May 19: Day 2 of the Highlands tour and we are off to see Clava Cairns – 4000 year old stone circles and burial mounds. Let me just say: Awesome!! So like the ones in Ireland. When I write book 2, my Scottish dragons will need to reside near these stones to pull their magic from this place.
We continued to Culloden Moor where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobites were finally defeated by government soldiers in April 1746. After reading Diana Gabeldon’s Outlander series, I have a loyalty to the Jacobites and seeing this battlefield and the many headstones of the Highland Clans was heartwrenching. 
Onward through the Cairngorms National Park toward Pitlochry. We stopped briefly at Ruthuen Barracks, another stategic government stronghold of the time.
Lunch in Pitlochry. Notice the McKay?? Ancestors of mine?
We toured the Blair Athol Distillery. They produce excellent Scottish Whisky. No photos allowed inside due to the high alcohol content within the buildings (risk of sparks from electronic devices).
Our last stop of the tour was at the Hermitage, where we hiked a lovely path to a waterfall and got to see some forest.
The tour concluded back in Edinburgh. Our tour guide, Bill, told wonderful, rich stories of all that we saw. I met some wonderful peopleKen and Connie from Canada, Andrew and Lisa from Tasmania, and the rest of the baker’s dozen. I am so glad I found this tour and was able to join in. It had everything I wanted to see in the Scottish Highlands and more. Kudos to Heart of Scotland Tours.
Hi Debs, awesome pictures for (book 2?) and you look great at your
ancestor’s pub! What an experience! so happy for you 🙂 … c u soon.
Hi Deb, great to have your detailed description of our trip!! Have a good time in London and hope to see your book in the best sellers one day.
We are off to Bath today having stayed with Liz’s aunt Lucy in Darlington.
All the best, Andrew & Liz
Hi Deb,
Great to have your detailed account of our bus trip.
All the best for the rest of your journey and hope you have been inspired for your books.
We are off to Bath today having stayed in Darlington with Liz’s aunt Lucy.
Cheers , Andrew & Liz
Andrew & Liz,
Glad to hear from you. I also was in Bath today around 1:30, taking the Roman Bath tour. Then we went on to Lacock, a tiny village used for movie sets (Harry Potter, etc.). We finished the day with a sunset visit to Stonehenge (where we got to go past the boundary lines and into the circle itself. AWESOME!!! I’m off for one last day in London then home tomorrow. Keep in touch
Hi Deb,
I was going through some material from our trip last night and found your postcard. I’ve enjoyed reading your blog and it brought back some wonderful memories of our trip. Ken and I look forward to reading your book. Glad to hear your surgery went well!
Connie
Hello Ken & Connie,
I too had such a great time in Scotland and on our Highland tour. Do you have any pictures from our tour? The book is progressing, slower than I envisioned with recovery from the surgery, but every time I talk about the trip I get inspired all over again. Once I finish “The Keepers of Eire”, I’ll start on book 2 to be set in Scotland, Wales, & England. I foresee another trip in my future!!
I’ll keep in touch.
Hi Deb,
Great to hear from you. We have tons of pictures – I’ll go through them and send any that might be of interest. This might take me a week or so – I have a busy week coming up. What do you think is the best way for me to share them with you? Maybe through Facebook?
Connie