After so much traveling, the day and date of the week had sort of vanished from my mind. That apparently happens when you start a trip and the only confirmed booking is the first and the one at the tail end 75 days out, I had gotten into the pattern of deciding where to go and then booking it with 3-5 days notice, I only thought about where I’d be the next day without denominating it further. Knowing how busy Plockton can be in the summer I decided to ask Mary when they might have room for me rather than playing tennis with the Inn’s reservation system trying to find a date. The earliest dates were July 4-9 so when I began this campaign April 23, I had first and probably last booked with no’ muckle in between. Sadly as I was on the train out from Plockton I noticed the receipt was for 6 nights. Then I remembered Mary had emailed the night of the ninth was available also to which I said yes, but I never changed the original in my calendar so I had been planning leaving Sunday to Edinburgh and across the pond Tuesday, that being the lowest flight day and was only £250 EDI To Hartford Ct (BDL) including my checked bag, carry on, meal and reserved seat. I was pissed at myself you can believe me when I realized I had given up one more day in Plockton and the cost of double booking. Damn. Seriously, damn. Tomorrow’s breakfast would have been kippers in the normal rotation.
I had, as always, a superb time in Plockton and the nearest thing to the old Mattapoisett Inn, my former favorite. The food was as good as ever although I’m so unused to drinking good beer and certainly at the volume one seems to need to maintain to be allowed even a temporary membership to the 5 o’clock gang, and the big breakfasts coupled with the concentration I’ve been focusing in my weight loss regime (One pound a month for 36 months it appears. Nearly 2.5 stone which sounds so much better ) meant that I was too full to eat dinner a couple of nights.
But I gotta tell you, helping to built the bonfire last NY was creative fun and so out of the normal “tourist” activity I can’t stop bragging about it. Now it appears that the news of my eminent arrival had gotten out as 75% of the people I know in Plockton were, I think, at the bar during the night I arrived! And not usually being in Plockton in the summer I had, until I saw the sign on my approach, forgotten Tuesday music sessions! Oh happy days and the hits were to keep on coming.
And then Mary & Kenny (2/3 of the Inn owners) took me out on a relaxing and beautiful boat ride. Grand! I so love being on a boat which was more the norm back in my Buzzard Bay MA days.
I have to admit, having another guest, Alan, take me out all day in Applecross, a place I’ve longed to see but could not without a car, was a great play and I never saw it coming! Once again a brilliant example of why one must meet the locals and learn from them. As I use only public transport (being so uncomfortable driving alone) it has deprived me of seeing that amazing part of Scotland where buses are not be supportable. So not only a car & driver but possibly the best person to do such a drive with based on his knowledge of the geography and the exact proper pronunciation of the mountains, loch and villages and with an outgoing personality. It was very enjoyable and educational For example: The Wheel, I now know, is in ‘Fall-kirk not Faal-kirk the latter due to my drawing out ‘A’s” in Bostonian.
And then the night I’m leaving there is a party thrown for me in a brilliantly set up stone barn. How quintessential Scottish Highlands can one get ? I ask. Sure, they said something about a wedding after party that I could attend, but the greeting I received upon entering the unbelievably decorated and stocked barn belied that notion. A belated Independence Day gig? Linda from Sweden was a nice touch.
But here’s the bottom line. The folks in Plockton don’t have to go so far out of their way to get me to come back. I will. I’m flattered about your efforts but I promise to return. I’d make a tee shirt about Plockton too if I could conceive the rhyme.
And especially as I understand that Curley is going to be celebrating his 100th birthday this March and is throwing a party for himself rumored to equal that of his doppelgänger, Bilbo Baggins’ party in the 1st Lord of the Rings movie. An extraordinary likeness the two. Will Gandolf bring fireworks? I told the dear Mr French that for nearly 100 he was looking mighty fine and he mentioned that that is why you say you’re older than you are! Clever guy, I think I just turned 75. Don’t I look good?
Thanks again to Kenny, Mary & Susan and mostly to the great staff (and “not forgetting the boys in the band” as Mick Jagger once noted.) And all my friends. Nice owners result in happy staff and a happy staff sets the mood for the customer and a pleasant and out going staff makes us punters feel welcome (although as I have pointed out none I am sure are as welcome as I) and why we look forward to returning.
And here are some other random photos:
Free range chickens on the way to the air strip
A surprisingly empty house complex when I thought I could cut through to the village from the air strip left thoughts of “What if?”
This bad boy parked outside the Inn is a 5 speed with wheel on the left. Love to take that home!
And this grotto area is one of my favorite places the whole trip. I expect a hobbit, wizard or elf to suddenly appear.
This hairy coo is a screen print and when I first saw it, it was in a window in the breakfast room. With the light shining through it is brilliant
And the Great Gunnera is bigger in a week
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Great pics, Bill and nice words. Haste ye back!
I was fishing on the Forth and Clyde Canal, and you were walking towards the Kelpies one Wednesday afternoon when you stopped to chat with me. You said you were about to ask if I had caught anything, just as I pulled a pike out of the water. We chatted for a wee while and you gave me your business card. . I have enjoyed following your wanderings and perhaps we might bump into each other for a blether some other time.