Living the retirement dream

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Dornoch

We are getting off of The Orkney Islands just in time as storm Amy is predicted to bring very high winds to Scotland over the next two days which will definitely disrupt the ferry services.

We got up at 04:30 to catch the 06:00 ferry from Stromness back to Scrabster on the mainland of Scotland. The seas were definitely rougher than on the ferry over a few days ago.
After getting off the ferry we stopped in the town of Thurso for breakfast.
We had breakfast in this restaurant where Sandy got a quiche and Jim had venison sausage with his eggs.
The town was very quaint and Sandy was elated to see her family bakery.
Our Inverness guide recommended we stop at Dunrobin Castle which he said was the best in Scotland. Perched on a high terrace above walled gardens with its fairytale spires and turrets it rises above the North Sea like an illustration from a story book.
This stately home serves as the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland. It was used as a naval hospital during WWI and a boys school from 1965-1972. Below are a few samplings of its 189 rooms which Jim practically ran through and had to wait a long time as Sandy stopped and read all the details about the rooms and took many photos and oh also as Banksy would say “Exit through the gift Shop” which takes even more time. She promised this would be the last castle except for Balmoral and Holyrood.
Jim liked this room with its huge snooker table.
Can you imagine dining at this table. No doubt haggis would be on your plate.
They are obsessed with deer hunting and their trophy mounts.
Two lion carpets on the floor of the Library.
A bit ornate, don’t you think!
Day nursery.
The Nanny’s Room.
The Night Nursery.
Bathroom. So that is why it is called “the throne”.
The Seamstress’s “Haunted room”. The Earl of Sutherland was a nasty fellow.
Jim is nowhere to be found by the time Sandy reached this room.🤷
The grounds and garden were absolutely breathtaking.
It really does appear to be a fairytale castle.
These gates lead out to the North Sea.
There was a Falcon Show that we missed but at least were able to see the Falcons when we went into the gardens after touring the Castle.
Meet our travel companions left to right are Nessie, Puffy and Harry.
This video shows the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm with 84 turbines capable of powering over 450,000 homes. Scotland has so many wind farms that it generates more renewable electricity than it uses.
Beautiful scenic drive. The variations of green are stunning.
We stayed here at Dornoch Castle Hotel which was a 500 year old converted castle.
The Pub was very cozy and inviting and because we opted to not have our room serviced they gave us complimentary Negronis. Brilliant sustainable energy strategy. We’ll take used towels and linens for free drinks any day.
The hotel boasts the award winning world famous Dornach Whiskey Bar with an impressive collection of single malt whiskey.
Fireside seating in the bar.
Castle rooms are set in the 15th-17th century part of the hotel. This was ours.
We noticed the windows that were very old had Kleenex in the gaps to keep them from rattling in the wind.
Good thing as this is where we were when Storm Amy hit with 95 mph winds. And yes the Kleenex worked. We slept through the night when the storm hit.
This is Dornach’s beautiful 13h century Cathedral located across the street from our hotel. We did a self guided tour as formal tours ended October 1.
These windows were donated in memory of Andrew Carnegie who spent summers here. They represent his love of literacy, peace and music.
One of the most interesting windows was this very modern one entitled “Praise”
We did the Dornach Links and Embo Circular Hike. which started on the world famous Royal Dornoch golf course.
The new clubhouse.
Offering a timeless and quintessential links challenge, the holes here are set against a stunning backdrop of the deserted windswept beach and the Dornoch Firth beyond.
Jim really enjoyed walking along this historic and beautiful course. For some reason it was empty of golfers.
It is right along the beach.
The trail went through beautiful Camore woods.
We came across this Fairy Garden in the woods.
This was an activity project for preschool children sponsored by Think Nature Health Walks the theme being movement. The children made fairy wands out of sticks and hunted for fairy doors hidden in the woods to take home and decorate.
Also came across this stone known as the Earl’s stone which probably marked the boundary between the lands of the Earl of Sutherland and the Bishop of Caithness. It is hard to see the coat of arms shields. Fugitives reaching this point could claim the sanctuary of the cathedral.
Sandy finishing a wonderful 6 mile hike in Dornach.
We checked out of our castle accommodation’s and drove to our next destination, Grantown-On-Spey.

We only spent one night in Dornoch but it gave us a very memorable hike. We have been blessed with exceptionally mild weather for this time of the year in Scotland. Storm Amy occurred in the middle of the night so the rain was over in the morning.

Living our retirement dream

2 responses to “Dornoch”

  1. Bill Boyle Avatar
    Bill Boyle

    Enjoyed Dornoch and the Dunrobin.

    Hae a guid journey

    Reply
  2. peggy scott Avatar
    peggy scott

    How quaint and sweet was this stop!!!

    Reply

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