Out and About Around Carron

Thursday July 11, 2019

We got a bit of later start today since we didn’t have to be out of the B&B by 10. It was lovely to be able to take a bit of extra time, but the downside is that it shortens the time we have to see things. Just about everything (except some grocery stores and most restaurants) close at 5 pm - which is wonderful for those who work here. They can go home and be with their families/do what they need to do. However, it’s a bit challenging for us as we’re used to things be opening until much later. A different culture and lifestyle - which is one of the delightful parts of traveling.

We had about a two hour drive to our first stop. Much of it was on the Coastal Trail Road. Along the way was a lot of very productive farm land. Some fields as large as 50 acres or so - which is huge compared to what we’ve seen so far which have mostly 1 - 2 acres. They grow a lot of barley with some oats. This probably goes to all of the distilleries around here. There are a LOT of them. We also saw some crops of carrots and turnips, under white plastic mesh which is used to try to keep some heat on the plants. It’s removed if the ground gets too wet. (Dave learned this from talking to a 94 year old farmer who was sitting in his car by the sea.)

The first thing on our list to see was the Duff House (1735). It’s a Georgian manor and one of the finest houses in Scotland - so says the brochure. It was very grand with lots of interesting things in it. A few examples: Napoleon gifted a number of beautiful blue chairs to one of the owners, two globes from about 1760 - one of the earth and one of the heavens, and a medicine chest from the 1700s that had about 10 options. There was art on just about every square inch of the walls. What a lot of dusting for someone!

As we were driving to our next stop, a small side road called to us so we just had to go down there. A very steep, winding road ended in the cutest seaside town of Pennan. Lovely white houses lined up facing the sea. A pop of color came from the window trim - some purple, some pink. Clotheslines ran the length of the coast (it’s a tiny town) - between the water and the road. A fellow was sleeping in a rocking chair just a few feet from the edge of the sea. I have a video of all of this, but can’t figure out how to attach it to the blog. :(

Our next destination was a lighthouse/castle combination. Turns out that part of the Kinnaird Head Castle, built in the early 1500s, became the base for a lighthouse built in 1787. The only evidence of the castle was a beautiful stone building that we couldn’t get into. It was really just a three story box - its original use a mystery. The lighthouse still had a keeper until the early 1990s when everything became automatic. It’s now run from an office somewhere far from the lighthouse. In its early years, the light could be seen for 10 - 14 miles out to sea - the North Sea. That’s remarkable when you think about the technology they had at that time.

By 5ish, it was time to head back to our B&B. It was a 50 mile trip that the GPS said would take 90 minutes, but time always gets added because we don’t go the speed limit. On the way, we stopped for fish and chips. The fish was freshly caught and the chips were just cut from potatoes. On the side we had mushy peas which are a lot like baby food with chunks of peas in it. They taste really good, but are a bit hard to look at.

Back to the B&B for some texting with the kids, checking email, reading, and planning for tomorrow. A big day tomorrow! Stay tuned for more on that soon.

Oh! The rain! Today it didn’t start to rain until 4 or so and only lasted for an hour. I think it’s rained every day but one, but it’s never slowed us down for a minute.

One thing I learned today: The first fuel used in lighthouses, for the light, was whale oil.
One new thing I experienced today: A “flaky” made from scratch at the cutest bakery in Banff. It was amazing! The cream was real and the raspberry filling was made with real raspberries. Who knew you could actually get a “real” one?
Most powerful moment of the day: Hearing from the owner of this adorable red stone cottage on the edge of the North Sea that when it storms, the waves from the sea go right over the top of her cottage. Hard to believe just standing there looking at it, but true I’m sure.
One pleasurable experience: When we arrived at the Duff House, we ran a bell and spoke to someone  over an intercom system. This woman sounded exactly like Mrs. Doubtfire (from the movie with Robin Williams). It was like having her right there.  :)