Mary and Maurice World Tour 2023

What better way to complete our Scottish tour than to head up to John O' Groats. The drive out of Skye had been suitably postcard-perfect which we took as a good omen for the rest of our time in the Highlands. Clearly all this nonsense about Scottish weather being poor has been manufactured to keep people away and thus discourage overcrowding. The hype is clearly working because even the famous 'must see' attractions were empty as we arrived. And guess whose idea it was to stop for a quick look in one such attraction? Unfortunately, once we got to John o' Groats, Scotland must have realised we were nearing the end of our Highland Tour so the weather started to mourn our impending departure. Thankfully it managed to maintain a meteorological 'stiff upper lip' and did not cry on us as we wandered around the top of the UK allowing us to record the event for posterity, but the clouds were definitely gathering.... And t...

Granny Goat summits again!  After the disappointment of not being able to climb anything more challenging than McHaig's Tower yesterday, this was planned to be a far more energetic day, and one of variety, with climbing, wading, fossicking and drinking. Just an average day on Skye. First up, the Old Man of Storr. This was a worthy climb to start the day's adventures with stunning views, as one might expect with clear blue skies. It has a significant number of rock steps separated by sections of very steep shingle track, and climbs 720 m, so one must pace oneself. One must also ignore the young athletic types bounding up two steps at a time. You'd think out of respect for their elders they'd at least have the decency to look a bit short of breath or something... The award for Champion Climber had to go to a guy who was climbing with a large frame on his back in which sat his disabled partner,  so she wouldn'...

What's the difference between Scotland's Loch District and England's Lake District? Other than better weather, better roads, fewer people, and more distilleries... We started our morning in Oban with a bracing climb at dawn to McHaigs Tower. This mini-Colloseum was intended by Mr McHaig partly to be a monument to his family, and partly to be a philanthropic exercise to provide work for local stonemasons who would otherwise be underemployed. Only Stage 1 was completed but it does afford excellent views of the Oban harbour. Having coped with such a steep and vigorous start to the day, we headed back down for an extremely good yet amazingly cheap breakfast at the Corryvreckan restaurant on the Oban waterfront, and then an early departure for Fort William. We had hoped to ride on the Jacobite, i.e. the Harry Potter train. Sadly, it was booked out weeks in advance, so the best we could expect was to look at the exterior immediately prior to de...

Felix Mendelssohn was so inspired by  dramatic Fingal's Cave on the island of Staffa that he wrote one of his most well known compositions. That seemed a good enough endorsement for us to head out there too.  We figured that we may as well make a big day of it to try to see as much as possible, so booked on the Three Isles Tour.  The ferry ride to Mull was over a calm and postcard-blue sea with postcard worthy views.  The hour long bus ride was equally picturesque and quite entertaining. The road is advertised as 'narrow single lane with regular passing bays'. That doesn't do justice to the skills demanded of the double deck bus drivers. One humpback bridge gets special mention - the bus apparently has welded steel bash plates underneath because the bus scrapes on the hump when heavily laden.  Now the Main Event - the boat trip to Staffa. Expectations were high as we were really looking forward to walking into Fing...

Today was to be all about The Great Outdoors. Sort of.  We had saved the most strenuous sights for the last full day, with the first item on the agenda being climbing Calton Hill.  On the way, we popped into St Mary's Cathedral, to be treated to the usual religious icons, beautiful stained glass, and high vaulted architecture, etc. And outside, this bronze statue: I am not sure how a statue of copulating crickets furthers the ministry of the Roman Catholic Church. I should have asked the Pope when we were in the Vatican last month.  Having got over our surprise, we promptly continued our climb, where all the training of the previous two days paid off.  The top of the Hill boasts the unfinished National Monument, an observatory, and art collective. And great views!  Calton Hill was a genuinely strenuous climb, however we knew it was nothing compared to the Main Event planned for later in the day, climbin...