Scotland 2 – the return: the islands, the distilleries and wild nature

Tarbert

This time we don't even have to get up at the crack of dawn like usual. Our EasyJet flight has an unusually decent time, around 11. Outbound flight, all good. EasyJet always sucks but, this time at least, they kept to schedule. The problems start instead at the car rental, at Edinburgh airport. First of all, the Rentals Car center is located in an area away from the airport, with a long walk and no connecting shuttle. I recommend everyone take a taxi at the terminal exit and have them take you to the rental point. We booked the car through the e-noleggio auto/Rental Car portal which lets you choose the best rate among the various car rental companies. The best rate was offered by some outfit called Firefly; well, on site we discovered it's Hertz's economy company.

There's no rental office (and therefore no signage) but we find out on the spot that we have to handle the rental paperwork via "video call" with a station in front of the Hertz counter. We waste a ton of time and, at the end of the "video call" (with who knows whom and who knows where), at the Hertz counter they give us the cars for a Ford Focus Hertz. So, absolutely, NEVER CHOOSE this damn Firefly. Fortunately the car then performed excellently for the whole trip. At least that. We finally leave the damned airport to reach the town of Tarbert, located over 3 hours' drive from Edinburgh, where we've booked our first Bed & Breakfast: Dunivaig B&B First of all, though, a lunch break, mid-afternoon, at the first Starbucks we find along the way. We adore STARBUCKS. We arrive in Tarbert under a cloudy, half-rainy sky. Unfortunately this weather will accompany us for the whole trip.

Last time in Scotland, also in August, we were extremely lucky with the weather. But this year definitely not. Even back home in Italy (the north), the summer of 2014 never started. How can we expect better weather here in Scotland than in Italy? But let's get back to our B&B; it's a lovely old house, positioned right in front of the sea. From our room's window we see the sea. From the bay window of the breakfast room we see the sea. Everything seems perfect except for the owner who hasn't understood how to run a Bed & Breakfast. First of all she tells us that since her husband is away for work, the next morning she won't be able to serve us the traditional Scottish Breakfast (which we so desire) but we'll have to make do with a normal (and pitiful) continental breakfast. Too bad the rate included the famous Full Scottish Breakfast and no discount was given to us.

Also, since she has to go to work the next day (we gather she's a janitor or something similar at a school) we have to have breakfast by 8:00 because then she has to leave. Well...never seen anything like it..... So a nice Bed & Breakfast, in a suggestive position, but terrible service. You decide. Also "the janitor" insists on booking us a dinner table at the fish restaurant of her choosing, Starfish, claiming it's the only option for dinner. Indeed dinner isn't bad, even though I, Daniela, don't much like fish. I'll make up for it in the room, preparing tea with the kit found in every B&B room, with the Scottish butter cookies that will never be missing, as an emergency, in our car's trunk. Since it stopped raining, we take some photos in the pretty little Tarbert. We also photograph a charming old Hotel, right on the seafront, in case anyone is interested as a future destination:

Isle of Islay-Port Ellen

After a mediocre breakfast, for the reasons I mentioned in yesterday's entry, we leave the B&B. The owner recommends we visit a castle nearby. Unfortunately, once again, the lady demonstrates her uselessness since the castle is practically a ruin that's so ugly we don't even get out of the car to take a photo. Also she makes us waste quite a bit of time and we arrive just barely in time for the boarding of the first ferry to the island of Islay. The Caledonian MacBrayne ferries were booked and paid for by us months in advance. The car boarding operations are quick and simple. Also we're pleasantly surprised to find that the ferries look like small cruise ships. On board there's a restaurant, bar, shop and pleasant little lounges. The crossing to the island of Islay lasts about 2 hours and 30 min.

We arrive at Port Askaig (where there's absolutely nothing) and cross the island to the opposite end to reach Port Ellen where we've booked. The island of Islay is famous for its 8 highly prized Whisky distilleries. We start the tour with the Laphroaig distillery. The distillery is suggestively located by the sea. The outdoor areas are extremely well kept and pleasant and the tasting room is beautiful. All the Islay distilleries offer free tastings of their whisky and all have a small shop with various products and gadgets. After the visit, we go looking for our B&B, which, as the name says, should be right near the distillery: b&b Laphroaigh View We immediately notice some lovely sheep grazing outside, with white fleece but with very black faces and legs. We ring the bell but no one answers. The door is open so we go in and sit in the living room.

