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Tuesday 23 March 2004, through the Grampian Mountains to Huntly

Scotland 2004 - part VIII

Elisabeth & Teije
2006-07-23 18:14:20

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a break but we never see the two cars again that were behind us. They were just after another without the means to brake, so maybe they have collided, we don't know. There weren't any exits. At least we are very glad we have left this slippery zone and watch the scenery changing from dark (to the left) into a sun-drenched landscape full of heather.

We drive on to Ballater where we see this castle, called Oak Hall. In this place we take a well deserved break, to recover from our adventure. It is amazing that we remember only a few details, in fact only that it was very exciting and frightening.

When we leave Ballater we have some cloudbursts and after a while we decide to to a little further to Aberdeen, to look for a hotel there. But after fifteen minutes the clouds are all gone and the sun shines again. The weather can change so fast Scotland! So we go on for a few more hours, it would be a waste of time to stop now.

We drive to the north again and pass a few castles, like Kildrummy Castle. The old castle is a ruin, at the moment closed. There is also a hotel with the same name, but that is a bit too expensive for us, more than € 100 per person per night).

We still don't know where we will spend the night when we drive into Huntly around 5 o'clock. It is a nice looking medieval town and we walk around a bit, searching for a pub to have a drink.

In Huntly Hotel we check out the prices and since they are reasonable we check in for two nights. Now we have to make a new travel scheme since we hadn't planned this. But it doesn't matter, we are quite flexible and this area also needs a bit more attention from us.

Since it is still daylight we visit Huntly Castle (with a luxurious hotel with the same name behind it). It is a ruin but looks very characteristically a castle. Unfortunately it is closed now. Another place where a lot of ferocities took place.

In the hotel we get a big room with a splendid view: over the medieval square of Huntly. It is only a pity that cars are allowed and the square has been turned into a parking lot.

We eat a bit and then return to our room early. It has been an exiting and exhausting day. We still can't believe we have made it down that mountain in such a good way, without accidents. Strange, but in our dreams we see deep abysses and steep roads covered with ice...