“I don’t really look like people in films; I look like people in paintings.”

– Tilda Swinton, British actress

Edinburgh

It’s back on the road again, on this, our last stretch of our sensational 10-day Scottish Highlands sojourn; leaving Inverness behind and heading back down to Edinburgh (see previous Edinburgh blog below***).

Here, we’ll drop off our rental car and best of all – meet up with my bestie, Jim, and his partner, Chris. They live about an hour east of the city, but will come into town and spend the day exploring this eclectic capital city.

However, with time on our side, we took the scenic route through the enormous Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands. It’s the largest national park in the UK, covering an area of approx. 4,528 square kilometers (1,748 square miles). It offers the avid outdoor sports enthusiast many opportunities within its borders.

It’s only been recently established (2003) and the drive revealed stunning landscapes. It surprised us to come upon ski lifts as we drove by in a dense fog. For in wintertime, Cairngorm Mountain, at a summit elevation of 4,085’, becomes Scotland’s most popular winter playground as a ski resort. Who knew?!

The park includes several villages and towns, such as Aviemore, Braemar, and Ballater; the last name was recognizable; having heard or seen it before. Of course – it’s just outside the town of Balmoral, the favorite summer residence of Queen Elizabeth II, Balmoral Castle. Queen Victoria first visited the area in the 19^th century, and the village has retained its royal charm ever since.

Balmoral Castle

The excitement built as we approached Balmoral Castle, the royal family’s Scottish retreat, purchased by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852. It’s a large country house estate in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies within the Cairngorms National Park.

The royals found the existing house too small and replaced it with the current structure of a not too shabby 167 rooms, designed in the Scottish Baronial style, and completed in 1856.

The estate is privately owned by the royal family and not part of the Crown Estate. It’s managed by a large staff and generates income from tourism, farming, forestry, fishing and other land uses.

The property spans a whopping 50,000 acres (think 78,000 sq. miles!) of a vast landscape of forests, mountains, rivers, and beautiful, lush gardens, which King Charles III, aka “The Green King,” tends to. He’s well-known for his love and passion of flowers, gardening, and nature; and always with an emphasis on sustainability and how it can help the planet.

Balmoral Castle is only open for visitors during late March to early August; after that, the royal family takes residence. Just a small part of the estate, including the gardens, special exhibitions, and the ballroom, are open to the public at that time.

Currently on display in the ballroom are King Charles’ watercolor paintings, depicting scenery at Balmoral and two other royal estates. Also, elaborate outfits worn by Charles, his late mother, his grandmother and his wife, Queen Camilla (no photos allowed).

Walking the grounds you can see and sense why this place is a favorite with the royals. Besides its isolation and stunning, vast landscapes, there’s a sense of calm and quiet surrounding you. Having strolled the same hallowed grounds of both Queens Victoria and Elizabeth lent an air of excitement; thrilling to trod the queenly footpaths.

And, fyi … it’s just over two years since Queen Elizabeth’s death there.

Getting peckish time for a little snack.

Our travel agent extraordinaire, Luke, booked us into another fabulous hotel, the Fonab Castle Hotel, situated on the banks of Loch Faskally. It’s loaded with lots of historic charm, but modern amenities.

Since it’s a wee bit outside of town, and being tired from a long day’s road journey, we opted to dine at the hotel’s restaurant. Dinner was exquisitely prepared and presented. Too bad we’re here for just one night – their menu deserves a repeat performance.

David, being a fierce pasta lover, went directly for the Orkney Crab Linguine as his appetizer; for me, if there’s oysters on a menu, I look no further. On this trip, I’ve had my fill – these were from the Isle of Cumbrae on the west coast of Scotland. They were sublime, tasting like a spray of ocean mist.

Main courses: steamed sea bream in a pepper puree, accompanied by haricots served on top of baba ghanoush; and a rump of shoulder lamb served on top of lentils flanked by pomme dauphine (potato croquettes).

All was easily washed down with their excellent house wine that was suggested by our server. Dessert decadence ~ shared a chocolate torte served with house-made, rich vanilla ice cream, drizzled with salted caramel. I say, “Decadent to the max!” 

Breakfast was a very English affair – mushrooms on toast with poached eggs, and scrambled eggs wrapped in smoked salmon.

Thinking about all we consumed, we should be walking to our next destination!

Edinburgh

Surprise! It’s no “Rainy Days and Mondays” here in sunny Edinburgh at the start of our final week in Europe. The city’s come alive to revel and enjoy a spectacular day.

Here we got to reunite with Jim and Chris (since our last British Castle Tour) at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, a grand Victorian, neo-gothic building in red sandstone, opened in 1889. It was built as “a shrine for Scotland’s national portraits.”

Here our culture genes were indulged, as we’d stare intently at a who’s who of Scotland throughout the ages. There were some unique portraits and characters presented staring back at us. Take a look …

Some rather unattractive folk, going back through the centuries were hanging on the walls, but two special portraits caught my eyes: a tender picture of a mother with her baby draped on her lap as she played an upright piano, and a very whimsical portrait of the Scottish actress, Tilda Swinton.

The Great Hall stopped us in our tracks with its 360 degrees of elaborate decoration, and its beautifully painted friezes of key figures in Scottish history. And don’t forget to crane your neck and look straight up at the amazing Zodiac ceiling, shining with over 2,000 stars.

Hitting the cobblestones, there was lots to explore, and we’d walked aimlessly about in the city’s magnificent Royal Mile district and its offshoot streets, filled with locals and tourists alike, all enjoying a glorious spring day.

As we all know, the UK is filled with quaint, charming pubs; a place to take some time off to enjoy a pint and plate of fish ‘n chips. “Cheers” to that!

But some of those pubs have morphed into gastropubs, serving the usual range of beers and elevating pub food to the next level – for it’s no longer greasy fish ‘n chips and sausage rolls.

David’s done his usual food research and chose “The Scran and Scallie,” a venture by Michelin-starred chefs, Tom Kitchin and Dominic Jack. The restaurant focuses on high-quality ingredients sourced from local producers.

The menu offers up a mix of comforting classics and creative dishes, with a focus on Scottish cuisine; all in a very relaxing and family-friendly atmosphere. Its cozy interior was designed to feel like a welcoming local pub, but with elevated dining.

My fish pie was prepared with a delicious buttery mashed potato crust, and their fish ‘n chips are prepared from fresh-caught North Atlantic haddock. Always a favorite, their sticky toffee pudding was topped with homemade, rich vanilla ice cream; a subtle change from the typical cream anglaise that’s usually served with it.

As seen on the streets, windows, and …

The Grand Finale follows with a really big flower show, special photo exhibit and the London theatre.

Previous blog *** Our last city in Scotland will be Edinburgh, which I wrote about on our trip a few years back. This trip focuses on the National Portrait Gallery, and visiting and dining with our friends.

“There are two seasons in Scotland: June and Winter.”