12.25: Christmas Day in the Highlands

I was up and out around 9:30A on Christmas Day. It was a lovely clear and very cold day. I headed further north on A9 and wandered along some of the unmarked and B roads. I ended up in Portmahomack, which is a small fishing town. I got out of the car and walked along the frozen beach, complete with a light dusting of snow! I was headed towards the headland to go find the lighthouse, but was cut off by fences. There wasn't much else to explore in Portmahomack, so I got back in the car to look for Tarbat Ness (and I learned that "ness" is Norse for "promontory").

I parked at the Tarbat Discovery Center which has information about the Picts because of the remains of Pictish abbey there. There is a stone commemorating the people of Tarbat, Tain, and the surrounding areas who evacuated to enable a critical staging for the Battle of Normandy. That was very cool.

The bricks in the parking lot were really slick, so I slid my way across them--decided I was practicing for sliding on the ice at curling--to get to the road. But the road was also icy which made walking a challenge. I was trying to get to the lighthouse which was supposed to be about 3 miles from the Discovery Center, but walking was hard--it was like there was a thin sheet of ice on the blacktop and, of course, little or no traffic. I was able to walk a little better in the middle of the road, but had to be careful moving to the side (right side to face oncoming traffic) to yield to the occasional car. I passed the Tarbat Ness Golf Club and took a picture of one of the tees which was backgrounded, at that angle, by a castle out in the fields. It just seemed so odd to me though golf is a passion in Scotland and is historic there, so the golf tee and castle really isn't anachronistic in Scotland. Still, it made me giggle.

In spite of the slipping and sliding along the road, I enjoyed myself because the weather was so incredible gorgeous. I didn't make it the full 3 miles, though I was probably only a quarter mile short. I was getting really tired, though, because of the slipping and sliding while trying to remain upright in the form of walking, and needed to get back to get cleaned up for lunch.

I had enough time to get changed ("smart dress," not jeans) and went to the lounge at 2:30P (or "half two") to meet Jen and Malcolm. We had tea while we chatted and waited for our table. We took our time going through the courses--appetizers (brie with some new cuisine setup), soup (tomato and red pepper bisque; not my fave), "traditional" turkey dinner, and Christmas pudding (bread pudding, with raisins, and a warm maple sauce). Then to the bar for tea, and then to the lounge to relax and chat with other guests.

We were joined by Don and Audrey and he told wonderful stories about their shop in Golspie (goal-spee) just a bit north of Tain on A9 and how the town had changed. He's 74 and quite lively. She's probably right close to that and much quieter though with several interjections during his stories ("Oh, that's right, lovey; I'd forgotten). She was the chemist at their shop and he managed the rest of it. They were delighted to be pensioners and travel a bit, and they went to Kincraig House every Christmas. They are the owners of the Smart ForTwo in the parking lot. She wanted a smaller car because she wants to start driving again.

The hotel staff presented us with a "light" buffet dinner around 7:30P. It was certainly more than what I would call "light"--some appetizer leftovers from lunch, potato salad, chicken drumsticks and wings baked in a sort of honey glaze, small quiches, cheeses, crackers, and more. There were also desserts, of course, and those were excellent! All in all, another very delightful day.