SCOTLAND - NOT ONLY NESSIE AND GHOSTS!

SOME PRACTICAL TIPS

Before starting the account of our trip, I'd like to give some practical information that may be useful to anyone intending to go to this beautiful country.

Sleeping - "Accommodation"

We always stayed in 3 or 4 star Bed & Breakfasts (B&Bs) with an en-suite bathroom (except in one case where it was in the corridor but still reserved for us). The difference with 2-star B&Bs lies precisely in having to share the bathroom with other guests. The prices we found ranged from 23 to 38 £ per person with breakfast. Not exactly cheap! Towels were always provided and changed every day. Moreover, we always found a hairdryer, shower gel and shampoo. In the room there's always an electric kettle with sachets of coffee, tea and some packaged biscuits. We had only booked the first night from Italy, by email. For the other nights we relied on the Lonely Planet or the B&B catalogs (calling directly) or the Tourist Information Centers found in every city.

They have an Accommodation Desk where, for a commission of 3 £ and a 10% deposit, kind ladies or gentlemen do their best to find you a room according to your needs. You have to tell them the place (so you can ask for a room for another city, they're all connected by computer), whether you want an "ensuite" room (i.e. with a private bathroom) and the approximate budget. If they find a place in a B&B or Guesthouse they ask if you can confirm immediately while the owner is on the line. If it's ok, they give you a sheet that will serve as a voucher to present on arrival. You then pay 10% of the total amount which is obviously deducted from the sum to be paid later to the owners. Be careful, in summer certain places are very crowded and we had quite a few difficulties finding a place in the Orkneys, on the Isle of Skye and in Edinburgh.

We even had to completely overturn our itinerary, making it counterclockwise in order to book a room on Skye for the following week. In fact on Skye at weekends it's practically impossible to find a place unless you've booked well in advance. In the Orkneys there's little accommodation so it's better to book if you don't want to risk sleeping in the middle of the fields (it's highly advisable to book your accommodation before booking the ferry!). In Edinburgh, on the other hand, there are the various festivals in August and the rooms get snapped up. It's true that there are lots of B&Bs but many have the sign "No vacancy" which means there's no room. I don't know what the situation is like in other periods of the year but in August it's packed and you often have to make do or increase your budget…

Tourist attractions

The Scots are very well organized in this respect. There are brown road signs indicating the Visitor Centers and the various attractions that appear along the road or in a certain place you're about to pass through. So it's very difficult to miss an attraction! On the other hand, museums, castles, etc. cost quite a lot! There are some cumulative tickets to visit 2 or 3 castles for example.

The roads

They're usually very beautiful but very narrow in some regions, like in the Highlands, in the Orkneys and on Skye, where there are almost exclusively single-track roads. You have to pass oncoming cars using special recesses on the sides ("passing places"). You must remember to stop on the left side of the road (remember to drive on the left) to let them pass, even if a passing place is on your right. In this case it'll be the car coming from the opposite direction that has to use this passing place. The Scots are very friendly on the road and when you pass each other on these little roads you make a friendly gesture to thank each other. On the sides and in the middle of the road there are light markers set into the asphalt to see the road well at night. I recommend buying a road atlas, perhaps on arrival at the airport. We got on well with the Big Road Atlas Britain.

The smaller roads were all marked.

Parking

Along the sidewalks, double lines painted on the roadway mean: no parking. White lines painted in front of the gates mean driveway, you won't find the sign like at home.

The climate

You've probably already heard all sorts of things, but I'll give my two cents too. In August the Trossachs area, Stirling and Edinburgh can be very mild if the sun is out, meaning you reach 17/19 degrees and can sit in a t-shirt with a sweatshirt within reach. In the Orkneys, on the other hand, it's freezing cold, we went around dressed in t-shirt, sweatshirt, fleece and windbreaker/k-way. It's essential to dress in layers so that when there's a ray of sunshine you can take off the windbreaker.

In the evening we also had quite a bit of wind and a little scarf or at least a foulard would have been appreciated! The weather, needless to say, is however very changeable and if you wake up in the morning to rain you shouldn't despair, often the sun comes out… Sometimes it doesn't though… Out of 13 days of stay we had a good half of beautiful days, with clear skies and sun, so it didn't turn out so badly.

Photographs

For those using a traditional camera, I recommend bringing 400 ASA or Ultra film that adapts to all weather conditions. With digital, it's easier because for each photo you can set the most suitable sensitivity according to the conditions. With the right settings you get splendid photographs because Scotland offers spectacular natural colors!

