Isle of Arran, June 2010

Brodick Bay

I took notice of the Isle of Arran via a travel book that I had found in Edinburgh airport. The photos of "Brodick Castle & Country Park" looked so beautiful that I thought I defintiely have to go there. Furthermore, I read that Arran is a hiker's paradise and known as "A miniature Scotland".

Brodick Country Park

I spent a week in a charming B&B in the island's capital, Brodick, and enjoyed fantastic sea views every day.It was my favourite accommodation, not only because of the view but also due to the hearty proprietor, a varying breakfast and tastefully decorated rooms.

After having arrived in Brodick, I noticed the strong scent of flowers and trees. I've never smelt such a permanent scent as it was here and it immediately made me feel very relaxed.

Brodick Castle

Brodick Country Park

First, I visited Brodick Castle, which was wonderfully furnished but better known for its huge country park. I spent hours taking photos of the trees and bushes of flowers. My lunch in the park café made me forget about the rest of the world. In the afternoon, I walked back to Brodick, along the coastline and stopped at many parts of the beach.  

The next day I went to see the "Arran Distillery" and took part in a funny guided tour. Our tour guide told us anecdotes about the production of whisky and about the time before the distilleries legally started their production. The tasting of the "Arran Malt" drew my attention to the "unknown" whiskies, while the "Arran Malt" is now one of my favourites.

Later on, I went to see the village Lochranza with its castle ruin and noticed the smallest ferry I've ever come across, which takes you to the Mull of Kintyre.

Machrie Moor

A bit further on, I reached "Machrie Moor" and went to the "Machrie Moor Stone Circles". The closer I got to them, the more silent it got, as it was only surrounded by lots of sheep. I saw more and more lying stone circles and became more and more silent and at one with myself. Then I found the three huge standing stones. I forgot about time completely and spent nearly three hours there. I really enjoyed the tranquility and again an intense scent of plants and the nearby sea.

Machrie Moor

Back again on the main road, I went towards Machrie Bay Golf Course. Before I had arrived there, I saw and heard a golf ball hit next to me and was a bit shocked. I looked around and recognized a golf course that was divided into two pieces by the main road. Suddenly a man asked me if I had seen his golf ball. His second question was if I was ok. How nice but I didn't mind. Golf always comes first in Scotland ;)

Machrie Moor

After that little shock, I strolled along the stony beach and noticed the special light of the West coast that I was told about in my B&B. I also found some extraordinary beautiful stones there.



Holy Isle, Lamlash

Moreover, I visited the towns Lamlash, Whiting Bay and Blackwaterfoot. I especially liked Lamlash because of the stony beach and some nice pubs and cafés.

Worth mentioning is the little factory of "Arran Aromatics" which produces wonderful soaps, shampoos, body milks etc. Everything I need in my bathroom ;). I tested various scents and liked all of them.

Machrie Bay

Concerning food, I came across the restaurant "Arran on a Plate" and enjoyed many great meals there. 

Another must-see is the little island museum that shows us of the island life in the past. Close to this museum, I found a little cheese factory. I tasted some cheeses and can recommend them all :). 

my view

Besides all the B&B's and hotels, there's a big spa hotel where you can completely relax. I had a look inside as well as in the garden area, and both looked incredibly pretty. 

Arran is a charming, little jewel in the South West of Scotland that is hardly known. 

Isle of Wight, July 2011

Sandown

The Isle of Wight is located about two hours from the South of London. It is known because of  "Cowes Week", a week full of sailing, taking place in July every year. I spent a holiday there with my English friend Lynne. We took the ferry at Portsmouth and quickly reached the sunny island.

Shanklin

We visited beautiful seaside resorts such as Ryde, Ventnor, Shanklin and Sandown. Ryde, in the North, is the biggest town on the island with a huge variety of shops and restaurants. It's a lively place but charming at the same time. That's why we took a stroll round the town the whole day and did some shopping, with a rest for lunch and coffee break in between.

Shanklin

Ventnor, in the South, is best known in travelbooks but unfotunately very touristy, so we only had a quick look and didn't stay so long.

Shanklin and Sandown are smaller and less known, offering some nice little shops and cafés. Especially Shanklin looked very cute. I really loved the thatched roofs, which made the whole village look like a fairytale.

Shanklin Chine

We visited ''Shanklin Chine", a historic leafy gorge, first opened in 1817. We sometimes had to climb steep hills to get into the beautiful woodlands with waterfalls, rare plants and wildlife but we were rewarded with a beauty and tranquility that I'd hardly ever encountered. Even a squirrel's feeding station exists there. In addition, we had a little rest in the café and I tried the cream tea - fantastic !!!

The Needles

As Shanklin and Sandown offer a wide selection of sandy beaches, we spent much time walking there. Apart from one day, it was a week full of sunshine and reaching temperatures of up to 25 C. You can't ask for more.





The next day we went to see the "Needles" in the South West of the island: Rocks, standing in the sea with a lighthouse at its top. We took a boat trip and got very close to them. When we had finished the boat trip, my friend told me this area is known for paper weights made of glass. We had a look in the factory and I bought a beautiful one :)

Osborne House

Osborne House Park

Finally, we visited Osborne House in the North of the island, near Cowes, a place Queen Victoria had spent more time than anywhere else. I've seen many castles and manor houses in Great Britain but this place belongs to the most beautiful ones. It's not the huge park, which is definitely worth mentioning, but the way the house was furnished by Queen Victoria. Everything looked very cosy with a great passion for details - distinctively Victorian, which was of course, named after her.

This house gave me an impression of the young Victoria, which made me feel the great love and affection she felt for her husband and her children - totally different perspective to all that I'd heard before.

The Isle of Wight is a little paradise in the South coast of England.

Shetland, April 2011

Jarlshof

I went to Shetland with a friend of mine in late April, 2011. Shortly after our arrival at airport Sumburgh, in the South of Mainland, we felt gale-force winds blowing in our faces. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was as blue as it could be.

The sea, directly behind the little runway, looked awesome and the sun was gleaming on it.

I was totally euphoric !!! It was a burning ambition of mine to visit Shetland  for a very long time and I finally made it here. Everything was different to what I had expected and anticipated: different scents, sounds,colours and landscapes!

Spring was yet to come. It was late April on the most northern point of the UK, and it felt about
15 C.

Levenwick

On the way to our B&B, located in the island's capital, Lerwick, we noticed there were absolutely no trees, just rocks and bushes. We started exploring the island from Lerwick, where a huge plaque in the harbour welcomed all visitors in English as well as in Norwegian, all of which reminded me of Shetland and Orkney, once belonging to Norway.

Sumburgh Head Lighthouse

The sights in the South of Mainland were definitely the "Jarlshof" and "Old Scatness", two prehistoric villages. It was amazing to see all the roundhouses built about 4000 years ago. We enjoyed a guided tour at "Old Sctatness" and were given some information about its history.

Being in the South of Mainland, we also walked to the lighthouse of Sumburgh Head. We kept looking for puffins because of the signs posted, and half an hour later, we discovered a single one between thousands of seagulls. It looked very funny ;)

Eshaness

The place to eat for us was at  "Sumburgh Hotel", which was typically furnished like in the English countryside: cosy armchairs, thick carpets and curtains with flower patterns. There were no more restaurants or cafés in Sumburgh but it was definitely worth having eaten there. It turned out to be the best lunch I've ever had (smoked salmon and raspberry cheesecake). And while we had lunch inside the hotel restaurant, the wind howled outside!

Eshaness

The next day we headed to Eshaness in the North West of Mainland and went hiking on the volcano trail. Before we reached the car park at Eshaness lighthouse, it started raining heavily. After that short rain shower, it remained grey and foggy. It felt like being in the middle of nowhere, just the elements around us, green grass, some sheep and a single Shetland pony :)

Eshaness

Nearly two hours later, we arrived at the cliffs of Eshaness and I was totally overwhelmed ! The wind howled and lashed the sea into a fury. We could hardly talk because it was so loud. For me, it was a place to be silent, to just watch and listen to the elements. It started raining from time to time again, but it didn't disturb us. I myself enjoyed the fresh air mostly, and furthermore realizied how little people are in these surroundings. I took only a few photos but these turned out to be the most special ones for me. It touched me deeply because everything looked so colossal.

Another walk on that day led us to St. Ninian's Isle, which was very beautiful. We reached the little island by passing a strait, which we had been told before, is not possible to flood.

The way to St. Ninian's Isle

Moreover, we visited Scalloway, the former capital of Shetland. Scalloway Castle still looks massive, although there were only ruins left of it. Interestingly, we noticed a row of houses that looked typically Norwegian: wooden houses in dark red and dark blue.

St. Ninian's Isle




The last day of our visit we went to the "Muckle Flugga" lighthouse, located in the "Hermaness Nature Reserve", on the Isle of Unst, passing through the North of Mainland, taking a ferry to the Isle of Yell and a second ferry to the Isle of Unst. Yell and Unst looked like a flat, barren landscape.

