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A Scottish Summer Part 1



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It has been a year since that road trip in the Scottish highlands, yet, even today, I long for the same 5-day break again.

     
One of the many places you can eat at,
when at the beach
Beautiful sunny weather, great company, the car loaded with music and merriment, and hop-on and hop-off any time, and at places we wanted, is what made this trip a success. We started from London only to reach Edinburgh, and the Travel Lodge closer to the airport in the night. The Travel Lodge rooms were okay-- a clean, warm bed, a clean room and a clean toilet. However the breakfast did let us down, given the time taken to prepare it and the menu options. Still, after a heavy breakfast, we started the day driving towards Aberdeen.
        
Having on the beach
   
The Aberdeen Beach
We spent most of the day on the beach and then started on our journey towards Beauly, a village close to Inverness.

We stayed in a very cosy B&B, Caledonian Hotel on the main street in Beauly. The owners were very nice and helpful, and the rooms cosy, clean and warm. There are many things to see and do in and around this place. You can visit the Beauly Priory or The Uruquhart Castle.

What we did?
   
Towards the Great Glen Water Park
Towards the Great Glen Water Park

We spent half of the day getting grips with white water rafting at The Great Glen Water Park. It was so much fun!!! After that we visited the Caledonian lochs and we ere lucky enough to see how they operate for real, as there was a yacht moving out of the Loch. We topped this up with the last-ride-of-the-day at Loch Ness. You get all the brochures, and you can make all the bookings at the venue itself. And if you happen to be there on a week day and the last tourist, you can get the whole boat for yourself. The close-to-an-hour ride is interesting. You can enjoy the waters as well as have breath taking views of the Urquhart Castle if you did not visit it. The next day, we spent time picking strawberries in the farm close by and then off to the Distillery close by, to see how they make whisky. I would suggest that you visit the distilleries in the highlands because apart from their own brand, they also sell some nice local ones too.

Enroute to the Isle of Skye
After lunch, we decided to drive towards the Isle of Skye and towards the Dunnollie Hotel (Broadford). It is a close to 4 hour drive from Inverness. If you are driving that way for the first time, please be alert. At one point, in the highlands, you will come on one lane roads. These are covered with sharp stones on the sides. Please do not go off the road to give way for the oncoming vehicle...just go in reverse.

At first, when we were driving, we thought that to be weird, but after a punctured tyre and help, that took two hours to come by, we understood the whole thing. Thankfully the guys at AA helped us.Since we had an infant with us, they sent us a replacement taxi to take the others from our group to the destination. we had to travel back to Inverness to get the tyre changed.



To be continued.........

Time Flies in the Portobello Market



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The Saturday that went by was so beautiful! So sunny, cheery and warm, that it would have been a crime to stay home...cooped inside the walls.

So, me and my camera...we decided to do what we love the best...visit the markets!!! This time we went to the Portobello Market- one of the oldest and the largest antiques market in the UK. Its very easy to get lost in this huge market, which takes up most of the Portobello Road. Also, in addition to antiques, you can buy fashionable clothes, jewellery, bags, art, books, household items, etc. One of the shops was selling miniatures, for the dolls houses, another, old records, while yet another was specialising in bells and keys. People-- men, women and kids-- were browsing through various stalls, looking for the best bargains.

With all that is on offer in the market, it is easy to spend around two to three hours easily here. And you will never once get bored. The best part is the wide variety of food available in the market. From Ghanian delicacies to Spanish, to French sweet and savoury crepes, to the regular burgers and fresh fruit juices. One of the stalls offers fresh pomegranate juice for £5, and it is so refreshing. You should have it after a bit of shopping...you will be ready to shop again :)

Now is the right time to visit the market as many stalls and shops are offering deals and discounts. It is also very easy to get to the Portobello Market. You can take the Bus no 52 from Victoria Station and get down either at Notting Hill tube station or at Chepstow villa. The market is a 5-minute walk From Notting Hill Tube station, and starts with all the bag, clothes and jewellery shops.

For more information on reaching there and opening days and times click on:
Some snaps of the market: 

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