Scotland Winter Tour

The week opens with our 28th Anniversary, yet there is no time for any celebration as we’re off to Scotland. Unless that is the celebration even if we are taking my father with us. Once we have collected him things don’t get off to a promising start as we come to an instant stop on the A50 but thankfully it soon cleared.

We head up to our first stop, at a new place for us, Rhu on the east shore of the Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute. We are staying at the Ardencaple Hotel which is owned by Greene King and sells Greene King IPA which isn’t remotely Scottish.

 

Thankfully to L’s delight they also sell Sunday roasts and for once a place hasn’t run out by the time we get to them. The first whiskeys of the holiday are from Aberfeldy and Bowmore.

In the morning L runs while the Lad and I got for an amble. After breakfast at the hotel we drive into the Highlands finally arriving at Glencoe where we go for coffee at the ski centre. They are skiing at the top although there isn’t a vast amount of snow. It’s not worth strapping my snowblades, that I have brought with us, on.

The chaps running the chairlift are very persuasive in talking us into taking my Dad up. They stop the lift for him at top and bottom. He is thrilled to get a look around at the top before they then bring him down again.

We are, of course, staying once again at the Kingshouse where we will be for two nights. We check in and go for a walk during which we have to haul the Lad out of a stream. 

We eat at the hotel both nights accompanied by some local beers and whiskies. First Knockando then Loch Lomond.

It’s a good job my Dad got to go up the mountain at the Glencoe because it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen at Nevis Range. Just as it never happens at Nevis Range when we’re around. The gondola is closed due to high winds. Instead we do Fort William High Street, which has limited excitement potential, then later we do a 4k run from Kingshouse and L does a weights session. Not at the same time.

On Wednesday we drive to Boat of Garten and the Boat Inn. They have some local Inverness beers and tonight’s whiskey comes from Tomatin. After a successful effort so far in keeping my Dad off the fish and chips, we let him indulge tonight. Although obviously the Lad and I have to eat all his chips.

On Thursday we visit Cairngorm Mountain where they are also skiing at the top of the mountain but as the train is broken yet again you have a 30 minute walk to get to the bottom of the M1 Poma which is the nearest main lift with snow.

Later I run with the Lad on the Red Squirrel trail at Boat of Garten but L doesn’t join us. She runs on Friday morning instead. Thankfully we don’t see, and therefore don’t chase, any squirrels. Tonight’s whiskey is Craigellachie while L samples the Cairngorm gin.

As we head back south we visit both Lecht and Glenshee ski centres. Both of which are skiing on very limited mostly man made snow just on the bottom slopes. We stay at the Airlie Arms in Kirriemuir where we get my Dad on Fajitas, without chips and with an Expresso Martini on the side. The whiskey comes from Dalwhinnie. 

You can’t really get any better preparation than that for Parkrun which is a lap round Forfar Loch starting from Strathmore Rugby Club. Afterwards we head back to the hotel for breakfast. After which we do a local walk out of Kirriemuir while my Dad stays in. He’s having an afternoon nap when we get back so we might as well retire to bed ourselves.

We head back home the next day but there’s time for a bit of drama as we lose my Dad’s phone. When I call it I can hear it ringing from the bottom of the toilet in his bathroom. At first inspection it appears to have survived the experience but later it stops working as water gets into the screen.

It’s a long drive home taking us nine hours including a few stops on the east side as we head back via a more scenic route taking in Edinburgh and the A1. With hindsight we should have scheduled in another overnight stop somewhere in Northumberland. That would have been nice.

 (Sunday 10^th March)