My First Scottish Adventure: Grantown-on-Spey and Ruins

Read last week's Scottish Adventure post: First Glimpse

Photo by MK

My favorite part about the village was the Whiskey Trail, or trails. There were multiple trails that allowed one to meander or get a workout, and the peacefulness and views were incredible no matter which one I took. The above photo was on one such walk and heather being my favorite plant, I was delighted. Oh, and the scent of Scotch pine mingling with the heather that floated in the air was so fresh!

Spey River - Photo by MK

I felt so at home in my surroundings and delight in the similarities and differences, mostly the latter. I enjoyed the accents, the culture, the smiles of the people.

Photo Credit: aboutbritain.com

Ruins and Cemeteries

I find history so very fascinating and it was basis for the places I visited and things I did while in Scotland. Trying to avoid as many tourists as possible, I didn't see some of the more obvious sites this trip, but I did go out of my way to walk through and around some interesting pieces of history.  

Ruthven Barracks - photo by MK

Ruthven Barracks was my first set of ruins and completely deserted when I ventured up to get a closer look. The wind was surprisingly strong on that hilltop, but it was still worth walking through the abandoned structure.

Ruthven Barracks Stables - photo by MK

Castle Roy was a ruin I saw only from the road as it was off limits due to instability.

Castle Roy - photo by MK

I really don't know what my fascination is with cemeteries. It could simply be my interest in those who walked the land before. What was their story? How was life during the years they spent on this earth? There were cemeteries everywhere!

Photo by MK

What I found interesting about these markers was the number of individuals on one gravestone. It's touching, and I found myself wondering if it was commonplace to have a family marker rather than individual ones. The children were all so young.