Scotland - Day 10 - The Outlander Holy Grail

This AM started off with a surprise from Simone that was not on our itnerary.  Most of us guessed that it would be the filming location of Claire's first contact with the standing stones....and it was!!!!

Simone had told us earlier in the trip that while the site was real, the standing stones were not.  They were actually styrofoam, which was a bit of a disappointment, but nonetheless, the site is so recognizable that as soon as we pulled up, everyone was thrilled.  It was hard getting photos without others in your way, everyone was so anxious to get their shots!!

From there we headed to Pitlochry for a visit at the Blair Athol Distillery.  The tour was great and of course we had to sample the wares.  I'm not much of a whiskey drinker, but with a few drops of water added, which the tour guide suggested, it wasn't bad.

Ingredients

Mash hopper

Water source - right off the mountain

Final step

Very special was the 50 year old barrel.  Note the date on the barrel below.

Afterward it was lunch time.  The couple that have been sitting in front of me most of this trip, Bob and Ginger from South Carolina, have been a fun couple to share seats with.  On occasion Simone has to ask us for our meal order a day in advance.  Everytime she lists a couple of options and everytime Bob would ask for Pepperoni Pizza, which of course is never one of the options.  Today I found a pizza palor and brought half of my pizza back on the coach with me.  When Bob and Ginger reboarded I asked Bob if he liked what I had for lunch today and showed him the remains of my pepperoni pizza...of course he was in agony.  Everyone howled!!!

Our afternoon tour was of Blair Castle.  It is the seat of the Duke of Atholl, head of the Murray clan.  It's an impressive white castle set beneath forested slopes and above the River Garry.  Thirty rooms were open to us to explore which present a wonderful picture of upper-class Highland life from the 16th century.

The original tower was built in 1269, but the castle underwent significant remodeling in the 18th and 19th centuries.

While the inside was gorgeous, what took my breath away was the forest I was able to wander through.  I have found my heaven.  If we have a say in where we go at the end, I choose this forest....OMG, it was so beautiful.  The photos don't begin to do it justice.

In the AM we leave this fabulous hotel and head on toward Glasgow, our final destination on Friday.