Language

I expected not to understand anything for two weeks and instead I was pleasantly surprised. It's not true that the Scots speak an incomprehensible language, on the contrary. I found they articulated words very well and we never had any difficulty communicating. Obviously a good knowledge of English is still necessary.

Souvenirs

They're extremely expensive!

Money

In summer 2005, 1 £ = 0.69 € We traveled without any problems with just a debit card and credit cards. There are ATMs around although in certain deserted areas it's better to have cash with you. In B&Bs you often pay in cash.

Car

You can rent one at the airport in Edinburgh for example. The major car rental companies are there: Avis, Hertz, etc… Before setting off you must check the condition of the car carefully and possibly report any damage not noted on the form, otherwise it'll be charged to you on return.

Safety

Optimal. In the car, you can leave backpacks and a video camera in plain sight when you go off, there's no risk of it being broken into, except obviously in the big cities where a bit more wariness is needed. In the rest of the country we noticed that everyone left everything in the car!

Public toilets

There are some everywhere, clean and well equipped, even in the middle of the countryside and in unimaginable places. They're almost always free. For me, pregnant at seven months at the time, this mattered a lot!

Food

The fish is very good. Usually the side dish consists of the same things: carrots, potatoes and boiled broccoli, or chips. The portions are generous. There's always a menu of the day or "Specials" with the soup of the day, a main course and some desserts. The waiter will list them for you. In pubs and inns ("Inn") you sit where there's room and order at the bar.

Tipping

The usual amount for "Tips" is 10% of the total amount.

ARRIVAL IN STIRLING

We booked a flight online with a Scottish low-cost airline, Flyglobespan, which operates the Nice-Edinburgh route, convenient for us since we were in the French Riviera these days. Cost 250 € each round trip. We also rented a car with Hertz, a Ford Focus (386 € for 13 days) which we pick up on our arrival at the airport after an exhausting queue. The weather is very cloudy, it's a bit chilly, drizzling and windy. Well! What did we expect? The sun and palm trees of Nice??!... Our first stop is Stirling, a town west of Edinburgh; we'll visit the capital at the end of our stay. We booked a B&B by email, and by the way I also have to let the landlady know that we're arriving late… On the way we can get a preview of the beautiful Scottish countryside, despite the bad weather: very green, or yellow, meadows full of cows, sheep or horses… Meanwhile the sky is clearing a little.

We arrive in Stirling about half an hour later and almost immediately find the LINDEN GUESTHOUSE *** (Fay McGuinness, 22 Linden Avenue, 25£ / person). The landlady welcomes us warmly and takes us to our room, very nice and well kept. We have a private bathroom, brand new and spotless. We go out right away for dinner because it's already late and in Scotland people eat early. Meanwhile the sun has come out and there's a very particular light. It's 9 pm and it's not dark yet, you can tell we're much further north! The little town seems nice but there's no one around! We have dinner in an Indian restaurant, not very typical as a first dinner but we felt like it.

STIRLING, TROSSACHS

In the morning we go straight to the Tourist Information Center (TIC) to book the B&B on the Isle of Skye for the following days. Unfortunately on Skye there isn't a single place free because we happen to be there during the weekend! We weren't expecting that and we're a bit caught off guard. During the day we then decide to reverse our route, doing a counterclockwise tour of Scotland. That way we can book the B&B on Skye a week in advance. We have to come back tomorrow morning to sort this matter out. We visit the castle (8£ / person). It's very beautiful to look at from the outside, perched on a hill, but inside it doesn't say much to me. Today the weather is quite sunny and we enjoy a beautiful view of the Wallace Monument, one of the symbols of Stirling.

Sir William Wallace, a great Scottish warrior, was played by Mel Gibson in Braveheart, just to be clear! By car, we drive up to the monument thinking of climbing to the top for the view, but just to get to the foot of the building there's an uphill path that doesn't seem very short. We start climbing slowly but since I'm 7 months pregnant I don't feel up to continuing and we turn back. Too bad… We get back in the car and head to the Trossachs region west of Stirling. There are beautiful landscapes, the blue sky is dotted with very white clouds that make the scene very photogenic. Moreover the sunlight brings out all the colors of the countryside. For lunch we stop in Callander at a coffee house. We continue our tour toward Loch Achray and Loch Katherine, where we stop for a pleasant walk along their shores.

We end our tour at Loch Lomond, the largest lake in Scotland, a very popular holiday spot. We return to Stirling around 6:30 pm and an hour later we go out again for dinner. This evening we try Hannibal's Restaurant, a place inspired by the famous film with Anthony Hopkins. The dishes have very particular names!

