**** For Miss Vickie! ****

[Ruby Ripples]

Last week I was on the second day of my "Summer" holiday, being driven along in the Highlands, when suddenly I screeched for my friend to stop the car. Why? I HAD to take a photo of where I was....

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[Miss Vickie]

Squeeee! I loooooooove that place!!! Thanks, Ruby!

And I'm glad you 'splained why you didn't go inside and have a place of something on my behalf. I appreciate the picture! Isn't it beautiful countryside?

*sniffles, missing Scotland*

[Ruby Ripples]

Hehe, you're very welcome. When I saw it, I did a double take and forced my friend to squeal to a halt, park up and take those silly pics of me, . It is in a lovely setting, though I must admit that if you come back, I recommend you go further north in the western highlands, I love the scenery there, the most. Its so dramatic and beautiful.

I was a bit miffed that we had already eaten, as it would have been really nice to sample their fare then report back to you!

[Ruby Ripples]

Here are a few of my holiday photos for you, sorry for making you wistul for Scotland

[Ruby Ripples]

Eek just realised Im kind of derailing here so.... I had an amazing dinner one night in a really grubby looking bar near Thurso at the very top of Scotland. It was at LEAST three peoples portions, lol. Two gigantic pork escalopes in crumb, in a sea of mushroom sauce, with a giant mushroom stuffed with mashed carrot and turnip, then a side platter with dishes of mange tout, red cabbage, large roast potatoes, and two large bundles of green beans and parsnip sticks. oh and two huge cauliflower florets in amazing batter. I have never in my life seen a portion like it, I was in heaven!

[Ruby Ripples]

We also had fish and chips which were like none Ive ever had. But thats probably because they told us then, that the fish was off the boat that morning as well as the scampi my friend had. Sooo good.

[Miss Vickie]

Oh, Ruby, you're killin' me here! But in a good way.

On our trip we drove north through York, then Edinburgh, up the east side of Scotland, all the way to John O' Groats where we caught the ferry. I remember Thurso, though I don't think we stopped. Then on our way home, after spending a week in Orkney, we came down the West side, and spent the night in Skye at a very scary inn where we ate some of the blandest, tasteless-est food ever. We stopped at Eileen Donan castle, so beautiful, and a couple other castles on the way, including the castle where they filmed Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Dunne castle.

I swear, the best food was at the Cluanie, although the food at our B&B in Orkney was quite delicious, too. I had some sort of creamy herb soup, then pork loin, lots of yummy sides and a delicious dessert. We were tired from a long day of driving and it was perfect.

I love Scotland, and can't wait to go back! There is so much more to see!

Tell me about that dry stone building you had a picture of. That looks like some of the caerns we saw in Orkney, although most of them were dug into the ground.

[Jes]

Miss Vickie pt.2

I think it's about time that you repost your soup recipe (incl. the additions/substitutions) here, seeing as how it's getting crisp out. It had tortellini (or somesuch) and sweet sausage and...greens?

thanks in advance!!

[Miss Vickie]

Originally Posted by Jes

Miss Vickie pt.2

I think it's about time that you repost your soup recipe (incl. the additions/substitutions) here, seeing as how it's getting crisp out. It had tortellini (or somesuch) and sweet sausage and...greens?

thanks in advance!!

Oh, the tortellini soup? Sure, let me find it. I'll post it today. I was thinking of dusting off a soup thread.... I'm sure we have one around here somewhere, don't we?...... seems like perfect weather for it. In Alaska, anyway.

[Jes]

Originally Posted by Miss Vickie

Oh, the tortellini soup? Sure, let me find it. I'll post it today. I was thinking of dusting off a soup thread.... I'm sure we have one around here somewhere, don't we?...... seems like perfect weather for it. In Alaska, anyway.

i think we do, and I have absolutely no leg to stand on in asking you to post it again. i know you have. i enjoy it every time and then i promptly lose the recipe. what can i say? i'm a hot mess when it comes to remembering anymore.

[Ruby Ripples]

Im glad I didnt book us into a B&B in Skye now! They were too expensive being more touristy, instead I got us a much cheaper, lovely wee place on the Kyle of Lochalsh, just a mile from the Skye bridge, where we were treated to the best breakfast ever, including a massive bowl of freshly made fruit salad, toast, croissants, preserves and a full cooked Scottish breakfast. I almost had to be rolled out to the car, lol. My experience of Skye last week was visiting it in howling wind and rain, and I was almost blown off the cliff at Kilt Rock! Ive never felt gales like it. It took my friend Matt almost five minutes to prise open his car door to get back in, as the wind was blowing so hard against the side of it. He still claims that if I was skinny, the car would have overturned in the gales .

I went up the west coast of scotland to the top, then across to John O Groats, then down part of the east coast as far as the Moray Firth, then across to Inverness and down back home to Glasgow via Loch Ness, Fort William etc. We had fabulous breakfasts in most of the b&bs, I think that's what Scotland does best, they set you up almost til dinner time!

The cairn is part of the Grey Cairns of Camster, at Wick. They are over five thousands years old and have been restored. I love how in Scotland we're not "precious" about our history, theyre just sat plonked in the field they've always been in, with a wee sign, and ... nothing else. Nobody looking after them or anything. So you just wander across the field from the road and you can even go inside them if you like. But you have to crawl at first, and the ground was kinda muddy at the entrance, as the weather had been bad.

http://www.caithnessarchaeology.org.uk/camster.html

My favourite place in Scotland, Achiltibuie, still has visible remains of the foundations of bronze age roundhouses in some fields. Theyve never been disturbed simply because the land was never needed or useable for farming I suppose and the place is so sparsely populated. So there they sit, as they have done for thousands of years, fab!

