Scotland Autumn Dispatch - Thursday, 9th October 2014

 Dear Everyone, when I left you on Tuesday morning we were planning a walk to Edradour Distillery, the smallest in Scotland, but rain intervened, so it wasn’t until 10.30 that we were able to set off. We headed into town first as I wanted to post a gift to Leanne, and then we followed the signposts to Edradour, about 5 kms away. We had driven as far as the car park last year, but a tour had just started and rather than wait an hour for the next one (the times of tours are not advertised) we decided to leave it for another day, and that day finally came.

We paid our entrance fee of about $15 and went to a tasting room while we waited for our guide, James. Wes tried one of their whiskies, and some of the other visitors were sampling whiskies or drinking coffees. Eventually we went on our 1 hour tour and it was fascinating. At one point we were invited to taste two different whiskies – I declined as I really don’t like the taste, and was given their equivalent of Bailey’s Irish Cream made from whisky and fresh local cream. We then watched a short film and discovered that the brewing is done by three men, who perform all the tasks together and start work at 5am each day.

Then onto a close up look at the various pieces of machinery, all very old and in perfect working order. This place is a delight to visit and you walk away with a whisky glass worth about $10, and in our case, a bottle of the 10-year old whisky. If you are interested in reading more about them, here is the link - http://www.edradour.com/

After we were finished there we walked to The Black Spout, which makes the Blowhole look like a poor cousin, even Trentham Falls would be struggling to match its grandeur. We then walked through beautiful woodlands by the side of the burn all the way back to Pitlochry, where we enjoyed a late lunch at a local café – toasted pannini with salad - and arrived back here just as the rain started down in earnest again.

I have been advised that not everyone has heard of bamboo socks – they are certainly very popular where we live – lightweight, yet warm and easy to wear. You can even buy bamboo underwear, but we haven’t indulged in that yet. The only drawback is that they take ages to dry, but the socks I bought for myself for this trip are not quite as thick and cushioned on the sole and heel only, so dry much more quickly.

Yesterday we awoke to find sunshine everywhere – most unexpectedly, so after breakfast we headed off for a walk up to the Pitlochry Golf Club, which enjoys stunning views and is beautifully looked after. We had thought of eating there in the late afternoon, but the sandwich board advertised a Curry Smorgasbord, so we decided to postpone the pleasure of dining there for another day. We walked on to the Church of Scotland, which honours Alexander Duff, a prominent missionary, but it was locked and bolted, so meandered back down to the Pitlochry Festival Theatre for our 11am backstage tour. We did this last year and found it was a wonderful mine of information and made us feel as though we knew some of the secrets of the theatre. Our guide, Chris, was slow and deliberate, and obviously enjoyed showing off this amazing place, so our tour lasted 90 minutes.

The main reason we have come back to Pitlochry, apart from its beauty, is to see all 6 plays, which is their Summer Season. Visitors flock to this little town, about the size of Daylesford, for the theatre, the Explorers’  Garden, Edradour Distillery, and the amazing walks you can take, both by the river and in the forest. We have noticed an improvement in the shops since last year – many were in need of new management & ideas, and it seems that has happened, and although there are a couple of very ordinary souvenir shops, for the most part, Pitlochry offers quality clothing, eateries, bottle shops and specialty shops.

We sat over a glass of Chateau Cardboard while we waited for our 2pm matinee and shared a table with a couple of hoteliers from Stirling, who were driving back home after the play. We praised Scotland to them, as we always do, and they confessed to having been to Sydney and had far too much good wine to drink there.

The play, Whisky Kisses, is a musical involving all 18 members of the repertoire company. It was good fun, with some lovely numbers, some inspired dancing and a chanming story based around a distillery just like Edradour. Afterwards we wandered back to the Old Mill, where Wes had his steak & ale pie again, and I enjoyed breaded haddock, then home to read and relax.

We are hoping to walk to Killiecrankie this morning after breakfast – wish us luck!