Over The Hills And Far Away

[John Barleycorn]

You two sound like an old married couple. You’re not are you, like, married to each other?

Cheers John

[Mr Tattie Heid]

To the best of my knowledge, no. It is in fact my firm belief that I am not married to anyone. And small wonder.

[orange_barnet]

You two sound like an old married couple. You’re not are you, like, married to each other?

Cheers John

Not to my knowledge either. We haven't even met. Yet.

[orange_barnet]

Sorry, have been busy hand-washing the dishes, preparing meals, dumping spoiled food from the fridge and freezer, cutting down dangling branches in the yard, and trying to make sure me dear old mum doesn't fall down or freeze to death. Bloody 'ell, o_b, I have plenty of clean clothes--the laundry could wait.

But of course you have a supply of clean clothes to wear Mr TH. I was just concerned that the not-so-clean garments were festering.

I take my hat off to you Mr TH for coping admirably with your ghastly week of abysmal weather and the prolonged power cut to boot (!). I'm surprised you only killed one bottle.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

There was a bit of beer in there, too.

The laundry may be festering yet--haven't quite got to it! Might be spontaneously generating rats or some such. Off we go....

[Mr Tattie Heid]

And if anyone wants to look at nothing (or at least set your bookmarks), the blank pages for this year's journal, GF2RoI 2011, are up.

Journal from 22 Sep to 5 Oct is complete and posted, for those who want to take a look. I am plugging away at the rest, slowly but slowly, as always.

[two-bit cowboy]

We're on our way home, returning from Lawrence's Victoria Whisky Festival. Ah, what a treat! Through the course of the Festival I tasted 59 new-to-me single malt Scotch whiskies, a peated (50 ppm) Arran new make, a couple of Amruts, and some others. My best of the fest whisky was Glenfarclas 15 (we don't get it in the USA), and in the number two spot was Bruichladdich Octomore 4.2 Comus (at 167 ppm).

We've threaded the needle between winter storms and have, so far, been fortunate. Today's the last day on the road (if we can get home).

Last night we enjoyed a few local brews at Port Neuf Valley Brewing in Pocatello, Idaho. Penny, brew mistress and old friend, cooks up a wonderful, thick, Midnight Satin (stout) and a rich, malty Belligerent Ass Nut Brown Ale.

Cheers,

Bob

[Mr Tattie Heid]

And if anyone wants to look at nothing (or at least set your bookmarks), the blank pages for this year's journal, GF2RoI 2011, are up.

Journal from 22 Sep to 5 Oct is complete and posted, for those who want to take a look. I am plugging away at the rest, slowly but slowly, as always.

Done through 17 October.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Well, I'd better hurry up and finish last year's journal, because this year's trip is fast approaching. Trips, I should say--I've split the vacation time in two, and will spend some time in much-missed eastern Canada before heading for the UK. Tentative itineraries:

Aug 24-25 St Andrews-by-the-sea, New Brunswick
Aug 26-27 Brier Island, Nova Scotia
Aug 28-29 Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Aug 30 Pictou, Nova Scotia
Aug 31-Sept 6 Îles de la Madeleine (Magdelen Islands), Québec
Sept 7-8 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Sept 9-10 Sackville, New Brunswick
Sept 11 Lubec, Maine

Oct 5-6 Seahouses, Northumbria
Oct 7-8 Edinburgh
Oct 9-13 Coll
Oct 14-16 Tiree
Oct 17-20 Plockton
Oct 21-24 TBA
Oct 25-27 Craigellachie
Oct 28 Amsterdam

I'm still working on bookings for Scotland. 21-24 Oct will probably be somewhere north, but I haven't decided yet. I'm not really happy to spend only two nights in Edinburgh, but that's how things worked out. Hope to see the usual suspects in the Bow--it's a Sunday and Monday, unfortunately, but I'm sure some of you will make the necessary sacrifices.

[C57]

Sounds like it will be another great trip TH!

[orange_barnet]

Well, I'd better hurry up and finish last year's journal, because this year's trip is fast approaching. Trips, I should say--I've split the vacation time in two, and will spend some time in much-missed eastern Canada before heading for the UK. Tentative itineraries:
.....

I'm still working on bookings for Scotland. 21-24 Oct will probably be somewhere north, but I haven't decided yet. I'm not really happy to spend only two nights in Edinburgh, but that's how things worked out. Hope to see the usual suspects in the Bow--it's a Sunday and Monday, unfortunately, but I'm sure some of you will make the necessary sacrifices.

Sounds like a great itinerary.

I'm planning to take a brief holiday in Edinburgh, which I've just had to postpone, in late summer - although I'm not one of the 'usual suspects' (I never behave suspiciously), I shall of course bend over backwards to attempt to coincide with you Mr TH.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Well, that should be fun to watch. (You happy now, Bud?)

[Pudge72]

Aug 24-25 St Andrews-by-the-sea, New Brunswick
Aug 26-27 Brier Island, Nova Scotia
Aug 28-29 Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Aug 30 Pictou, Nova Scotia
Aug 31-Sept 6 Îles de la Madeleine (Magdelen Islands), Québec
Sept 7-8 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Sept 9-10 Sackville, New Brunswick
Sept 11 Lubec, Maine

I loved travelling to Nova Scotia (2010) and PEI (2004). When you're in Charlottetown, PEI do stop by Gahan House, the only brewery on the Island:

http://www.gahan.ca/index.php

For what it's worth, I would strongly recommend the fish & chips with the Iron Horse Dark Ale. My wife and I enjoyed their brewery 'tour', which was basically sitting in the basement with the brewing vessels, for over an hour, listening to the manager tell stories about the brewery and the building while pouring free glasses of beer!!

