Drumlanrig

I mentioned that in Scotland the people are some of the friendliest you will ever meet and our personal guide and the hosts of the bed and breakfast we stayed in are a testament to that. When I designed this custom trip to Scotland one of the stops had to be Dumfries. A friend we have there, Steven, is a fantastic guide. He took us to Drumlanrig Castle and Morton Castle, two of the thirteen castles we saw in thirteen days.   

Drumlanrig, built over 300 years ago, is home to part of the Buccleuch Art Collection, one of the family seats of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry, and a country estate that provides a wonderful assortment of activities for the family, including walking trails, mountain biking (there is a bike museum on the property as well), ranger programs, Land Rover wildlife tours, adventure playground for kids, café, gift shop and more. Special events and activities include a puppet workshop, birds of prey show, jousting contest, performances, and a farmer’s market.   

Morton Castle

Morton Castle is off the beaten path in a secluded meadow above Morton Loch. You have to know how to get there or you won’t find it. The setting is truly magnificent and serene. It is only ruins now but the remains of this place built in the mid 1400’s are great for contemplating what life in the middle ages was really like. 

Hazeldean House offers a truly wonderful bed and breakfast experience. Our hosts, Billy and Wilma really know how to extend warm hospitality and make their guests feel welcome and special. From an outstanding full Scottish breakfast in the light filled breakfast room to the amenity-filled and comfortable accommodations, I can highly recommend including Hazeldean House in your next tailor-made trip to Scotland. 

Dumfries Town Center

An experience we had in Dumfries comes to mind. We were walking around the square in downtown Dumfries and due to the fact that I had that “lost tourist” look on my face, a kindly older gentleman asked if I was looking for something. I told him that indeed I was. I was looking for “The Globe Inn”. “Ah (or Aye),” he says, “Robby Burns’ place?” I nodded, confirming that the old tavern where Robert Burns would sit and write and socialize was where we were headed. After having visited a few years ago, I thought it was a neat place to take people while visiting this delightful town in the south of Scotland. Of course he knew right where it was an, being an amateur poet himself, recited some of his own work as he personally escorted us there. He pointed out not only The Globe (est.1610), but Robert Burns’ house where he died and St. Michael’s churchyard where he is buried.  

Once inside the tavern, ask for a tour. The friendly staff will take you to the lounge (or snuggery) where you can sit in Robby Burns’ chair; however, to sit you have to recite. The penalty for sitting and not reciting is to buy the house a round. Fortunately, they have a poem written on a piece of paper handy. Then go upstairs to the apartment where you can see poems etched into the 200-year-old window panes by Burns himself. Payment for the tour is a drink in the bar or something to eat – otherwise, you pay a small fee. This stop is not to be missed on your custom-made Scotland vacation.

Highland Games Dance Competition

Traveling to Scotland our own way was a great experience. No packages, no predetermined schedule, no following someone else’s agenda.  In order to maximize what we would see on our journey, do it at our own pace, and see what we wanted to see, we needed to follow a plan, but one we created ourselves. On the other hand, if you plan to travel without a plan, that’s still a plan. Custom travel planning involves several factors that are taken into consideration to enjoy the perfect vacation.  It basically involves the old who, what, where, when, why and how formula.

• Decide who is going. Consider not only the number of people, but their ages, interests, and physical condition.
• Determine what you want to see or do. Are the attractions you want to see open when you are going? What does it cost? Do you need special equipment or reservations?
• Establish where you want to go. Will you concentrate all of your time in one place? Or, like us, decide to cover as much ground as possible in the allotted time frame?
• Choose when you will go. What time of year, what is the weather like there then? How much time do you have? Keep in mind that when you travel abroad going east to Europe, you lose a day right off the bat.
• Consider why you are going. To see family?  To trace your roots? Attend a special event?
• Think about how you will get there.  And how will you travel once you get there? See my experience of driving on the left.
• You should also consider your budget. Yes, usually, you need one. This will determine some answers to the above questions.

Get a complimentary custom travel quote by filling out my Custom Travel Request form.

Drive on the Left

Have you ever done this before? My mother, sister and I just returned from a two-week trip to Scotland where we decided to rent a car to get around to maximize the area of the country we would see in that amount of time and offer the greatest flexibility with our schedule. That was a great idea once yours truly got the hang of it, which was about a week, - but it’s not for sissies. 

When I was planning our trip to Scotland I took several factors into consideration. Among them was, what do we want to see? Where do we want to go? What is our budget? And, at what pace do we want to travel? The answers to those questions pointed to the most flexibility in our schedule, and whether anyone was willing to drive.  Well, yes I was, given the fact that I had been in Scotland before and my husband drove. Not to be outdone, by golly if he could do it, I could. 

There are several things that make driving on the left-hand side of the road in the UK more than just a little disorienting, not the least of which is the fact that nearly everything ou do in the car is opposite what we are used to here in the states. The steering wheel is on the right side of the car, the rear view mirror, and the gear shift are to your left. I decided not to complicate matters more than they needed to be so I reserved an automatic. I’m glad I did. In the manual cars the shifting is exactly reversed so that 1st is up and away from you. Although the rear view mirror is in the same place it’s not easy to remember to look in a rear view mirror on your left. I thank God that the pedals were in the same place. That would have really fouled me up.  

