{"id":10224,"date":"1998-06-16T21:46:36","date_gmt":"1998-06-16T18:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/?p=10224"},"modified":"2016-09-07T14:08:35","modified_gmt":"2016-09-07T11:08:35","slug":"hiking-around-aviemore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/hiking-around-aviemore\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiking Around Aviemore"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"map6\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2:27 pm<\/p>\n

I\u2019m writing this from the majestic shore of Loch an Eilan, a 13th<\/sup><\/u><\/em> century castle ruin just a stone\u2019s throw away. Unfortunately, it\u2019s not accessible. It was raining when I left Aviemore this morning, but now the sun is shining and the clouds are clearing. I can see the blue Highland sky. The hills around me are all awash with rain, and so brown. A few more days like this and they are bound to explode into fiery purpleness.<\/p>\n

What a bonnie, wee castle it is! I\u2019m so<\/em> jealous of the birds that come and go from it as they please. It is overrun by trees and bushes; I have a view of the \u2018front door\u2019 into the courtyard, but it is blocked by foliage. The ground here is boggy<\/em>, boot sucking, cranberry jelly slurping out of a can boggy. I\u2019ll have to do more laundry tonight\u00a0! Well, it\u2019s a long<\/em> way back to Aviemore, so I\u2019ll be going.<\/p>\n

Oh, the Highlands are bonnie, bonnie indeed!<\/p>\n

6:55<\/p>\n

What a great<\/u><\/em> day! I really felt up to par, not sickish at all. I had a refreshing 11-hour night (9-8 AM\u00a0!) and then that delightful walk. Sure enough, Loch an Eilan means the island in the lake. Tomorrow, I\u2019m on to Inverness. I\u2019ve made an important<\/em> decision. It\u2019s obvious that I won\u2019t see everything<\/em> I want to see on this trip. So, I\u2019ve decided to see only what I\u2019d want to see if this was my only trip to Scotland, ever<\/em>. The Orkneys (Skara Brae) and Skye aren\u2019t on that list. I will<\/em> spend 2 days in Skye, but the Wallacey and Brucey \u2018stuff\u2019 is more important. So? I\u2019ll definitely get to Edinburgh for the 27th<\/sup>. Maybe earlier. After, I\u2019ll see the W\u2019y and B\u2019y stuff I\u2019ve missed. After<\/em> I\u2019ll see Aberdeen, St. Andrews, and Dundee. Then, the south. If<\/em>, and only<\/em> if, I\u2019ve got a few days left (and cash) I\u2019ll go back up<\/em> to Orkney. This schedule saddens me a little, but it\u2019s one I can definitely<\/em> live with. I\u2019ll regret missing Kildrummy more than Skara Brae, that\u2019s for sure. Oh, and there\u2019s Turnberry, too!<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s already<\/em> the 16th<\/sup>! I\u2019m starting to feel the clock ticking. I\u2019m getting to Inverness a little late tomorrow (around 3:00 pm), but Thursday I\u2019ll try to get both CAWDOR CASTLE and CULLODEN in. Now this<\/em> is what I came to Scotland for! I must admit I\u2019m getting antsy for Stirling, Bannockburn, and even Falkirk. I might have missed the Stirling Battle anniversary, but I\u2019m right on time (!) for the Falkirk one. Supposedly, there\u2019s some \u2018stuff\u2019 going on to commemorate the battle. Personally, I\u2019d rather forget it! No, that\u2019s not true, and I find it extremely sad that Wallace was essentially disgraced after losing this battle. Hello<\/em>? You win some, you lose some.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll think I\u2019ll \u2018go out\u2019 tonight. There\u2019s a movie on at 8:15. Sure, it\u2019s an American flick, but, as (my mother) suggests, it would be interesting to compare Canadian\/American cinemas with British cinemas. Besides, it\u2019s only \u00a33.<\/p>\n

I had a fine dinner tonight: soup with cheese, the chewiest and most delicious bagel I\u2019ve ever<\/em> eaten, milk and a Dutchie-like pastry that\u2019s less greasy and more yummy! I\u2019ll never be able to eat a Dutchie\u00a0again and think it\u2019s delicious! I\u2019m tired, but not going to bed early tired. Yup, I\u2019m going out. I\u2019ll be back a little late, but I can\u2019t imagine getting lost in Aviemore, there have to be more rabbits and slugs than people in this crummy joint. I agree totally<\/em> with\u00a0The Rough Guide<\/em> (my slightly outdated, but still amazing guidebook). Aviemore isn\u2019t great, but it\u2019s surrounded by great walking country.<\/p>\n

Speaking of which, I don\u2019t think I could have made it to the lake without a map and compass. Coming back was easier, but I missed my turnoff and had to backtrack. I was walking through heather moorland, just like I\u2019ve always dreamed, climbing over fences and jumping burns. I think this \u2018flat level\u2019 walk did me a ton<\/em> of good. Yep, I think I\u2019ll be ready for Ben Nevis! (at least I hope; in the papers yesterday there was an article about a man who fell off the mountain and died<\/em>. Thanks for the encouragement!) That\u2019s<\/em> one thing I\u2019d regret not doing.<\/p>\n

… (more rambling about plans)<\/p>\n

9:46 pm<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t make it to the movie, finally. I found the building, it was run down, creepy, and empty. I wasn\u2019t desperate enough to brave the \u2018entrance\u2019 and go towards the sound of 2 voices. Instead, I had a lovely walk to the edge of town. When I got back here, I settled down with a newspaper and a Kit Kat and tea I\u2019d bought. Then, I planned my stay in Inverness. I\u2019ll \u2018wander\u2019 around town tomorrow. I should be able to do both Culloden and Cawdor on Thursday, they\u2019re on the same bus route.<\/p>\n

\u2018My heart\u2019s in the Highlands<\/em><\/p>\n

My heart is not here<\/em><\/p>\n

My heart\u2019s in the Highlands<\/em><\/p>\n

A chasing the deer<\/em><\/p>\n

Chasing the deer<\/em><\/p>\n

And following the roe<\/em><\/p>\n

My heart\u2019s in the Highlands<\/em><\/p>\n

Wherever I go.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

… (Burns)\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2:27 pm I\u2019m writing this from the majestic shore of Loch an Eilan, a 13th century castle ruin just a stone\u2019s throw away. Unfortunately, it\u2019s not accessible. It was raining when I left Aviemore this morning, but now the sun is shining and the clouds are clearing. I can see the blue Highland sky. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[656,636,18,3,56],"tags":[853,663,654],"class_list":["post-10224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aviemore","category-europe","category-scotland","category-travel","category-uk","tag-accommodation","tag-castlesfortresses","tag-hiking"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10224\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}