Friday, January 17, 2014

From Scotland … With Love ...

Do you remember that scene in the movie, "The Queen," when Queen Elizabeth's (played beautifully by Helen Mirren) Range Rover broke down and she was sitting on the rocks waiting for someone to come. As she sat there, she turned to see the most glorious stag on the hillside, staring majestically at Her Majesty.

Helen Mirren, "The Queen"
Photo Courtesy of Zu Guide
For a moment, the two - woman and wild beast - were locked in powerful gazing embrace, when The Queen heard a stalking party in the distance. She whispered 'shoo' to the animal and turned away to see where the stalkers were, and when she turned back, the stag had disappeared as if he had never been there at all. It was one of the most emotional, foreshadowing moments in the movie, and an experience that many of us may likely never have.

But, in Scotland, you never know.  I was lucky enough to encounter a majestic stag on my very first trip to Scotland about a decade ago. It happened so fast that there are no photos except for the vivid memory etched in my mind. But first, how did I end up in Scotland? It had never really been on my radar …

Monarch Country ...

Ardverikie House played Glenbogle
on Monarch of the Glen.
Photo Courtesy of Laura Franz.
As a fan of the now-ended BBC program "Monarch of the Glen," I became enchanted by the beauty of the Scottish countryside. I already had planned an elaborate four-week adventure to London and the surrounding counties after an absence of quite a few years.

At the last minute, I decided to add four days in Scotland to visit 'Monarch Country.' When I changed my airline ticket to accommodate this, the agent told me that I would never regret adding these few days in this magical place. She was so right …

Now, those who read this blog, know I'm a big city girl, and while both Edinburgh (correctly pronounced as Edin-borough not Edin-burg) and Glasgow (correctly pronounced Glazz-go not Glass-gow) are amazingly beautiful cities - I skipped my urban hiking in favor of the Cairngorm Mountains of the Scottish Highlands, where most of The Monarch of the Glen was filmed. The entire Cairngorm area is a National Park, and in fact, the views are so breathtaking that they could turn me into a country hiker.

View of the Cairngorms
from Aviemore
Photo Courtesy of Cairngorm Images
Staying at a wonderful B&B just outside of Aviemore, I was treated quite royally, as I was the only guest in the house - it was December after all - and no matter where I went on my four days, I was often greeted in the same manner by shopkeepers and restaurateurs. The train service was my taxi, as I explored the many towns up and down the road from Aviemore.

My hosts at the B&B were delightful - he manufactured dentures and his wife was a Cordon Bleu chef who made traditional Scottish fare something extraordinary! Yes, I had haggis and I never knew that it could be so divine - but we'll save that for a food post!! Just know that some of the best food I've ever had while traveling was in Scotland! As well, I'm not a big fan of blended Scotch, however, my host gave me the most wonderful lesson in drinking Single Malt Scotch (SMS) and I have been a SMS fan ever since - what a treat!

Now, The Stag …

The first day I arrived in Scotland after traveling on a Caledonian sleeper overnight from London, it had turned frosty and wet following a weekend of 70+ degree balmy sunshine. As my hosts prepared my evening meal, they asked a long-time friend, Danny, who was visiting them to take me on a drive around the area. It was grey and overcast with a light drizzle and that same kind of fog that rolls along the ground that you'll see in London and my hometown, New Orleans. To say it looked like a scene out of a movie is an understatement.

Scotland's Red Deer
Photo Courtesy
Tamshee's Photography
The road was twisty and the views spectacular as we climbed higher up the mountain. As we came around a curve, there he was … a 12 point buck standing majestically in the middle of the road, the fog dancing around his legs like fairy dust.

He stood there staring us down - by now we had come to a complete stop - Danny and I were both so awe-struck we could barely talk. In the field to our left, sat an entire mob of deer, perhaps 100 or more -- all watching the big buck, who was obviously the 'leader of the pack.' Danny explained in a soft voice, that as it becomes colder, the stags and deer begin to come down from the higher elevations, and so it's possible to see some spectacular wildlife right in front of you, as we were witnessing at this moment.

The buck continued to stare us down. We stayed put. To our right was another open field only it was surrounded by what looked like a 10 foot fence.  We saw the buck look over at the open field and then back to the mob - he dipped his head once and then in a flash he turned and began to head straight for the fence. Almost from what seemed like a dead stop, he was up and over the fence in less than a breath. To our left, the entire mob, rose up in unison and proceeded to follow him. We sat there stunned - it was an amazing sight and so quiet - and an experience I remember as clearly as if it happened moments ago! (Yes, I have goosebumps just thinking of it again!)

I didn't see anything else quite so miraculous as this during the rest of my stay - but the one thing I can tell you is that if you have the chance to visit Scotland - whether to see its beautiful cities, to hike in the Highlands, to drive the byways of its quaint villages or to skip around its glorious islands - don't miss the opportunity. It has become one of my favorite places on earth and that's saying a lot for a girl who does most of her hiking in big cities!!

Glasgow from Queen's Park
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
Scotland is Magical …

As it so happens, my friend and colleague at Freedom Tours, Jennie Alwell spent seven glorious days this past Fall exploring amazing Scotland and got to experience a bit of her own Scottish magic. She is leading a tour there later this Spring - Scotland: A Magical Discovery.

Jennie will take you to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and The Highlands along with the most delightful Blue Badge guide she could find - yes, he's a charmer!!

Here's your chance to see a stag of your own, and if not, I promise you that you'll have no regrets - it is one of the most magical places you'll ever visit.

No comments: