Menin Gate at midday

After leaving Scotland, we stayed in England just long enough to spend time in Surrey with E and meet some of the wonderful friends she has made during her gap year. On the way south we made an overnight stop in Harrogate (and a visit to the Royal Baths) and a quick visit to pretty Oxford.  Too quickly the time came to farewell E until our sunny Christmas reunion, and we departed via the white cliffs of Dover for Dunkirk.  We were on our way to Paris again, and wanted to visit Ieper (Ypres) in Belguim.

Pretty Oxford

Happy times in Surrey's lovliest pub, the Hare and Hounds,
with two of Surrey's loveliest residents.

Ypres

I was 11 years old the first time I saw Menin Gate.  I was standing next to my World War I veteran grandfather looking at one of the Australian War Memorial's best-known paintings, Menin Gate at Midnight.  My grandfather had been at Ypres and fought in the Battle of the Somme and I remember that he had to explain to me the field of steel-helmeted ghosts - fallen soldiers - around the imposing Menin Gate Memorial depicted in the painting.  Since that day, I've stood in the War Memorial's darkened gallery many times and Menin Gate at Midnight always has a deeply moving effect.  In Ypres today The Menin Gate Memorial had the same effect.

At the end of WWI Winston Churchill wanted to claim the entire ruins of the town of Ypres as a war memorial.   185,000 British Commonwealth soldiers had died in the surrounding area - the Salient - and 100,000 of those had no known grave. Winston said that there was no place more sacred in the world.  Understandably the people of Ypres didn't agree with Winston's plan for their town and so in 1928 the memorial was built, and at precisely 8pm every night since (WWII excepted), in a ceremony to honour and remember the lives lost, the Last Post is played by buglers from the Ieper volunteer fire brigade.

The Menin Gate Memorial

Inscribed on stone panels on the walls, under the great arches
 and up the stairs are the names of some 55,000 soldiers with
no known grave.  More than 6,000 names are Australian.

Ieper's Cloth Hall which also houses the
In Flanders Field Museum

We visited the In Flanders Field Museum where the harrowing story of the Ypres Salient is told.  The excellent multi-media curating added even more meaning when we visited the Memorial just a short walk from the museum.  Ieper is a very pretty town and senor and I were pleased to be able to visit it on this lovely autumn day.

Speed, bonnie boat

We spent two days exploring Loch Ness and the Great Glen before heading for the Isle of Skye and Acharacle, Ardnamurchan  - the west highlands. It was fun to see how the Loch Ness legend maintains the area as a tourist attraction. In the newspaper yesterday - an article of a possible sighting!  People will forever be looking for Nessie and on the banks of the south shore of Loch Ness, where we stopped for lunch in the Dores Inn, is the caravan home of Steve Feltham.  He has lived there for 20 years looking for the Loch Ness monster!

The Great Glen and Castle Urquhart on the northern shore of
Loch Ness, just near Dromnadrochit where the whole Nessie
 business began in the 1920s.

Ah, the heather! Everywhere the highlands were
covered in mauve loveliness.

It's nearly time to put orders in!

Professional Nessie hunter's home on Loch Ness

She looks something like this.

As we left Inverness and headed south west the weather deterioriated.  The tail end of hurricane Katia that had wreaked its havoc on the US east coast had arrived in south west Scotland and with it were warnings of excessive rain and gale force winds.

The drive through the highlands was spectacular.  Torrents of water cascading in great streams from the cliffs and crags of the highland peaks.

'over the sea to Skye'- well over the Skye bridge to Skye.
'Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar,
Thunderclaps rend the air'.
They sure did.

We drove with great care.  The next sign we saw
advised....'possible landslides ahead'!

Crofters cottage, Isle of Skye.
That's one way to keep your roof on in gale force winds.

Eilean Donan Castle

The weather conditions caused by the tail end of the hurricane
forced this couple to eat their 'addock'n'chips in a phone box!
Poor things.

So much rain fell that all through the highlands
 the hills and mountains were pouring
with streams and riverlets.  It was an amazing sight.

The rivers were fairly flowing and rising.  In some
villages there was flooding and road closures.

Rob Roy MacGregor's grave at Balquidder

Pretty Plockton

In the Scottish Highlands our hiking boots earned their
place on tour.

