Perth and the Palace of Scone

This was a busy day!

We got a cab to the airport to pick up our rental car: a pale green Peugeot. We thought we would be able to get a cell phone, but one wasn’t available, so we took off without one. My first ever day driving a right-hand drive car! We made it to the bridge over the Firth of Forth to discover a toll bridge in our way, so that occasioned a bit of fumbling for unfamiliar coins before we could go on. We made it across the bridge, found the Motorway, and just like that, we were officially off for our driving tour of Scotland.

Our first stop was Perth, a town we thoroughly enjoyed visiting. We parked, walked through the town, enjoyed looking in some shops, and managed to find the Tourist Office to plan our day in a little more detail. After that we walked through a nice pedestrian area and stuck our heads into St. John’s Kerk, where there were some neat bells on display. After a sandwich at a pub next to the church, we got back in the car and went a bit out of town to the Caithness Glass Works. Compared to our visits to small glass work places in Cambridge and Biot, this one was a bit disappointing. It was basically a large factory, with only “viewing areas” where we could look through windows to see people at work. We didn’t have a chance to talk to anyone actually working on the glass. Some of the designs were very nice, though, and I bought a paperweight for my mother.

Then it was back through Perth and on to the Palace of Scone. We had a great visit there, though we didn’t go inside. This was our first day in the countryside, and we chose to spend our time walking through the grounds. Moot Hill (AKA “Boot Hill”) is there, where Scottish Kings were crowned for years. A replica of the Stone of Destiny is there, so I took time to pose for a portrait. I guess it’s like Greyfriar’s Bobby. You sort of have to do it.

The best part of our time touring the grounds was just walking through the gardens and trees. Many of them are North American trees, from seeds planted in the early nineteenth century. One of Britain’s official “50 Great Trees” is a Douglas Fir planted by David Douglas in the 1820s. Fun to see. I have to admit I was floored to see foxgloves with bloom stalks as tall as I am. I do love those flowers, though I’ve never had any success trying to grow them. They bake quite easily and early in our Birmingham summer.

We eventually got back on the road and started the drive to Aberdeen. We were on small roads for a while, some so small they were almost single-track roads. We even crossed two bridges that were wide enough for only one vehicle at a time. Scottish drivers have to be on their toes and stay courteous to avoid meeting each other in the middle! Along the way, I found that driving on the left wasn’t bad at all, much like it had been in our Peugeot wagon in 1985. But having the steering wheel on the right was a different matter. I tended to drift farther and farther to the left, which caused Judy more than a little anxiety. On the motorway or a “dual carriageway,” it was OK, but the smaller roads were a challenge. Then, when we did get to a larger highway, I discovered the car had a fourth gear! Who knew?

In spite of the motoring challenges, we reached Aberdeen and found Butler’s Island Guest House in time to walk around a bit and try the Saddlery for dinner. Somehow walking into a restaurant with a Western theme hit us as completely silly for a night out in Scotland. The food was good, but scenes of outlaw chases on horseback, six-shooters on the wall, and a few other items scattered around were just too funny for words.