Thanks to Damian, it was a perfect day! We would never have been able to ferry ourselves around to see all of the amazing sights that we saw today.
The Kelpies? Just astonishing, I was surprised at how moved I was to be near to these beautiful creatures, and such compelling works of art.
The Castle? Being in the same place as Mary Queen of Scots? Did that really happen? And the views - even better in person!
The Highlands? Such a special place. Quiet. Moving. I wanted to stay.
But Lallybroch? (Or in the non-fiction world, Midhope Castle) I didn't know that we were going to visit Lallybroch. Our guide Damian surprised us. And when I realized where we were, honestly, I cried. I have spent the last 25 years with the characters of Jamie and Claire, (from Diana' Gabaldon's Outlander series) and even though they are fictional characters, and Lallybroch is a fictional place, I don't know -- there was something about being in the real world of Scotland where the fiction took place that made me so happy I cried! What a nut.
Anyways, Robert and I feel good about all we accomplished in Scotland, and even though we pushed ourselves, we feel healthy, and not too worse for wear. And we made so many good memories.
The tour that we took with Damian, with Scotland Discreet Tours, was actually a bepsoke tour where we told Damian where we wanted to visit, and he then crafted a day around our suggestions. The company does do preplanned day tours and multi-day tours, but our experience with Damian, where we set the agenda, and he devised the plan, was better than any packaged tour we could have chosen. Two thumbs up!
It will be hard to say good bye to Scotland!
Jill, as a McCallister that married a McKee I have to say Scotland is definitely a major vacation goal of mine. I adore Outlander too and would have been emotional— so glad you got to see “Lallybroch”!That Red Jamie is a slippery character…….😉