TR-Mission:Exploration of new worlds by Capt’n Wrongway Wendy-Complete

[Aussie Wendy]

Part 7

Models rather too lifelike







Diagon Alley















What we found so amazing was that the actors actually were on this set-the scenes in Daigon Alley were all actually filmed here.
















So will an icecream shop be part of the new US Diagon Alleyline-up?





The next room is dedicated to the art department, who came up with all the concept art to plan the sets, characters and buildings. A huge amount of work went into making real architectural drawings for every building in the films and it included white card models. Some of the characters like Dobby took 50-100 artist drafts to get right.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Part 8

Concept art continued











White card models








Finally the 1/24th scale model that took the equivalent of 74 man years to create. Used for all films for various flying around the castle shots with videos showing how they imposed the model shots into segments of the films. The time of day (and night) changed as you walked around.

By day



And night (you can just see people on the viewing gallery to get an idea of the scale.)





Detail of the boat house



And the astronomy tower I think











Such attention to detail. The rocks were real rocks.













Continued in last post

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Final post 9

On the way out. The wand boxes recognise everyone who worked on the films.







In the amazingly huge shop.





I should have bought Crookshanks! (DD already owns Hegwig and I already own Scabbers!) [You will have noted my obsession with plush animals].



DD chose a wand – Sirius Black as the decorations are some of the best (and she liked his character as well as Lupin's the most) – that would have been my guess looking at them too! (Pic will have to wait-can’t find it in the folder). There were tons of clothes, jumpers, dresses like Hermione's ball gown, to buy as well. All sorts of lollies, glassware, games, keyrings, but it was all quite expensive.

The day concluded with a delicious dinner and evening at rellies’ son’s house – new and the most “Australian” looking house I have seen to date.

Capt’n’s highlight’s – HP tour of course! Lows- more time and £ needed to spend in the shop!

 

[PrincessInOz]

How much was Crookshanks?

There are a lot more wands in that shop than in Orlando. They only had the wands for the characters; rather than recognising the production cast/crew.
From memory, the wands were US$30 - $45 at Orlando. Do you remember how much they were there?

 

[Aussie Wendy]

The wands commemorating the production crew weren't for sale - just their way of remembering the names of all who were involved. There was the usual 10 or 12 key cast members wands. Funny thing, though the same wands, the boxes at the Platform 9 3/4 shop at Kings Cross were much nicer (classier) than the boxes at HP Studios. Prices at the studios were around £23-25 - can't remember exactly as DD bought a T shirt and we bought a few other odds and ends on the same bill. How does this compare to Universal? Oh and I remembered you could buy Dumbledore's robes for a cool £500!

 

[PrincessInOz]

We paid US$30 - $40 for the wands; depending on how popular or elaborate the wands were. Seems comparable to the GBP pricing you're quoting.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Mon 26th May. Off to Scotland. Post 1

Having spent Sunday gathering with friends back in Peterborough and enjoying the first decent day of summer they had had til then with lunch in the garden, Monday morning found us on the Peterborough train platform awaiting the 9.15 am train to Scotland…which didn’t arrive. (Unfortunately whilst touring the Enterprise is parked behind the second star to the right so can’t take short cuts.)

We were told to get on the next train and all seat allocations were off. Luckily this was not a repeat of our Kyoto experience last year. The next train arrived about an hour later, half empty and we quickly found a carriage, dumped our luggage in the racks at the front and nabbed some vacant seats. We never ended up paying extra for 1st class and really were very happy in second. DD and I bought a delicious toasted sandwich and reasonable coffee en route and 3 and a bit hours later, we arrived in freezing, overcast Edinburgh.

It didn’t take much to orient ourselves towards our apartment here, Blue Rainbow Apartment hotel (which I think I have given the worst review of any accommodation ever!) Excellent location in New Town just a few streets below Princes St, but highly pretentious, lousy housekeeping and maintenance. Anyway, it turned out they are laying new tram tracks right outside. (Luckily our bedrooms faced the gardens at the back and were very quiet so no complaints there.)



We couldn’t occupy our rooms til after 3pm and after a very frosty reception to match the weather, left our bags and headed out to explore. We were staying near St Andrew Square so the first pic here is of the Meville Monument (commemorating Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, who was the most powerful Scottish politician of his time-late 1700’s and apparently referred to when alive as ‘Harry IX uncrowned King of Scotland’).



Next are views of Edinburgh spread out along the ridge with its distinctive grey stone and the Princes gardens which are in a valley between us and the old town. The photos go from views of the east and the Waverley Bridge to the west and the castle.

Until the founding of the New Town in C18th, the books say old Edinburgh was an insanitary, overcrowded hive of humanity squeezed between North Loch (now Princes St Gardens) to the north and the city walls to south & east. The town expanded upwards with 5 & 6 story tenements in C16th & C17th, skyscrapers of their day and remarked upon by writers such as Daniel Defoe. Beggars and magistrates lived cheek by jowl, the rich half way up above the noise and stink of the streets (but not at the top because of all the stairs), the poor lived in the attics and in the basements & cellars with the rats and raw sewerage. Diseases like the plague spread as the population increased to over 50,000 so in the 1700s they extended the city and built New Town. We never did get time to do a tour of one of these basement areas like Real St Mary Close - next visit!











The Scott Monument in memory of Sir Walter Scott.



Princes Gardens in what was a boggy valley drained in C18th. I am sure this tree was the inspiration for HP Whomping Willow.



We then headed up one of the many stairs and closes to the main drag of the Royal Mile.



Doors opened off the passageway into students’ rooms belonging to New College.





We came to St Giles Cathedral with the City Chambers opposite.



The church (it wasn’t a cathedral for very long) was named after the patron saint of beggars and cripples and dates from C15th (but restored in C19th). John Knox, the infamous Scottish reformationist, was minister here in 1559-1572.



Close-up showing some of the detail on the statue of the Duke of Buccleuch.



Inside the church



One corner has the Thistle Chapel, built in 1911 for knights of Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Scotland’s greatest order of chivalry with membership considered to be one of the country's highest honours. Along the sides of the chapel are the knights' stalls, capped by carved canopies with the helms and crests of the knights rising above-some of these modern knights’ helms looked almost comic book like the rainbow over the world and greatly amused me and DD!





Outside with the Mercat Cross behind where merchants and traders met and Royal proclamations were made.





Love the unicorn which appears everywhere as the herald for Scotland (hence the Lion and Unicorn created when James IV Scotland became James 1 of England).



As it started to rain, we headed off to the National Musuem, following some of the narrow wynds and stairs down and along Cowgate which seemed very closed in and dark. This was once the road along which cattle were driven from fields around Arthur’s Seat to the safety of the city walls.

We climbed up through Greyfriars Kirkyard, which is infamous as in 1638 the National Covenant was signed at the kirk here, here rejecting Charles 1 attempts to impose the new English prayer book, and affirming the independence of the Scottish church. Many who signed were later executed or held prisoner in terrible conditions in the SW corner of this kirkyard. Today it is very peaceful and pretty.



We had to have a look outside at Greyfriar’s Bobby. Bobby is a terrier who for 14 years between 1858 to1872 guarded the grave of his master, an Edinburgh police officer, in the kirkyard. The story was turned into a movie by Walt Disney in 1963.




Then it was into the National Museum-next post.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Off to Scotland Post 2

Our next stop given the weather was the National Museum of Scotland. I had a few must-see’s here. It is a huge place and I could have spent several happy hours here but in the 2 hours we had til it closed we focussed on the Scottish galleries. First up Early People Galleries with some Pictish carved stones:





and an excellent example of the cup and saucer carvings we saw later on some Neolithic cairns.



The Lewis chess pieces, featured in Brave and dating from the C12th, carved in walrus ivory and probably made in Norway (who ruled much of the Outer Hebrides Islands of Scotland at that time).






Moving into Kingdom of the Scots, an example of Scottish tartan



And Bonnie Prince Charlie’s silver travelling canteen, possibly a 21st birthday gift.



A quick trip through some other galleries. Here is Dolly, the cloned sheep



The Black Knight Rocket designed by the British government and launched from the Australian desert in 1958.



And a rushed pic of the Grand Gallery.