ST ANDREWS, DUNOTTAR CASTLE, STONEHAVEN

Today we leave Stirling, say goodbye to Fay and take a souvenir photo together. I forgot to mention that breakfast was fabulous! You could choose between a Scottish breakfast (with eggs, tomato, beans, sausage, toast) or a continental one (with warm pastries, toast, orange marmalade, muffins…). Truly a good address. Before leaving the city we go back to the TIC to book the B&Bs in the Orkneys and on the Isle of Skye. For the first destination we find a place in Stenness in a B&B for 28£ / person. Since it seems to be the only place available we take it. While I'm evaluating the accommodation, Paolo has connected to the internet to also book the ferry crossing (147£ for the car and two passengers, not cheap at all!).

There's a long queue in the office and we've already been here a while, so the clerk kindly asks me to go to another TIC to book the B&B on Skye! While we're traveling I book the B&B in Inverness myself by phone, whose address had been given to me by a girl online. Luckily there's room for the next evening. From Stirling we take the coastal road heading northeast. There are beautiful landscapes and picturesque villages. We stop at St Andrews, a town famous for hosting the first golf course in history as well as a very fascinating ruined Cathedral. When the long-awaited "Scottish shower" arrives at lunchtime we take refuge in a bar to eat. Luckily it stops raining after about an hour and we can continue our little tour. We go straight to the town's TIC to book the B&B on Skye. After a few phone calls the girl finds us a place for 30£ / person.

It's above our initial budget but we don't have

ELGIN, FORT GEORGE, LOCH NESS, INVERNESS

Today it's cloudy. Last night we were very lucky to visit Dunottar Castle. After an abundant Scottish breakfast (today I took the plunge too) consisting of sausage, potato scones, cooked tomatoes, bacon, toast + croissant, yogurt and cereal... (I know, we're disgusting! In fact it takes me three hours to digest this breakfast and I decide it's the last time I have a Scottish breakfast!) we set off for Elgin, following the motorway and then cutting through the interior. Elgin is famous for its now ruined Cathedral, set on fire in 1390. It's truly fascinating and majestic. Where the cathedral floor once was, there is now a soft grassy carpet that contrasts with the stone of the building. I recommend climbing to the top of the tower, from where you get a beautiful view of the site and the surroundings. Unfortunately today the weather is rather poor but it's still worth it.

We continue the journey to Fort George on the east coast, just before Inverness. Since we don't really feel like visiting it (it's huge and costs £6 per person) we see it from the outside and carry on until we reach Inverness. We don't stop in the city but take the A82 towards Fort William, to drive along the road that skirts the famous Loch Ness. About halfway along the lake are the ruins of Urquhart Castle, which we visit (£6), even though Dunottar Castle was much more impressive; in fact the cost here is excessive in our opinion, but we are on Loch Ness, perhaps the most famous lake in the world... Luckily it's nice and sunny now and we stroll peacefully among the ruins and the green meadows overlooking the lake.

No trace of Nessie! Instead we see numerous tourist boats, and a couple (which I later saw in a documentary on the Discovery Channel) scanning the lake in search of the monster! We decide not to go to the Visitor Centre dedicated exclusively to Nessie and go back to Inverness, which seems like a nice little town. Before having a wander around the town we go to our B&B, which is a bit outside, in Westhill (which strangely is to the East and not the West of Inverness! In fact it took us an hour to find it on the map!): BONNIE VIEW (Marjory O'Connor, Towerbrae (North), Westhill, Inverness, Tel. (01463) 792468, £23 / person). It's a recently built little house, very simple, on a hill overlooking a lovely landscape. I ring the bell and Marjory welcomes us very warmly, a lady around 60, very cheerful and who seems very kind.

She seems overjoyed to see us and when my husband appears with the bags, she goes: "Paoloooo!!!" with a big smile (I had told her our names on the phone the day before). She seems a bit mad at first glance but she's really sweet! She takes us to our room, which is in the basement, we have to go down some very narrow stairs covered with thick carpet. The room is pretty though very kitschy! The bathroom is very peculiar, it's basically divided in two: a tiny little room with the toilet and sink and then next to it, a kind of niche in the wall with the shower! But we only have to spend one night here, it'll be fine. When we go up to the living room she offers us tea and biscuits (the famous butter shortbread) and we have a bit of a chat.

