These Beaches Are Better Than Yours

So, it's October.  It's Columbus Day weekend.  I had high hopes that I would have had this all completed shortly after coming home. Yeah, right.  I should have known that this would not have happened.  So, now, I am going to have to try to piece these days together - the good news is that I put all the pictures together on the post first so that I could at least remember the order in which things happened.

The next day we took the long drive up to the North.  If I remember correctly, the owner of the croft house we were staying at gave us specific directions to follow - we didn't.  We took the road he said not to - but it was awesome.  

The ride up was outstanding.  The scenery was amazing.  There were lot's of mountains everywhere.  The road was sometimes too lanes but quickly when down to one.  It was desolate - there were few people on the road - just like I like it.  The less, the better.  We turned on to the road we weren't supposed to.  It was small and tiny - and there were sheep everywhere.

We thought we were going to be far off the beaten path and it did not disappoint.  The picture and the views from the croft are down below.  It was a good set up for us - it was high up and overlooked Kirtomy Bay.  The only real issue with the place was that there was sheep shit everywhere.  Everywhere - including on your front lawn where you hang your clothes to dry.  Thankfully, I have no story to share with you of Jess' clothing falling off and into a massive pile of sheep shit.

It's now December 2020.  Shocking, I know.  The blog that just won't go away - but I think at the very least, I should complete this last post.  

Castle Varrich

The weather was, just like it is today (12.14).  Not as cold, but it was quite rainy.  I remember that we pulled in to town for a bit - and by town, I mean a street with buildings other than residential.  We parked and hoped that we were in the right spot.  The trail started as one of those - go between the two buildings and find the gate.  We did.

Castle Varrich is old.  It was originally a Viking outpost and it evolved over time.  It sits high up and overlooks the coast.  It's a perfect spot for raiders to defend.  The hike was nice and easy until maybe the last quarter mile or so which was a steady incline.  As we approached the bridge, the fog started to roll back out and it revealed the rugged hills that surrounded the area. The river must have provided them with some good opportunities for transportation in and around the area.  

Our croft - which was awesome and overlooked Farr Bay (I think).  It was a nice set up and the sheep were very friendly.

One evening we headed out to Farr Beach....it was beautiful.  I wish we could have made a fire and just hung out or slept there - but believe it or not, it still gets pretty cold during this time of the year.  We stayed nice and cozy in our croft.

Residents of the roads near the croft....just for Amy Kaufmann

Not sure where this was or if this was even on this part of the trip - but we went hiking.  Must have been on the way back down towards Inverness.  It was a nice little walk.  It was a gorge, I think.

Loch Ness and the Dores Inn

We decided to cap off the trip at the Dores Inn - our second time there.  A sweet little spot recommended by my friend Judy who grew up in Inverness.  Don't ask me what we got - it was slight mayhem inside the joint.  But afterwards we all went out to go down and look for Nessie.  Nothing found.  And no one fell in.

I suppose finishing up this blog - is somewhat troubling because who knows when we will be able to travel like this again.  The pandemic and worrying about exposure is one thing - the repercussions of what. will not be required not only by foreign nations but our own is more deeply troubling.  Will we be required to show proof of vaccination on a fucking app on our phone that tracks us and every single thing we do.  We have already consented to 1984-like intrusions thanks to Siri and Alexa.  What is the end game -  a new pandemic every time Communist China wants to get a leg up?  I mean, it worked, because all the supplies in the school system came from China after we opened back up.  

To be honest - at this point the only places that are going to be free to some degree are places like the north of the Scottish Highlands - the faraway places that would be more of a hassle for people to get to.  

Being stuck in the house I am definitely getting the travel bug again - and obviously, I do not know when we will be able to do it.  There is most definitely something about being in places like this - away from civilization with the only thing to do is hang out with your family, be present and see cool things.  

Or maybe it's just Scotland.

It's magical.