Ross and Michelle on Tour: A not so white Christmas.....

It has been a fairly busy start to the year and we are a bit behind on the Blog. Here are a few words and pics from our holiday in the North of Scotland over Christmas.

Sky reflecting on Loch in Bonar Bridge

Unsure of whether we would have our passports back from the Home Office, we decided a domestic holiday for Christmas would be a good move. We were keen to explore the far north of Scotland so booked flights to Inverness and started planning the trip. We quickly discovered that not many other people travel to the North of Scotland in the depth of winter and as a result pretty much everything up that way was shut (including accommodation) making a road trip somewhat problematic. Plan B - hire a cottage on the coast and hunker down with friends, a few bottles of wine, lots of food and a fireplace for a few days.

Dena, Shane and Mich in front of MacKay's Cottage

We had five days in Durness - a small village on the northern coast of Scotland - population 353 (or 358 including us). Durness comprises 2 stores, a petrol station, a restaurant, a beach (award winning) and a pub. With the important exception of the pub, all of which were shut for the duration of our stay.

Durness' Award Winning Beach - there is no disputing it

Days were spent sleeping in, playing board games, eating, drinking and reading. We occasionally ventured out to explore the coast - including the award winning beach and the nearby Smoo Cave. While the days were short (with darkness falling around 3-4 in the afternoon) it was surprisingly mild and snow was never on the cards for us. Nights were spent - hmm.... doing the same really.

Exploring the coast

Christmas Day was marked by a visit from Santa and lots of laughter as we shared our Secret Santa presents with each other. We ate (and drank) even more than usual to mark the occasion with a beautiful roast of lamb and chicken served up in the evening (just 5 hours later than originally planned). Topped off with charades it was an action packed day.

Santa!

Shane's present for Pubs and Pub's present for Shane - a strange conicidence?

We also explored the pub and befriended the locals (especially Shifty - a local labourer and drummer in the band which played Boxing Day night). We soon learned that one could byy a beer for someone even when they has one on the go - with the Barmaid simply noting that there was 'one in the pipes' for you.

Shane with one in his pipes

The drive back to Inverness was picturesque. We took the scenic route back down the west coast including a detours along coastal lanes as we went. As we drove south the temperature dropped considerably - minus 5-6 degrees celsius and completely frozen landscapes in places.