Jamaican Girl on the move ... The road trip continues through Scotland

My next destination through Scotland was the House of Bruar. The roads along this route were narrow, but littered with numerous signs. They were well paved - not a pothole in sight. But oncoming traffic in the middle of road (have to look out for these - am I in Jamaica or what?!), caution "runners", blind summits, elderly couple, and hidden dip.

After about an hour, I arrived at the House of Bruar. This is a major shopping centre in Scotland. It sits at the foot of the spectacular Bruar Falls, and is widely acknowledged as Scotland's most prestigious independent store. It contains a Menswear Hall, Ladieswear Hall and Shoe and Handbag department. It also has a spacious restaurant and wonderful Food Hall and Delicatessen - but guess what? The food is sourced from the very best British produce.

There was nothing there for me. I was somewhat disappointed, but then thought, why should I be? It wasn't designed for me - it was designed for the Scots. I grudgingly bought a pair of cashmere gloves and socks; a cookbook and my clan mug - had to buy something to make the trip worthwhile!

I met this Scotsman from the highlands who says there is a Jamaican living there. We are everywhere, I guess.

Thanks to him, I got an opportunity to tour a whisky distillery. Nestled in a pocket glen in the hills of Pitlochry in the southern highlands lies Edradour; the smallest distillery in Scotland.

Now I'm no whisky connoisseur, but I certainly felt like one when I tasted the various offerings. Fifteen minutes later, I was whisked to the viewing room where I watched a 15-minute feature on the history of Edradour Distillery. This reminded me of my Appleton Rum Tour in Jamaica. The only difference is, after the rum tour, I was presented with a certificate, which officially appointed me a "Rum Ambassador". Here, I only got an official tour glass. Having completed the tour, I purchased a few bottles and was off to Atholl Palace where I spent the night.

Atholl Palace Hotel

The Scottish Highlands, wild and rugged, have a timeless romantic quality. At their very heart, where the River Tummel flows to the Tay, sits the historic town of Pitlochry. Built in 1874, the Atholl Palace Hotel is the epitome of Scottish baronial splendour. It stands overlooking wooded parkland grounds and the town to the surrounding hills. Originally opened as the Athole Hydropathic in Victorian times, the hotel retains many features of the traditional large country house, with bedroom facilities and standards which often exceed expectations and complement spacious, relaxing public areas.

The dining room is well appointed with a stunning view of the gardens and surrounding hills.

Day Three of my journey will prove to be the longest leg yet - 125 miles and numerous stops along the way. Aberfeldy is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, on the river Tay. A small market town, it is located in Highland Perthshire with a population of about 1,895, as of 2001. It is also mentioned in a well-known poem by Robert Burns. The town includes a memorial to the Black Watch, an 18-hole golf course, a children's park, and a town square that features stores, restaurants, and art galleries.

Crianlarich is a village in the Stirling council area and the registration county of Perthshire, Scotland, about six miles north-east of the head of Loch Lomond. It is said that there are more direction signs pointing to Crianlarich than any other location in the United Kingdom.

After Crianlich, it was off to Rannoch Moor - a large expanse of around 50 square miles of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch where it extends into Perth and Kinross, Lochaber in Highland, and northern Argyll and Bute. Glencoe has a very close tie to Jamaica - the Bridge of Orchy is located there and, guess who once lived there? Ding! Ding! Ding! IAN FLEMING!

On to Oban to Dungallan Country House. I find this final leg of my journey quite interesting. First, I passed a place called Dungbeg, which I read as 'dun beg'. But shortly thereafter, I came upon a restaurant called the Opened Mouth Frog. Then I recalled that I also passed a place called Inverbeg; which I read as 'ever beg'. Clearly, there is a lot of begging going on!

Finally, I arrived at Dungallan Country House, one of Oban's superb Victorian buildings. It is owned and managed by Mike and Marion Stevenson-Coates, and some good old-time reggae music sure welcomed me. I walked into the sound of Tarrus Riley's She's Royal,
followed by hits by Sanchez and Morgan's Heritage, Cynthia Schloss, and
Bob Marley. You name it, it was playing! For a minute, I thought I was
back home!

 Mike and Marion were a simply delightful
couple who have been to Jamaica on numerous occasions. Marion showed me
pictures of her skating on her rear end on Dunn's River Falls, swinging
on a tyre at Frenchman's Cove, swimming with the dolphins in Hanover and
skinny-dipping at Blue Hole in Portland. I knew I was home when I went
into the Whisky and Wine Bar, and there - front and centre - was
Appleton V/X rum. Yes, I found a big piece of Jamaica in the west
highlands of Scotland! Well, needless to say, I did
imbibe!

Traditional Scottish breakfast

The
next morning, I awoke to a traditional Scottish breakfast. And maybe
because of the imbibing the night before, I had the courage to try black
pudding and haggis.

The black pudding has come a long
way from its humble beginnings as a way of making good use of
everything when a pig is butchered. It is a mixture of congealed pig's
blood, fat, oats, barley, and a special blend of spices stuffed in a
length of intestine. I tasted it and didn't like it. Haggis is a savoury
pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver and lungs); minced with
onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and
traditionally encased in the animal's stomach and simmered for about
three hours. Most modern commercial haggis are prepared in a sausage
casing rather than an actual stomach. It almost tastes like our local
patty meat minus the pepper. I had two tries and that was
enough!

Last leg of the road trip - another 105 miles
and this #JamaicanGirl is tired! The destination - Cameron House for
dinner and an overnight stay.

De Vere's opulent
Cameron House Hotel in Loch Lomond offers luxurious and lavish
accommodation set in the world-renowned bonnie banks of Loch Lomond
conjure images of a majestic world of heather-dappled glens and roaring
open fires. It is not just about the timeless splendour, but it's
legendary Scottish hospitality at its very finest.

The
boat ride on Loch Lomond was quite interesting and cold. Not even two
really thick Scottish blankets could keep me warm. Cocktails and dinner
later and it was time for bed, as a 60-mile journey back to Edinburg
airport awaited me the next morning.

Of note, the
Scottish seem to love brightly coloured front doors, especially red. I
only saw two skid marks in the roads and, whenever you are entering a
major road, there are directional arrows, indicating the side of road to
travel on. I know those are for the Americans, because, like Jamaica,
the Scots drive on the left.

So if you are in a
crowded room and you overhear someone shouting "Don't mess with me, I'm
Scottish!", it's probably me!