UK August-October 2013- The Castle of Mey and Dunnet Head

When we planned our trip to John O'Groats, we had no idea that a royal residence was located just twenty miles away in the town of Caithness.

The Castle of Mey was bought by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, in 1952, after the death of her husband, King George VI. When the Queen Mum visited The Castle of Mey, it was in ruins. She fell in love with the fixer-upper and purchased it, making it the only piece of property that she ever personally owned. She spent summers at The Castle of Mey and the royal family still owns the property. Prince Charles spends a week at the Castle every summer and he had his yearly vacation just a few weeks before we visited in September.

The price is only eleven pounds for a guided tour of the castle. The tour group was very small, less than ten people and the guide was extremely knowledgable and great about answering questions. Photography was not allowed inside, but I took some pictures of the exterior.

Visiting The Castle of Mey was just like going to grannies house, if your grandmother was royalty and lived in a castle. It was filled with knick-knacks, antique furniture and had a slightly musty odor. The rooms were small and cozy with low ceilings. Although comfortable, this is not a lavish palace.

It's clear that the Queen Mum had been very much loved by the staff of the castle. Our guide told us the story behind all of the stuffed animals and small toys in the parlor and various sitting rooms. People always wanted to bring the Queen Mum presents and she preferred to receive small gifts, especially joke gifts. Her ladies in waiting did not approve and when she would receive something, they would try to hide it. It became a game and some of the gifts ended up in high spots (sitting on curtain rods) so that the ladies in waiting couldn't remove them. My favorite is a Loch Ness monster stuffed animal!

She also loved having nightly cocktails and on her bar, she has a huge, rather tacky, apple-shaped ice bucket that she bought in New York City. From the stories that the guide told us, she came across as a real fun-loving woman. The castle still continues a tradition that she started of making an elaborate christmas themed cake for the local village elementary school every winter.

The Queen Mum had a big affinity for animals and after the tour of her castle, we walked to the nearby Animal Centre to see the castle's animals.

One of the queen mum's favorite animals was donkeys!

We recorded another Donkey too.

My favorite part was the pen with the chickens, ducks and geese. They were so interactive. We watched them for several minutes before realizing that we could buy food to feed them. They were desperately hoping that we would feed them.

This may very well be my favorite video of our entire trip. I love the crazy hen that comes speeding up behind the two hens. The video doesn't capture how crazy that hen was, she wanted food and she wanted it now! She was very hyper and aggressive.

And here I am feeding the birds.

There was a small shed with baby animals and more birds. I have no idea what animal this is, some sort of squirrel...in any case, it's really cute and you should take a look at the video. If you know what it is, please write in and fill me in.

We found two happy pigs sunning themselves.

We visited the paddock to see the castle livestock.

One last cute animal video..this time of the goats.

I highly recommend visiting The Castle of Mey. It's very different from any of the other castles that we visited in the UK. It's down-to-earth. Click on the link for official information.

The Castle of Mey Official Site

On our way back to John O'Groats we took a scenic drive to see the lighthouse in Dunnet Head.

On the way, we saw a classic red phone booth in the middle of a field.

When we reached Dunnet Head, there were three things that we discovered.

First, there is a cool lighthouse that was engineered by the grandfather of author Robert Lewis Stevenson.

Second, there is an amazing cliff with birds flying all over the place. A stunning view.

Third, there is an unmanned sign of the real "Most Northernly Point on Mainland Britain". It was free, no one else was there and we took pictures!

Go to John O' Groats, but skip that sign picture, come here instead!

Coming soon to this blog, still more Scotland!

UK August-October 2013- John O' Groats

Remote and sparsely populated, John O' Groats is located on the northeastern tip of Scotland, right on the North Sea. In recent years, tourists have given John O'Groats a bad rap, calling it a "Seedy Tourist Trap" and labeling it the "Most Dismal Town in Scotland".

We visited in early September and we were met with beautiful blue skies and nice locals. We had the best accommodations at The Anchorage B&B and quite honestly felt more welcomed in John O'Groats than in any other city on our vacation.

I endeavor to convince you to make the trek to John O' Groats and to dispel some of the negative press.

John O' Groats with it's rolling hills is a place for animal lovers. There are cows and sheep absolutely everywhere. It reminded me of the Milk Advisory Ads, with the happy California cows.

The animals in John O' Groats are like the cows in the milk ad. They wander in beautiful pastures with views of the sea. Most of the area wasn't owned by a specific farmer, so we could walk through the fields and get very close to the animals, who didn't seem to be bothered by us.

We also found a huge field filled with "Swiss Rolls".

We walked down to the beach, which was completely deserted and filled with huge shells.

We walked along a lovely path to the town center for lunch.

After our disaster at The Curry King in Wick, we asked Gail, the owner of The Anchorage B&B for local dining recommendations.

Gail pointed us towards The Storehouse as a great spot for coffee. Apparently, when The Storehouse first opened, it was quite the talk of the town, being modern and fancier than the other local establishments. It's a great place to sit and watch the boats in the harbor.

One of the big attractions in John O' Groats is the ferry ride to the of Orkney Islands.