Finally the lady of the house shows up and assigns us the room, located, just for a change, on the upper floor. In fact almost all B&Bs have rooms on the upper floor, reachable via steep, narrow wooden stairs, tiring to climb with our big suitcases (and even without). We recommend everyone, to avoid unnecessary effort, to bring into the accommodations only a bag with the essentials for the night and a change of clothes for the next day. We ask the lady for dinner recommendations and she suggests the bar of the Islay Hotel. It will prove increasingly convenient for us, here in Scotland, to have dinner in the various bar-pubs (and not in restaurants) where it's possible to choose from a decent variety of dishes at a cheap price in a more informal setting than classic restaurants. Careful though, check that it isn't just a plain Pub since Pubs only serve alcohol and no food.

Indeed, after dinner, we go to a real and grimy Pub, Ardview Inn, where we drink beer and have fun selecting music on the electronic Juke-box.

Lochgilphead

The day opens with the best breakfast of our trip. A true Full Scottish Breakfast with all the obligatory components and in abundant quantity: Eggs, bacon, sausage, black pudding, Haggis, beans, tomato and mushrooms. Right after we say goodbye and leave to continue our visit of Islay. First stop the Ardbeg distillery, this one also marvellously located by the sea. Too early though for the first Whisky tasting, so we skip our turn. Second stop at the Lagavulin distillery which however turns out less interesting than the others and then we head towards the village of Bowmore, where we visit the large distillery of the same name, very busy and organised for tourist visits. Nice shop, nice exhibition space and a panoramic tasting room (and obviously excellent tastings).

On our way out of the distillery we visit the nearby tourist office where we buy postcards and stamps and a few shops in the town. To finish, the Caol ila distillery which however appears a bit sad to us and it's raining very hard, so we decide to head to the ferry boarding at Port Askaig, even though a bit early. We make the pleasant crossing again and disembark at Kennacraig. From here we go to Lochgilphead where we've booked the B&B: b&b The Corran in Lochgilphead

The B&B is very particular, a lovely old house, with a large garden. On one side of the courtyard there's a little wooden bridge with a view of the river. Even the beautiful, flowering garden has a little stream running through it. And just a few metres from the house passes the beautiful Crinan Canal, with a little bridge. The town of Lochgilphead is lovely too. We immediately spot the typical place to have a pleasant dinner: The Argyll Inn. You can even play darts and we throw a few. Our room is truly particular. Our private bathroom is at the next door and is a proper bathroom, with a vintage-style clawfoot tub and a huge shower. We take photos in the bathroom too and my daughter can't resist and takes a long bath in the beautiful tub.

Tobermory

Early in the morning we go to see the Crinan canal at two points: one right next to the Bed & Breakfast and the other at Crinan where the landscape is even more attractive. Too bad that, as almost always, it's raining. After Crinan we head towards Oban for the boarding of the ferry that will take us to the island of Mull. We don't visit Oban nor its renowned distillery since we already stayed here during our previous trip to Scotland. The crossing to the island of Mull is shorter than the other one to Islay; only 1 hour and a half. However the landscape we see from the ferry is particularly beautiful. We glimpse Oban's little houses from the water and pass very close to a large white lighthouse. We like the landscape of the island of Mull very much: lots of green, but green green; lots of water, lots of sheep along the roadsides.

Well, this is nothing new: sheep and cows are everywhere in Scotland and will keep us company for our whole holiday. They're always found in the fields we drive alongside, but often we find them right in the middle of the road itself. One sheep even overtakes us running on the road. A cow instead, with big horns, was getting a bit too dangerously close to the car while my daughter photographs it and my husband promptly put it in gear and we fled. First stop on the island of Mull is Duart Castle: a defensive castle, overlooking the sea, surrounded by an expanse of green lawn, so perfect it looks like a golf course's. Next to the castle there are some cannons. We don't visit the interior even though it's possible to. We do visit the castle's café and shop, in a little house next to it. At the Tea Room counter we find a spread of cakes of all kinds, under the classic glass domes.

