July 7, 2008: Plockton to Edinburgh

We had another half day in Plockton before heading back to Edinburgh. I'd finally run out of enthusiasm for cooked breakfasts, so we both started the day with porridge (with a bit of jam mushed on top).

It was a warming start to the day, and I'm sure my heart appreciated the break from fried eggs.

Our original plan was to spend our last couple of hours in the Plockton hotel enjoying their hospitality and free wireless internet. Alas, the internet was broken, so we were driven back out into nature. Following the recommendation of the hotel staff, we headed for a walk up a track in the northern section of the town. Something about the scenery reminded Cindy of a particular scene in Monkey Island, so she spent the whole stroll singing the midi-style tunes that are eternally lodged in her brain. It really added to the highland ambiance.





The weather was a bit crappy, but the walk was still wonderful. A fitting finale to our couple of days in the highlands. Afterwards, it was back on the train to get back to Edinburgh - more great scenery whizzing by, as well as a handful of new birds for me (buzzards, pheasants and some eider, not to mention kestrels hovering in almost every field).


By the time we made it back to Edinburgh, checked in and got changed, it was time to go and find some dinner. David Bann's was the venue of choice - a slightly upmarket vegie restaurant near the middle of town. The menu was chock-full of impressive sounding dishes: a dozen sides/starters and about ten main meals. We started off with vegan Thai fritters: aromatic, spicy fritters of smoked tofu, peas, ginger, green chilli, lime sesame and potato. Served with fresh mango chutney and a plum sauce. These were a highlight: nice and spicy, beautifully textured and with two great condiments included.

After much pondering, we eventually settled on our mains: harissa roasted aubergine, aduki and sweet pepper for Cindy (with a side of chunky chips) and a chilli and smoked cheese tortilla tartlet with chocolate sauce for me. In what was becoming a theme of the holiday, Cindy enjoyed her meal until she looked over enviously at mine - again I'd picked the menu winner. Still, the beany, eggplanty filling stuffed into the sweet peppers was a pretty satisfying meal.


My meal was outstanding: layers of flavours, with a spiced tomato sauce, smoked cheese, fresh guacamole, a variety of beans and a selection of vegies (celeriac, carrot and peppers). All served up on a layer of mashed sweet potato and coriander and the star of the show: a chocolate and tequila sauce.

With such wonderful courses behind us, there was no doubt that we'd be giving the desserts a shot. Bizarrely we didn't order up the dessert assortment plate - I was keen, but Cindy couldn't go past the lime and ginger parfait (with meringue and chocolate drambuie ganache), so we just ordered a single dish each.

The parfait had strong lime and ginger flavours, but was a little bit firmer than Cindy would have liked ("not silky enough" apparently). It combined delectably with the meringue and ganache though.

I got sucked in by the tradition option on the menu: Scottish strawberry pannacotta with a homemade whisky and raspberry chocolate. My memory is a little hazy (either due to the time that has since passed or the bottle of wine that Cindy and I 'shared'), so I'm not able to make specific comments on the pannacotta. The chocolate was dark, rich and flavoursome though - the whisky was surprisingly strong and combined well with the raspberry and chocolate.

It was a fine dinner - one of the best of our trip, and more generally one of the better vegetarian restaurants we've dined in over the years. Anyone swinging through Edinburgh should stop by and check it out.

July 6, 2008: Plockton

Since our hostel in Edinburgh didn't include breakfast with our lodgings, the Plockton Hotel provided our first taste of the traditional Scottish breakfast. Most of the cooked plates included various types of fish, though our waiter was happy to accommodate Michael's interest in a vegetarian version. I hope I'm not being too condescending when I say that there's nothing much cuter than one grown man asking another if he'd like tattie cakes with his breakfast! To me, they really sound like a treat a mother might whip up to comfort her child. I was expecting something round and puffy like a scone, though funnily enough they are more like Johanna's potato scones: flat, dense pancakes consisting mainly of mashed potato and flour. The gummy texture didn't win me over on first bite, but they are actually quite addictive.

The other novelty for us was the couple of oatcakes that were served with our tray of toast. They looked a little like digestive biscuits, but were actually harder and not at all sweet.

After breakfast, we set off towards Duncraig Castle. On the previous day we had noticed a signpost promising that it was only 1 mile away through the woods.

Once we circumvented the loch and entered the woods properly we encountered another sign: Duncraig castle, 1 1/4 miles. Hmmm.

The path became muddy and there were a lot of low overhanging branches - not the easiest to get through for a tall feller and a girl with a limp. The scenery was lovely, though, and we persevered.

We took the wrong way down a forked path and were rewarded with a rest stop in the long grass.

Duncraig railway station. You have to hail the train if you want it to stop here.

I was pretty exhausted by the time we reached the castle. Though it looked incredibly grand at a distance, it has clearly fallen into disrepair. A lone workman with a dusty truck wandered around what we had thought would be a lively tourist attraction. The windows offered glimpses of rooms stacked with junk and wonky furniture. And most perplexing of all was the hideous multi-storey boxy extension to the castle (I couldn't bear to include it in any of my photos).

