Friday, May 13 (the last day)

We had a delightful breakfast with our fellow overnighters at the B&B and quite an interesting discussion as they were researching bats and studying plant life as part of an environmental study for burying cables. Seems red tape may be everywhere!!! The B&B, Merlindale at Crieff, was the best of our stay in Scotland.

After a walk around Crieff and a visit to various shops and observing glass blowing at the local factory, we headed off toward Falkland Palace … sort of. Seems Camilla (the name we assigned to our GPS) had other ideas, though, and sent us through the countryside toward Falkirk. We figured it out after half an hour of wasted miles, but adjusted course and arrived at lunch time. After some soup, sandwich and salad at a vegetarian, organic café (you can guess who chose the location), we entered the palace and toured what one of the hostesses referred to as “the early day Balmoral.” The hunting lodge of the Stuarts, this was used until the mid-1500s, when Oliver Cromwell set down the Scotlanders, and then his men accidentally set fire to a large part of the castle shortly thereafter. A small portion of the palace was brought back to life in the late 1800s, and while much of it remains in ruin, there is still much to see. The gardens are spectacular, and Falklands still has the oldest royal tennis court in use, dating back to Mary Queen of Scots. Seems royal tennis is different from lawn tennis, but I will leave that to your research.

We then headed up the street to a pub tucked away in the village, and found it overbooked. But the proprietor squeezed us in to a reserved table, and enjoyed one of our better meals of the trip at a most economical price. A refreshing glass of Pimm’s and a dark ale along with scrumptions desserts made the meal complete. Lomond Tavern will stay on our list for future visits for sure.

We end our day at the Hilton Airport, repacking and reshuffling and relaxing as we await our noon flight tomorrow. See you in the States soon. Cheerio!!