December 2021 Hogmanay in Dornoch

Day 0

We take a day train on the 29th December, this time, and arrive without a hassle (but with a headache) in Inverness at 20:07. Unfortunately, that is after the last bus to Dornoch has left (around three hours after, in fact), and after all the car-rental companies have closed for the day. As a result, we booked a cab for the seventy-one-kilometre ride.

Our driver is expecting us at the station, and it is not long before we board a blue X-Type Jaguar. The driver is very talkative and tests my resistance, since I am the only one close enough to him to actually chat. He is nice and fast, but his driving is not exactly smooth. That brings me to the brink of illness, all exhausted and headache-y as I am after eight hours on a train.

Anyway, we make it to the Castle around 21:00. The bar has just closed, the restaurant closed an hour ago, but no matter! We are not hungry, and not really in the mood for a drink. We are glad to be there, and that is good on its own.

Once we have taken possession of the rooms, we have tea and a packet of crisps before retiring for the night. The most difficult is done: we are here. Up until the boarding of the train, I thought the whole thing would be cancelled as a result of the Omicron situation.

Day 1

Breakfast is welcome and plentiful.

Full Scottish breakfast for adc

Catch of the day for JS

Full Scottish for me

Today, we have hiking plans. adc tried to hike to the Point of Dornoch, two years ago, but did not make it all the way. That wrong needs to be righted.

That takes us across Royal Dornoch and Struie golf courses, then alongside the airfield. We spot oystercatchers (on the green), jackdaws, rooks (not crows), black-backed seagulls, curlews, and what we think are redshanks.

Then, we reach the shore

A group of unidentified birds -- possibly redshanks

Since the hike loops around the airfield, we are treated to a pilot practicing his taking-off and landing
(we later meet his contact on the ground -- it is a he)

The day is windy. We also stop-and-go a few times, as we come across streams too deep to cross on foot.

Case of point

Strange series of holes in the sand, on multiple occasions

We stumble across the skeleton of what seems like a seal

All in all, and despite the wind, it is an enjoyable walk in pleasant-enough weather. The sea air is cleaning our sinuses alright.

Fortunately, this mussel shell was empty.
Could have easily bitten my hand off!

Back in town a few hours later, we hit the shops, then go back to the hotel for a bite, before we hit the bar.

Day 2

Today, adc and JS would like to walk to Embo and prolong the journey to reach Loch Fleet, where we have lots of great memories of spotting seals and mergansers. But first, breakfast.

Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon for adc...

...and for JS

Full Scottish for me. The sausage is boiled, not grilled. Pity

We set off early. We walk alongside Royal Dornoch again, reach Embo and proceed north from there on what appears to be the old rail line..

Past Embo, this building, which looks like a train stop

A collection of funky mushrooms

Glazed peach tart

Seriously!

We are caught off guard by the distance to the loch (as we were six years ago) and have to shamefully turn around before reaching the loch. This year, it is not because the sun is setting or because of the cold. No: we want to be back before 14:00, lest we miss lunch -- and we will have none of that!

We are not pleased to give up, but our decision pays off: we are back well on time to grab a bite before visiting the bar.

As a bonus, we pass the new bottling plant of Dornoch distillery

Day 3

The great thing about an early night on New Year's Eve is that one is up earlier on New Year's Day. And indeed, when the alarm clock rings at 7:00, I happily get up.

Why would anyone set their alarm at 7:00 on NYD? Well, the Loony Dook has been cancelled, this year. You will remember that at midday on NYD, the people of Dornoch dive into Dornoch Firth (reason unknown, but probably to dissipate the effects of alcohol). That is preceded by a countdown, then signalled by a piper and supported by the life guards. There is food afterwards (soup, hot-dogs)... This year, the authorities cancelled all that, because of COVID-19.