There were still glimpses of beauty, to be sure. I couldn't get enough of the roses growing untamed here and around Plockton.

We discovered later in the day that Duncraig Castle has been featured in several episodes of Hamish MacBeth, along with other films and series I care much less about. The Castle's official website tells the story of the Dobson family purchasing and tending the site, offering it as luxury accommodation as well as a film location. However it seems that the family is now feuding and there's not a lot to be seen or done at the castle.

Seeing these cows hurtling around the corner towards us made me more than a little anxious! We paused as they made themselves comfortable drinking at the creek. The chaperoning bull looked rather wary of us but we didn't end up causing each other any trouble.

Back in Plockton, we wandered a corner of town that we hadn't yet seen (running into what I'm sure was the home of Isobel Sutherland, Hamish's enduring love interest) before trying the local takeaway for lunch. There was a whole range of baffling and probably-not-vegetarian options (sausage and pudding dinners, anyone?), but Michael did track down a passable vege burger.

I bravely had a go at a chip butty, only half knowing what it was. Stale chips in a super-processed white roll, with salt and vinegar on my request. This was sooooo bad, people. I only got half-way through it, even with assistance from Michael. Regular readers will surely know what a chip fiend I usually am - this seriously scared me off.

Sweet onion rings eased the pain.

Our afternoon engagement was on Calum's dolphin trip. His guarantee to only charge customers after the promised dolphins or seals are spotted inspired the Hamish MacBeth episode 'In Search of Rose'. We were thrilled to get some bonus seals on our dolphin trip free of charge.

There was a little nervousness on Calum's part, but the dolphins did eventually put on an excellent show. They were too sprightly for our camera though!

We tried dinner at the Plockton Inn, just around the corner from our cottage. Surprisingly they had a few vegetarian mains on the menu.

My eggplant parmigiana was a long on oily cheese and short on eggplant, but was appreciated nonetheless.

Michael couldn't stay away from the vegetarian haggis!

Though it wasn't an adventurous dessert, the chocolate torte was great (the cream-from-a-can, not so much).

What Plockton might have lacked in vegetarian culinary delights (and it still out-did the average Aussie country town), it more than made up for with its natural assets. I won't forget its cute olde-town atmosphere or its stunning views for some time.

July 5, 2008: Edinburgh to Plockton

Cindy and I dragged ourselves out of bed bright and early to board a longish train trip to Plockton via Inverness. We'd snuck Plockton onto our itinerary for a couple of reasons: I was keen to go somewhere a bit wild and remote (but with a train station) in the North West and Cindy has long harboured an unhealthy obsession with Hamish Macbeth, a hugely enjoyable British TV series set in the fictional town of Lochdubh. Of course Lochbubh is actually Plockton (at least a lot of it). So we spent our time soaking up the wonderful scenery, enjoying the delightful village and having flashes of recognition of Hamish Macbeth set locations.

The train trip, particularly the leg from Inverness to Plockton, was spectacular - dramatic coastlines, giant lochs and green as far as the eye could see. I didn't get too many great photos (a lot of the best views were from the opposite windows), but there were a couple of nice ones (with a phantom sleeping Cindy reflection).



Last stop: Plockton.


Plockton is nothing if not picturesque (my way of saying that the rest of this post will be almost nothing but photos). It sits on the shores of Loch Carron, and is dotted with cute houses from the 18th and 19th centuries. We were hoping to stay at the Plockton Hotel but the main section was full, so they gave us a room in the nearby cottage. The best bit: a private back garden that looked out over the cottage and across the Loch.


We spent our first afternoon strolling Plockton, starting with a walk across to an island sitting in the loch. At low tide you can get over there without even getting your feet wet.



We came back to the mainland and set off on a walk around town. Almost the first thing we saw was an old man sitting in a boat. On dry land. Reading a newspaper. Weird.

The rest of our walk was less full of Scottish eccentrics and more full of beautiful scenery.






We eventually stumbled upon a trail heading up to a bluff above the village looking out over the water and the town. It was a bit of a scrabble, but well worth it. Stunning views.





The walk back looped around through some farmland above the town. More impressive views. And birds. Birds everywhere. Greenfinches, chaffinches, yellowhammers, siskins and sparrows flocking at feeders outside almost every house.

[Cindy: Is that TV John McIver's caravan?!]

Our hotel booking entitled us to a reservation at the very popular hotel dining room. We were pleased to note that the hotel provided a couple of vego options. The post-Macbeth tourism boom has ensured comfortable accommodation and decent dining options for all. I had the vego special of the day: spiced chickpeas with rice, while Cindy had garlic mushrooms with a breadcrumb topping. While it's good that we're able to order vegetarian meals at rural pubs in Scotland, I must say that the spiced chickpeas for well short of our own recipe.


Luckily, they gave us an interesting dessert option: the vaguely traditional whiskey, honey and oatmeal ice cream. It had quite the whiskey kick, and let us pretend we were sampling some of Scotland's finest.