FUN-photos: UK – Conwy, Northern Wales
June 17, 2017 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-photos: UK – Conwy, Northern Wales
Lucky us again! The rain came when we boarded our train for the 4 hour ride north. We arrived in Deganwy just in time for happy hour!
- The Conwy Castle loomed large across the bay awaiting our visit the next afternoon.
We spent our first full day taking a 90 minute train ride south to the base of Mt. Showdon where we discovered the delightful little village of Betws-y-Coed. Home to Britain’s first artist colony this secluded alpine area was more of the same “just oh so cute & quaint.”
- After returning back to Deganwy we enjoyed a nice stroll along the waterfront and climb up the Conwy Castle. Then the rain came so we took cover in the Albion Pub for some local craft beer.
On the second day Mari, our driver & tour guide, gave us a grand overview covering 140 miles where we saw 2 more castles, a working woolen mill, the slate museum, the town with the longest name in the world, and ended in the sweet little village of Beddgelert.
FUN-travel: Oban, Scotland – Day 2
June 17, 2017 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Oban, Scotland – Day 2
- Our second day included a lovely stroll along the waterfront…
…with an afternoon tour of the Oban Distillery…and of course more whisky tasting !
To peat or not to peat? That is the question…
…and only you can decide…
…best bit of advice…
…is to get tasting!
- Orkney peat tends to reflect a heathery, mossy character determined by the island’s abundance of heather and lack of trees.
Islay peat often brings you down to the seashore with a marine and sometimes medicinal character influenced by its coastal location.
- Highland or mainland peat frequently displays wood smoke aromas from its woodland landscape. So…
…depending on where the peat comes from…
…determines the taste.
Tasting whisky is as much art as it is science. A lot of both are involved in the process. To learn how to fully taste whisky takes time, patience and on a positive note, practice, practice, practice. After all…
“There is no such thing as bad whiskey. Some whiskeys just happen to be better than others.” ~ William Faulkner – Writer and Nobel Prize laureate
Fresh Caught Crab
FUN-fact – Oban translated means The Little Bay and is dubbed “the Seafood Capital of Scotland.”
FUN-photos: UK – The Cotswolds & Bath, England
June 17, 2017 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-photos: UK – The Cotswolds & Bath, England
Lucky for us we left San Diego on a non-stop British Airways flight before their computer melt down that stranded thousands for three days! We opted for a UK rail pass as our main mode of transportation.
- The first three days were spent in The Cotswolds, the most unspoiled area in England, that covers roughly 25 miles across and 90 miles long.
Our first full day we had a driver take us to the “ever so cute & quaint” surrounding villages and ended at Blenheim Palace. The second day we headed out from our Lower Slaughters Country Inn for a walking tour of the “just picture post card pretty & more cute” villages of Bourton-on-the-Water AKA “the Venice of the Cotswolds” & Stow-on-the-Wold.
- That was followed by two days in Bath where the town was celebrating the Bath Festival.
The weather was incredible with unseasonably warm record temps and lots of sunshine!
- This adventure was all about seeing parts of England and Scotland we had never seen, in addition to northern Wales. But the MAIN REASON was for Fèis Ìle… The Islay Festival of Music and Malt!
FUN-travel: Islay to Oban, Scotland
June 16, 2017 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Islay to Oban, Scotland
- Caught the 9:45 ferry to Kennacraig…
…where Alex & Barbara awaited us…
Alex, Barbara & Us on Pulpit Hill
…for the scenic 2 hour drive…
…back to their home.
- Met them on our “Slow Boat to Singapore Cruise” in 2016!
Our View From Alex’s Backyard
- Oban is on the west coast…
…and southern part of the Scottish Highlands.
- Had a lovely time exploring the sights…
built to look like the coliseum in Rome &…
…Pulpit Hill …
…with it’s panoramic views of the city & bay…
…and of course we had to check out the local pub!
FUN-fact – McCaig’s Tower, a folly and prominent local landmark, was constructed between 1897 and 1902.His intention was to provide a lasting monument to his family, and provide work for the local stonemasons during the winter months.
FUN-travel: Islay, Scotland – Fèis Ìle – Day 3
June 15, 2017 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Islay, Scotland – Fèis Ìle – Day 3
Got lucky again…
…boys from Sydney have car…
…for our morning tasting tour.
1st stop – Bruichladdich – 10 am
…only to find out…
…no tastings before 11…so on to…
2nd stop – Kilchoman – one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland…
…and the only independently owned one on Islay…
…one of only a handful still practicing floor malting…
…barley is also grown on the farm…
…making Kilchoman the only distillery to…
…complete all parts of the whisky making process on site.
Bowmore
3rd stop – back to Bruichladdich…for our tastings…
Bowmore Church
…and my big surprise as they also make…
…The Botanist…one of my favorite gins…
…22 hand-foraged local botanicals…
…delicately augment 9 berries, barks, seeds & peels…
…during an achingly slow distillation…
…and the first and only Islay Dry Gin.
4th stop – Bowmore …
…only a hop, skip & a jump…
…from where we are staying…
…oldest continual operating distillery founded in 1779…
…but rumor has it…
….they were making whisky long before that.
FUN-fact – Fèis Ìle runs 8 days and there are 8 distilleries. So each day one is the featured music & malt festival hot spot.
More FF – Bowmore’s famous round church was built “with no corners for the devil to hide in.”
Our Lovely View From Room at The Bowmore House