Our next holiday to Scotland was Aviemore in December 2006. We had by this time the addition of Amber (aged 5) and Charlotte (almost 4). The holiday was based around wanting them to see reindeer in their natural habitat, and Liz had arranged, as a Christmas present, for John to go dog sledding (with a seat for herself as well, of course). Obviously it was also Christmas so winter, snow and getting away for the school holiday was also in there.
We drove all the way up in one go and had a couple of nights at The Hilton in Aviemore (now Coylumbridge Hotel), which was about the most we could afford back then. It was a lovely hotel and after the kids had gone to sleep we took it in turns to chill in the lounge bar with a whiskey, and alternately sit in the bathroom of the hotel room on baby-watch duty with a paperback.
On the morning we left for home we were thrilled to hear the throaty notes of a lone bagpipe player on the steps of the hotel playing Auld Lang Syne as we bundled bags into the boot and small children into their car seats.
OK, so there was a lack of snow on this trip, but it did not stop us experiencing the wonder of the reindeer, up close and so calm and majestic. And, it did not stop us dog sledding as where there are wheels there's a way! Racing along behind a pack of excited, yelping and powerful dogs that are itching to be let loose is a thrill like few others. Sadly the Cairngorm Sleddog Centre closed in 2021 and the dogs, and owners, are now retired. And, it did not prevent the kids from having fun on the dry slopes witha little sledging of their own.
Speaking of the weather, you can't talk about living in Scotland without talking about the weather, so let's head that one off at the pass. There are 365 days a year and some, or many, of them will be 'dreich' - one simple and expressive Scottish word covering: bleak, miserable, grey, dreary, gloomy, depressing. But many of them are not. If you expect to go to Scotland for a 7 day holiday and get 7 good days, you'll be lucky - that's just a fact, even in a summer month. As a friend once said to John - there's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing!
In our minds, good weather days don't have to be blue skies and sunshine; the weather and its changing nature is also a draw to Scotland. Sitting inside by a fire with a view over a landscape with rain, snow, wind and all the forces of nature in play can be truly spectacular, especially when it's chilly and warrants a single malt to keep the cold at bay!
The weather gives you a challenge and fireside stories to tell your grandkids - like when we rode our motorbikes from the Isle of Skye to Dumbarton (4 hours) in torrential rain, but our spirits were quite literally lifted by calling in at the Ben Nevis distillery and hoovering up the sample drams left behind by the tour guests just leaving, whilst airing our sodden layers and slowly regaining our enthusiasm for the next leg of the journey.
When we think of Scotland, we think of some great products that are unique to it - many of which are still owned and run as family enterprises, rather than anonymous corporations. Harris tweed, independent seafood companies, locally produced haggis, Irn-Bru but most of all whisky. If you're not into whisky, you're really missing out on something. The huge variety of distilleries, the flavour sensations, cannot be described without extensive research (product testing). Sure, I've had some great whiskies from other places, from Wales to Japan, and the odd American bourbon, but Scottish single malt is in my opinion head and shoulders above the rest. With well over 100 distilleries to have a go at - John's early retirement can't have a dull day.
The photos above are from a distillery tour at Glen Moray, including their barrel store where they age their whiskeys. The aroma inside the store was pretty heady, and even Liz was impressed with the delicious scent from inside the rum and port casks when the tour guide uncorked them for a quick sniff.
The more we explored Scotland, the more we were drawn into the history, the way of life and the beauty.
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