On Saturday we set off before 8am with explorer bus passes following our noses and a faulty weather forecast for a look around. Leaving Aberdeen we noticed, not for the first time, that the brightest places are for the sick or dead. Here is the local hospital.
For those of you following our path on google earth, the first leg of our journey was along the A96 to Huntly. The countryside was quite New Zealand like - but with more windmills.
We had come to Huntly
....to see the 800 year old castle set in a bucolic* scene. (Three cheers for you if you don’t have to look that word up).
We had decided the day before that we wouldn’t try to get to Dufftown as there were no buses from Huntly to Dufftown, but discovered once we got to Huntly that there was in fact just one bus. One that gave us perfect time to look at Huntly castle..... and even the shortbread factory.
The real reason for Dufftown is that it is the ‘capital of Speyside', which in turn is the 'whiskey capital of Scotland', which is in turn the 'whiskey capital of the world'. (so you see it is extremely significant and important – and warrants it’s own story - later).
We arrived in Dufftown and got an absolute soaking on the way to the distillery
but later, dried out and warmed through with whiskey we took a final look around Dufftown and it’s castle Balvenie, before heading back, cross country, to catch our bus home.
Truly amazing was that there was only one bus each way from Huntly to Dufftown, it suited our schedule perfectly and we were the only ones on it both ways.
The day was completed by adding to our Scottish food experience with a dinner of roast partridge with nectarine relish for David and Guinea fowl in cloudberry and pink peppercorn sauce for me.
The real reason for Dufftown is that it is the ‘capital of Speyside', which in turn is the 'whiskey capital of Scotland', which is in turn the 'whiskey capital of the world'. (so you see it is extremely significant and important – and warrants it’s own story - later).For now let’s just say that the country became real ‘whiskey country’.
Leaving Huntly we passed through Haugh of Glass (please tell me that should be pronounced half a glass!) and then scraggy fields of heather and scotch pine which gradually gave way to the clean clean green green land and constant rain which is the whiskey country of my imagination – and some TV ads?
We arrived in Dufftown and got an absolute soaking on the way to the distillery
but later, dried out and warmed through with whiskey we took a final look around Dufftown and it’s castle Balvenie, before heading back, cross country, to catch our bus home.
Truly amazing was that there was only one bus each way from Huntly to Dufftown, it suited our schedule perfectly and we were the only ones on it both ways.The day was completed by adding to our Scottish food experience with a dinner of roast partridge with nectarine relish for David and Guinea fowl in cloudberry and pink peppercorn sauce for me.
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