Getting to know Scotland!
Tuesday, May 5 Crieff, Scotland
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| Aberfeldy (Dewar's) Distillary |
Both Kate and Alastair or “Ally” as he is referred to, are very knowledgeable of the horticulture here. They frequently pointed out the names of trees and plant life, many of which were flowering, and remarking if they were edible or not. Ally even makes his own butter. He has his own diet as well and rarely joined us for meals. He is very artistic with many talents. He is a wood carver and makes canes, topping them with his carved figures. The one he uses personally, he carved to look like their dog, Bonnie, an amazing likeness. (I should have taken a picture of Bonnie alongside her cane likeness!)
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| Some of Alastair's canes |
He has a large collection of mounted bird carvings that he has done. He gifted me one that had a Blue Tit, a bird that is common here, perched on the spout of a water keg getting a drink! What a wonderful gift that I will treasure.
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| Close-up |
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| Alastair giving me the Blue Tit carving |
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| Bird Carvings |
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| More of Alastair's bird carvings |
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| Other carvings |
Alastair also creates pictures of animals, faces, and landscapes using laminated wood. He starts out with light-colored wood like maple, carves out the design, then using a darker wood like walnut or oak laminate, fills in the cutouts from the underside! They are amazingly precise and take weeks to produce one picture. Would you believe he also gave us one of these?
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| "Wolf" gifted to us by Alastair |
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| Landscape carving |
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| Portrait |
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He also buys used kegs from the area distilleries when they have outlived their whiskey making abilities. He uses the staves and ends to make furniture. He used parts of barrel staves in making the bird carving he gave me. A very talented individual. If these gifts were not enough, he gave Sue a hand crafted pen that he had made!
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| It writes beautifully |
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| Alastair's hand-tooled wooden pen |
The next few days were filled with hiking, geocaching, sight-seeing and reminiscing. I generally made breakfast for Sue and I after we shopped at the local food co-op. I really enjoyed cooking again as it has been nearly four months that all our meals have been prepared by someone else. For dinner, we tried to sample different pubs and cafes which were very numerous considering the small size of Crieff.
On Wednesday, we climb and explore the "Knock of Crieff". This is a wooded hill located in Crieff, near the resort of Crieff Hydro. It is a popular spot for walking and offers great views of Ben Chonzie and the Highlands. The hill is part of the Perthshires's Big Tree Country. As a bonus it contained several geocaches which we found along the way.
It was another beautiful day and although it was a steep climb (nearly 1000 feet) to the summit, we enjoyed it very much. We rewarded ourselves with a beer and lunch at the beautiful Crieff Hydro resort hotel.
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| Having lunch at Crieff Hydro |
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| Some of the grounds of the Crieff Hydro resort |
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| View of the Scottish Highlands from summit of Mount Knock |
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| Another great view |
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| Crieff Hydro resort |
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| Sue and Kate looking for a geocache |
Thursday, 9 May, 2025
Today, we will leave Crieff and head north for Aberfeldy to visit a reconstructed settlement known as a Crannog.
Aberfeldy is a town in Highland Perthshire, Scotland, situated on the River Tay. It's known for the Birks of Aberfeldy, a scenic walk made famous by Robert Burns' poem. The town also has a historical connection to the Black Watch regiment and features Wade's Bridge, built by William Adam in 1733.
Path leading to Wade's Bridge 
Historic Wade's Bridge, built in 1733
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| Aberfeldy Distillery |
We passed Aberfeldy Distillery on the way. Aberfeldy Distillery was founded by the John Dewar & Sons, Ltd. in 1896, and opened in 1898. The distillery is located on the eastern outskirts of Aberfeldy, on the southern bank of the upper Tay.
We arrive in Kenmore, a small village in Perthshire, in the Highlands of Scotland, located where Loch Tay drains in to the River Tay. This is where the Iron Age Scottish Crannog Centre was built by The Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology. It was created to promote the research, recording, preservation and interpretation of Scotland's underwater heritage.
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| Iron Age Crannog dwellings |
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| Crannogs |
Crannogs are a type of ancient loch-dwelling found throughout Scotland and Ireland. Most seem to have been built as individual homes to accommodate extended families. Similar settlements are found throughout the rest of Europe.
Construction is still taking place as can be seen by the building of a pier, at the end of which will house a Crannog dwelling. On shore, for display, are typical Crannog dwellings which house different skills used by the people during the Iron Age, such as a woodworking area, blacksmith, weaving and baking.
Video: Blacksmith working bellows
Video: Blacksmith making pin for clasp
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| Blacksmith at work |
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| Woodworker using wooden vice |
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| Some products from a loom |
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| Coracles animal skin circular boat |
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| Alastair inside one of the Crannogs |
The Iron Age marked the transition from the Bronze Age and occurred here in Europe starting in 793 BC and continued until the Viking Age around 800 AD, The Iron age is characterized by the use of iron, a more abundant and stronger material than bronze. This was especially useful in agriculture and warfare. Crannogs were used in this area of Scotland up until 17th century AD.
We spent a couple hours going through the museum and various Crannogs where workers were dressed in period clothing and going about their duties using tools and equipment from the Iron Age. Each described what they were doing and answered questions from the visitors.
Before returning home, we stopped and explored Aberfeldy. I spotted a phone booth which are not uncommon, and could not resist posing. Yes, they are operative.
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| Street scene in Aberfeldy |
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| Can you hear me now? |
It was lunch time so we stopped at the Aberfeldy Bookshop and Cafe and had a light lunch. Sue purchased a puzzle book entitled "Spydle". Maybe it will help us solve some of the puzzles associated with geocaching.
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| Aberfeldy Bookshop and Cafe |
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| They had pastry, I had a bowl of soup |
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| Outdoor seating |
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| Chocolate display |
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| Chocolate shopping |
We only have a couple days left before heading home. We have seen a lot and have come to appreciate Scotland for its beautiful land and wonderful people. But we are not quite done yet.
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