Muckle Flugga Lighthouse

There were only a few houses on Unst and the huge "Hermaness Nature Reserve". Having arrived at the car park, it took us about two hours to reach the UK's most northern point, with the "Muckle Flugga" lighthouse on top of it. It was a perfect day: the sun shone the whole day, it was about 15 C but with such a strong wind that we could hardly talk to each other.

A puffin close to Muckle Flugga

When we looked around, we discovered thousands of puffins. Definitely heart-warming. There was one very close to us, coming out of his cave from time to time, walking up and down. It was so cute. That was the highlight of our holiday.

The last bus stop on Unst

I would most definitely like to return to Shetland; its rough but beautiful landscape and colossal rocks touched me more than anything I had ever seen.

Orkney, April 2011

St. Magnus Cathedral

I went to Orkney with a friend of mine in late April, 2011.

The airport of Kirkwall was as small as on Shetland, however was located much closer to the town centre, where we stayed in a charming B & B. While having breakfast, we could see "Scapa Flow", a huge natural harbour with many shipwrecks lying on its bottom, dating back to WWI and WWII.

Kirkwall Harbour

Orkney was different to Shetland. There were some trees and bushes and lots of farmers with their tractors on the fields, and on the streets. I immediately smelt the scent of flowers and farming. Besides that, I noticed the well-maintained streets and gardens.

First, we visited Kirkwall, the sweet and small capital of Orkney with a huge diversity of nice little shops and cafés. I especially liked "St. Magnus Cathedral". All my travel books recommended its magnificent architecture and it was true - I felt overjoyed !

Moreover, I liked the harbour area, watching all the ferries come and go, connecting all the little islands of Orkney with each other.

Scara Brae

The next day we went to "Scara Brae", a neolithic village some 5000 years old, close to the sea. It was located in the North of Mainland. In 1999, it became a World Heritage Site as part of the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site".

After we had visited the whole area of the village, I decided to climb down the huge rocks behind "Scara Brae" until I reached the beach. The rocks looked amazing as they were formed by the sea and the wind kept pushing me around.



I think, it was this combination of the bright green and blue colours, thte continuing gale-force winds and the smell of the sea that left a huge impression on my heart.

Yesnaby

When we finished our lunch here, we went to see "Maeshowe", the finest chambered tomb in Northern Europe,dating around 5000 years ago.

On our way to "Maeshowe" we passed the massive rocks of Yesnaby that deeply impressed me so that I got totally carried away in the moment, and felt like I could have screamed out loud, although the wind would have swallowed my voice :)

Yesnaby

Shortly after having arrived at "Maeshowe", I felt the special atmosphere here. We took part in a guided tour and learnt a lot of its history. Our attention was drawn to the signs of the Norse inside the tomb, that told a story of the people who had once lived here.
The shop nearby offered great books and Celtic jewellery. Generally, Orkney is known for its special Celtic jewellery: I found two beautiful rings.

Standing Stones of Stennes

Later on, we headed to the "Standing Stones of Stennes", a small henge with 4 standing and 3 lying stones, and then to the "Ring of Brodgar", one of the largest of all Neolithic henges. The "Ring of Brodgar" was much bigger than I had thought and imagined. We remained silent while walking around the stone circle. I concentrated on the stones and took in the extraordinary atmosphere. In contrast to this huge construction, built between 4500 and 4000 years ago, I felt as small as I had felt at the Cliffs of Eshaness on Shetland. It showed me there's much more to life than our "daily trivia", there must be a bigger picure to life.

Ring of Brodgar

The next day we visited the "Broch of Gurness", another sample of a neolithic village, close to the sea in the North of Mainland. It was a very huge area with one huge broch in the middle and smaller oval houses around. As you can clearly see on the pictures, we were quite lucky with the weather.

Ring of Brodgar

In my eyes, the sun made the sea behind the broch look even bluer and the grass on the ground even greener.

Additionally after that, we decided to visit the "Tomb of the Eagle", a 5000 years old chambered tomb located on the island of South Ronaldsay. In order to reach there, we drove along the huge bay of "Scapa Flow" and passed through Churchill Barriers, concrete walls, which closed the canals between the eastern islands. You can still see the shipwrecks jutting out of the water, dated back to WWI and WWII. It was a strange, eerie atmosphere so that we couldn't stand to stay long.

"The Tomb of the Eagle" was much smaller than "Maeshowe" and on private grounds. The entrance to the tomb was so small  that  I really had to think whether I wanted to go in or not. However, I decided to do so. We also paid a visit to the little museum. It was really interesting to read about the history and the way the tomb was found.