Hard to choose our 3 slices. We take 4 with our cups of Tea. I, Daniela, choose a Scone: the classic sweet that accompanies tea in the United Kingdom, enjoyed spread with butter and jam and with the classic Clotted cream (a particular type of clotted cream). We then head towards Tobermory where we'll stay at the B&B: Harbour Guest House in Tobermory

Arriving in Tobermory we're amazed by the beauty of the place. It will be the place of our trip to Scotland that remains most impressed in our minds. A bay with lots of colourful little houses, one next to the other: each house a colour contrasting with the next. A crazy sight. All these beautiful little houses are shops, pubs, restaurants, post office, bank and our Bed & breakfast is fortunately right here too, at the start of the bay. When we arrive we notice it's low tide and the water doesn't reach the end of the little harbour. But observing the sea a few hours later, we discover that the water has risen to cover the whole bay offering us a setting and light that are perfect for our photos. We immediately notice the similarity of the place to Portree on the island of Skye, which we visited last time and which we recommend to you.

At the start of the village there's also the ever-present Tobermory Distillery, which we visit quickly. Then we visit the little shops in the colourful houses: there's a soap shop, a chocolate shop and a shop curiously located in a deconsecrated church, with a pleasant Tea Room attached. Even the place we choose for the evening stands in the most eye-catching building on the street, painted a gaudy yellow: the bar of the Mishnish Hotel where we eat big single plates with meat, chips, vegetables etc. that we often find in all places of this kind. And of course the ever-present pint of Guinness. Our accommodation is a big bed & breakfast with several rooms, right in front of the sea. The breakfast room is therefore quite spacious with a large glass wall/observation area overlooking a green area with lots of little birds that come to feed at the appropriate food dispensers.

The owners must be true birdwatching enthusiasts. The usual tea ritual with cookies and then off to bed.

Fort William

Reading the tourist information available at the bed & breakfast, we discover that just outside Tobermory there's a castle in a suggestive and isolated position, used as a bed & breakfast but with a shop and café open to visitors. We programme our faithful Tom Tom and head to the upper part of Tobermory. This is a particularly beautiful area, full of bed & breakfasts with a charming view of the little harbour. You can practically see the beautiful colourful little houses from above. Then we drive quite a bit through the wildest nature and try to reach Glengorm Castle It's located in a truly isolated position. You have to drive several miles of winding little roads in the company of only sheep. But then we arrive and it's beautiful. It's a bed & breakfast that we recommend to anyone who wants to stay in a real castle in Scotland in a timeless atmosphere.

We take a few photos with the expanse of green lawns and the sea in the background and then go to the nearby café. Here we browse among the shop's typical products, buy some artisanal Scottish biscuits and chat with the shop assistant who is strangely Italian. Let me be clear: here, in this area of Scotland, you see very few Italians (they're all at Loch Ness waiting for Nessie to resurface) and so finding an Italian working in this place forgotten by the world is truly something particular. Right after we set off for Craignure, to catch the last of this series of Ferries that will take us back to Oban and from there we'll reach Fort William where we've booked the bed & breakfast b&b Campfield House in Fort William

All the B&Bs of this trip were booked directly via e-mail with the hosts, finding the addresses on Google. Except for this B&B in Fort William and the one for the last day which were booked through booking.com. Before reaching Fort William though we happen to pass through a spot we'd liked very much 12 years ago, so much so that back then we'd taken a photo from which an enlargement was made, now hanging on the walls of our home. It's Castle Stalker near Argyll and Bute. Of course we stop and take the exact same photo, after 12 years. We then reach the B&B: a modern little house with a garden sloping down to the lake. The gentleman however who welcomes us, whom we nickname "The Miser" welcomes us very coldly. He immediately makes us pay for the room in advance.

He imposes the breakfast time on us since he has only one table but many rooms at a time too late for us and tells us categorically that, for breakfast, we can only choose 5 items from the list he shows us on our arrival. He kept saying "Five Things", "Five Things". But the worst thing, besides the truly cramped bathroom, is my daughter's bed. Every time I or my husband just try to sit on it, all the wooden slats fall to the floor. Twice we have to remove the mattress and put the slats back in their supports. The third time, happening in the morning, we leave the bed collapsed like that, show it to the two misers and take our revenge with the worst review of all time on Tripadvisor. For dinner we go to Fort William, which is a few km from the B&B. On the road to Fort William we notice lots of B&Bs in decidedly better positions than ours.

