach - no swimmers, though
Note the haystacks - just outside North Berwick
Find the haystacks interesting..
Remains of Kelso cathedral
Obvious - Floors Castle - illegal photo
Greenknowe Tower - near Gordon
Pleasant, very accommodating clerk at Dalgliesh woolen mill in Selkirk
Dalgleish woolen mill interior
Studying the chart to set up her loom, the weaver doesn't even notice us.
Worker watches to make sure the loom is correct
The source of the wool
More wool “on the hoof” so to speak...
Still more sheep ...
Moffat - liked the sign
He rules in the middle of Moffat square
Moffat woolen mill - mainly for tourists
Old photo of mill workers
Unclear photo - but shows wool on spindles
birdwatcher statue at Gatehouse of Fleet
same statue from a bit of a distance - nice museum here
She's a kiltmaker - fashioning a special kilt for a BBC Scotland performer
All hand stitched - look at the pleats.
Belted Galloways
bred mainly in Galloway - not really profitable cattle - mainly tourist attraction
Charming B & B in Wigtown - super host
Walked to the distillery - farthest south in Scotland - few miles from our B & B
Pub across the street from distillery - took whisky, peanuts, and lager to get Himself back to the guest house
View from St. Ninian's chapel - Isle of Man, Mull of Galloway & Northumbria very clear
View of St. Ninian's chapel
Again, view across the water
Whithorn - place of pilgrimage
Whithorn museum
Whithorn Museum
Museum - authentic stones, removed for protection and place in museum
early Christian cross
Tomb entrance
tomb interior
Portwilliam
Portwilliam sign
Portwilliam fisherman statue
Ailsa Craig - authentic curling stones are mined there
Ailsa Craig
okay, so I'm fascinated by Ailsa Craig
back in Ireland - Himself finally bought a hat here
Just looked so Irish! We called Jonathan from here...
Iceland from the air...
Icebergs from the plane window
More icebergs - neat
mountains from the air
