To Skye and Back

DAY 1:

We hopped on a train last Saturday, headed for City of Inverness, the “Capital of the Highlands”.  Here is the ceiling of the waiting room at Waverly Station in Edinburgh:

Here are Puppy Jr. and Car Moose, getting excited for the trip:

The scenery was beautiful, and the train time went well with the kids

until we made it within a few miles of Inverness, past the second to last stop at Aviemore. There was a freight train that had stalled on the track, and it wasn’t going anywhere.  After some time, the engineer decided to backtrack to Aviemore. Once there, they called to order busses to take us the last leg to Inverness by the highway. Overall, this delay of 2-½ hours was not a huge setback, as we did, in the end, make it to Inverness. What it did mean was that we would no longer have time to explore the city on foot. This was a bummer.

Over the course of our first weeks here in Scotland, Ben and I have stuck with the motto, “Go with the flow”.  When things aren’t going as planned, better go with the flow, because you sure as heck can’t change things that can’t be changed, and we are all a lot happier when we don’t fight it. So, we implemented our mantra, missed our Inverness tour, and had a nice, relaxing evening at the hotel. When I say relaxing, please note that it’s the level of relaxed you can reach with two kids in tow, not the kind of relaxed you can attain when traveling alone or with only a significant other.  That said, a good meal and spacious hotel room where the kids could practice their dance moves comfortably was not a bad way to end a day of travel.  We even had a view of the River Ness outside our hotel window:

Inverness Castle:

DAY 2:

My Mother’s Day started with a full Scottish breakfast downstairs in the restaurant, complete with British bangers and black pudding.  Ben bought me a lovely 8” tall potted flowering plant for Mother’s Day, which survived the entire 6-day trip and now graces my kitchen window sill.  I’m sure we were quite the sight on the train, with our very own centerpiece for the table:

Our train ride from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh was fine.  We have noticed that our train time with the kids goes well, no matter how long the journey, until the last 15 minutes of the trip.  At this time, both kids get squirrelly and loud and can’t be quieted, and we Americans feel frustrated and self-conscious that our kids are unruly.  But then we arrive.

The local rental car agency is around the corner from the station, and the daughter of the family-run business met us at the station to show us the way.  She was great, and gave us some driving tips for one-lane roads and general driving on the left.  I leveled up on this trip, taking the driver’s seat while Ben was the fearless navigator who nervously and gently pointed out when I was getting too close to the curb.  I was hesitant to post anything about this part of the adventure, for fear that I would jinx my good luck. But I can now safely say I did it.

We had some time before we could get into our rental house, so we found a cafe and had a late lunch and bought some groceries. The cottage was pretty wonderful. The kids spent a good deal of our home time running circles around the cottage and playing Pretend Minecraft, which is an evolving creative endeavor that just gets more elaborate over time.  Ajax is in charge, but N always has ideas to contribute, as you might imagine if you know her.

Here is the cottage in Lower Breakish, on the edge of a tidal flat:

DAY 3:

We had had a couple of shorter nights of sleep, and our girl woke up tired.  We took things slowly, and planned to go the the Fairy Pools in the late morning, but then there was some difficulty with shoes, and it all went south.  After some time snuggling on the couch, she finally was ready to go, but refused to wear shoes.  OK.  Go with the flow.  We put the shoes in the car and hit the road, assuming she would come around by the time we got there.  Nope.  We parked in the small, rocky car lot, and she picked her way all the way down into this valley with no shoes on:

We stopped at a lovely spot below the Fairy Pools, and that’s where we spent our time for the day. Here are the little waterfalls, and the kids with their feet in the stream:

Although it would have taken only ten or fifteen more minutes to get to the top, we decided not to push it and end on a positive note.  So, not only did we hike with a kid with no shoes on, we went all the way to Skye to see the Fairy Pools but stopped short of seeing them.  

As luck would have it, however, the fairies had other plans for us -- Ben lost his keys.  He had carefully emptied his pockets when we got to the stream, laying his wallet and keys and phone on his sweater. When we returned to our cottage, though, the keys were nowhere to be found.

DAY 4:

Back to the Fairy Pools to search for keys!  This time, everyone had their shoes on, and we made it all the way to the top.  The downside is that no keys were found, but in the end, it motivated us to make the trip back, and it was worth it:

Our main goal for the day was to make our way to Talisker Bay to the beach.  On the way, we stopped for a bite to eat at the Oyster Shed in Carbost, just up the hill from Talisker Distillery.  The thought of driving on those roads after whisky tasting put fear in my heart, so we skipped that part.

There was no parking lot for the beach.  Rather, there was an intersection of three roads at the edge of Talisker Farm, so we parked at the side of the road and walked a mile to the beach.  Here’s what we saw on our way:

Talisker Bay:

The Cliffth of In-thanity:

White and black sand:

The kids on the otherwise empty beach, full of joy and discovery:

Our day ended with a beautiful, late sunset back at the rental:

We are so far north, here is the light in the sky at 10:40PM:

DAY 5:

We spent the day at the cottage.  The tidal flat outside our back door offered fun exploration both at high and low tides.  We cooked a nice meal and just enjoyed the amazing weather.

DAY 6:

Last travel day.  On the road to Armadale to catch the ferry:

The estate of Clan Donald is in Armadale, so we ate in MacDonald’s :)

Goodbye, Chevy:

We caught the train in Mallaig, and passed through Ft. William on our way to Glasgow.  Here is the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, on which the Hogwarts Express travels.

Our train was just a ScotRail, but it was cool nonetheless.  They do have a steam train that you can ride from Mallaig to Ft. William in the summer months, if you plan in advance. The scenery from the train is pretty amazing:

The last leg of our trip was after changing trains in Glasgow to get home to Edinburgh.  It was a late arrival, so we took a cab home and crashed out around 11:00.

The journey was more than I had hoped for. Our family needed some time together. Luck was with us, as we ended up with good timing for great weather, no midges, and an available rental car and housing for a relatively spontaneous trip. 

Skye will remain a part of me, with its beauty, fresh air, and calm. It is truly an amazing place, and I would jump at the chance to return. Maybe when Ben and I are older and grayer and the kids are grown. Go with the flow.

Midges & Moms

We moved to our second and final apartment this past weekend.  Here are all of our belongings after the taxi pulled away:

It is such a relief to now settle in and not worry about another big change.  For April, our location was great for a while, across from a large park and near lots of conveniences. But it was busy all the time, with many university students living close by.  One of the positive sides to having two different places to stay is that we can really experience two very different parts of the city.  I’m not sure if Newington would have been a frequent destination otherwise.

Our new home-away-from-home here is wonderful.  We are all very comfortable here. This is a photo of one of the many kindnesses from our landlord, waiting in our sunny kitchen upon arrival:

The flat has a view of the city center in one direction.  Across the other side is the Water of Leith, a small river winding through Edinburgh and into the Firth of Forth. The neighborhood is quiet, green, and filled with the sound of birds every morning as we wake up. This swan and his partner are nesting nearby:

Ajax is finally back to his usual self.  And I think I finally figured out a balance that keeps us all more or less happy:  Two at-home days a week. The boy just likes hanging out at home.

The highlight of my week was at the pool, though, after swimming (another thing he loves to do), while having a snack. I was lost in my own thoughts as the kids munched their muffins, and suddenly he is standing in front of me. He took my face in his hands and said, “Thanks for being a good mom.”  And I got a hug and a kiss. Talk about my heart melting. I hugged him back and said thank you, so much, that I am trying really hard, and that it means a lot to hear that. Then he thanked his sister for being a good sister.  I’m going to try and hold that sweetness in my heart for the difficult times, and remember that he is still so little, and that he is going to be OK.

I’m feeling less stressed-out about everything, which I’m sure helps the kids relax a bit, too. They are so much better about walking safely on busy sidewalks now, watching for the green crossing lights with me. We all know the bus fare routine.  I am very slowly figuring out techniques for cooking on an electric stove, but there have been a few times when opening the window has been necessary!  We’ve been able to stay in touch with a few people back home via the Internet, which has kept me sane.

We had a great afternoon in the woods again this week, with a combination of adult conversation for me and free play time with other kids for the kiddos. Our playgroup back home is figuring out summer meet-ups, and it’s so strange not to be there, participating. Our lilac in the backyard will be blooming soon. No garden for us this year.  Instead, we’ll visit the farmers’ market and enjoy all the produce imported from Spain and Morocco.

On Mother’s Day this year, I’ll be thinking of Mom and learning how to drive on the left side of the road on our vacation to the Isle of Skye. May the midges be few and far between. Will report next week on the Highland Midge vs. Minnesota Mosquito.