Blair Athol, Highland Wildlife Park and Fort William
Having a friend who is totally crazy about wolves, we were advised to go and visit the Highland Wildlife Park, located up North near Kingussie. We plotted a route and this took us near Blair Athol.
The Blair Athol Distillery in the picturesque town of Pitlochry, Blair Athol is one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland. The Distillery produces a 12-Year Old Single Malt Whiskey with a strong fruity flavour and a smooth finish, and is a great visit. Unbelievable but through, I met a Brazilian co-Jeeper in the parking lot who owns three Jeeps himself. We exchanged our email addresses and were on our way.
The Highland Wildlife Park is located in a number of valleys and is accessible by car. It has both domestic and exotic animals, and allows you to stop and get out of the car on specific places. The kids loved it.
On the way back we visited Fort William, which was a disappointment for us. Almost no people on the streets, no interesting shops, but we did find a shop selling some of the greatest Scottish pies I ever tasted. On the way back home, we were hammered with showers and rain until all of a sudden, the clouds opened and we were surprised and awarded with one of the most beautiful rainbows we have ever seen. This is Scotland at its best, we believe.
Callander, Duke’s Pass and Achray Forest Drive
This daytrip took us on a magnificent and sunny Easter Day to Callander, one of the larger towns in the region and bustling with people on Sunday morning. It’s a big contrast with the quietness in the hills. We had a great lunch in The Waverly Pub and after lunch, we sat out to find the Duke’s Pass to get to the Achray Forest Drive. The pass is a stretch of a few kilometers of narrow and winding road, consuming your concentration to the max! It swivels around the lochs and over the hills, and gives a great drivers feeling. Maybe we should have taken the Grand Cherokee instead of the Wrangler here.