Birnam House Hotel Dunkeld

... The answer is, "very".

All you have to do is arm yourself with a few facts and figures, namely your postcode, who your current supplier is, how much energy you use each month and what you're paying for it. Then visit one of the well-known price comparison websites where it will take just a few seconds to compare the gas prices offered by suppliers in your area ...

... to Craigmead, the access point for both West and East Lomond Hills. I was following an itinerary of a walking club I found on the internet, and therefore went to climb East Lomond first, the smaller of the two (424 m). Naturally my first views as the ...

A surprise - wasn't expecting to see this type of detail in a non-fancy church. Looks like a farmhouse on the outside, but on the inside a very detailed painted ceiling.

I would guess that not too many people actually make it out to this site.

... background. First fridge magnet brought of the Cathedral!


Across from the cathedral Lynda explained Uncle Dave's ashes were scattered by the River Tay and on the edge of the Cathedral as this was one of his favourite spots. Plus we learnt Lynda is a dog rescuer! River Tay has a particularly strong current so a dog she was dog-sitting (few months prior) was very lucky indeed.

... The
bagpipes are much prettier to listen to in a large group than played alone.
There is also a stage where girls and some boys compete in traditional Scottish dances. They, too, wear traditional Scottish costumes and take the dances very seriously, much like child beauty pageants in the U.S.

The competitors in the running and cycling events were all given handicaps based on their age and level of experience. This made the races very interesting, since very ...

... grove of trees on the site.

We left the cairns pretty much as they had been for the last 4,000 years and continued our travels into the wilds of the Scottish east coast. There are so many side trips you could do that if you did them all you would never actually get to where you were going, if that makes any sense. I had it in my mind that during this trip to Scotland I wanted to see Pictish burial stones and/or stone crosses.

A little further up the A6009 ...

... the B&B of the unpronounceable name suggested as it was a nice day head to Dunkeld a conservation village about 15 minutes drive south and then head into the country west of there before getting back to Pitlochry. So glad we did it was grey and drizzly the next morning. So the motto is have a general idea of what you want to do but be flexible!

Dunkeld; what a gorgeous little place. Complete with its own village church and ...

... them and poke and prod and re-coat the globs, twirling all the while. I didn't actually see any blowing, just the production line creation of glass paperweights. Danny's prize souvenir is a bit of coloured glass scavenged from beside the rubbish bins in the carpark.
Chinese take-away in the campervan for tea tonight. Actually it was “carry-out” (served by a man with a Chinese face but a very Scottish accent) eaten in the motorhome – get it right!

... Highlands.
Jane's father's cousin's widow Dorothy now lives here, and her daughter Amanda nearby. Dorothy took us in her little car all over the district in the afternoon and evening. Afternoon tea was at Gleneagles hotel, overlooking the croquet lawn and the golf courses. Dorothy filled us in on all her family news as she drove. She was very generous with her time and her house: we were invited back to her house for a delicious supper and reminisce.

... along the River Tay. We visited the Dunkeld Cathedral here, which has origins dating back to 570AD. The cathedral is a mixture of Gothic and Norman styles, and was built over many stages over many years (like more than 200 years). The Sanctuary here is very serene - you can feel its' history in your very bones, and it's easy for everyone to become very quiet in this area and simply stand and stare. That is the end of our trip - after getting back to ...