We had to leave when the museum closed at 5 and headed back to the apartment via Tesco’s for supplies. Here are some pics of the place – it looked great and as I said very pretentious with the dining table set, imitation roses on the beds etc, but the bathrooms were grubby and carpets stained, tiles were chipped, mould was growing, there was fluff in every corner, behind and under the sofas hadn’t been vacuumed in centuries (I dropped something), the kitchen cupboards were all warped and there was a huge splashed stain of something across the back of the kitchen door and so on…yet every object was itemised in a list of what you had to pay if you broke it (and at exorbitant rates – like I think £5/glass etc). You pay a £100 deposit as it is which is refunded after you leave. Wifi was an extra fee. We discovered the ensuite shower kept overflowing so we used the one in the main bathroom over the bath and reported that and the fact that the fridge freezer was so iced up it was going to break soon to the front desk but who knows if they do anything about any of it. I can’t believe people are still leaving rave reports on TA? Perhaps some apartments are in a better state? But I would think they had the same cleaning staff?







View of the gardens we couldn’t get into as the door was broken.



Anyway we had a quiet nights sleep hoping for better weather on the morrow.

Captn’s highlights: We’re in Scotland at last! The Museum. Edinburgh’s quirky layout and architecture.
Lowlights: Cancelled trains, grotty apartment, it’s freezing!

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Tues 28th Lots of history lessons Part 1

Slept in so by the time we reached Edinburgh Castle there was a bit of a queue but not too bad-the sun even came out. They were doing lots of scaffolding work-tattoo maybe but seemed a bit early? The castle was a satisfyingly real castle with towers and battlements and canons. There were great views from the ramparts-Edinburgh appears to be a relatively small city as not far til the city ended and the countryside began.



View from Arthurs Seat around to the west



One of our first stops was St Margaret’s Chapel built by David I around 1130 and the oldest building in Edinburgh. Margaret was from the English royal family and after the Norman invasion of 1066, she fled to the court of Malcolm III of Scotland. They fell in love and were married. In 1093 Malcolm and his eldest son were killed in an ambush while fighting the Normans. The story goes Margaret took to her bed in Edinburgh Castle and died from a broken heart. The chapel was built by her youngest son. In 1250 she was canonised as St Margaret of Scotland, for her many acts of piety and charity. The chapel which was of plain stone, was very atmospheric.





St Margaret



Nearby was Mons Meg, over 550 years old, one of the world’s oldest cannons, and one of two giant siege guns given to James II of Scotland in 1457. When built at Mons in Belgium she represented the cutting edge of military technology. You can see the 150kg stone cannonballs she fired in the pic. She was so heavy though she was hardly ever used except as a saluting gun and was last fired in 1681 (when it burst open during firing)



Next we headed to the Royal Palace and the Crown Room before the hoards of tour groups mobbed it. Everything in the castle seemed to have been refurbished or built for the “homecoming” visit of King James VI of Scotland in 1617 to celebrate his 50th anniversary as King of the Scots. (He was Mary Queen of Scots’ son, who became King James 1 of England).

Pic of the exterior



Inside the Royal Palace. Although the home of Scottish royalty the rooms weren’t very comfortable and the family moved out to Holyrood Abbey (the opposite end of the Royal Mile).

Restored Laich hall



A painting of James VI/James 1



A painting of Mary Queen of Scots



Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James here in 1566 in a cramped area off her bed chamber which was refurbished for his return. The birth room was a very small room so pics are of some of the heraldic painting.



No pics were allowed of the royal treasures. The room they were in was especially built for the “Honours” as they are known in 1617 for King James return. They are the crown, sceptre and sword, and now also the Stone of Scone.


Pic borrowed from the internet



The first 3 date from late C15th/early C16th. With the presentation of the sceptre by the Pope to King James it demonstrated the papacy finally recognised Scottish sovereignty. During the civil wars they were hidden from Oliver Cromwell and smuggled out to Dunnotar Castle on the coast and from there as Cromwell came after them smuggled out and hidden again by the maids.

Later, after the Treaty of Union in 1707, the Honours were no longer required and were locked away in a chest within the Castle. There they lay undiscovered for over a hundred years, eventually coming to light again in 1818 after a search of the Crown Room supervised by the Scottish patriot and author, Sir Walter Scott.

We later walked through St David’s Tower (too dark for pics) where they hid the Honours again during WWII (under the floor of the dungeons) – only 4 people were told where they were hidden (3 Scots/English important people - and bizarrely the Canadian Governor General?) The dungeons here were very cold and damp and it was very cool to be walking somewhere so old (rebuilt 1500’s after being destroyed during the English siege of Edinburgh to capture Mary Queen of Scots).

Back to the Honours, the crown, sceptre and sword were only first used together at the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots in Stirling Castle in 1543 when she was just 9 months old. The honours are still presented to each new sovereign and the crown is present State openings of the Scottish Parliament.

