Rick Steves'
Best of Scotland
Tour Day 4: Whisky and Waterfalls
The Hermitage and Dunkeld
On the fourth day of our tour we spent some quality time outdoors, first by taking a hike through a beautiful park called the Hermitage. While the moss-covered stones and thickly wooded trees were probably commonplace for some of the northwesterners in our group, they felt otherwordly to us Floridians! Next we walked through the little town of Dunkeld and visited its cathedral situated on the banks of the River Tay. We encountered more of the charming stone bridges that we loved so much. The weather cooperated beautifully for our day of outdoor excursions!
Even the whisky distilleries are adorable.
Even the whisky distilleries are adorable.
The Famous Grouse Whisky Experience
After leaving Dunkeld, we had the opportunity to tour a local whisky (spelled without an "e" for Scottish whisky)distillery. The amount of work that goes into producing Scottish whisky is unbelievable - no wonder they are so proud of it! We learned that they use peat from various regions in Scotland to get different flavors. Single Malt Scotch is the best quality. The whisky can only be called Scotch if it is aged for at least three years in oak barrels in Scotland. We were all allowed a few samples - although the quality was wasted on us! Wow, was it ever strong! We learned that Prince William and Kate had toured the same distillery on a tour to Scotland - the Scottish people sure do love their prince and princess!
Sma Glen
On the way back to our hotel from the distillery we took a scenic journey through Sma Glen. My heart aches to return to Scotland when I think of the beautiful, peaceful landscape that we saw at every turn. We loved our time on the bus, though we highly recommend motion sickness medications to anyone who is prone to that - we took ours each morning and were good to go! Anne often played local music as we traveled, and this day we heard Wild Mountain Time (we joke that this became our official tour song, as we heard it 5 times from two different bands. Our favorite was the "Keltic Electrik" version). Below are a few pictures taken through the bus window as we travelled through the glen. We were lucky to catch the tail end of the heather season.
Back door experience
After dinner, our guide took us on a stroll through the countryside to see Taymouth Castle. She often offered optional walks off the beaten path, and we recommend participating in these! Not only will you get more amazing views and tales from your tour guide, but it is a great opportunity to get to know your tour mates better! The castle was beautiful on the outside, but unfortunately many investors have purchased it to remodel it and continue to run out of money before they can finish. After that walk, the two of us walked into Aberfeldy to catch the sunset. Both walks were peaceful without any other tourists or crowds.
Speaking Scottish
A glen refers to a glacial-carved valley.