2023.05.05
It’s cold. Bone chilling cold with a lazy wind waltzing straight through us. On the edge of the headland with the lighthouse/castle behind us and our eyes searching the swirling waves for the orcas that the Scots told us were here. Could be right up there with the wild haggis they sent us searching for last week. No orcas, no puffins. Just pigeons and blizzard.
We had been reliably informed the beach at Fraserburgh was amongst the best in this area. What does that mean? So we went for a look and it has white sands and is gale force winds off the North Sea. Brisk, kids, brisk.
Our destination, The Black Isle, is just north of Inverness. So for our westward path we chose the road less travelled and found ourselves at a roadside stop called Fort Friddles just past Pennan (which featured yesterday. Now this Fort Friddles is just a rock poking out into the sea with a narrow path accessing it. Its human habitation dates back 3000 years and it was abandoned in late 1800’s. Nothing remains bar a few stones. And not one upon the other. The Bronze Age dwellings, the Pictish cabins, the castle, the bowling green (apparently, yes) and all other structures are gone. Kinda an Ozymandias (king of kings) thing (Oh Google it. Percy Shelley). It shows that working to build a generational fortress or empire is pointless and will eventually crumble for naught.
So. No orcas. No puffins. But there were….
PIRATE CAVES!! Oh happy days.
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As a small aside: of the several hundred houses we passed today, only three were putting up Coronation buntings or decorations.
It’s clear.
They’re Scots. He’s NOT their King!
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Bowfiddle Rock. Colder than the other side of the pillow. We went. No Orcas, no puffins but there were Pirate Caves so not a total waste of body heat.
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Elgin Cathedral: my favorite Scottish ruin. Only 20 feet smaller than (the largest ruin), St. Andrew’s. Once again I was excited and honored to be here. I have not the words to describe it or how much I just love it. Google some shots. We lay on our backs looking at each stone carving in the great room, we climbed to two towers and we walked the ancient graveyards. Just bloody delightful to be back here.
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Our final stop was the Fortrose cathedral ruin on The Black Isle, north of Inverness. Lyns favorite cathedral ruin. Red sandstone and ground etchings where the majority of it was prior to the Protestant nutbags burning it down and stealing anything they could including the lead from the roof. I went to the pub for beers and left her to it.
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We are ensconced into an Airbnb in Munlochy where it’s bloody cold. I had venison and Lyn had the seafood chowder. Happy days.
Good night folks and be nice to each other. We’re not getting out of this alive. None of us.
Cheers
Steve
Steve The Wandering Aussie 