She's truly a sweet little person, she asks us questions about ourselves, about our trip, she tells us she's been running a B&B for 20 years, and she shows us the various globes displayed in the living room with pins marking, year after year, the countries her guests come from. We thus discover that people have come from Malaysia, from India!... After a while she leaves us because she has to prepare a barbecue in her garden for a little party she's organised with some friends. She says you have to be mad to organise a barbecue in Scotland and she puts on her windproof jacket! She cracks us up! For dinner we go to Inverness, there's still nice light and we take a little stroll outside the castle, which overlooks the city and the river.

It's a bit chilly! Although I notice that the fearless Scots go around in short sleeves even when it's 10 degrees! My husband claims they do it not because they don't feel the cold but because it looks cooler!... We have dinner at Dickens, which offers an endless menu and is run by Chinese people. The food isn't great. My husband had been there years ago but evidently the management has changed in the meantime. We end the evening in a pub, the Arlequin Bar, where we can observe the habits of young Scots: downing litres of beer and Whisky at the same time as if it were fruit juice! No distinction between males and females. Congratulations on the stamina!

ORKNEY

Breakfast at Marjory's is extremely abundant and is alone worth the stop at her house!... After an enormous bowl of yogurt and Muesli, she brings us toast, thick and very soft, warmed in the toaster and served with fresh butter and divine Marmalade (orange marmalade)! Paolo also has bacon, eggs and sausage! He'll ruin his liver!... We leave at 9:20 after affectionate farewells, a couple of words in the Guest Book and a photo with Marjory. Today we have to reach the Orkneys (Orkney Islands); when Marjory learns this she is very surprised, she says that the only Scots who go up that way do so to visit some relative. We take the coastal road heading North. The landscape is truly spectacular, the road passes over cliffs carpeted with green and yellow meadows plunging into the sea.

There's even a bright sun! Unfortunately there's no way to stop the car and take photos or film, and also they're doing roadworks. What a shame. Since the ferry to the Orkneys leaves at 1:45 pm and you have to be at the boarding point an hour earlier, we can't manage to drive the coastal road all the way North, to John O'Groats, and we cut through the interior to Thurso. Here the landscape changes drastically: no more hills or cliffs but completely flat! We drive alongside a field dotted with gigantic wind turbines. We arrive in Thurso at 11:40, so we decide to try to reach John O'Groats along the northern coastal road to admire the famous cliffs. Unfortunately the distances aren't that short and at a certain point we have to turn back so as not to risk missing the ferry. It's clearly not destined that we see that place! The ferry crossing is very pleasant despite the cold and wind.

At the port it was 15 degrees, how many will we find in the Orkneys? Luckily it's still sunny. The approach to the cliffs of the island of Hoy is spectacular! The cliffs are covered with vegetation of such an intense green that it reminds me of the cliffs of Hawaii (only seen in films unfortunately)! The Old Man of Hoy, an enormous rocky sea stack, seems to welcome us to these islands. When we arrive at the little harbour of Stromness, I spot a seal in the water! The town is very pretty and it feels like landing in another world. It's 3 pm and we head straight to Stenness where our B&B is: FARMHOUSE B&B (Mr & Mrs Swannie, Ramsquoy, Stenness, Stromness, Orkney, info@ramsquoy.com, £28 / person). The house, recently built, is at the top of a green hill overlooking a wonderful panorama of the sea and the surrounding meadows. From our room, through a large window, we enjoy the same view.

Here too the bathroom is similar to that of the B&B in Inverness: a tiny little room with toilet and sink and a shower cubicle in the room. For £28 I expected a bit more but the room is still pleasant and bright. Since there's beautiful sunshine and we don't know how long it will last we immediately get in the car to go and see the famous prehistoric sites that populate this area: Standing Stones (4 menhirs erected in 2500 BC), Ring of Brodgar (gigantic circle of 36 menhirs erected 4500 years ago), Skara Brae (small prehistoric village built 5000 years ago and incredibly well preserved, located beside a beautiful sandy bay – £6 / person). These are fantastic places and a visit is a must. We manage to avoid the tourist coaches or wait until everyone leaves to enjoy the peace of these mystical places. The sunlight contributes to giving the sites an extra beauty.

We continue for a while on the road (here the roads are very narrow and you have to pull over in the passing places as I explained at the beginning) that goes around North Mainland. The landscapes are breathtaking: endless stretches of very green or yellow meadows, thousands of sheep, black cows that create dark patches on the green meadows and graze peacefully, little stone houses here and there, but not a single tree!... Everything is flat inland, that's why it's so windy. It feels like being on another planet, it's truly fantastic! I had read mixed opinions about the Orkneys but this first tour enthuses us enormously, perhaps also because of the beautiful weather that enhances the colours of nature. Moreover there's no one around, we pass very few cars, so it seems these places belong to us... At 7:30 pm we take the road to Stromness to find a place to have dinner.

