The goal for today was the Meall a’ Bhuachaille hike in the Cairngorms National Park. Samer always likes to do some sort of outdoor adventure, and the Cairngorms would be a great place to check out. I debated many ways to tackle this part of the trip. I thought about finding the pyramids near Balmoral—stone cairns built as memorials by Queen Victoria for members of the royal family—taking a wildlife drive, and/or having a more leisurely picnic near the lake.
Through some peer pressure from my sister and my understanding that the area near Balmoral is off-limits in August due to King Charles potentially using it, Meall a’ Bhuachaille was the choice. It’s a 5-mile loop hike with about 2000 ft of gain in elevation. It’s not the most demanding hike I’ve ever done, but it was certainly not the easiest. The top is incredibly windy, but the views of the Scottish Highlands are spectacular. There is a cute little refuge at the bottom of the mountain, which was a nice place to catch our breath and warm up a little.
I am thrilled that we did this hike. It wouldn’t be our last hike of the trip, but it was a good way to stretch out our legs and see Scotland. Admittedly, it did kick our butts, so when we stopped by the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre on our way to the car, we were both not that interested in adding any more walking to go and see the herd.
Our next stop was the town of Inverness, but on our way, we stopped at two distilleries. First was the Kinrara Distillery, which produces gin, and finally, the Tomatin Distillery. Tomatin is a well-established brand with some award-winning Scotch whiskies. Things are certainly good here. Kinrara is more of a small distillery without the international gravitas that Tomatin has. It was good and worth the stop, but I’ll always choose a whisky over a gin, so I may not be the most excellent customer.
We stayed at the Eildon Guest House. It’s a nicely located B&B. It’s completely fine, it’s nothing special, but I thought it was comfortable. It’s in a bit of a creaky old house, which gives it an old feel. It is really about the location, and they had space for parking, so it was rather perfect for a road trip. We dropped off our bags and decided to explore the small city of Inverness.
We had a great small dinner at a place called Love Dosa that we found down a small alleyway. Neither of us was very hungry, and we were desperate for some vegetables, so Indian cuisine seemed like a good option, and the one we found was excellent. My masala dosa was delicious, and afterwards we wandered through Inverness to see what else we could find.
We stopped by a pub called The Tooth & Claw that was hosting a comedy show. All of the comedians were new to it, so the quality varied, but it was great to see the UK comedy system in action. I have heard comedians talk about how many bars and pubs in the UK have a comedy night, and new comedians just work out their material in these spaces. It’s less about going to a comedy club and more about working any small stage you can get onto and perform.
Maybe the funnier thing while we were there was a large table of friends hanging out. At some point, it was revealed that they all work for the forestry service and would talk about who could plant trees in a day. It was a niche profession, and they all were getting drunk and trying to outdo one another. After our third or fourth comedian, we took our leave. We went to a bar and restaurant known for live Scottish music called Hootananny. It was standing-room only by the time we arrived, but we found a small nook to hang out in. It is an excellent space to hear music. I really liked it, and if you are going to be in Inverness, I would try to make a reservation at this place.
We finished our night at The Malt Room, which was hands down the best whisky experience I had in all of Scotland. It’s a small bar with a massive variety of whiskies and cocktails. It’s pretty quiet, and the bartender is very helpful with your tasting. I don’t love a smoky whisky, and I don’t want to take out a mortgage to try something new, so he was invaluable with my tastes and cheapness. If you find yourself in Inverness, please check this place out. I thought it was excellent.
It was at The Malt Room where I got my first Kilchoman comment. When I asked the bartender what he recommended, he said, “So, you like Kilchoman whiskies?” I didn’t know what he was talking about until he pointed to my vest. “Oh, I’m just cold,” I said.