The Stone of Scone is so old no-one knows how it was used. It is known that is was used at various sites including Scone as part of the ceremony for enthroning Scottish monarchs. It a very plain block of sandstone with rope handles to allow it to be carried and has a small cross inscribed on it. John Balliol was the last Scottish king to use it in 1292 as it was captured by King Edward 1 of England in 1296 and taken to Westminster Abbey where it remained under the coronation chair of the English monarchs. It was last used at the coronation of HM Queen Liz in 1953. In 1996 on St Andrews day it was returned to its homeland and installed with the Honours at Edinburgh Castle.

Back outside and onto the Forewall and Half Moon Batteries. DD decided Edinburgh has a thing about dogs (and statues) – she kept finding statues with dogs or as here, the soldiers doggies’ graveyard.



The views from these batteries looked out at the Firth of Forth





Close up of Calton Hill (visited later that day)



Seen with the eye of a cannon



Next up the Great Hall, built in 1511 with a gorgeous wooden ceiling, one of the last remaining medieval ceilings in England. We also liked all the armour.



Inside



Ceiling detail



Fireplace and some of the armour on display (there were also lots of swords)



We ducked into the National War Memorial (pic) but skipped the War Museum.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Part 2

Lastly we visited the Prisons of War Exhibition in the castle dungeons. American, Dutch, French, Irish, Spanish and other prisoners of war were held here during the American War of Independence, the Napoleonic Wars and the Seven Years War. The exhibition had recordings of conversations between the prisoners which brought it to life.



We also found fascinating some excellent carvings of ships as well as other graffiti on the prison doors on display and the beautiful marquetry the prisoners made to sell to visitors.





Farewell to Edinburgh Castle



And the lovely unicorns that popped up everywhere.



We were starving by now so headed out along the Royal Mile encountering William Wallace



And one of many bagpipers



Had lunch at this place, Angels with Bagpipes, rated well on TA.



Delicious 2 course seasonal lunch menu for £13.95. DD had a salad as an entrée including watermelon, goats feta, apple, celery, walnuts, rocket, watercress and a cider dressing-odd combo but delicious she said (and we neglected to take a pic). DH and I chose a desert instead. I had a wild rice risotto with mushrooms and celeriac and salsify beignet (whatever that is?)– very rich but delicious



DH had boring fish and chips with crushed peas



And DD had chicken breast with sweetcorn pasta and truffles, mushrooms and asparagus.



For desert DH had the AwB Tunnocks cake which looked like a marshmallow biscuit and basically was - a biscuit base, marshmallowy-like filling covered in chocolate served with bubblegum and blueberry icecream that tasted divine despite the description (I nicked some).



I had bread and butter pudding with icecream –nothing like my old school lunch puds (which had til now put me off ordering this).



We also discovered how superb Thistle brand cider was here and proceeded to drink it whenever we could throughout Scotland. I presume being a set course lunch the meal sizes were smaller than if you paid full price but it was delicious and excellent value and plenty for us.

Full, we rolled out and proceeded down the Royal Mile stopping to check out the many souvy shops with all their cheap and super expensive, tartan-wear, complete Scottish outfits with sporran and kilts, sets of bagpipes and your clan name presented in every way possible. Luckily perhaps we have no Scottish anywhere in our ancestry so not really tempted except by a scarf or two and for now, resisted.

A view down Canongate



and past John Knox House and the oldest surviving tenement in Edinburgh dating from 1490.



The new Scottish Parliament Building



Finally we ended up at Holyrood House. The troops had had enough touring for the day after the castle so we just had a peek at the outside and used the loos. You can just see the ruins of the abbey adjoining.



We then headed in the late afternoon sunshine up Calton Hill (infamous for anyone who reads or watches Ian Rankine’s Rebus series). There are great views from the top where you can see both Arthur’s Seat and Edinburgh Castle but bit wide view to get in one pic and the sun was facing us. (We decided to lazy to tackle the more strenuous Arthurs Seat though lots of people could be seen as tiny ants climbing up).

Looking towards Holyrood House



Arthurs Seat



Looking towards town and the castle just on the edge far right



Dodgy panorama – experimenting with DH new camera



Calton Hill is infamous for all its monuments. This is the National Monument to commemorate the fallen of the Napoleonic Wars. It was paid for by public subscriptions beginning in 1822 and attempted to replicate the Greek Parthenon but when funds run dry only 12 columns were completed.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Part 3

A wider view including the Nelson Monument built in 1807 as an imitation of Nelson’s telescope and commemorating Lord Nelson’s victory of Trafalgar.



A view looking over the Firth of Forth



From here it was just a short walk back to our hotel and we identified the car hire venue just 5 mins down the road. We cooked dinner at home and went for an evening stroll but too tired to stay up late enough to see the castle all lit up. A few more pics along our way.

One of the many statues that line the façade of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery opposite the apartments – not sure why his sceptre is so bright.



More doggies



A nice view of the castle and a monument to the Royal Scotts Greys to commemorate the fallen of the regiment in the Boer War. These were the first mounted troops raised for the British crown in Scotland A fitting place to end our tour of Edinburgh.



So farewell to Edinburgh til next time. An interesting place to visit but we didn't fall in love like we do in some places.

Capt’n Highlights: The castle and lunch at Angels with Bagpipes.
Lows: More time and more stamina-always the cry when leaving every new place.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Another great set of pictures, Wendy. They bring back fond memories of Edinburgh.....and like you, Edinburgh was a great place to visit but DH and I didn't exactly fall in love with it. Still a great city; and we will go back to visit (some day).

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Thanks for sticking with me PIO especially with you and many regulars so busy planning those fast approaching trips! Getting exciting!

I'll keep plugging away with this TR as always useful when some-one else comes to plan a trip as well as an account for me to use when scrapbooking/photobooking. Spain might be up by the time you get back!! I despair Ms Shuttergirl's ever will be!! (shh she might hear me!) and her pics of Scotland/DLP etc will be so much better than ours.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Please do! Even if I'm away, I'll come back and catch up. I'm not the type to check in or post much when I'm on holiday. I like to disconnect from normal life as much as possible.

 

[Marlea98]

I've been slack in reading TRs while researching our trip A million apologies. I'd love to visit Scotland etc. One day...

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Guys - I wasn't having a dig - I meant it - you are all too busy planning your trips to spend time on TR but its there when anyone comes to do some planning. I also switch off when away PIO as you would have seen from my rare posts while we were away...part of being on hols!

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Day I forget but its Wed 29th “We’re Knights of the Roundtable..”.. Part 1

Checked-out and headed down the street to Hertz trundling our bags behind. Despite their directions we managed to get lost in the peak hour traffic but I figured by following signs to Queens Ferry we were heading in the general direction and sure enough came across a major intersection and where I wanted to be, just perhaps a more circuitous route and got to see some of the Edinburgh burbs.

First stop was the Falkirk Wheel, a millennium project which links the Forth & Clyde, and Union canals replacing a flight of 11 locks and raising boats 35m. We didn’t have time for a ride but were happy to watch the first boat of the day make the rotation. They also had a great inventive kids playground here.





Next stop was 30 mins away, Doune Castle. Wrongway Wendy led us on the road to Glasgow for a bit first though (well not my fault on the map there appeared to be a junction between the M876 with the M80 but in practice the road only gave us the option to go south). But we found a place to turn around and only 15 mins or so were heading the way we wanted to be (the First Lieutenant was getting cranky).

Doune Castle was great fun. We got the audio-guide narrated by Terry Jones so had some wonderful Monty Python and the Holy Grail moments (it was where much of the film was filmed). It was the perfect castle-lots of places to clamber in and on and through but not too big.

“I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!”



The castle was built in the 1300’s by the Earl of Albany, son of King Robert II who was made guardian of the realm in 1388 and ruled til 1420-known as Scotland’s “uncrowned king” so the castle was virtually a royal castle and was of strategic importance as it controlled the route between the Lowlands & Highlands. It is rare as one of the few castles never to have been added on to.

In the courtyard



The Great Hall



The kitchens



Under the window to the left you can see the scratches in the stonework made by cooks sharpening their knives.



The partly re-created Duke’s chambers



The upper chambers of the Gate Tower, a location for many scenes. Remember this:

“We're knights of the Round Table, we dance whene'er we're able. We do routines and chorus scenes with footwork impec-cable, We dine well here in Camelot, we eat ham and jam and Spam a lot.” A platform was built in a corner of this room for the performance.



It was also used for the spanking scene with the “nuns” and who could forget this window: King of Swamp Castle: One day, lad, all this will be yours.
Prince Herbert “But I don’t want it.”




