Vancouver, Nanaimo and HOME!

Martini Bill
Originally uploaded by Aishihik

This incredible journey is coming to an end and we are heading home. Home, this has such a lovely ring to it…. We have decided to stay in Vancouver for a few days to visit Auntie Dorothy, Bill and Nancy. Then off to the island to visit our friends Bill, Candice and Parris. Nothing like sharing stories, a delicious home cooked meal and the odd martini before catching our flight home to Whitehorse on Air North –Yukon’s airline of course ………

Many of you have said how much you have enjoyed our journal – thanks for reading it!

Nancy and Nick

London

Buckingham Palace
Originally uploaded by Aishihik

London is a massive city steeped in ancient history and culture. It is also very expensive. Knowing all this we decided to stay in Camden Town which seemed to suit us just fine. This district is rich in unusual markets, shops, music and people. We enjoyed many hours of walking in this area as well as taking the subway into the city to see the usual tourist attractions……….

West Highland Way

West Highland Way
Originally uploaded by Aishihik

The West Highland Way took us 7 days to hike anywhere from 12 to 19 miles per day. The trail starts just outside of Glasgow in Milngavie and ends in Fort William at the base of Ben Nevis. The hike itself takes you through woodlots, villages, moorland and along the eastern shore of the most beautiful Loch Lomond. Much of the West Highland way follows ancient footpaths and drove roads. Hiking the trail takes you on a magnificent journey through amazing scenery, rich culture and offers challenges that are so rewarding. The best part about this hike is at the end of every day there is a warm, dry and comfortable bed waiting for you. It also doesn’t hurt that one can have a wee dram or a pint with a bowl of scotch broth along the way………….

West Coast and down to Glasgow

Eilean Donan Castle
Originally uploaded by Aishihik

The very narrow road snakes it way along coves, up into the highlands, and along the most spectacular beaches in the country. We made our way on twists, turns and steep drops until we came to the most delightful and isolated seaside village of Applecross. The Applecross Inn is a haven for people to gather to have a visit over a pint and eat some of the most delicious local food.

Our next stop, on recommendation, was the Eilean Donan Castle. When we were visiting my relatives in New Zealand; Betty talked of how her mother Christina Isabella Macrae was raised in the Eilean Donan Castle. Christina left Scotland as a young teenage woman and met my dads’ cousin John Lailey Lewis who had left England when he was only 14. The Eilean Donan Castle is a lovely castle on a small island just offshore and can be reached by a stone bridge. Apparently growing up in the castle was not as magical as one would think as it was very grey, cold and in those times isolated.

Working our way south we made it to Glasgow and decided to go out on the town. We had so much fun. We found ourselves in the Scotia pub which is the oldest pub in the city built in 1792. Nick and I were instantly welcomed by wonderful people, a live band and mugs of beer …..After closing hours we “walked” back to our hotel and visited with the local characters there until the wee hours of the morning…….

A little worse for wear we headed to Milngavie and met with Nicks relatives Murray and
Andrea. We celebrated our meeting with Champagne and exploring the family history. They gave us such a warm welcome and it was a very special way to start our 95 mile trek.

Thurso and the Orkney Islands

Ring of Stones
Originally uploaded by Aishihik

Much to our surprise the world surfing championships were being held in Thurso. It seemed rather strange to see so many young adults from all over the world with their surfboards in tow…….. Wick and Thurso are the areas where Nancy’s ancestors come from. It is always fascinating to wonder the cemeteries and find the names of relatives long since past but still so connected in our lives somehow.

The Orkney islands are just a ferry ride away from either John O’ Groats or Gills Bay. We stayed in a village pub in St Margaret’s Hope before driving to Kirkwall, Stromness, Skara Brae and the amazing Ring of Brodgar. Skara Brae is an archeological site of a 5,000 year old stone village. I think my favourite place though is Ring of Brodgar which is a circle of standing stones that are over 5 meters high.

North to Thurso via Edinburgh

Scottish Port Village
Originally uploaded by Aishihik

Traveling along rural routes we stopped at a farm where the local people spin and knit the most beautiful cashmere and wool clothing. It seemed most fitting to suit ourselves with some very warm sweaters since Scotland is rather cool in the spring. As we approached Edinburgh the traffic increased and so did the number of highway lanes. We decided that the focus of our visit would be the Edinburgh castle. This magnificent structure in built on top of an old volcano and towers over the city. It houses the National War Museum and the royal mile is just outside the entrance. After a small pint and tons of walking we decided to head out of the city to a small east coast village by the name of Crail. This is a lovely harbour ringed by old stone buildings in a very quiet and beautiful setting……. It was such a relief to get out of the city and out by the sea.

The Cairngorm Mountain range is absolutely stunning. This highland landmass is predominately covered in heather and has many of the countries highest summits. Rivers and streams slip through the rocky surfaces and birdlife is abundant. This area reminded us very much of the Haines Pass in the Yukon Territory.

Heading back towards the coast we traveled Tain en-route to Wick before heading northwest to Thurso. We stopped at the Dunrobin Castle which is known to be the largest house in the highlands and dates back to 1275. The building, décor and grounds are very opulent and most interesting to see. After seeing this grandeur we got back in the car and traveled to Wick.