We spent a night in Inverness to break up the drive between the Orkneys and Edinburgh, and were surprised with champagne and a lovely charcuterie and cheese board for Lindsay’s birthday when we arrived at our B&B (thanks again, Seattle Mom & Dad!).
On our last day in Scotland, we managed to squeeze in two great sites as we made our way back to Edinburgh from Inverness. The first was Culloden. A little skeptical about how interesting a field of thistle and heather could really be, we put our faith in Rick Steves and followed our trusted guide book’s recommendation. It did not disappoint; we were highly impressed with the powerful impact delivered by the Culloden battlefield visitor center and museum. Organized chronologically with the Jacobite perspective on one side and the Hanover government on the other, we found ourselves absorbed in the story of the doomed Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite cause.
After a sobering but enlightening visit to the Culloden battle field we decided to lighten the mood a bit with one final distillery visit. Rick Steves highly recommended a stop at Edradour distillery and lucky for us it was on our way to Edinburgh. Edradour is the last small batch traditional distillery in Scotland with no computers or automation aiding in the production of their Scotch whisky. Edradour produces in a year what the larger distilleries produce in a week. The quaint and lovely tour was a perfect way to end our tour of Scotland. The tastings were generous, the tour was more personal and informative than the larger places, the setting was picturesque and (most importantly) the Scotch was superb!
With Scottish smiles on our face and hopes to return to this beautiful isle one day, we made our way to the Edinburgh airport hotel to re-pack and get ready for an early morning flight to Jordan. More to come!
A Forever of Nows 