Woke to what they call “getting knocked up today” Literally the hotel owners walk down the corridor bashing the walls going “wake up call, wake up call”. After putting our hearts back in our chests, we were all up and downstairs for brekky.
On to the bus at 8am and we drove through Inverness to the battlefield of Culloden, which was very like Waiuoru (cant spell it?!) Very bleak with a freezing wind that lends to the atmosphere and bracken and boggy land. You could just imagine 1500 Scotsmen charging into battle, to be mowed down by grapeshot. The tour director also said an effective combat maneouvre the english were taught was to bayonet the Scot on their right not the man in front of them, to take advantage of the scotsmans swinging arm being exposed as he swung his broadsword. But it was one of the places you want to say you have visited and respected.
Then back on the bus and along the very winding road past loss ness (no “nessie” today) where we stopped beside a castle on its banks for lunch. Slight disaster for the tour director- he had rung ahead and booked us in to one of the few places that could cater for a bus load for lunch and then another Trafalgar tour guide brought his lot in just in front of us- and he hadn’t booked = a very long queue, but it was ok. Had leek and potato soup and home made bread for lunch £3.75 each which is really cheap compared to other days.
By now the weather had really closed in, you wouldn’t know it was the end of summer/early autumn here. It was far more fitting in these surroundings than a sunny bright day! Was really glad to get to the hotel though as our bus driver, who is grumpy and never speaks, was driving like he was just out of the starting gates through the hills then get jabbing on the brakes. We all reckon his tip is decreasing rapidly!!
6 of us who weren’t doing the 3 hour peninsula drive were dropped at the lobby (so glad we weren’t doing that long optional on those roads). Turned out it was a group we are becoming very comfortable with 4 aussies with lots of humour, so we were all really pleased to be free at 1pm for the afternoon. Since it was the middle of nowhere and it was raining, we had to sit in the bar for a few drinkies- of the stress of it all!!
The tour director told us prior that he had rung ahead and told the hotel who we all were, so they could get our rooms ready, but upon asking the very rude braun Hilda on reception informed us without any nice-ities that the rooms weren’t going to be ready until 3pm (none of them??)
She was then named “the gestapo’ by Gaye who is travelling with her daughter Jenny and off we went from there. Had a hilarious couple of hours at her expense and told lots of funnies in between!!! Pete and Sharon from Sydney are really lovely people and Pete can do accents like Graeme, so we had a ball !
Went back and freshened up, then back down to the bar at 5pm for a few more drinkies until a 7.30pm dinner which was lovely. We have decided that this hotel should be renamed fawlty towers as there are a lot of similarities, not the least that the bus boy who bought the bags up was also the cook and then the waiter at tea??!! Could be a scary thought!
Graeme has noticeably blossomed from the usual quiet guy everyone knows, to the life and soul of the bus- has definitely relaxed and morphed into a comedian- wearing his new tartan hat complete with horns and false hair, onto the bus which caused a meltdown of laughter to telling them that his Scottish workmate says (in a perfect scots accent) that “you are only gay if you push back” Oh dear..!!
But an excellent day overall and are getting to know some great people now that we are all loosening up!
On to the bus at 8am and we drove through Inverness to the battlefield of Culloden, which was very like Waiuoru (cant spell it?!) Very bleak with a freezing wind that lends to the atmosphere and bracken and boggy land. You could just imagine 1500 Scotsmen charging into battle, to be mowed down by grapeshot. The tour director also said an effective combat maneouvre the english were taught was to bayonet the Scot on their right not the man in front of them, to take advantage of the scotsmans swinging arm being exposed as he swung his broadsword. But it was one of the places you want to say you have visited and respected.
Then back on the bus and along the very winding road past loss ness (no “nessie” today) where we stopped beside a castle on its banks for lunch. Slight disaster for the tour director- he had rung ahead and booked us in to one of the few places that could cater for a bus load for lunch and then another Trafalgar tour guide brought his lot in just in front of us- and he hadn’t booked = a very long queue, but it was ok. Had leek and potato soup and home made bread for lunch £3.75 each which is really cheap compared to other days.
By now the weather had really closed in, you wouldn’t know it was the end of summer/early autumn here. It was far more fitting in these surroundings than a sunny bright day! Was really glad to get to the hotel though as our bus driver, who is grumpy and never speaks, was driving like he was just out of the starting gates through the hills then get jabbing on the brakes. We all reckon his tip is decreasing rapidly!!
6 of us who weren’t doing the 3 hour peninsula drive were dropped at the lobby (so glad we weren’t doing that long optional on those roads). Turned out it was a group we are becoming very comfortable with 4 aussies with lots of humour, so we were all really pleased to be free at 1pm for the afternoon. Since it was the middle of nowhere and it was raining, we had to sit in the bar for a few drinkies- of the stress of it all!!
The tour director told us prior that he had rung ahead and told the hotel who we all were, so they could get our rooms ready, but upon asking the very rude braun Hilda on reception informed us without any nice-ities that the rooms weren’t going to be ready until 3pm (none of them??)
She was then named “the gestapo’ by Gaye who is travelling with her daughter Jenny and off we went from there. Had a hilarious couple of hours at her expense and told lots of funnies in between!!! Pete and Sharon from Sydney are really lovely people and Pete can do accents like Graeme, so we had a ball !
Went back and freshened up, then back down to the bar at 5pm for a few more drinkies until a 7.30pm dinner which was lovely. We have decided that this hotel should be renamed fawlty towers as there are a lot of similarities, not the least that the bus boy who bought the bags up was also the cook and then the waiter at tea??!! Could be a scary thought!
Graeme has noticeably blossomed from the usual quiet guy everyone knows, to the life and soul of the bus- has definitely relaxed and morphed into a comedian- wearing his new tartan hat complete with horns and false hair, onto the bus which caused a meltdown of laughter to telling them that his Scottish workmate says (in a perfect scots accent) that “you are only gay if you push back” Oh dear..!!
But an excellent day overall and are getting to know some great people now that we are all loosening up!
3 comments:
LmAo too funny . Love it. Can't believe no Nessie hmmmm. Did you hear sir Howard Morrison died? Sad . Tangi today what an icon.
cath
yes so sad he died- every time i go away someone famous dies
have they had patrick swayzes funeral yet?? what was it like?? sob sob
I have saved mag's with his details etc in for you. Have seen no coverage of funeral though....
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