We go to the Stromness Hotel (a historic building opposite the little harbour. I expected to find lots of people but the place is almost empty. It feels like going back in time with this early-1900s wooden decor and the very thick carpet. We eat very well: fish, vegetables and dessert. Then we take a little stroll around Stromness, there's no one on the streets and it's freezing cold! We go back to our B&B.

ORKNEY

Today the weather is bad! We did well to visit the prehistoric sites yesterday! The host tells us that in his opinion it will improve. We have breakfast in the dining room of the house, located in a conservatory with a view of the bay and the hills. We head to Kirkwall, the largest town in the Orkneys. Before visiting anything, we go to the TIC to book a room for the following night, on the north coast of the Highlands. On this occasion too it's not easy: the employee makes a series of phone calls without finding a place! Luckily in the end we find a room in a small hotel in Bettyhill for £30 / person. The costs are getting higher and higher compared to our initial budget! We take the opportunity to also ask for a B&B in Edinburgh and the guy asks us for when; to my reply "from 14 to 16 August", he asks: "this year?" with a little smile.

Ok, I get it, it's going to be tough! He makes an incredible series of calls and even finds some vacancies but at mind-boggling prices or far from the city. In the end we give up and decide we'll go to the Travel Lodge 4 km from the city, where we saw online that there are still rooms available at £75 for 2 without breakfast. It won't be very characterful but we have no other choice. Only I don't want to resign myself to spending the last three nights in an anonymous hotel outside the city, so I take the Lonely Planet and start making calls with my mobile (thank goodness I had activated a special rate where every call in Europe costs the same as a call in Italy + a one-off 1 Euro). I find a place in a nice B&B but we see on the map that we'll have parking problems because it's too central.

However, on the third call, we find our Guest House for £38 / person (I'll give the details later)! The owner asks me for my credit card number to charge the first night. First time they've asked us for it. Fingers crossed! Pleased with myself for having outdone the TIC in efficiency, I'm now ready to continue our little sightseeing tour. A tiny ray of sun has even come out! We enter St Magnus Cathedral, a majestic church in red sandstone and yellow stone, and take a few steps along the pedestrian street of Kirkwall.

The town is really small and there's not much to do or see so I dedicate myself a bit to shopping and buy a red fleece cardigan with white sheep for my little girl who will be born in a few months! After a quick lunch of Baked Potatoes and desserts in a bar, we go to visit the Highland Park Distillery, the northernmost Whisky distillery in the world, which is also one of the last that malts its own barley.

The tour is very interesting for anyone who has never seen how Whisky is made, and at the end they sit us down in a little room to watch a video and taste two qualities of Whisky (12 and 18 years aged), which unfortunately I have to refuse for obvious reasons! We continue our tour eastwards to go and see the Churchill Barriers, causeways of large concrete blocks built between Mainland and some smaller islands (Lamb Holm, Glimps Holm, Burray and South Ronaldsay), during World War II by Italian prisoners, at the behest of Churchill who wanted to strengthen the defences around the naval base of Scapa Flow after a German submarine had infiltrated it. The causeways are still lined with the old wrecks of defence ships and it's worth driving that road, which offers beautiful landscapes and is flanked by some sandy beaches.

We make a quick stop at the Italian Chapel which was built by the Italian prisoners with two prefabricated huts and a concrete façade so realistic that if you don't walk around it and only see it from the front it looks like a real little church! The interior is entirely painted and decorated. The last stop of our day is The Gloup, a rocky arch overhanging a sea cave where many seabirds live. It's at the eastern tip of East Mainland, near Mull Head. It's worth a visit and, if you have time, a walk along the cliff too. Tonight we go back to Stromness for dinner, it's the only "civilised" place near Stenness, where there's nothing! At Bistro 76, recommended by the LP, there's no room so we go to the Royal Hotel, a really pleasant place with an intimate atmosphere that wasn't listed in the guide, wrongly, because we eat really well.

ORKNEY AND BETTYHILL IN THE NORTHERN HIGHLANDS

Today we wake up to a very thick fog. It doesn't promise anything good even though the host, as yesterday, tries to reassure us saying that sometimes it improves... We try to visit the tomb of Maeshowe which dates back 5000 years, but the guided tours are full and they don't accept additional visitors. In fact it's a mound tomb and only a few people can enter at a time. We're very disappointed because it seemed interesting. So it's advisable to book well in advance (Tel. 01856 761606 – £4). So we change destination and go as far as the cliffs of Yesnaby west of Mainland. The fog is fortunately clearing. We put on our trekking shoes because it's very muddy and start walking on a grassy lawn like a carpet!... The cliffs are fantastic and there's no one around! After half an hour of walking we reach Yesnaby Castle, an impressive sea stack in the middle of the sea but close to the cliff.

