Good afternoon from Scotland! Today is our last full day on the train. We just got back from spending the afternoon in Dunfries and Galloway, in south west Scotland, visiting the beautiful Drumlanrig Castle and its stunning gardens.
Since we boarded the Belmond Royal Scotsman, we have been kept busy but it has also been very relaxing. On Thursday, we went to Glen Nevis and walked to the Steall Waterfall. A lovely, and sometime, treacherous hike. We then made our way to Oban where we spent an entire day and night. A quaint little sea town. We visited the Oban Distillery, very impressive. We also went to Isle of Mull and visited the Duart Castle. So much history to absorb.
Yesterday, we made our way to Weymiss Bay, a very small sea town. We then took the ferry to Isle of Bute and visited Mount Stuart, a 19th century country manor house with extensive gardens. Quite impressive!
Life on the train has been great. We have been sleeping really well. The food is superb, the accommodations are very comfortable and we have met some really nice people. Meeting folks from all over makes for some very interesting conversations. The weather has also been cooperating, quite a bit of sun and temperatures nearing 18 celsius. All in all, a really wonderful experience. We would highly recommended it.
Friday night was our first of two formal dinners. My lovely hubby got to wear his kilt, showing off the Duncan tartan. I must say that when I saw Russell in his kilt, I felt very emotional. It was a proud moment for him to be able to wear his family colours. I was also proud to wear a sash with his tartan.
Tomorrow morning, the train will make its way back to Edinburgh. We will then catch a flight for Cork, Ireland...the second part of our vacation. Truly looking forward to it.
On a completely different topic, but an important one, we hear that Cooper & Spicy are also having a wonderful time. We have seen pics of them through Darlah's blog. They look happy, which makes us happy. We miss them though and talk about them every chance we get...and show some of the thousand photos that we have of them!
I leave you with a few photos taken in the past few days. Time to get ready for our last formal dinner aboard the Royal Scotsman. It promises to be a fun night with entertainment and Scottish dancing, aka Ceilidh. Have a great week everyone! My next blog will be from Cork, Ireland!
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| Entrance to the Wee Garden at Mount Stuart...impressive! |
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| Mount Stuart is a stunningly beautiful home...it boasts many amenities truly ahead of their time like an indoor heated pool. |
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| A canon on guard on the hill at Duart castle. |
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| Oban distillery, a must see. |
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| A 229 year old weeping beech tree in the gardens at Drumlanrig castle. It is considered to be the oldest specimen of its kind. |
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| A pet cemetery in the garden at Drumlanrig. |
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| Russell and I in our finest for a formal dinner. The Duncan clan tartan proudly displayed. |
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| The attention to detail on the Royal Scotsman is outstanding! |
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| Steall Waterfall was a great hike! |
Your trip sounds very interesting. The train looks very luxurious. I love the colour of the Duncan Clan tartan. Enjoy Ireland.
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