Newsletter 2005 - Trips
The Glenfiddich Distillery
Our trip this year was really about taking Cerys to visit her husband. Fortunately, we discovered that he lives in a part of Scotland which is not only extremely beautiful, but also is on the edge of the Whisky Trail. The timing for our visit was absolutely perfect, mid September is a beautiful time of year in the Highlands. The bulk of the tourists have returned to their normal lives, but there are still enough around for attractions still to be open. The midges are not in evidence so we managed not to get bitten. Toward the end of the visit, one could definitely feel the cold nip in the air in the early morning and evening, so winter was making its first forays into the year, but not enough to make us feel that it had really arrived.
We decided that since it was such a long journey, we would make our journey before the tests told us that Cerys was ready to be mated so that she would have recovered before the time came. This meant that she had to continue being tested while we were up there, so we had plenty of time to explore the area.
Our first visit was to the Chivas Regal distillery. We weren't exactly organised about our choice, it was just the first one that we came across. However, it was the most picturesque distillery that we came across in our travels. Having forked out our entrance fee, we were installed in the very comfortable lounge area with a glass of their 10 year old whisky as we waited to see if anyone else would join our group. Well, they didn't and we were lucky enough to have a personal tour. Having worked in the brewing industry, I found certain parallels in the production process. However there is a certain beauty in a copper whiskey still that I don't think I have found in any other production process. At the end of the tour, we were offered a glass of the 18 year old and it was at this point that I realised my deliberate error. I was driving and so had to refuse the glass, if only I had refused the 10 year old earlier - well, that is life.
Making Whisky barrels
We managed to get in a number of walks in the area which Cerys and Delenn really appreciated (we had left Miar with Carol so that we weren't too much of an invasion force). The Forestry Commission is working hard to encourage people to use the forests and so provides not only well marked trails in a number of locations, but also poop bags and bins. These are a good idea where the use of specific trails is encouraged since this concentrates users into a small area. One of the forests included a sculpture park with the trail and in some cases it was quite hard to find the sculptures in the middle of the trees.
We went on to visit the Glenfiddich distillery before we decided that we were "distilleried out". But that didn't mean that the "production facility" visiting was over, since there were manufacturers of soup, barrels and shortbread to be explored, and factory shops to be visited.
More locally, we got to know the local towns and on a visit to the local Indian restaurant, I came across a jaipur curry that I totally fell in love with, so much so that we had to return one lunchtime so that I could get an extra "fix".
One day, we took a trip into Aberdeen. Brian spent some months working there before we met and so had a great time wandering around finding places from his memories. In some cases, things had changed so much that the places were totally gone, others had just changed. Key places like the cinema remained and had to be visited.
Then, all too soon, it was time to once again make the long trek home. It was an extremely enjoyable and productive visit. Angela and Gordon were wonderful hosts and we can now picture the beautiful surroundings that they get to wake up to every morning.