Big waves crash against the rock walls and I imagine what it must be like in winter when the sea is very rough. There are colonies of seabirds flying around us and we can spot some nests of small gulls hidden in the rock. We go back to the car while some couples of tourists arrive. We reach Kirkwall again to go to the Internet Point to download the digital photo card onto a CD (£2) and surf the internet to see the places we've booked for the following nights. The hotel in Bettyhill and the Guest House in Edinburgh seem very nice. Back to Stromness where we have a look around the Stromness Museum and make a couple of purchases on the main street, before boarding at 4:15 pm on the ferry to Thurso. The sea is very rough this time and we stay inside. We doze on comfortable armchairs until our arrival at 6:15 pm. We immediately set off to reach Bettyhill before nightfall.

The road is enchanting. After a while we find the hotel: THE BETTYHILL HOTEL (Bettyhill, Sutherland, £30 / person). It's in a magnificent position, at the top of a hill overlooking vast green meadows and a beautiful sandy beach, Torrisdale Bay. Although the hall is a bit retro and kitschy, our room is very nice and spacious and above all enjoys the spectacular view of the beach! What luck! And to think it was the last room left! We even have a real double bed... I'm noting this because in B&Bs the beds are almost always a queen size! Since it's already late, we go straight to dinner in the dining room on the ground floor which has beautiful windows from which to enjoy the panorama. The sky is also clearing on the horizon and little by little we witness one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen! It lasts practically two hours and the sky is tinged with orange, red and pink.

It's wonderful! Dinner is exquisite, I still remember the Cheese Cake with hot chocolate sauce!!! Truly a good address.

NORTHERN AND WESTERN HIGHLANDS AND ARRIVAL ON THE ISLE OF SKYE

Unfortunately the weather is bad again. Today we have a lot of driving to do to reach the Isle of Skye and we leave at 9:30. We continue on the coastal road of the Northern Highlands, it's beautiful and very green. The road here too is single-track with a series of passing places. Luckily we pass few cars. Before Durness a stop is a must to admire the wonderful beach of Sangobeg. Unfortunately today there's no sun but I can imagine the colours it must have in good weather. It reminds me a lot of a Seychelles beach! The water is crystal clear, the sand is pinkish and it's surrounded by pink granite rocks.

The landscape of the Northern and Western Highlands is something spectacular, I had heard about it but being there is another thing entirely: very green meadows, cliffs, mountains, fjords, little lakes, streams, thousands of sheep, cows, small villages of white houses immersed in nature... We did well to reverse our tour at the end, because this part of Scotland is much more fascinating and wild than the east coast. The ideal thing would be to take all the secondary roads to fully enjoy all the landscapes, unfortunately we don't have much time. Had we known we would have planned an extra day. We have lunch in a pub in Ullapool, the Ferry Inn, and continue without lingering too long. We do however manage a detour from the A896 to Applecross following the coastal road from where we can see the island of Raasay, in front of Skye.

The little road then passes over a rather high pass from where you get a spectacular view. Unfortunately the weather is bad but it's fascinating all the same. The descent from the pass is equally impressive and passes through a very deep and steep gorge. We stop for a moment and I get out of the car to take a photo. Big mistake! I am literally assailed by hundreds of midges, the infamous little flies I had heard about but didn't really believe existed. They massacre me, it's practically like being bitten by tiny mosquitoes! I jump back in the car in an instant and we set off again with the windows open to let them out, because I've brought them all with me, they're stuck to my clothes, my hair, it's a real nightmare!... We only get rid of them after driving several km! Since we're still more than 20 miles from Broadford, the town on Skye where we've booked the B&B, we speed up.

We take the Skye Bridge, which is now toll-free, and arrive in Broadford after 8 pm. We're welcomed by the owner of our B&B: Mrs Isabel MacLeod (Hillview, Blackpark, Broadford, mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/hillviewblackpark, £30 / person). Our room is very comfortable and cosy. As usual, no sooner have we had five minutes to relax than we're already out again for dinner. On the way I had booked by phone a restaurant recommended in the LP: the Creelers ( The place is very small and colourful and offers a menu with Provençal influences. We eat very well. Among the desserts try the Sticky Toffee Pudding.

