The Road to Braemar and Callater Lodge

Following our visit and tour of Glamis Castle, we drove northwest toward our final stop for the day, the town of Braemar…

The scenery was hilly but pastoral as we started this leg of our drive.

We passed many cute and fairly typical homes along the way, almost all of which had their bright fall flowers on display!

Highland cattle began to appear along the road as we headed toward the Scottish Highlands.

These cattle all have long horns and long wavy coats that can be black, red, yellow, silver or dun.  Highland cattle are raised primarily for their meat.  They originated in the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland and they were first referred to in historical documents in the 6^th century AD.

As we drove along, the countryside grew a little less occupied and we began noticing a lot of pheasants along the road…

From what we’ve learned, the beginning of November is the start of the pheasant hunting (shooting) season.  On many estates this is big business with guides and nattily dressed hunters teaming up for the event.  Shooters come from all over Europe and the United States for a traditional Scottish Highlands hunt. 

I was told that a hunt yielding a brace (2) pheasants cost 180 pounds. ($235.00 US) Many more than 2 pheasants are typically shot during a hunt but they are retained by the estate or guide and are sold for the market.

To get a feel for just how involved and formalized a hunt can be in Scotland, just check out this website from Pheasant Hunting Scotland:  http://www.pheasanthuntingscotland.com/.  

  

Sheep are everywhere in Scotland!  Laurie loves sheep and we took a lot of photos of them, both close-up and at a distance.

Note:

·        As of June 2015, the total number of sheep in Scotland totaled approximately 6,700,000.  They were being raised on about 14,900 farms.  By way of comparison, there are only about 5,500,000 people in Scotland…

As we drove toward Braemar, the landscape became hillier although most of it was still being used for grazing or farmland.  

Low mountains began to appear and the roads became more challenging…one lane in some places, a challenge when another vehicle going in the opposite direction is encountered. 

Note the castle-like structure at the center of the photograph.  I believe that it is a tower house.  These stone structures were built for defensive purposes as well as for habitation.  Tower houses appeared in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or other areas with limited access.  They were used to command and defend strategic posts with limited forces while at the same time serving as a noble’s residence, around which a borough was often built.

As we neared the more mountainous section of the highlands on our approach to Braemar, we stopped for a short break at Glenshee Pottery along Route A93.  Glenshee Pottery is known for hand thrown pottery using red and white earthenware clay.   They also serve refreshments, snacks and light meals.

Glenshee Pottery is especially well known for their hand thrown ‘bothies’.  The one shown above cost 5.50 BP/$7.20 US.  A bothie is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge.  It was also a term used for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate.  Bonnie bought a few bothies as mementos of our trip.

To learn more, go to http://www.glensheepottery.co.uk/.

As I was standing in Glenshee Pottery’s parking lot talking to another traveler, I spotted this ram giving me ‘the eye’ from across the road…

FYI…pulling out of Glenshee Pottery’s parking lot onto A93 is a bottom clenching exercise.  Visibility to the right (oncoming traffic) is very limited.

 

From our stop at Glenshee Pottery and on into Braemar, the countryside became much rougher, dominated by a series of mountains.  

 

I did appreciate this nice wide roadway!  The fog and misty rain set in as we neared our destination.

From Glenshee Pottery on, travelers are in Cairngorms National Park. (Gaelic: Pairc Naiseanta a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh) The park was established by the Scottish Parliament in 2003.  The park covers an area of 1,748 square miles or 4,528 km.  Unlike National Parks in the USA, Cairngorms is a Category 5 protected landscape (sustainable development area) that has farmed and managed landscapes.

The Cairngorms features the highest, coldest and snowiest plateau in the British Isles and they are home to 5 of the 6 tallest mountains in Scotland.  Ben Macdhui is 1,309 meters high. (4,295 feet) To learn more about Cairngorms National Park, go to http://cairngorms.co.uk/. 

For the most part, the rain and mist had stopped when we arrived in Braemar.  This is the Callater Lodge, our overnight abode in town.  The lodge is the highest rated bed and breakfast in Braemar and it is accredited by Visit Scotland with a 4-star rating.

Like most bathrooms we encountered in Scotland, this one was a bit tight.  The shelves did provide enough room for our health and beauty products and the glass wall in the shower is much preferred over a curtain… The heated towel bar is always welcome.  It was a feature in most bathrooms during our trip.

Our room was a family room with a double and a single bed… Everything was spotless and the beds were comfortable although they were a bit more firm than we are used to.

Bonnie and Laurie relaxed in Callater Lodge’s comfortable sitting room… FYI…the Lodge is licensed and they stock over 55 varieties of malt whisky as well as a selection of Scottish gins and they also serve Caringorm Brewery beers.  Callater Lodge was recently named by the good Hotel Guide as one of the top 10 whisky hotels in the United Kingdom.

Julian and Katy Fennema own the Lodge.  They’ve operated Callater Lodge for over 3 years now.  Katy’s ancestors came from Braemar and she visited family here as a child.  They had dreamed about owning a guesthouse for many years.  Julian was an academic specializing in energy economics and Katy was an oboist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra…and later a chef in Edinburgh.  After an extensive search, they closed on this property on their wedding day...

In the morning, juice, fresh fruit, cereal, yogurt granola and a nice assortment of terrific jams awaited us in the breakfast room... 

White tablecloths and china with flowers on the table…not a bad start for breakfast!  Bonnie, Bill and Laurie look happy don’t they?!

Yes…here it is!  A full Scottish breakfast was served complete with what I believe was a toasted oat cake, a fried egg, Scottish bacon (ham in the USA), roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, black pudding and a couple of nice sausages.  Pair all of this with lots of buttered homemade toast and jam, coffee (French pressed) and you have a breakfast that is hard to beat!  Note how orange the egg yolk is…that’s because the eggs are really fresh… Callater Lodge has their own hens at work!  In addition, the sausages and bacon are provided by a local butcher…  

Callater Lodge was a great place to stay.  The accommodations and the breakfast were very nice and Julian was a ball of energy, helping us with our bags and generally providing great service.  We would recommend Callater Lodge to anyone visiting Braemar and the Cairngorms National Park.  Bonnie and Bill’s Twin Room cost 95 BP/about $124.50 U.S...a real bargain!  Our family size room was 125 BP/$163.75 U.S.

Callater Lodges is located a 9 Glenshee Road (A93) in Braemar, Aberdeenshire Scotland.  Phone: 01339741275.  Their website is found at: http://callaterlodge.co.uk/.

In my next post we’ll wander around Braemar a bit.  For now, just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave