We used the web, and occasionally dropped into a VisitScotland office, where
staff were particularly helpful. I know we missed a lot, but also just driving
around and following our fancies paid off many more times than once. At some
point we realized that while there were a few things definitely on our must-see
list, almost anything we saw or did would be different enough from life at home
to constitute a good time. One or two excellent spots we found were pure
serendipity, and led to some interesting interaction with locals. One was
Finlairg Castle near Killin, found purely by chance as I was walking in the
woods on our first morning (Joan was catching a bit of extra sleep.) The other
was a church on the Waternish Peninsula which was the sight of a famous
massacre of MacLeods by MacDonalds, which came in response to a massacre of
MacDonalds by MacLeods. The church was sealed shut and set afire one Sunday by
marauding MacDonalds. One little girl escaped and made her way to Du
nvegan Castle, seat of Clan MacLeod, and raised the alarm. MacLeods hurried to
Waternish and discovered the MacDonald boats beached below the church. The
boats were set afire and subsequently all of the MacDonalds were killed. It was
the second time the legendary Faerie Flag of Dunvegan was put to use.
Perhaps I am easily amused, but the simple act of driving single-track roads
through the Highland landscape was enough to qualify as vacation time
well-spent.
That said, next time I plan to be a bit more geologically fluent when motoring
around the Highlands and islands. I believe we are through with castles and
such, unless they are ancient ruins in lonely, hard to reach places. And, of
course, the ongoing exploration of beer.
I would also like the schedule a bit more time for the next Fujifest.
Relevance to thread: Some e-guides would be nice. Joan had her iPad and I had
my MacBook on the trip. Next time likely will be the same.
--Bob Whitmire
Certified Neanderthal
On Jun 8, 2014, at 12:15 PM, Mike Lazzari <watershed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> I carried only e-book travel guides. There were plenty!
> Yes, the popular guides are available but that info is easily accessible
> online without a specific guide. I was looking for more off the beaten track
> and hiking guides. We found very good websites for Scotland so it turned out
> we didn't really use guidebooks much. We did have a hardcopy of LP.
>
> FYI: http://walkhighlands.co.uk/
> Also: http://www.travelinescotland.com/welcome.do
>
>> Do you need help to combat the books and to regain your house?
> I really need to wage war. Mercenaries welcome. Low wages, high casualties.
> I'm considering a membership at ABE.
>
> Mountaineering, exploration, travel anyone?
--
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