[Miss Vickie]

Originally Posted by Jes

i think we do, and I have absolutely no leg to stand on in asking you to post it again. i know you have. i enjoy it every time and then i promptly lose the recipe. what can i say? i'm a hot mess when it comes to remembering anymore.

I'm the same way, Jes. I'm forever forgetting and losing things. It's no biggie. It took me just a couple minutes at Allrecipes, and then a few minutes to re-remember what I'd changed from the original recipe. It was a nice memory jog -- I ended up making it last night. Deeelish.

Originally Posted by Ruby Ripples

Im glad I didnt book us into a B&B in Skye now! They were too expensive being more touristy, instead I got us a much cheaper, lovely wee place on the Kyle of Lochalsh, just a mile from the Skye bridge, where we were treated to the best breakfast ever, including a massive bowl of freshly made fruit salad, toast, croissants, preserves and a full cooked Scottish breakfast. I almost had to be rolled out to the car, lol.

I love Scottish breakfasts. I had a really yummy one in an Edinburgh B&B. So good. So filling. I even had a taste of black pudding, until our host gave in to my request and told me what was in it.

My experience of Skye last week was visiting it in howling wind and rain, and I was almost blown off the cliff at Kilt Rock! Ive never felt gales like it. It took my friend Matt almost five minutes to prise open his car door to get back in, as the wind was blowing so hard against the side of it. He still claims that if I was skinny, the car would have overturned in the gales .

I went up the west coast of scotland to the top, then across to John O Groats, then down part of the east coast as far as the Moray Firth, then across to Inverness and down back home to Glasgow via Loch Ness, Fort William etc.

What a beautiful drive! Burtimus reminded me that when we came down from Orkney, the ferry landed in Thurso. That's why it sounded familiar to me.

The cairn is part of the Grey Cairns of Camster, at Wick. They are over five thousands years old and have been restored. I love how in Scotland we're not "precious" about our history, theyre just sat plonked in the field they've always been in, with a wee sign, and ... nothing else. Nobody looking after them or anything. So you just wander across the field from the road and you can even go inside them if you like. But you have to crawl at first, and the ground was kinda muddy at the entrance, as the weather had been bad.

http://www.caithnessarchaeology.org.uk/camster.html

My favourite place in Scotland, Achiltibuie, still has visible remains of the foundations of bronze age roundhouses in some fields. Theyve never been disturbed simply because the land was never needed or useable for farming I suppose and the place is so sparsely populated. So there they sit, as they have done for thousands of years, fab!

I definitely need to get back to Scotland. Have you ever checked out Skara Brae? It's a neolithic settlement that was unearthed during a wind storm. It's very beautiful and peaceful and interesting from an archeological perspective.

And yes, I love how these amazing pieces of pre-history are just sitting there, like always. No need to Disney-fy them. They're just sitting there, waiting for people to experience them.

[Ruby Ripples]

Originally Posted by Miss Vickie

I'm the same way, Jes. I'm forever forgetting and losing things. It's no biggie. It took me just a couple minutes at Allrecipes, and then a few minutes to re-remember what I'd changed from the original recipe. It was a nice memory jog -- I ended up making it last night. Deeelish.



I love Scottish breakfasts. I had a really yummy one in an Edinburgh B&B. So good. So filling. I even had a taste of black pudding, until our host gave in to my request and told me what was in it.

My experience of Skye last week was visiting it in howling wind and rain, and I was almost blown off the cliff at Kilt Rock! Ive never felt gales like it. It took my friend Matt almost five minutes to prise open his car door to get back in, as the wind was blowing so hard against the side of it. He still claims that if I was skinny, the car would have overturned in the gales .



What a beautiful drive! Burtimus reminded me that when we came down from Orkney, the ferry landed in Thurso. That's why it sounded familiar to me.



I definitely need to get back to Scotland. Have you ever checked out Skara Brae? It's a neolithic settlement that was unearthed during a wind storm. It's very beautiful and peaceful and interesting from an archeological perspective.

And yes, I love how these amazing pieces of pre-history are just sitting there, like always. No need to Disney-fy them. They're just sitting there, waiting for people to experience them.

I wanted to see Skara Brae this holiday, but they want £112 for the ferry!! Even for a day trip - one TINY car (peugeot 107 and two passengers) Its an absolute scandal and no way could we justify that kind of money for a day trip to the Orkneys. Who knows though, maybe in the future. It looks a fantastic place.

[Miss Vickie]

Originally Posted by Ruby Ripples

I wanted to see Skara Brae this holiday, but they want £112 for the ferry!! Even for a day trip - one TINY car (peugeot 107 and two passengers) Its an absolute scandal and no way could we justify that kind of money for a day trip to the Orkneys. Who knows though, maybe in the future. It looks a fantastic place.

Wow, that's just way too much. We paid about 50 (insert cool "pound" sign that I don't know how to make) with us and the kid. But that was in '02, so no doubt it's more spendy now.

Still, if you get a chance, and if you like neolithic stuffs, stone circles and the like, it's well worth it. I can't wait to get back!

Wouldn't it be fun if we could arrange a meet up somewhere in Scotland?

[Ruby Ripples]

Originally Posted by Miss Vickie

Wow, that's just way too much. We paid about 50 (insert cool "pound" sign that I don't know how to make) with us and the kid. But that was in '02, so no doubt it's more spendy now.

Still, if you get a chance, and if you like neolithic stuffs, stone circles and the like, it's well worth it. I can't wait to get back!

Wouldn't it be fun if we could arrange a meet up somewhere in Scotland?

Looks like they've bumped the prices up scandalously then, grrr.

And yes, it would be FAB!!