A nearby garderobe



Narrow tower steps



View of the river from the battlements



The village of Doune and a wind farm on the horizon.



Having had our Monty Python fix, we stopped up the road in Callender for lunch supplies – our favourite ready made sandwich, crisps and a drink for £3 deal then found a spot to picnic near a river but rain drove us into the car within the first 5 mins, so finished our picnic inside -reminiscent of many a road trip.

There followed several hours of driving through stunning highland scenery of mountains and lochs and waterfalls and sheep. After all the rain and mist in the late afternoon the sun came out setting the lochs sparkling.

One of many loch photos



The landscape in the Glencoe valley was very dramatic but didn’t detour into the visitors centre.

Entering the Valley



Another history lesson for you-Glencoe is renown as where in 1691 the MacDonalds were murdered by Campbell soldiers under the direction of the Secretary of Scotland, Sir John Dalrymple. Supposedly the Chief was late in taking his oath of loyalty to K William III as required and Dalrymple used it as excuse to order the execution but this order to kill came after his soldiers had spent 10 days with the MacDonalds (as under tradition clans provide hospitality for passing travellers.) Some of the Campbells alerted the MacDonalds but the rest turned on their hosts and slaughtered them. All up 38 men, women and children died including those fled out into the snow and died of exposure. His ruthlessness caused public uproar and an enquiry led to Dalrymple losing his job.

A view of two of the three sisters of Glencoe



DD’s dragon’s cave high up on the mountainside



We continued through Fort William (pic on the outskirts for a loo stop)





and out to the Ben Nevis Experience. Continued Post 2.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Wed 29th Part 2

We got to the Ben Nevis Experience at 3.40pm so just had time to catch the cable car up 650m to Aonach Mor (8th highest mountain in Britain). The last ride down was at 5.10pm so we took the short walk at the top, to Sgurr Finnisg-aig, a viewpoint which looks out across the Great Glen and Hills of Knoydart, and back towards Carn Mor Dearg and Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in the British Isles).

Going up



Us up top



Panorama from the top looking back at Loch Linnhe and Fort William then around to Loch Locky (the track you can see if for mountain bikers coming down (and side by side one for walkers)







Closer view of Loch Linnhe



DD and the cable car station behind her



Looking towards Ben Nevis.



Then it was back in the car for the last leg of the day to our lodgings on the Isle of Skye. The drive was through softer scenery than Glencoe, lots of lochs and finally over the bridge to Skye.







Our guesthouse was on the shores of the loch run by a wonderfully welcoming couple and after settling in to our ensuite bedroom (slept us 3) overlooking Loch na Cairidh, we had their light supper in the guests’ sitting room with its great views. Superb home-made soup (the last of the broccoli and stilton for me and chunky minestrone for DD and DH) and DD and I indulged in divine warm chocolate brownies with chocolate sauce and icecream while reading up on Skye.

Skye Picture House



Our ensuite room





Brilliant views of the Loch from our bedroom windows





The guest sitting room and deck





The sun was just going down when we pulled our blinds at 10.30pm and snuggled into our comfy beds listening to the cuckoos –thought it was a clock at first but no, they were real.

.

Captn's highlights: Doune Castle, all the magnificent scenery, our guesthouse and room.
Lowlights: None that come to mind

Next post exploring Skye

 

[Frosted]

Oooh, loving your report. We leave in 5 weeks!!! We are staying at the same Skye B&B so very glad not to see that as a lowlight!!!!

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Oooh, loving your report. We leave in 5 weeks!!! We are staying at the same Skye B&B so very glad not to see that as a lowlight!!!!

We really loved it. The owners are really nice and helpful to tell you places to go and eat etc and they have lots of maps and books and binoculars. The place itself is very comfortable. The light supper was superb and very reasonable and you just let them know if you want it. We ate out the other two nights. There is a bit of noise from the other rooms - mostly for the room we were in (the only 3 bedder) from the plumbing when their shower was on. Pressure in our shower wasn't great either but that's the only thing I could fault if pressed. Not all rooms have views of the loch. I hope to shortlist other pics from Skye this weekend and post later on Sunday so you can see some more. We were thrilled that the otters came out onto shore to play our last morning just before we left. Before that we had just seen their heads bobbing along looking like a seal out in the loch. I hope you find it as great a base as we did.