However, they forgot to remove the firth. I have decided to take the plunge regardless (I do not need soup or a piper, hopefully not the life guards either), and JS is on the fence. Since nothing is organised, nothing forces us to go at midday. Each past year, I dreaded those few hours' waiting: so much time for second thoughts, so much time for the weather to go ballistic, so much time wasted waiting... and the bar is not even open! No! This year, we go at dawn, come back, then have breakfast and the full day ahead of us.

Of course, it is too dark for good photographs, so you will have to believe.

Someone wrote: "We came at 8am
The water was nice
Where were you softies?
=) <- smiley face"
A joker, certainly.

Full Scottish for adc

Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for JS

Full Scottish for me

Good thing we went early too: we go for a walk in town after breakfast, and the skies open, drenching us. Fortunately, we were just on time for breakfast and therefore have not yet taken a shower to wash away the salt and sand. That rain is our clue to do so, surely.

One of the large properties on Dornoch Heights

Under the watchful eye of an intimidating security team

Once cleaned, we make it to the bar for one round before lunch. As it turns out, the weather becomes much more clement by 12:00, but we do not care: our Loony Dook is already over.

Day 4

We pick up our packed lunches from reception and jump into a cab to Inverness station. The driver is not wearing a mask, but much smoother than the one we had on the way up. It takes a little over forty-five minutes to get there, during which I manage to doze off. I will sleep a lot throughout the (pretty quiet and uneventful) eight-hour train journey back to the capital too. A trip to Dornoch is exhausting!

December 2019 Hogmanay in Dornoch

Day 1

It was a long-but-easy train journey to Inverness. Sure, adc wanted to leave at 17:30 to make the 20:57 train, sure, we braved bus diversions to go to Euston, but it only took a quarter of an hour in two episodes to reach the station, and only another forty-minute wait before we could board the train.
New trains, on Caledonian Sleeper. JS and adc had booked berths which seemed more quaint and cramped than ever before, but were clean and utilitarian alright. I am cheap, so it was a "reclining" seat for me: more space, but still cold, not really comfortable, not really reclining, and not far enough from talking toilets. That is great, when you are trying to sleep. In between reading my book, I woke up many times and am not fresh on the other side, but like Gloria Gaynor, I will survive.

Upon arrival, we pick up the car: a Toyota Aygo parked in the station car park. We feed the ticket machine, so as to have time for a bite. It turns out the one just outside the station is a third of the price. Ah, well.

Café Artysans is the usual no-frill good food and it makes me feel better.

Tomato, sausage, black pudding and scrambled egg for adc

Mushrooms, black pudding, haggis and scrambled egg for JS

Mushrooms on toast and poached egg for me

After breakfast, I move the car to the cheaper car park. Should have done so earlier, as it is now almost full.
From there, we go to Leakey's Bookshop. JS and I came here over two years ago and found it to be a fantastic place, full of unlikely things. I find a picture of Leige (sic) and one of the Meuse, near Namur. For the geographically challenged, that is near Huy, therefore familiar to me.

Enter for a minute, spend several hours there

After a long time browsing and buying nothing (I do find a book about the history of Haig, but decide against it for weight reasons), we push to the Whisky Shop. They have more interesting bottles than I remembered, yet they remain widely overpriced. The bulk of the stock is underaged and not interesting to me (I know: underaged shoud be right up a Belgian's alley -- ahem).

Back to the car for the drive up north. We stop just outside Portmahomack, at the Tarbat Discovery Centre. adc liked it a lot, three years ago, and wants to take in the atmosphere again.

Tarbat: its chapel...

...its baptismal font...

...its dummy torpedo

We drive further to Tain (Glenmorangie distillery is shut again), then Dornoch. We have a hard time finding a space, this year, and that will remain a challenge throughout the stay.

We check in, tour the town, take a trip to the shops (postcards and whisky, obviously), I have a shower and a little lie-down, then we gather downstairs for an apéritif and supper.

Dornoch's plaiden ell...

...its cathedral...

...its bank

Day 2

Today, we get up early. The staff did not want to fire up the kitchen early for us, but committed to serving us as soon as possible after start time. We order just before 8:00 and receive our plates shortly thereafter.

