Friday, August 16, 2013

Dolphin Spotting in Scotland

The final portion of our road trip in Scotland took us through Inverness and Glasgow. Inverness was just OK. It could have something to do with the fact that it was pouring buckets and, since it was Sunday, everything was closed; but I just was not that impressed with the city. We did enjoy a lovely dinner and a nice, but wet, stroll around town.

Gratuitous shot of Zoey at dinner

The highlight of the area was dolphin spotting. I had no idea that Scotland was home to many species of dolphins and whales. We happened to pass a Whale and Dolphin Conservation Centre who provided us with a handy guide to the local species and told us the best places to spot them. Dan and I were pretty skeptical that we'd actually see anything. We told ourselves we'd give it 15 minutes and then head out. The minute we got there though, we saw them! Two pods of bottlenose dolphins were swimming and playing really close to the shore! They splished and splashed for around 20 minutes and then wandered out of our sight. 


Dolphins at Chanonry Point, Scotland

We made a stop in Aviemore to eat at the Mountain Cafe. It was definitely worth the trip! The food was fantastic and very fresh. It was Scotish with a New Zealand flair (the owner is a Kiwi). The portions are so big that we didn't even have room for dessert. Don't worry though. We took two slices of cake to go. I could see this being my local hangout if I lived closer to it. I really could eat there every day. It was a blogger fail though as I didn't snap a single picture.

Eventually we made it to Glasgow. We planned for this to simply be a necessary layover before the trip home the next morning. I hadn't heard great things about the city, so I had very low expectations. Glasgow really surprised me though. I loved the mixed architecture and the vibrant high street. I loved all the mom-and-pop stores and the high-end, eclectic restaurants. I loved the flowers blooming from every lamppost.


Zoey loved it too.


All-in-all, it was a very successful trip. Zoey did so well. I can tell we have a future traveler amongst us.

Read about our other stops in Scotland:
Loch Lomand
Kyle of Lochalsh
Isle of Skye

1 comment:

  1. So pleased you enjoyed your time in Glasgow! I'm from there and, it's true, people have a lot of misconceptions about it being rough and ready but its actually a bit of a cultural hub with fabulous architecture, theatre and galleries.

    ReplyDelete