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Scotland 2024
  • Fiona and Bas, the Bladerunners
  • Fiona and Bas, the Bladerunners

Scotland 2024

An open-ended adventure by Fiona and Bas, Read more
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  • Trip start
    October 22, 2024
    Fiona and Bas, the BladerunnersScotland 2024Fiona and Bas, the Bladerunners
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    Glasgow to Spean Bridge

    Oct 22–24, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Though we are not city people, Glasgow was our most purposeful stop to date. Not only is it the gateway to the Scottish highlands, but I met a relative - Paul McCarroll. Our Great Grandmothers were sisters. Paul is the Heaney family historian, so I learned much, including some family secrets! It was wonderful and I felt the connection. It was also great to know that I’m somehow a relative of Seamus Heaney, the famous poet.
    After two nights in Glasgow we jumped on a train to Speans Bridge and realised how beautiful the landscape is in Scotland. The colours were magic and the photos are some of our best.    Read more

  • Fiona and Bas, the BladerunnersScotland 2024Fiona and Bas, the Bladerunners
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    Jacobite Train to Skye

    October 25, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    I have a thing about goats, which you can tell from the photos. Our little boutique hotel was like a fairy-dell, with animals, streams and magical vistas in every direction.

    Today we rode the Jacobite (Harry Potter) train from Fort William to Mallaig on the West Highland line. Next, a ferry to Armadale and the Isle of Sky.

    All the train scenery shots are through the glass window, which is no mean feat (thanks to Bas).

    If I didn’t have a massive cold, I would be feeling a lot more joyful. Bas is drinking a Celtic coffee (with Glenmorangie), so he is definitely joyful 😀    Read more

  • Fiona and Bas, the BladerunnersScotland 2024Fiona and Bas, the Bladerunners
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    Isle of Skye

    October 26, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    Today we experienced torrential rain (we were warned about Scotland and rain) so we took a drive on the Isle of Sky to the Talisker Whisky distillery. The drinking and driving tolerance here is 0, so I drove and Bas had a whisky.

    Last night was a comedy of errors. Our hotel had a gas leak in the kitchen so it was closed for meals. The receptionist drove us 15 mins to their sister hotel for food and dropped us off. Just as we got in the door (and our driver had left) we were told their chef had closed up shop and gone home sick. After an hour or so, and many phone calls, the displaced chef (from the gas leak kitchen) drove to pick us up and took us 17 mins back the other way to a rather stuffy restaurant (somewhere royalty would eat). Though very formal and rich, it was food and we were hungry. It’s quite remote where we stayed so dining options were limited.    Read more

  • Fiona and Bas, the BladerunnersScotland 2024Fiona and Bas, the Bladerunners

    Scottish History

    October 26, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Today the weather was miserable again and we were caught in a down-pour trying to visit a remote seaside castle ruin. Just before reaching the ruins, and soaking wet, we decided to bail. You can only be cold and wet for a short time in the highlands and we had hiked in without our waterproof pants.

    We visited another castle ruin, but this one had a museum and it was here that I discovered the other 50% of my ancestry. The Macewans (McEwans) are Scottish and were bards!!! There is even a clan castle and I’m keen to find out more.

    Ever on the lookout for adventure, we heard there was a very rugged and dangerous castle remnant near a distillery on our way back to the hotel. A perfect combination: whiskey and danger!!!

    We hiked through mud, and a recently flooded pathway in freezing windy conditions to a fabulously dangerous castle wall on a cliff and discovered the possibility of being blown off was very real.

    Then we drove back to our hotel and at 3pm took the beer and sleep option, only the pub was hopping so we never made it back for the sleep.

    The locals are now our best friends and we could move there tomorrow and have an instant social scene.

    Such fun!    Read more

  • Fiona and Bas, the BladerunnersScotland 2024Fiona and Bas, the Bladerunners

    Skye to Inverness

    October 27, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 9 °C

    Our last day on Skye was perfectly still and misty. After three days of looking for perfect footage to make music videos, the conditions were spot on….. just as we were leaving. Dang!

    We headed over the bridge to the mainland where we dropped the car off, made a quickie castle visit and caught a train to Inverness. There is a certain magic on Skye and it is somewhere we will remember.

    I’m hoping Loch Ness (tomorrow) gives us that perfect stillness with mist and clouded patchy blue skies for good film material, as the Celtic feel footage opportunities are closing in!

    As always, lots of fun 🤩 on the way. Scottish Halloween was a surprise!    Read more

  • Fiona and Bas, the BladerunnersScotland 2024Fiona and Bas, the Bladerunners
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    Monsters

    October 29, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Today we learned about two of them: Nessie the Loch Ness Monster and the battle of Culloden (a monstrous disaster).

    Our tour guide started the day saying we would only see Nessie if we had a whiskey in our hand! I always say where there is smoke there is fire, but the science is light on for seeing a monster. The loch is fascinating and I could rabbit on for ages but I’ll let the photos do the talking.

    The Battle of Culloden was a massive cluster f¥c£, but one that was coming for a long time. It was definitive, yet a better co-ordinated attack would only have lead to more war further down the track.

    The battle was over in less than an hour, 1,250 Jacobites lost their lives while only 50 English soldiers died. It was ill planned and the Jacobites were ill-fated.

    Culloden was sobering, but piqued our interest in Scottish history.    Read more

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    Pitlochry

    November 1, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    I need to start this footprint the evening before we travel to Pitlochry as we had two amazing cocktails worth mentioning. Recipes can be found in the photos 🍹🍸

    The minute the train pulled into Pitlochry, we knew we would love it. Bas said it was like Nania and I said ‘like a Harry Potter village’

    If we re-visit Scotland for any reason, it will be to return to Pitlochry. We had two nights and needed several more.

    We purchased tickets to the world famous Enchanted Forest and settled in. Our late night trip was cancelled at the last minute due to an electrical failure but we managed to get re-booked for the next night.

    The next day was a big walking excursion and included a visit to a whiskey distillery where we undoubtedly had the best cocktails of our trip (four of them, free poured). We stumbled back to the hotel for our locally distilled fireside gin and tonic and a world class three course meal 🥴

    Luckily the Enchanted Forest saved us from ourselves and forced us back out for another 5,000 steps in the light misty rain.    Read more

  • Fiona and Bas, the BladerunnersScotland 2024Fiona and Bas, the Bladerunners

    Edinburgh

    November 2, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    We love Edinburgh from the minute we arrived.

    After checking into Virgin Hotel, we went on a double-decker Bristol bus for a late-night ghost tour of the city. The next morning we headed off to visit the Royal yacht HMS Britannia (OMG OTT) where we had lunch before walking a short distance to Scotland's first vertical distillery.

    The bar was on the 7th floor, with 180° views across the bay and port, where the Britannia was anchored. We can now say we have seen this majestic yacht from every angle.

    Edinburgh Castle is iconic and not to be missed, as is a tour of the vaults under the city.

    Tomorrow we head to London for our final few days. 😔    Read more

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