The islands are known for their prehistoric archaeological sites and wildlife, including seals and puffins. There are seventy islands that make up the Orkney Archipelago. The ferry that departs from John O'Groats goes to the largest island called The Mainland. We didn't do the Orkney tour on this trip, but it is a good excuse to return to the area.

We found the fishing boat that belongs to the owners of The Anchorage Inn, named of their two children.

The AbbyJack fishing  boat. — The AbbyJack fishing boat.

Here is a closer look at the mural in the harbor.

One of my favorite travel foodie activities is trying local ice cream parlors. John O' Groats has a fantastic creamery called Flavors.

It was in Flavors that I had the best ice cream flavor combination ever = one scoop of Rum Raisin + one Scoop of Honey Comb. So yummy. Every time I saw a John O'Groats cow, I was thankful for the ice cream!

A portion of Flavors was a candy store and they sold Fluff. I've only seen Fluff packaged like this in the New England states. I've never seen Raspberry Fluff.

I can understand a bit of the bad rap that John O' Groats gets when it comes to its famous sign.

An enterprising individual realized that tourists would like to be able to take a picture with an official signpost notating the most Northern spot in the mainland UK. They also have a sign at the bottom of the UK in Lands End.

If you show up to take a picture, you have to pay a fee. There is a small shed where a photographer sits and guards the sign. The entire area is roped off, so that you can only take a decent picture if you pay.

I know that you're probably thinking, why not just show up late at night or very early in the morning? Someone can't guard it all day.

They don't.

The sign is taken down each night.

We didn't think that it was worth paying, so we took a picture in front of another (free) signpost on a building nearby. It's not official, but it was close enough for us.

My favorite building in John O'Groats was this pretty row of apartments with a colorful paint job.

On Gail's recommendation, we had dinner in the pub adjacent to the Seaview Hotel.

The pub was mostly filled with locals and we even ran into Gail's family having dinner. They kindly bought us a beer. They are the best B&B owners ever!

When you visit an area known for fishing, you have to get the fish.

This pub had the best scallops that I have ever eaten and that was just the starter.

My main course was the grilled haddock with a dill sauce. Ridiculously good!

Dan opted for a burger, which was also fresh with local meat.

The Seaview Inn might not be much to look at, but the food is first-rate. The fish, in particular the scallops, were on par with any fine-dining restaurant that I have visited. Don't judge this book by its cover.

We returned to The Anchorage and experienced a beautiful, golden sunset to end our wonderful day exploring John O' Groats.

UK August-October 2013- Dunrobin Castle

We saw some amazing castles on our trip, but none was as majestic or gorgeous as Dunrobin Castle in the Highlands of Scotland.

Anyone who knows me or reads this blog, knows that I'm a huge Disney fan. Dunrobin Castle looked like it had to be the inspiration for something Disney. It just didn't feel real with its brilliant blue turrets, stately gardens, and panoramic views of the Dornoch Firth on the North Sea. We even visited on a rare sunny day, only adding to the surreal quality of Dunrobin Castle.

Parking is free and admission to the castle is ten pounds. Dunrobin Castle was one of the best admission fees spent on our entire vacation. Photography is prohibited inside of the castle, but we took a few snaps in the entry hall.

The self-guided tour of the interiors took approximately an hour. As you can see in the above pictures, trophy animals were a big part of life at Dunrobin. We saw a ton! What was interesting, is that the animals all had plaques notating the hunter and kill dates. Many of the animals were hundreds of years old.

Dunrobin Castle has been home to the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland since the 13th century. It has suffered damage over the years, including fire damage during the first World War when it was used as a Naval Hospital. The castle has since been restored to its former splendor and it was opened to the public in the 1970's. The furniture and artifacts on display are set to reflect Dunrobin Castle during the Victorian era.

After the tour of the castle interiors, we headed out back to check out the gardens. The exteriors of the castle facing the sea make just as big of an impression as the front entrance to the castle.

My favorite picture is this one.

On our way down the castle steps to the gardens, we encountered a cat sprawled across a giant leaf enjoying the sun.

The kitty was very friendly and let us pet her.

The gardens were completed in 1850 and they were inspired by the Palace of Versailles in France. We entered through a secret side-gate.

Behind the gardens, on an expansive lawn, Dunrobin holds an afternoon falconry show. We arrived early to watching the birds prep for the show. Some of them were cooling off in sprinklers. It was a rare, very hot day in Scotland. The weather actually tricked me into thinking I was back in Southern California.

The falconry show was awesome.

Andy Hughes, the falconer has worked at the castle for many years and has raised several of the birds in the show. I've seen many bird shows at zoos and wildlife parks, but this was the very best. Hughes has an obvious connection with the birds and a love for his job. In return, the birds showed him a lot of respect and seemed to enjoy participating in the show. They were given free reign to fly across the castle grounds and would swoop over the crowds when Hughes enticed them with "chicken nuggets" (baby chicks).

Dunrobin Castle is an absolutely must-see Historical Landmark in Scotland. It's worth the drive and is easily a half-day attraction. Clink the link below for official information and current operating hours.

Dunrobin Castle Official Site