How on earth did we manage to choose just that dump. Anyway we don't like Fort William. It's a fairly large town, a bit chaotic, absurd traffic flow and a total lack of parking in the centre. So we look for a place to have dinner with parking and, luckily, we spot the bar Food Stop, attached to the Hotel Alexandra, where we had a really good time. We recommend it to you (if you really have to go to Fort William).

Gairloch

This morning we have breakfast late, because the B&B owners imposed on us to choose between 7 and 9 and we chose 9. Then we set off towards Fort Augustus to see the locks of the Caledonian Canal that we'd liked so much last time. Right after the locks, the famous Loch Ness begins, where we don't stop since already visited last time. However we make a stop to photograph some cute cows grazing on the shore of Loch Ness. Our goal for the day is to reach the Rua Reidh Lighthouse where we booked months and months ago, to experience the thrill of staying overnight in a lighthouse. The Rua Reidh lighthouse is located in a very isolated position at Melvaig/Gairloch. A few hours of driving await us to reach this place forgotten by God and men. We notice a nice Tea Room, just before Gairloch, at Kerrysdale and make a stop for tea and cake. A bit pricey but the setting is very nice.

Our repeated stops at tea rooms in the afternoon every day are due to the fact that after the abundant morning breakfast, we don't have lunch at all at midday. So, usually around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, we need just something to make it to dinnertime. In Gairloch we buy emergency foodstuffs, like crackers and biscuits since we know that at the lighthouse there might be nothing to eat and it might be too complicated to reach the nearest inhabited centre (as indeed it will be). We notice that from Gairloch's little harbour boat excursions depart to see dolphins and whales. But we don't have time and besides that day the weather conditions are adverse and the trips suspended. After Gairloch the road gets narrower and more impervious. The little road is a miserable single lane with Passing Places every so many metres to allow cars coming from the other direction to pass.

Basically, if you meet a car, you have to decide who passes. The other car must necessarily pull over in a passing place. If there's no passing place, one of the two cars has to reverse to the nearest widening. Anyway, the closer we get to the lighthouse the more things get complicated. Even the passing places become increasingly rare and we cross our fingers not to meet anyone and instead we come face to face with a car. On top of that, on one side of the little road there's the sea and so the situation is extremely dangerous (and let's not forget that here they also drive on the right — wait, they drive on the left — so you're already a bit less skilled). [note: original says "guida a destra" meaning driving on the right, apparently an error; translated as written] When we manage to reach the lighthouse, I, Daniela, decide that I never want to travel that horrible road again.

Too bad that here we were forced to book 2 nights and pay for them at the time of booking (clever the managers, otherwise who knows how many people would run away). But I absolutely don't intend to stay there for 2 days. The weather is terrible, a crazy wind that even blows Max's little cap onto the rocks below the lighthouse. There's none of the romantic lighthouse atmosphere I was expecting. The room is spartan, the water coming out of the taps is brown even though they certify it's drinkable (well...they say it's the peat that gives it that colour). There's no TV, no wi-fi. Check-in not before 5 pm, because if you arrive earlier you have to wait outside the gate since they don't open it earlier. Dinner consists of a single dish (a pseudo pasta) with no choice and I, Daniela, decide to eat my Tuc crackers and my biscuits in the room. Max and Clarissa, on the other hand, are braver.

A real hell, in short. In no time at all, we decide to leave the lighthouse the next morning, very early, so as to avoid meeting cars. It doesn't matter if we paid for 2 nights. We'll look for another accommodation, on the road to Edinburgh. The two owners are extremely unpleasant and we really don't understand the other guests (all of other nationalities) who stay there perfectly integrated with the environment. Fortunately in the common little lounge there's wi-fi and, in no time at all, I connect to Booking.com and book a B&B for the next day, in a town suggested by our Mondadori Guide, on the route to reach Edinburgh airport.

Dunkeld

Breakfast at the lighthouse was pitiful. Everyone even had to set their own table, going to get the dishes from the pantry. Those 2 B&B managers do absolutely nothing; indeed: they don't even want to clean the floor because they'd like people to walk around the B&B without shoes. But we pretend not to understand and we don't care. When we tell them we want to leave because the road is inaccessible they label us as "traditional italian drivers" and obviously don't offer to refund us the unused night (and we don't even dare to ask). We try to leave as early as possible, shortly after 8, to avoid meeting cars coming the opposite way. At that hour who would be so crazy as to want to reach the lighthouse? Indeed we're lucky and only meet sheep.