The weather began to clear as we headed east for our final Scottish destination - Edinburgh.  Handsome Edinburgh.  A bit like a weathered but brave Scottish soldier really. It was good to park Cecile for a couple of days at our centrally-located accommodation and walk our way around the city.  Firstly, the UNESCO heritage listed old town, along the Royal Mile, then Georgian new town, up Arthur's Seat, and all over the Royal Yacht Britannia.  Fabulous city, fabulous time we had.

On an Edinburgh street corner....I'll never tire
of hearing the bagpiper.......

.....some people do.  This sign in the window of the
building opposite the piper!

The Royal Mile

On the way up Arthut's Seat

Salisbury Crags

Like I said, in Scotland it's all about tartan

Edinburgh Castle from the esplanade where the 8000 brand new
amphitheatre seats were being dismantled at the end of the 2011
Tattoo season

An Edinburgh morning coffee - perfect,
thanks Morag!

Haste Ye Back!

Highland Fling

From a wharf beside the dockyard where the Titanic was built, we drove on to a ferry boat bound for Scotland.  Belfast was grey and drizzly, however we sailed into fine weather and the three hour crossing was calm.

Our first destination was St Andrews on Scotland's east coast.  Funny to have seen both east and west coast of this country in just a few hours.  St Andrews was a delightful couple of days, as senor's brother and sister-in-law had generously invited us to share their holiday in the Kingdom of Fife.  St Andrews has Scotland's oldest university, the remains of what was once it's largest cathedral, and probably the world's oldest golf course. An impressive combination for a small town.  The girls went shopping, the boys went to the pub, and together we drove to nearby fishing villages.  We ate at the local pub and from the hill overlooking St Andrews watched rehearsals for the next day's annual Leuchar's Air Show.  It was a wonderful two days and it passed far too quickly.

From St Andrews we headed north and as we approached Pitlochry, thinking about stopping for a coffee break, we noticed signs advertising that the Pitlochry Annual Highland Games was being held on Saturday 10 September.  It's sometimes difficult to keep track of the date (and the day) while on holidays, however when we arrived to see the centre of Pitlochry a-sway with kilts we knew that today was 10 September!  Light rain was falling and we asked in the cafe if the Highland Games would continue in the rain. "Ach, we're Scots, no matter what the weather, the Highland Games will never be cancelled!".  There was no decision, our coffee stop turned into an afternoon stop as we headed to the recreation ground for an afternoon to remember.

From Pitlochry we drove through the magnificent Cairngorms to arrive, later than we had expected, at Inverness.  It had been a day of almost too much delight.

We took the ferry boat from Belfast to Stranraer, south west Scotland.
We drove along the outstanding and unspoilt coastal drive before
 crossing Scotland to the east coast, St Andrews on the Firth of Forth.
 It was a sparkling blue, blue autumn day when we arrived.
This is the volcanic plug Ailsa Craig, off the west coast of Scotland.

Morning coffee in St Andrews.... there was Donald! 

The ruins of St Andrews Cathedral

The Royal and Ancient

Haggis, oatcake and wiskey sauce.
Doesn't look pretty....tastes buds love it!
Och aye.

Strathkinness's friendly tavern where
dogs are as welcome as people.

Middlewell Cottage, Knockhill by Nydie, Strathkinness
Thanks B, F and Sammy, we had a wonderful, wonderful time.

At Pitlochry the kilts flew during the 'heavy events';
putting the stone, throwing the hammer, tossing the caber, and
throwing the stone over the bar!

The great Highland Bagpipe bands competition

Old timers

The conditions were tough on the kilt hose

....and the Scottish terrier's hose

.....and the wee bairn's hose!

....but it made digging-in easier for the tug-o-war!

From the grandstand....tug-o-war, Highland dancers,
pipe bands.  The day had everything.

Cosy and warm Castle Tavern in Inverness

Inverness Castle from the tavern

Baa, baa black sheep....and polka dot sheep too.  Love them.

Heelan' coos

of the friendliest kind.

Crail

Crail harbour

In Inverness, we stayed with Mary McPherson in her
beautiful Victorian home.

In Scotland it's all about the tartan.  Not just kilts, but
tartan carpet, tartan upholstery.  The Inverness tartan-lit
bridge was a real treat!