Dateline: Strathpeffer Spa

I am pleased to confirm that we have arrived safely into Elsie and John's welcoming embrace, and have a day under our belt in the beautiful (at least for the time being) Scottish Highlands.  It was nip and tuck there due to a three-hour delay on the tarmac at JFK, but they got us airborne after only a single citation of the four-hour rule.  

This will be a brief post, written Thursday afternoon because of an early departure for golf tomorrow.  We seem to have timed things well, as the rainy Spring/Summer has dried out, and the warm weather will only be with us for a couple of days.  Though, as I've often had cause to remark, there are few things scarier than a fine Scottish weather forecast.  

It's quite the thing for us to be able to start our Scotland trips in Elsie and John's home, the kind of welcome that not quite every busload of traveling golfers receive.  Arrival day is typically a BBQ, and the fine weather allowed the grillmeister to show off his skills:

We didn't go hungry for sure.  Though I can't quite explain the deterioration in my blogging tradecraft, as I failed to get a photo of the Banofee pie.  Trust me, Elsie, I never take them for granted.

Today was an intentionally low-key day, though that could as well be said about the next fifteen as well.  We decided to channel our inner Horace Greely and headed towards Ullapool on the West coast, a charming fishing village I'd not been through in many years.  I grabbed what I could of the scenery from the front passenger seat:

En route, we made a brief stop at Corrieshalloch Gorge for a fifteen minute walk to their falls.  The falls themselves didn't have much water to work with, but a delightful walk through the forest:

Ullapool is a charming fishing village where we had a lovely stroll and nosh:

This evening we will be dining at the delightful Coul House, of which I've blogged in prior years.  We've been there for tea after a great hike, but also for dinner last year.  I had intended to use the photo from last year of Elsie, John and Theresa in front of the hotel, but can't seem to find it in the moment, so I'll just tease you with this from the hotel's website:

We'll be fine.  No need to worry about us....

Off early to Tain for golf tomorrow, then a tour of the Glenmorangie Distillary.  I will blog it when I can, just not exactly sure when that will be.  Then John will ferry us to Inverness and we'll drive to our beloved Pittenweem, where we will be in residence for the next two weeks.

There are some issues up here in the Highlands that might be of interest to my readers, though I had also intended to blog on that subject last year.  I'll leave things there for now, and catch you up our doings as time permits.  Though there is a chance that will have to await our arrival in Pittenweem.

Cheers.