Highland capers



Real life hielan' coos were indeed spotted - on the first night of our trip, happily grazing away (in perhaps a slightly art-directed way) outside the entrance to Blair Castle in Blair Atholl. It's a quiet wee town in the heart of Highland Perthshire, very much on the tourist trail as a result of the castle (which we didn't visit - you have to pace yourself with castles in Scotland, there are so many of them), but rather empty on Friday. With the cool highland air and the mist, this emptiness gave the place a slightly spooky air after dark - somewhat exacerbated by what sounded like the random detonation of a huge stockpile of ammunition (or someone's very big fireworks stash) just next to our b & b - nobody mentioned it the next day!

Blair Atholl's pub, The Bothy, was probably the best of the highland pubs we visited. It had tartan without tack, roaring fire, real ales , excellent pub grub (game casserole w juniper berries & red wine; Haggis, tatties & neeps - of course; steak & ale pie...you get the idea! - hearty, tasty stuff), and a kiwi behind the bar. A Johnny Cash tribute provided a fitting soundtrack for the evening. We'll all miss the Man In Black.

Real ales are definitely a discovery - there are hundreds of them, and different pubs serve different ales, so there's always something new to try. Sure beats drinking American beer (which is also reasonably common here).

The Clachaig in Glencoe, which is a CAMRA award-winner, comes a close but not too close second. It definitely wins on the location front - nestled deep in the glen, nothing else around for miles. With 120 malts to choose from, its whisky selection was pretty good too , and of course there was the ubiquitous kiwi behind the bar.

Our whole weekend wasn't spent in pubs. We discovered the delights of single-lane roads with passing places - taking us through tranquil glens, wooded grottoes and misty mountain passes. Scotland is very much a storybook kind of country, you can just imagine the faeries and goblins. We explored a bit on foot, too - no Munros bagged this weekend, and in fact the closest we got was 3/4 of a Graham but I don't think that really counts for anything. Still, walking doesn't need to be about conquest - we discovered some gorgeous wee lochs, a ruined castle on an island, a lilypond and yes, you guessed it, another kiwi (at the end of a fishing rod rather than behind a bar) on our ramblings.

Watch this space for insights into Highland decor and scottish breakfasts (gleaned from 3 nights in b&bs).