Motoring and Meandering!

Tomorrow's travel plans having been finalized, and a few e-mails dealt with, I can now turn my attention - and remaining allotted time on the computer - to filling in some of the details of our Scottish doings...
Friday was our day for venturing farther afield - by car, not by bike! - and it turned out that we chose the right day. There were some heavyish showers at various times throughout the day, when we were particularly glad that we weren't either walking or on our bikes....
From Aviemore we drove to the farthest point, then worked our way back, stopping at the places that particularly interested us. I had a query as to whether we had made it to Kenmore, a quaint little village at the head of Loch Tay,and that was our farthest point out! Its claim to fame is that its hotel, the Kenmore Hotel, is the oldest inn in Scotland! IDates are not my strong point, but it seems to me that it was built sometime in the late 1500's. We were very taken with both the village and the hotel, enjoying a coffee-time sit down in front of a blazing log fire in the lobby. Of course we were very interested in the name, because our grandmother's house in Leicester - the house where I was born - went by that name, and we were wondering whether there was any connection with the Scottish Kenmore.....
Aberfeldy was our next stop. On a trip to Scotland with my father, when I was perhaps fifteen, I remember going to the Aberfeldy Agricultural Show in the area. This time we wandered along the main street, buying meatpies for our supper at the local butcher's, but declining the black pudding and other 'delicacies' on display... A couple of doors down was a very old-fashioned looking clothing store, not too inviting, but the rain propelled us in. Despite appearances to the contrary,we discovered that there were good buys to be had, particularly on rainjackets, which was just what I was looking for! Then it was a question of what to do with the jacket I already had? No problem! A thrift sale underway in a nearby church enabled me to do a 'shop-drop', and I'm sure the ladies running it - very busy at the time when we were there - wondered later where a certain royal blue jacket appeared from on the ladies' coat rack, still covered with raindrops! No doubt some local'sauncy lass' would have been very happy to find it!!
Our lunch stop was Grantully, at the 'Inn on the Tay', formerly the Riverside Inn. A little side trip up a narrow track on the opposite bank of the Tay to a bluebell wood, brought us to the spot where the Wilkie cousins gathered a few years ago to scatter the ashes of Uncle Sandy and Auntie Anna. Such a beautiful and peaceful spot...
It seemed that, at every turn along our route, we were 'wowed' by the scenery - the intense green of the grass (all that rain!) the sheep, with lambs either nestled beide their mothers or gambolling nearby, plus the occasional 'hairy coo' in the distance.
Driving through Pitlochry, we recollected our time of dancing in the street there on 'N'er Day' (New Year's Day) 2005, and spotted the hotel from whence hot chocolate and sausage rolls had been brought at that time! We continued on through Pitlochry to the Soldier's Leap in the Pass of Killiecrankie, en route for the Queen's View (Queen Victoria? Queen Isabella?)to enjoy both the view and a wee spot of tea.
By the time we reached Blair Atholl and Blair Castle, it was getting too late to see around the castle and grounds, but we were rewarded with a close encounter, fortunately behind several strands of electric fence and barbed wire, with several 'hairy coos'. (In case you have been wondering, these are those hairy highland cattle with the decidedly manacing horns, native to the highlands of Scotland!)
On previous visits to the area I myself have explored both Blair Castle and grounds, of particular interest to members of the Wilkie clan as Peter Wilkie, cousin of our grandfather Alexander Wilkie, was Pipe Major some forty or fifty years ago, of the Duke of Atholl's army, the only private army in the land. Peter Wilkie's picture even graced the cover of the glossy magazine 'The Field' for one issue during his tenure!
In relating the doings of last Friday, I am surprised at all the things we managed to accomplish in one day!
There is yet more to tell of our Scottish adventures, so continue to watch this space!