Broch of Gurness

In the afternoon, we took part in a guided tour of the "Highland Park Distillery" and really enjoyed it because our tour guide entertained us with little stories about the distillery's history and the production of whisky. Besides that, the building looked very nice, especially because of the pagoda roofs.

Channel Island Jersey, August 2012

St. Brelade's Bay

I spent a week hiking with a travel group on the Channel Island of Jersey; in August 2012. We were 22 women together and got on very well. What I read about Jersey before my holiday was that it's a sunny island with big tide differences and the best milk in the UK, produced by the famous Jersey cows :)
The island has got its own currency - the Jersey pound, to be used only on Jersey and the other Channel Islands, not in the rest of the UK. Based on the changing history,there are two languages, English and French. I heard both spoken a lot.

Jersey gave us a sunny welcome. Our hotel was located in the island's capital of St. Helier. We enjoyed half board with very delicious desserts - apple crumble and toffee pudding to name but a few.

First, we went around the town and tried the Jersey ice cream, which was made with the special milk. It was great!

St. Catherine's Wood

When we reached the beach, I noticed "Elizabeth Castle", which used to defend the town. You can walk there during low tide and during high tide you're taken over with an amphibious vehicle.

The next day we started hiking along the east coast from Rozel to Gorey. We passed St. Catherine's Wood, a really beautiful woodland with lots of ancient trees and wonderful plants.

Gorey Castle

Our destination was the little seaport Gorey. It's known for the Gorey Castle (in English) or Mont Orgueil Castle (in French), close to the sea. I was deeply impressed by the artistic portrayal of the castle's history. One artist made reference to the sea by decorating a wooden boat with maritime motifs such as fishes and shells.

Another artist had made life-size wooden figures in the castle park, representing the tradesmen, who had worked on the castle.

Gorey Castle

The portrayal of the former basement, where women were imprisoned and tortured as witches, really got under my skin. There was a lattice work with some little cranks. When I turned one of them, I heard an earsplitting squeaking and little figures of witches started to ride on their brooms or danced with the devil. This last piece of artwork gave me a sleepless night.

The second walk started from Portelet Bay in the South-West to St. Brelade's Bay in the West, along the coast most of the time. The sun shone the whole day. We enjoyed sea views nearly everywhere we walked so most of my holiday photos were taken on this walk. Furthermore, I must mention the little chapel of St. Brelade, where I felt a very special atmosphere.

St. Brelade's Bay

After our lunch, we went on to the lighthouse "La Corbière". It was low tide when we reached it, so we could stroll over by foot. I kept  the landscape of brown rocks in my mind because of how rare it is to see the bottom of the sea.

The fourth day was a free day. Some members of the group decided to go on a day trip to the neighbouring island Sark, and so did I. You will find a separate report about it in my blog.


Our next walk began in the North from Bouley Bay to Devil's Hole and a bit further on to Bonne Nuit Bay. We had a nice stop at the beach of Gref de Lecq, which is the only beach independent of the tide. The beach is really beautiful but too small for all of the visitors.

"La Corbière" lighthouse

During the second day off, I decided to visit "Samarez Manor", located outside the centre of St. Helier. The manor house looked like it was built in colonial times. Additionally, I spent some time walking in the pretty garden, including a huge herb garden.
Then I went on to the "Pallot Steam Museum" and admired lots of locomotives and cars from different eras. It was even more interesting to drive into the heart of the island. I enjoyed all our coastal walks, but this little trip showed me that the heart of the island had a special kind of charm with all the narrow streets, little cottages; and lovely gardens,the latter typically laid out like in the Engish countryside.

Samarez Manor

Our last walk led us from Bonne Nuit Bay to Rozel. It was the only rainy day. After the first short rain shower, fog started to rise slowly and made the nearby sea look mysterious. As Rozel was called a smuggler's paradise, there are lots of myths about the town. For instance: a huge black dog who frightens people at night. Of course, the smugglers invented this story because they intended to make people stay at home at night, in order to transport their goods without being seen.


After we reached Rozel in the afternoon, we found a hotel that offered cream tea. Together with two women of the group, I went there to have a sample. The small hotel looked like a miniature castle, which was elegantly furnished. It was the best cream tea ever.

Rozel Bay

My holiday ended here. I didn't have time to visit the following sights: "La Houghe Bie", Europe's largest chambered tomb, "Jersey Zoo", "Jersey War Tunnels", "The Maritime Museum" or the "Hamptonne Country Life Museum".