Inverness & John O’Groats

We rented an Airbnb right outside of Inverness called Drumossie Brothy. This place was fantastic. We had our own kitchen that was separate from the sleeping area. Best of all, it had a washer AND a dryer! (Most places only have a washer and a drying rack). We took advantage and washed all of our cloths. We have been washing in the sink as we went, but a washing machine does such a much better job.

There was a fire heated hot tub in the patio as well. It has a beautiful view of a meadow with sheep.

McGregor’s

Rated the best bar in Scotland twice, it is known for live traditional music and local foods and beer. We drove into Inverness for the night to have dinner here and enjoy the live music.

I tried one of their specialty cocktails called The Romantic. It is basically an Old Fashioned with Glenfiddich Fire & Ice Whiskey. For dinner, we ordered the Taste of Scotland that had a sampling of Cullen skink (a traditional north-east Scottish creamy soup with smoked haddock, potatoes, leeks and onions) , smoked salmon on potatoes salad, half a haggis scotch egg (soft boiled egg wrapped in haggis and deep fried) and a cranachan (a traditional Scottish dessert made with whipped cream, whiskey, honey raspberries and oatmeal). I also ordered the Local Steak & Ale Pie (slow cooked prime beef in gravy made with Calmgorm Black Gold Ale. It came with veggies and chips on the side and a crispy pastry on top.

Two guys provided the traditional music, and they were pretty good. One was the son of the owner (a McGregor). Very fun!

The next day, we drove north of Inverness along the east coast. The weather was a bit wet, but we had rain jackets and a warm car.

Big Burn Walk

This short walk follows the Goldspie Burn as it carves a path through a limestone gorge. It is about a 40 minute round trip walk on easy to navigate trails and bridges. It was a bit rainy when we started, but cleared a bit at the end.

We drove to the furthest town of mainland Scotland, John O’Groats.

John O’Groats

We continued to drive to the furthest northern town in mainland Scotland, John O’Groats. It is considered “the end of the road”, likewise many of the businesses are named End of the Road Pub, etc..

It is also where puffins and orcas can be seen in the summer. We were too late to see any.

Duncansby Stacks

Just 2 miles further north of John O’Groats are the Duncansby Stacks. These pyramid shaped sandstone shapes rise right out of the North Sea. Very impressive.

The coastal drive on the way back to Inverness was beautiful. So many fields of sheep, farmland and Highlander Cows. These cows have lang hair to keep them warm in the winter months.

We got back to Inverness in time to grab some dinner. We stopped at McGregors again because I signed up for a whiskey tasting for tonight. We had just enough time to order the Fish and Chips and I tried the Hero Cocktail, Sandy got the Adventurer. Both were very good.

Highland Malt Whiskey Experience

McGregors offered this whiskey tasting, so I signed up.

The host of the Highland Malt Whiskey Experience was great. Each tasting came with an introduction to the Whiskey (where it was distilled and tasting notes). He also included a bit of Scottish history and played a sang on his accordion between each tasting. I learned about the Jacobite Rebellion, the great Scottish clearance and much more. My favorite whiskey was the Singleton 12. Unfortunately it is distilled exclusively for China. Oh well!

The tasting host mentioned a few other bars in the area with live music, so decided to check them out. My first stop was The Highlander. The bar was packed. There was a man and woman playing guitar and fiddle giving instructions on a traditional dance. The next bar I went to was Hootananny. Two young men were setting up when I arrived. They seemed very young (less than 18 I would say). But when they started to sing, they had big deep voices. Very fun. There was a taxi stand near the bar, so I was able to easily get a ride back to the Airbnb. Sandy did not want to do the tasting, so she drove back earlier after we ate while I was doing the tasting.

To my surprise, Sandy had started up the wood heated hot tub, so it was ready when I got back. What a great way to end the night!

The next day we packed up and headed west towards Isle of Skye.