Faerie Glen

This was a wonderful little secret we wouldn’t have known about except for tripadvisor.com! The little gravel road that leads to it isn’t marked, and it isn’t publicized in the brochures. It is a beautiful place where sheep are free to roam about, the hills have a unique texture, and it’s easy to believe in fairies. There are some ruins in the valley, and in the picture with Sharon on the hill below me, the close white things are sheep, the white things in the distance are houses. It was so windy Mary Rose had to hold her hat on! I cut the fairies out of glossy card stock with my Silhouette and then used alcohol inks on them.

Tarbet

Sharon scheduled short 15 min stops along the way for us to get out of the car, stretch our legs, and use facilities if necessary. One of these was at Tarbet. I was surprised to see Canadian geese there, and I’m not sure what the other birds we saw were. We walked down to the boat dock and I was able to get some gorgeous pictures from there on the water. I was wishing I had a few hours and a fishing pole… The other picture I had printed to go with these of the other birds was just out of scale...so I just have to omit it.

Surprise Surprise Surprise!

ok, so I know the title is Gomer Pile'ish', but it makes me smile. There were several things that surprised me in Scotland, but they make sense. Bus stops and telephone booths beside the road in the middle of no where! Paying to use the toilet! And most of the time if there’s a garbage bin, beside it are recycling bins for bottles, papers, glass, and aluminum. I think all of these are great concepts and we should put phones in places where there isn't cell phone reception, bus stops in the middle of hiking country, and recycling bins next to the garbage bins!

Kilt Rock

When we went back to Kilt Rock, (we had totally missed the unmarked turn off), it was raining and we decided to not get out of the car, but go to dinner; to come back later wasn’t much back tracking because it was close to Beinn Edra. Upon returning, Mary Rose and Donna decided they were too tired and it was too cold and wet so they stayed in the car while Sharon and I went to see it. The gate had a difficult closure and we almost came to the conclusion that it was closed for the night, but I finally got it open! It was beautiful! It is named kilt rock because the rocks on the cliffs are different colors and look like a tartan with pleats. When leaving, we saw this picturesque view of a typical Scottish house by a small loch. I really used my distress inks on here. I used the ink pads on a tartan stamp by fiskars, then the distress stain on the title letters and the circle matting the picture, and of course on the celtic embellishments. I love the way it brings it all together.

Highland Coos

We were almost to Skye when we saw these cows by the road next to a pull by. Mary Rose even petted one, so when we got back to the states, she marked on her re-entry form that she had contact with livestock! I needed an embellishment for this page, but have run out of the generic ones I've bought, so I decided to make my own. I cut the celtic symbol out with my silhouette, inked it with distress stain, and then dipped it in melted UTEE. I love the way it came out so much that I immediately made a few more to go on other pages. Am thinking I might go back and add some to pages I've already finished...

Eliean Donan

I love that I'm reaching for my distress inks more now that I have created the tags and know ahead of time that I'm getting the correct color! I think we had the most fun at this castle, the tour guide really interacted with us. I was even offered a ‘full tour’ if I were to come back later. There were so many wonderful photo ops here even though pictures are not allowed inside; Perhaps because this is still a home to the clan McRae. Along with the ancestral paintings , there are current day family photos. There is a letter from Bonnie Prince Charlie along with a lock of his hair on display in the banqueting room where my favorite tour guide was weaving tales

Beinn Edra

Our Third night In Scotland, we stayed At Benin Edra Bed & Breakfast on The isle of Skye. It was a beautiful, clean, nicely Decorated, homey Place.complete With clothes on a line that looked Ready to blow out to sea. We Passed the entrance once or twice, but finally saw the sign. The bathrooms Were something I would have expected in An up-scale hotel with richly painted walls, Towel warmers, and fancy glass showers That seemed like something from a star trek Show. Rachel’s husband built the house and is Building another one next door. When we Arrived, he was on the roof and his little dog Was on the roof with him. Rachel cooked us A full Scottish breakfast in the morning, Including black pudding. There were sheep in the Front yard and that was the close-up View. But when you look across the Water, you can see the moutnains On the other side of Scotland. Simply breathtaking. If I were to get to go back to Scotland. I would definitely stay Here again!