The red roofed cottage on the edge of Loch Shieldaig credit: Kenny Lam / VisitScotland
Glen Docherty looking towards Loch Maree
The Torridon Hills at Upper Loch Torridon credit: Kenny Lam / VisitScotland
The North Coast 500 is a classic drive starting and finishing in Inverness, most of it follows the wild North West coast of Scotland and is about 500 miles in length. The route marked in blue below.
I think the best way to do this is fly into Glasgow, travel north to the Glenfinnan Viaduct, then travel via the North Coast 500 route from Applecross and finishing in Inverness. Then finish off with a whisky tour of Speyside
Home of the best traditional Cullen Skink and the best Cullen Skink with a Twist. If you are visiting then you have to try a bowl of iconic dish but the town is ideal for food lovers of all kinds.
Locals travel from near and far for a dining experience at Bar 19 of The Seafield Arms Hotel. Bar 19 offers a diverse menu using the finest quality of locally sourced ingredients
Pennan
The Pennan Inn, they pride themselves on using local ingredients to craft dishes that complement the stunning sea views. Their bar is the perfect spot for a relaxing evening with a variety of wines and beers.
thankfifi has an excellent site, with her Travel Guide – Moray Speyside, Scotland
thankfifi.com
an excerpt from her site appears here
WHERE TO SHOP
Honestly, this was probably the biggest surprise to me – the quality and variety of independents in Moray Speyside is nothing short of spectacular. I love me a farm shop and whilst I hoped there might be one or two of those (and there were), it was the boutique fashion and homewares that really took me by surprise.
If you are looking for a one stop shop, with a cafe for lunch, then Brodie Countryfare is a wonderful highland department store whilst Logie Steading is home to a range of brilliant independents in a beautiful setting.
I have listed all my favourites below but please do let me know if there are more I should add to the list.
LADIES FASHION Alluring Boutique, Elgin – small but mighty, this place packs a serious fashion punch and is full to the brim with gems from British and Scandinavian brands (I picked up a couple of bits for myself here) Johnstons of Elgin, Elgin – most likely needs no introduction but this place is a destination with the most beautiful and HUGE cashmere store with a highly recommended cafe restaurant on site too My, Lossiemouth – a selection ranging from casual to formal – I still regret leaving that checkedboard knit, pictured below, behind Brodie Countryfare, by Forres – a one stop shop for stylish country ladies Timeless, Logie Steading – this tiny paradise run by a local stylist and featuring her hand picked brands is just lovely
HOMEWARES South Lissens Pottery, Buckie – RR – definitely on my list for next time Johnstons of Elgin, Elgin – I think I could hibernate most happily under a cashmere throw The Farm & Garden Shop, Logie Steading – a smorgasbord of local food, gifts and that wonderful twine (pictured below) The Boardroom, Logie Steading – tucked away at the back of the farm shop you will find this carpentry workshop with the most beautiful raw edge timber shelves and boards for extremely reasonable prices The Re:Store, Lossiemouth – a sustainable, plastic-free refill store – I only wish one of these would open near me Brodie Countryfare, by Forres – a really nicely curated and large selection of Scottish homewares
WHISKY Gordon and MacPhail, Elgin – the oldest whisky in the world – suffice to say the husband was devastated that the newly refurbished store was not quite open for our visit (reason enough to go back to Moray Speyside) Logie Whisky & Spirits Shop, Logie Steading – a great place to pick up a tipple
GIFTS Pencil Me In, Elgin – a stationery shop that definitely sparks joy – what a delight to browse around Sirology, Elgin – a small but perfectly curated shop for the gents in your life Brodie Countryfare, by Forres – the kids section was epic and we brought home half the food department along with gifts of local gin, jams, salt and pepper grinders and chocolates for the obliging grandparent babysitters
Note : there is a very short tourist season – Hotels, restaurants, and tour companies have a short two-month season in which to make their hay. It’s deadly quiet even in early June or early September.
The Fiords
Villages
Boat Cruises
The Geiranger Fjord Cruise & Flam Railway
The only disadvantage of this is that only 2 days are spent on the boat, incliding one night at sea, so you miss some of the scenery,
Stemmo’s alternative
Bergen to Flam by rail
Then Flam to Bergen by regular ferry
Here is another great Cruise – Hurtigruten Classic Round Trip Voyage
Ride the subway to the top of its Akers River Valley and stroll downhill through a long riverside park — once the city’s churning industrial zone, with factories belching and waterwheels spinning.
The Akers River, though only about five miles long, powered Oslo’s early industry: flour mills in the 1300s, sawmills in the 1500s, and Norway’s Industrial Revolution in the 1800s.
It seems like it hasn’t changed for a century, fortunately it’s not overun by holiday villas and apartments like so much of the southern coasts or Portugal and Spain.
The Majestic Cafe
One of the worlds top 10 cafes
Lello Bookshop
Famous for its staircase, (it features in a Harry Potter movie), so is very popular with tourists, you have to line up for a ticket to get in, but it is a bookshop, where you can browse and buy.
Churches adorned in blue tiles
The Railway Station
Portuguese Dining
So many places along the river
The River
Porto is at the mouth of the Douro River, most of the cafes, bars and restaurants are along the north bank looking across to the port houses on the southern side
Best place to stay – a river view
A stunning view of the river and port houses on the otherside of the river, downtairs you can walk to about 50 bars cafes and restaurants
The best place to stay and spend leisurley hours is the north bank, opposite on the southern bank are the port houses, close enough to walk to.
You can also reach the city center easily, there is a funicular railway from Ribeira to Batalha, thence walk or tram to the city center, Majestic Cafe (aim to get there at 10:00am), from there across town to the Lello Bookshop (Livraria Lello), then maybe the Railway Station (Porto Sao Bento). Click on the maps to enlarge.
Stretching along the northern bank are most of the cafes and restaurants, far more than are shown here
Stemmo's Travels 