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Gahan House is a nice pub, but I find their beer a bit yeasty for my taste. There is another brewpub in town, or was last time I was there (I'll be very disappointed if it's shut), the name escapes me at the moment. It's more of a restaurant than pub. If it's still there, I'll report here.

I used to get to Charlottetown (and Halifax) several times a year for work, but it's been maybe three years now. I'm really sorry not to be going to Halifax on this trip, but it just missed the cut this time.

[Pudge72]

I am curious to know about the other brewpub in Charlottetown. Wherever you may roam on this trip, travel safely (and keep taking those awesome photos!).

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Thanks, Pudge. Maybe some day I'll visit London, the largest metropolitan area in Canada I've never set foot in. (Nice job hosting the Olympics, by the way!)

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Filled in my last dates for Scotland--my UK itinerary now looks like this:

Oct 5-6 Seahouses, Northumbria
Oct 7-8 Edinburgh
Oct 9-13 Coll
Oct 14-16 Tiree
Oct 17-20 Plockton
Oct 21-22 Kylesku
Oct 23-24 Tongue
Oct 25-27 Craigellachie
Oct 28 Amsterdam

I'm really pleased to have fit in a few days in the north. Hopefully the weather is better than at the same time last year.

I'm leaving for Canada Friday--Yikes! Much to do to prepare yet.

[Willie JJ]

Not bad. Kylesku is stunningly beautiful and the last few times I have been in the hotel they have had a reasonable selection of drams. The Tongue Hotel has a better selection though. It's a very nice Victorian heap high up overlooking the kyle. Worth spending some time up there for sure. I'm less sure about 4 days on Coll (nice as it is).

[orange_barnet]

Not bad. Kylesku is stunningly beautiful and the last few times I have been in the hotel they have had a reasonable selection of drams.

Kylesku is indeed beautiful - I was last there on 21st June 2008 and it was a scorchingly hot summer's day. I think I recall the bar was OK .... but not as good as the whisky bar at the Torridon Hotel where I had stayed the night before - that was pretty amazing - nearly 400 whiskies I was told! Here is a photo I took of it (while I could still focus):

From Kylesku I also travelled to Tongue. It was a memorable holiday up in the North - I hope you will enjoy yours too Mr TH.

[Pudge72]

Thanks, Pudge. Maybe some day I'll visit London, the largest metropolitan area in Canada I've never set foot in. (Nice job hosting the Olympics, by the way!)

Thanks, MTH! Us Londoners did it on the cheap...hiring architects from Las Vegas to build replicas of a bunch of nice old buildings from that other city that also happens to be named 'London' (or so they claim). Our security budget was also much smaller as the Thames River in our London is too shallow to have terrorists run boats up and down it.

In all seriousness, a job well done by London (England, of course)!

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Incredibly, I'm ready to travel in the morning. I think. Spent all day looking for my hand-held GPS; found it at 7:00 this evening, in one of my winter jackets. In the course of searching, I managed to get everything else packed. I think.

[Willie JJ]

not as good as the whisky bar at the Torridon Hotel where I had stayed the night before - that was pretty amazing - nearly 400 whiskies I was told! Here is a photo I took of it (while I could still focus):

Awesome! I don't know how I have managed to miss this in all the times I've been through there. I feel a trip coming on

Incredibly, I'm ready to travel in the morning.

May your trip be as good as you hope it will be. I hope to see you in Edinburgh.

[orange_barnet]

not as good as the whisky bar at the Torridon Hotel where I had stayed the night before - that was pretty amazing - nearly 400 whiskies I was told! Here is a photo I took of it (while I could still focus):

Awesome! I don't know how I have managed to miss this in all the times I've been through there. I feel a trip coming on

Awesome is an understatement - that whisky bar is mind boggling! You must go there Willie; in fact I recommend it to everyone! Actually, I don't know which route you're planning to take to go from Plockton to Kylesku MR TH, but one possible route could take you through Torridon. That whisky bar is certainly worth seeing.... and the Torridon Hotel also (like many hotels) has a pub sort of place attached to it where you can get pub food / snacks and that sort of thing.... The views from the Torridon Hotel are simply stunning and the route that I drove was breathtaking. (I have a couple of photos I could post but I don't want to mess up your thread MrTH.... I'll see where else on the forum I can put them....).

Incredibly, I'm ready to travel in the morning.

May your trip be as good as you hope it will be. I hope to see you in Edinburgh.

Have a great time Mr TH.... and hopefully I shall see you both in Edinburgh too!

[bpbleus]

[...] London, the largest metropolitan area in Canada

my UK itinerary now looks like this:
[...]
Oct 28 Amsterdam

You packed your GPS, didn't you?!

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Well, anybody can look stupid if you take his words out of context. (You don't even have to go all that far out of context with me.)

o_b, if I were to pass through Torridon on my way from Plockton to Kylesku, I'd likely be there before opening. If I waited for opening, I might not make it to Kylesku at all. I've passed that way before, and I'm sure I will again.

Have arrived safely in St Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada (not Scotland, bpleus), and am having a quick dram of Pulteney here in my sweltering un-air-conditioned room. There's Picaroon Bitter at the bar downstairs...d'oh!