First stop the Dalwhinnie distillery: here the tastings aren't free but you can do a proper professional tasting for a fee, with a tray with different types of whisky, each accompanied by an artisanal chocolate matched to the type of whisky. After a few hours of driving, in the afternoon, we reach the pretty town of Dunkeld where we booked the B&B only yesterday. The guide recommended a stop here as it's a quiet and idyllic Scottish town. So idyllic that the illustrator Beatrix Potter drew inspiration from these very places for the settings of the Peter Rabbit stories. Indeed we visit the garden dedicated to her and, if you want, you can also visit the museum.

We instead decide to have a snack in the nice Tea Room on the road to the cathedral: Spill the beans Cafè, with an embarrassment of choice of dessert to pair with our tea. A few steps from there is the cathedral with a lovely green garden that extends to the riverside (the Tay) with pretty benches and the view of the beautiful Dunkeld bridge. The houses in the area are all worth photographing too: lovely white little houses with an explosion of flowers on the balconies and windowsills. We reach our B&B: Tayburn House and discover with pleasure that it's in a very pleasant area of Dunkeld and is equipped with every kind of comfort. After the spartanness of the lighthouse, it seems like paradise to us. The bathroom is beautiful too: very large with a brown corner bathtub. There's even a bidet but built into the bathroom cabinet and used as a sink.

The owners are also extremely courteous and also recommend a place for dinner: The Taybank — Scotland's musical meeting place. A typical Scottish place where you eat truly typical things. I like my steak with Ale Pie. It's a kind of stew covered with a puffy pastry (Ale pie). The other 2 dishes chosen aren't bad at all either. Also, from the window in front of our table, we can see the river.

Return

We have breakfast with an original rotating stand where the various foods are arranged and chatting amiably with a Dutch couple. Then we say goodbye to the friendly owner and try to use the hours we have left before heading to the airport. In the tourist documentation in the room, we find the advertisement of a castle in the nearby city of Perth, The Black Watch Castle/Balhousie Castle. It's a typical castle, very well preserved, with a military museum inside that doesn't interest us. We visit the beautiful park, the attached shop and the café. Then we go to Edinburgh, setting the address of the Harley Davidson dealership. At this point it's a mandatory stop on each of our trips to buy the classic local Harley t-shirts. Another mandatory stop for my daughter is the Hard Rock Café. The one in Edinburgh is located right in the centre with consequent traffic and parking problems.

I didn't remember Edinburgh being so chaotic 12 years ago. Back then it was a lovely, characteristic and quiet city. Now, evidently, the situation has gotten worse. We find a multi-storey car park in a central position. I, Daniela, wait at the nearby Starbucks; my husband and my daughter walk to the Hard Rock, buy the fateful t-shirt and then come back to Starbucks. Now we've really exhausted all the stops set by our trip. All that's left is to reach the airport to return the car. Since we remember that the car rental is quite far from the Terminal, I, Daniela, get dropped off at departures with all the luggage, while the others go to return the car. Fortunately the departures area of the airport is very pleasant. There are lots of nice shops and even a real pub, a tidy Scottish style. We have our "last supper" here and then wait for our boarding.

During this return trip, EasyJet sucks more than usual. This time we swear it's really really the last time we use it, whatever the cost. There can't be a stingier and more miserly airline than this. Besides demanding mandatory online check-in which we promptly did (otherwise you pay dearly for it), even the baggage drop must be done by yourself. We have to weigh our suitcases ourselves, printing the labels ourselves and putting them on the suitcase ourselves. If the weight exceeds, as in our case (by only 1 Kg), the whole system blocks and you have to call the operator. We manage without paying (by cheating). Then EasyJet announces a slight delay. Then we always go like Fantozzi on foot onto the tarmac, going down and up stairs repeatedly (evidently it's too expensive for the airline to rent a Finger like all other companies).

On our arrival in Malpensa we're stuck for about 20 minutes on the plane because they can't get the shuttle bus. ENOUGH EASYJET. It's a real s***. Fortunately Parkingo is more and more efficient and the shuttle is already at the airport without even phoning. DANI, MAX and CLARISSA