My full without bacon

adc's full-full

JS's Scottish pancakes and bacon

With food in, we pick up our lunches. I also try to pick up a sample for someone, but the reception manager fails to locate it. After spending ten minutes there (with the girls waiting for me in the cold), I ask her to keep it for me to collect later.
Once outside, it dawns on me that a) JS and adc cannot get into the car, since they do not have the keys and; b) the windscreen is frozen and needs scraping. Argh. Luckily, I have credit cards. Nothing to do with paying someone; everything to do with a credit card doubling up as a great scraper.

We drive off west, today. Soon, we are on the Dornoch Firth Bridge, then pass Balblair distillery (we decide not to stop, unsure as we are that it is even open), then reach Bonar Bridge. From there, Rosehall, Elphin, then south to Ullapool, our destination.

Bustling Scottish metropolis, it is.

Random rock formations springing out of the crust of the Earth.
(from the Torridon supergroup, this)

As we reach the confluent with the A835, we see him...

...and them...

...and him

The bit of road through Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve is particularly impressive.

Ullapool is full of inactivity on this last day of the year. A walk on the seafront suggests all tea rooms are closed, but in no time at all, they are full. We try one, cannot find a seat, and decide to depart.

Ullapool seafront

Random climber by Seafood Shack

Fancy purchasing a couple of islands?

Give your boots a second life

We go north, this time, through Elphin and Inchnadamph, stop at Ardvreck Castle, pass Unapool and take a quick stop near Kylesku Bridge to eat our sandwiches. It is windy and cold. The plaque dedicated to maiale divers (man-operated torpedoes) sends shivers down my spine. It is one thing to be in the cold and the wind, but on the ground. Another completely different thing is to be submerged in water in the same temperatures, operating military equipment to sink ships.

Ardvreck

Kylesku Bridge

Next up are Kylestrome, Scourie and Laxford Bridge. From there, we take back southeast to Merkland Lodge and Lairg, then Pittentrail, Embo (where we see ponies, mallards, shellducks and a heron that flies away as I stop to snap him -- bastard!) and, ultimately, Dornoch. En route, we also see sheep and whooper swans.

Whoop-whoop!

We are back before sunset. PT and ST are setting up their gin tent for tonight, cheered by RT. We stop by and greet all three, but they are busy and we don't want to interfere too much.

Since we are on time for some drams before getting ready for the banquet, we do exactly that.

Day 3

Today is not an outdoorsy day. JS and I mostly stay in, only venturing out for the loony dook. adc goes for a walk alone, in the afternoon.
The rest of the time, we have whisky. To keep warm, you understand.

Day 4

Time to say good bye. We chat the morning away with CT, PT and the staff. adc and JS have a dram -- I am driving. Soon, we have to hit the road.

Our flight back is a few hours away. We have time to drive up north to Brora for the pilgrimage to Clynelish, on the off chance that it is open, on this Thursday afternoon -- someone at the hotel did recommend it to another resident.

This looks promising

The cat is back, yo!

A construction site in 2016, and still very much so in 2020

I can hardly contain my excitement

THIS IS HAPPENING!

That'll be a no, then.

Back empty-handed to Brora, then Golspie. We see masses of pink-footed geese in a field near Dunrobin Castle and a red kite a little later, then reach Tain, Tore and Inverness, where we fill the tank.

We see Highland coos, of course

From there, we head to Tornagrain, and Inverness Airport.

We have the most difficult time locating the drop-off point for the car. Nervous about the time, we kick adc out with the suitcase for the haul. We ask whomever we can find for the parking lot, are directed to an industrial park outside the airport, just about manage to find the car park, leave the car and... phone the emergency line to know where to drop off the keys, as there is no indication whatsoever on the car lot. "A box in the terminal," he says. We proceed to the terminal, are confused by signs sending us the other way (to a bus shelter), ask the information desk, find the key drop-off box at last, find adc, go through security in no time, embark the plane and leave Bonnie Scotland.