Next is the fact that when you are driving on a two-lane road (aka, single carriageway), the line in the middle if there is one, is painted white. In the US, that indicates a one-way road – not so in the UK. If you make this mistake, it could be extremely detrimental, not to mention, fatal, and it is truly tempting. I only wandered into the right hand lane once and thank God we were driving out of a residential area. We were turning right and instinctively, I turned the car into the right hand lane and started watching for traffic. Unfortunately, none of my companions noticed anything out of the ordinary although they had been coached that it was their job to help me stay on the left. It wasn’t until I looked into my rear-view mirror that I realized I was in the wrong lane as the car that was behind me was in the left. After a startled explicative burst forth from my mouth, I backed up into the proper lane to make a right turn which is like a left turn here. I’m just grateful no one wanted to turn onto that street! 

A dual carriageway is one where the traffic is separated, or there are two lanes or more going in the same direction. Yes, that means passing on the right as the slow lane is the left lane. Parking is also interesting because it seems that it doesn’t matter in which direction they park their cars. On one side of the road there are cars facing each other. Apparently because parking is at a premium, when they see an open spot they just dive into it regardless of the direction the rest of the cars are facing or which direction you are coming from.  The roads, particularly the secondary ones, are very narrow and there is no shoulder. So, if you come up on a pedestrian, bike or other car parked on the side of the road, and there is oncoming traffic, you stop or slow down and wait until you can pass them safely. It appeared that the Scots are pretty cooperative when it comes to road obstacles. That is except the big trucks (lorries), or buses. They seem to be under the impression that they own the road but they are so big and often take up more than their share of the road, who’s going to argue?  You just need to get over as far left as you can. It helps to have a passenger who can tell you how much room you have if your left side distance  judgement is impaired. Many times I felt like Cameron Diaz in the movie “The Holiday” when she is in England, driving to the store and encounters a lorry.  She winces and closes her eyes, hoping they won’t crash. I did my share of wincing and ducking. Not sure what good that did but we didn’t have any accidents. 

I will be writing more about this trip soon.   

Cheers!

How my brain works: It’s March. March means St. Patrick’s Day, which leads to green beer, or just beer, period. So, there you have it – the subject of this month’s newsletter – beer (and beer tours). My closest friends knew it was only a matter of time before I got to this. One of my favorite subjects in the world – well, drinking it at least. In Germany, March was historically when the last batch of beer was brewed to ferment over the summer. Cause for celebration, no?    

Ireland is home to the famous Guinness Brewery. Guinness happens to be a favorite beer of my son and my stepson; both named Ryan, an ironically Irish name. I’m not a dark beer fan myself, but am told that they like Guinness for its smooth, sweet, rich flavor. To many others it’s an acquired taste. Each beer has its own delectable flavor qualities. I’m primarily a Pilsner fan.   

Beer tasting around the world. How’s that for a vacation? Beer is found everywhere, with the possible exception of certain “dry counties” in the US, but special places in the world have raised beer brewing to an art form, having started hundreds of years ago – or followed, dare I say, a “higher calling?” as in the case of monasteries in many European countries.    

Beer drinkers, unite! Particularly if you are not a wine snob, don’t do wine tasting or don’t know what a Merlot is, take heart. Beer tours and beer tasting are readily available in many parts of the world so if you’re interested in a Beers of the World tour, let us know, and we can hook you up.    

The places noted below are in no particular order other than the three classifications that beer is distinguished by and where they originated. Brewery tours and/or tasting opportunities are available in every place. Breweries are located in over 150 countries worldwide. A list of International Breweries is located at www.brewersassociation.org.   

Ale:    

Old Ale – England, Australia
Barley Wine – England
English Bitter – England
Pale Ale – England (India Pale Ale started here)
Brown Ale – England, Belgium
Scottish Ale – Scotland
Enkel, Dubbel, Tripple, & Belgian Strong Dark Ale – Belgium & the Netherlands
Porter – England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany
Imperial Stout – Ireland    

Lager:    

American Lager – US
Pilsner – Czech Republic
Bock – Germany, Austria
Oktoberfestbier/Marzen – Germany, Austria
Helles – Germany
Spezial – Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Dunkel (dark beer) – Germany
Schwarzbier – Germany
Vienna lager – Austria    

 Specialty Beer:    

 Weizenbier (Weissbier) – wheat beer or Hefeweizen, Germany
Smoked Beer (Rauchbier) – Germany, US
Fruit/Vegetable Beer – Belgium started it – Microbrewers around the world are perfecting it.
Herb/Spice Beer – US – popular with microbrewers
   

Gather your friends, and let us put together the ultimate Beers of the World Tour for you!   

OK – its Valentine’s month, romance is in the air, and you are hard pressed for the perfect gift idea. Do you settle for the standard candy? No.  Flowers? No.  Jewelry? No! Not imaginative enough but you can come up with a fabulous gift idea if you put a little effort and advanced planning into it. If you really want to make a lasting impression on the one you love, give them something that will last a lifetime – an experience they will never forget. Creating amazing memories will endear your partner to you for years to come, assuming of course, you’re not a jerk the rest of the year. Even if the relationship doesn’t last a lifetime, the memory will. Good or bad, I might add.  So make it extra special. Here’s how to plan the perfect romantic getaway.