ISLE OF SKYE

Today we have breakfast at 9, that is almost an hour later than usual, we treat ourselves to this luxury since the owner doesn't seem to impose any particular times on us. Then we set off for a tour of the island, heading north. We stop for a moment in Portree, the main town on the island, with a pretty little harbour overlooked by brightly coloured houses. We continue to the Trotternish peninsula where there are beautiful mountains and a rocky pinnacle: the Old Man of Storr. Near Tote, there's a small car park from which a path leads off to the right with a wonderful view and very green cliffs plunging into the sea. A few km further on is the famous Kilt Waterfall which is very easy to see from a viewpoint with a railing near the car park.

Its name is due to the particular shape of the cliff that resembles the pleats of a kilt! Then, after passing through the pretty Staffin, we visit the small open-air museum Skye Museum of Island Life where, through some reconstructed cottages, we can get an idea of life in the crofts in the 18th and 19th centuries. We reach Uig, a little harbour set in an enchanting bay, around 3 pm. Unfortunately it's too late to have lunch in the only restaurant at the port so we fall back on a bar where we eat some muffins and scones with butter and jam! At Dunvegan we don't stop to visit the castle but continue further along the little road until we reach a nice viewpoint over the castle, the countryside and Loch Dunvegan. A lovely ray of sunshine makes the grass look phosphorescent green.

We then take a nice detour onto the Duirinish peninsula as far as Waterstein, from where a downhill walk begins to Neist Lighthouse (which you can't see from above). The landscape is spectacular! Very green and steep cliffs plunging into the sea. At the lighthouse, which cannot be visited, it seems you can stay overnight. I don't know how guests manage to reach this place with their luggage! By boat? By helicopter?... The climb back up is tough, there are hundreds of steps in the cliff but if I managed it in my seventh month of pregnancy I think anyone can do it, slowly.

Along the path, while we're walking, we also spot two Basking Sharks in the bay below! At first we can't quite work out what they are, they look like three dolphins but then we realise it's a single, enormous animal! On the way back we stop at Colbost because on the way there we had seen a restaurant that looked very nice although very expensive: The Three Chimneys, housed in a delightful white cottage lost in the middle of the countryside (but with a helicopter parked in front!). Unfortunately they don't have a free table! What a shame. Later, I will see a BBC programme about Slow Food that mentioned this very restaurant! So we go back to Portree where we have dinner at the Portree House Hotel. Very good.

EILEAN DONAN CASTLE AND ELGOL

Today, as the BBC had forecast, it's pouring! We go to Eilean Donan Castle, the one from Highlander, to be clear. It's on the mainland so we cross the Skye Bridge again. I expected to find it in a much more isolated position, instead it's right near the road, on a lake, connected by an old bridge. We visit the interiors also to shelter from the pouring rain. When we come out it suddenly stops raining and I take the opportunity to snap a couple of photos of the castle, very photogenic. To get a better view we drive up to the Carr Brae Viewpoint, mentioned in a guide, which is on a little road to the right before the town of Dornie. There's a nice view from above of the castle, the lake and the hills. There's no one there, it seems only we know about this place. Unfortunately it starts raining again so we go to eat at the pub of the Dornie Hotel.

We then continue on a little road that leads to Plockton, a pretty little town with a small harbour, white houses overlooking the bay and lots of flowers. A little stroll is pleasant. What a shame it's raining... As we leave the sun comes out, of course, so we decide to go back to Skye and drive the little road to Elgol. It's beautiful, we're at the foot of the Cuillin mountains and as we drive a wonderful rainbow forms. We return to Broadford around 6:30 pm and withdraw some money from the only working ATM in the town. Tonight we have dinner at the Claymore Restaurant, on the main street, where we eat very well. There are lots of people and you have to wait a bit for a table. A beer at the bar counter helps pass the time.

BACK TO THE MAINLAND AND ARRIVAL IN EDINBURGH

Today we wake up to bright sunshine and a very blue sky the like of which we haven't seen for days. After breakfast we set off for Armadale, from where the ferry (£24.15) to Mallaig leaves at 10:25. The road from Mallaig to the Trossachs is fantastic. For quite a while it runs alongside the railway and at a certain point you glimpse the viaduct made famous by the Harry Potter films! The landscapes are very green and even though there's more traffic than in the Northern Highlands it's still very fascinating. The road leading from Fort William to Tyndrum through Glen Nevis is beautiful and ideal for anyone who wants to go hiking or take simple walks. We have lunch at the Bridge of Orchy hotel and continue on the A82 along Loch Lomond as far as Glasgow, which we're forced to cross for a stretch before reaching the M8 for Edinburgh.

