Mum and Dad’s trip to Scotland – Take 2

The last trip to Scotland, Mum and Dad were blown away (literally!) So I was hoping this trip would be even better for them! It was great that the weekend coincided with Mother’s day as well! They arrived Thursday night, which was good timing as I arrived back from a work trip to the Netherlands, visiting Arnhem and Emmen. Friday I left them to their own devices, as I had work. I managed to finish up early and after an extended happy hour we all went out for Bangladeshi. The service could be described as frenetic! Saturday we were up early and away to the Highlands. I took them to Bruar. A venue where you can buy pretty much anything you want from cashmere scarves to Scottish short bread. Mum went shopping crazy. Dad and I were excellent clothes horses! We also managed a work up to the Falls of Bruar. When we arrived back at the flat Saturday evening we had a small problem... When I left the flat Saturday morning I neglected to take the keys for the flat as I had earlier separated them for M&D on Friday. In short, with Kim away for the weekend down south we were locked out of the flat! So how did we get in...? In the end after various panicked telephone calls I was kindly let in to the neighbours flat directly below ours, from there I hoisted myself up to our tiny deck and opened our lounge French doors. This was the second time I had been locked out of something when Mum and Dad were in Scotland! Saturday night we went to the movies and had a good laugh at the Best Exotic Marigold Hold, a story about old people embracing retirement in a new culture (India). Sunday we were up early again, the weather was fantastic! This time we drove up through Glenshee to Braemer. Here we stopped for a cup of coffee and cake. Mum bought some cups from a nice art gallery as well. We carried onto Banchory where we stopped to browse some outdoor stores and picked up a Subway and Hot Drinks for Lunch. Next we carried onto Stonehaven where we wandered along the seafront, past the picturesque port and up the hill to the War memorial. It was great to see the daffodils out in full force. We carried on further to Dunnator Castle, which I left Mum and Dad to explore. I walked back to pick up the car and collected them on the way done the coast through to Brechin. At Brechin, I booked high tea for Mum and Dad as a special Mothers day treat. We arrived back at Dundee to collect Kim from the train station victorious from her Squash match in Sheffield. Sunday night M+D packed and we had an early night. Very tired after a busy but enjoyable weekend.

Fort Augustus a weekend break

A romantic weekend away. Kim found a really good deal for two nights at the Inch Hotel through Groupon. For some unknown reason we both though that this would be at Loch Inch, but it actually was a bit further a field in Fort Augustus on the southern shore of Loch Ness. We packed quickly and left by 5 pm. There was a fair bit of traffic but the drive up was pleasant. However Kim was a wee bit distraught when I ran over for what I mistook to be only a leaf, but it was actually a frog (x 2 oops)! We went out for dinner at a pub on the Caledonian Canal. I had a steak pie and Kim Fish and Chips. A nice sleep in a very comfy bed was very much enjoyed on Saturday morning. We feasted a top notch breakfast, I had the omelete and Kim waffles with berries. We headed into the ‘metropolis’ that is fort Augustus and went to information centre for Ideas. First we went to an animal farm. It was a bit rundown but we had heaps of fun taking photo’s of the Highland Cows, Goats, Donkeys and Sheep. Next we decided on a picturesque walk around the area which killed a couple of hours. Afterwards we roamed around Fort Augustus, popping in to some of the local shops. I bought a woollen jersey and treated Kim to a Scottish shawl. After picking up some snacks from the Co-op we went back to the Hotel and chilled for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner was booked for 7.30pm so we relaxed in the lounge over a few drinks and played Mexican trains. We even got talking to a Kiwi process engineer from New Plymouth working for Shell in Aberdeen. Dinner was really nice, I had the haddock and Kim went for the Lamb. Sunday we had another scrummy breakfast and checked out early. We were on the local golf course by 9 a.m. Interesting course, it was very tight and if you strayed off the sheep strewn fairways into the bracken you were punished with a lost ball. We had lots of fun and we played a few good shots amongst a lot of bad ones! After 9 holes I was busting for the toilet and we had to dash back to Fort Augustus for an emergency stop. We left around Midday to Fort William, where we stopped for Lunch and stopped at the information centre to pick up information for my lads weekend in May. It was turning into a brilliantly sunny day so after Lunch we went for a 45 minute walk, through forest and past some impressive waterfalls. The drive back was uneventful at least this time I didn’t kill any frogs!