Since it's early we make a small detour to Rosslyn Chapel, 7 miles south of Edinburgh. Fresh from reading The Da Vinci Code, I was very curious to see it in person. Unfortunately heavy scaffolding almost completely hides the chapel; in fact consolidation work is underway that will last a few years. There's only a quarter of an hour until closing time so they let us in free. The interior is worth the visit, the chapel is rich in stone ornaments and symbols linked to the Templars and for anyone who has read up a bit or read The Da Vinci Code it's very interesting and fascinating to try to find the various symbols and understand their meaning. Unfortunately we don't have time and settle for a fairly quick look. We arrive at our guesthouse at 5:30 pm: FAIRHOLME GUEST HOUSE (13 Moston Tce, £38 / person). It's a charming Victorian villa in the Newington district, south of the city.

The neighbourhood, residential, is very nice and full of Victorian villas with small flowered gardens. The owner welcomes us very kindly and carries my suitcase up the stairs. In our room, comfortable and with a very high ceiling, there's only a sink but the bathroom is next door in the corridor and is reserved for us, as the gentleman had mentioned when I spoke to him on the phone. At 6:30 pm we drive out to the centre of Edinburgh and park at St Andrews Square. We have dinner at The Guildford Arms, on West Register Street, a beautiful and lively pub, also very crowded. Since there's no free table for dinner, they ask us to sit at the bar to wait.

The time it takes to drink a beer and they call us, there's a table upstairs on a mezzanine with a view of the pub and the stage where later a jazz band made up of six nice old chaps will play! This place takes part in the Fringe Festival, which is one of the most popular in Edinburgh: it takes place in August and lasts three and a half weeks. There are shows every day: theatre, street comedians, jugglers, etc... It's great fun to walk around Edinburgh on foot and stop at every little show that presents itself in front of you, there's a really lively and cheerful atmosphere! The street performances take place especially along the Royal Mile.

EDINBURGH

We go straight to the Military Tattoo Office (Tattoo Office, 32 Market Street, to see if there are any places left for this spectacular event which also takes place during the first three weeks of August. We start queuing at 10 along the pavement, there's already quite a few people. When we reach the entrance door, we ask the guy managing the flow of people if there's any chance of getting two tickets and to our great surprise he tells us we should manage it! There are still 30 tickets on sale and there are about 20 people ahead of us! And indeed we manage to buy two tickets, though at a steep price, £33 each, but we have the best seats, right in front of the Castle. Satisfied, we walk to the Royal Mile where we stroll watching the street artists who often perform comic sketches. What a contrast with the Scotland we've seen so far.

The Highlands, the Orkneys, where silence reigned and where you barely met a living soul, are far from the very lively Edinburgh, full of tourists, noise, music! We walk the Royal Mile from the junction with North Bridge to the Castle, which however we don't enter because the queue is too long, and then down to Holyrood, the official residence of the royal family in Scotland. At lunchtime the rain drives us to take shelter in a pub but soon the sun returns and we continue our walk visiting the area south of the Castle: Grassmarket, Chambers Street...). We end the day with a stroll in the West Princes Street Gardens, I'm rather tired and my bump is heavy! That same evening we attend the Military Tattoo, after a long, slow and claustrophobic "procession" along the Royal Mile among hundreds of tourists to reach the gates of the Castle.

The show is very beautiful and moving, we also have the best seats to admire all the light effects on the Castle. The seats are very cramped and uncomfortable but luckily it doesn't rain and it's not cold.

EDINBURGH

Since the day is a bit grey we decide to visit the Castle. While we're in the queue, a member of Staff notices my bump and to my great surprise, they let us skip the whole queue! I really appreciate it! The ticket, on the other hand, is extremely expensive: £9.80 each! The visit to the Castle doesn't wow me. For lunch we go back to Grassmarket where we eat in a historic pub: White Hart Inn, which was frequented by Robert Burns, a 18th-century poet. After lunch we go back to enjoy the crazy atmosphere of the Royal Mile. We get flyers advertising shows non-stop, some kids find decidedly unusual ways to get noticed, like walking around naked with only a towel around their waist, or lying on the ground! Tonight for dinner we take a trip outside Edinburgh and reach South Queensferry, near the Forth Bridge, a railway bridge over 100 years old, made of red steel, very impressive.

We have dinner at The Hawes Inn, another historic place with an intimate atmosphere, with a view of the illuminated bridge. For dessert I treat myself to one last Apple Crumble, delicious...