Meta tags:

Headings (most frequently used words):

share, this, dispatch, from, edinburgh, of, me, the, post, navigation, jc, reilly, poeta, venum, around, town, isle, skye, redux, port, leith, distillery, return, to, mull, iona, 2026, lots, castles, little, house, in, highlands, missing, dad, afternoon, tea, islay, and, whisky, coast, cats, main, menu, it, you, may, also, know, as, upcoming, readings, such, calendar, posts, categories, archives, cloudy, with, chance, follow, on, twitter, meta,

Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (1347), and (752), was (364), but (249), that (217), for (181), with (177), they (121), you (117), had (105), not (104), this (100), were (94), have (92), which (90), there (87), from (84), castle (80), out (76), like (75), new (73), would (64), one (61), get (60), #little (59), then (57), share (56), because (56), when (56), whisky (55), window (55), been (55), could (54), tour (54), about (53), some (53), see (53), didn (52), are (52), all (51), opens (50), can (47), after (47), just (45), back (45), time (43), room (43), what (42), she (42), over (42), edinburgh (40), into (40), very (40), them (40), their (40), his (39), distillery (39), more (39), scotland (38), where (38), tea (38), her (37), think (37), went (36), our (36), down (35), who (34), off (34), only (33), got (32), also (31), did (31), water (31), too (31), writing (30), years (30), before (29), don (29), people (29), said (29), abbey (29), even (28), home (28), really (28), bridge (28), took (27), still (27), other (26), loch (26), two (26), house (26), way (26), iona (26), few (25), next (25), thought (25), though (25), much (25), going (25), another (25), while (24), nice (23), through (23), how (23), take (23), cheese (23), around (23), email (22), view (22), three (22), day (22), kind (22), might (22), him (22), well (22), ferry (22), good (22), walk (22), facebook (21), make (21), cream (21), church (21), although (21), first (21), bus (21), skye (21), leith (21), july (20), cat (20), posted (20), pinterest (20), linkedin (20), old (20), stopped (20), made (20), many (20), say (19), sure (19), being (19), long (19), look (19), full (19), has (19), maybe (19), lunch (19), place (19), bit (19), again (19), scottish (19), know (18), feel (18), wasn (18), something (18), oban (18), guide (18), harbor (18), rain (18), lovely (18), apparently (18), walked (18), mull (18), prestonfield (18), want (18), palace (18), reilly (17), table (17), than (17), these (17), find (17), island (17), rooms (17), may (16), poetry (16), cats (16), reply (16), last (16), since (16), big (16), sea (16), foot (16), great (16), cold (16), year (15), looked (15), white (15), small (15), here (15), especially (15), interesting (15), wanted (15), town (15), harrods (15), afternoon (15), course (15), will (15), queen (15), now (14), june (14), chocolate (14), beautiful (14), highlands (14), high (14), pretty (14), enjoyed (14), your (14), drove (14), bought (14), silver (14), trip (14), post (13), sheep (13), try (13), person (13), left (13), air (13), things (13), everyone (13), actually (13), bed (13), its (13), side (13), every (13), inside (13), sign (12), couple (12), dinner (12), someone (12), called (12), pictures (12), laphroaig (12), dark (12), kilmartin (12), taste (12), early (12), most (12), found (12), anyway (12), isle (12), eat (12), need (12), century (12), life (12), come (12), fyvie (12), fraser (12), sit (12), port (12), loading (11), book (11), 2026 (11), leave (11), friend (11), rather (11), bad (11), looking (11), any (11), chose (11), enough (11), once (11), glen (11), mountains (11), barley (11), ruins (11), decided (11), bottle (11), gave (11), glass (11), believe (11), tried (11), dining (11), always (11), outside (11), liked (11), thing (11), everything (11), hall (11), duke (11), shop (11), ship (11), tagged (10), link (10), let (10), sweet (10), hot (10), sat (10), drink (10), cake (10), across (10), bowmore (10), hotel (10), same (10), love (10), buy (10), told (10), myself (10), tiny (10), walking (10), each (10), spirit (10), right (10), black (10), standing (10), known (10), front (10), came (10), red (10), offered (10), doesn (10), morning (10), duart (10), holyrood (10), write (9), wednesday (9), sisters (9), 2023 (9), 2025 (9), general (9), seemed (9), saw (9), summer (9), seem (9), those (9), stills (9), put (9), floor (9), cask (9), glad (9), felt (9), sherry (9), stop (9), favorite (9), mind (9), coke (9), waiting (9), large (9), live (9), cottage (9), stones (9), north (9), past (9), entrance (9), wall (9), gardens (9), lady (9), sandwich (9), read (9), crathes (9), bathroom (9), imagine (9), nick (9), royal (9), travel (8), reading (8), august (8), december (8), 2010 (8), 2015 (8), 2016 (8), 2022 (8), thinking (8), family (8), statue (8), four (8), almost (8), until (8), café (8), dispatch (8), islay (8), different (8), rest (8), never (8), whiskies (8), fact (8), visit (8), delicious (8), open (8), fresh (8), instead (8), cardhu (8), breakfast (8), dram (8), fine (8), far (8), later (8), including (8), started (8), anything (8), asked (8), having (8), half (8), green (8), point (8), became (8), either (8), stay (8), space (8), 000 (8), case (8), prince (8), charles (8), gift (8), britannia (8), chance (7), february (7), march (7), april (7), part (7), mostly (7), fleur (7), pet (7), times (7), couldn (7), fancy (7), young (7), strawberry (7), carrot (7), week (7), mentioned (7), seen (7), comes (7), gets (7), near (7), dad (7), kildalton (7), cross (7), away (7), drams (7), somehow (7), both (7), flight (7), top (7), beach (7), hell (7), expensive (7), heard (7), path (7), various (7), basically (7), used (7), lot (7), zero (7), fish (7), chips (7), bread (7), world (7), tart (7), sandwiches (7), clotted (7), scone (7), second (7), photo (7), own (7), yet (7), should (7), wife (7), sun (7), whole (7), falkland (7), atholl (7), seeing (7), castles (7), places (7), rabbie (7), anne (7), several (7), mary (7), forth (7), weekend (7), altar (7), weather (7), station (7), yacht (7), market (7), faerie (7), name (6), bar (6), content (6), poeta (6), venum (6), blog (6), head (6), ginger (6), art (6), 2009 (6), september (6), october (6), 2021 (6), such (6), unfortunately (6), real (6), lots (6), fortunately (6), street (6), company (6), kilchoman (6), meant (6), stayed (6), distilleries (6), ago (6), husband (6), cool (6), grass (6), money (6), wet (6), looks (6), hadn (6), stops (6), sugar (6), makes (6), give (6), arrived (6), night (6), picked (6), cairns (6), ride (6), streets (6), driving (6), quite (6), ever (6), heilan (6), perhaps (6), taken (6), together (6), afraid (6), jam (6), wait (6), fruit (6), seat (6), center (6), wandered (6), coos (6), happy (6), flowers (6), doing (6), mean (6), heart (6), lived (6), man (6), phone (6), means (6), road (6), blair (6), kept (6), dress (6), hard (6), hand (6), private (6), visited (6), built (6), ate (6), sunny (6), staffa (6), site (5), already (5), christmas (5), books (5), 2014 (5), 2020 (5), maison (5), famous (5), women (5), spent (5), appreciate (5), feather (5), face (5), care (5), girl (5), whipped (5), dropped (5), best (5), miss (5), city (5), orange (5), single (5), lagavulin (5), heaven (5), end (5), feeling (5), robbie (5), making (5), guess (5), aged (5), usually (5), farmer (5), south (5), coast (5), tours (5), better (5), door (5), sparkling (5), tier (5), eye (5), box (5), enjoying (5), remembered (5), east (5), meet (5), bottom (5), must (5), nothing (5), ready (5), along (5), drinking (5), willow (5), mousse (5), apricot (5), pineapple (5), cozy (5), comfortable (5), passed (5), important (5), fell (5), desserts (5), scones (5), butter (5), plus (5), treats (5), plate (5), egg (5), service (5), wonderful (5), bench (5), heavy (5), waited (5), particularly (5), show (5), enjoy (5), huge (5), photos (5), ask (5), movie (5), talk (5), sometimes (5), loved (5), close (5), country (5), culloden (5), clava (5), guy (5), walled (5), library (5), under (5), upstairs (5), walls (5), held (5), wear (5), community (5), hung (5), hang (5), copper (5), etc (5), pudding (5), dog (5), behind (5), raincoat (5), climb (5), low (5), mountain (5), cloisters (5), sound (5), glasgow (5), flat (5), dull (5), faeries (5), moor (5), pools (5), mussels (5), eilean (5), donan (5), luck (5), horses (5), david (5), darnley (5), log (4), wordpress (4), com (4), feed (4), process (4), writer (4), kelpies (4), fiction (4), january (4), 2017 (4), drawing (4), moggy (4), grassmarket (4), needs (4), less (4), playing (4), wand (4), oriental (4), sister (4), norwegian (4), wouldn (4), chased (4), hoping (4), chairs (4), hour (4), determined (4), haven (4), malt (4), mash (4), wash (4), break (4), sky (4), calmac (4), disappointed (4), whereas (4), peated (4), finish (4), pronounced (4), began (4), son (4), age (4), ran (4), grown (4), history (4), american (4), taking (4), gate (4), keep (4), tasting (4), johnny (4), walker (4), cane (4), below (4), area (4), suppose (4), knew (4), alcohol (4), else (4), continued (4), damp (4), hours (4), stone (4), getting (4), cup (4), toffee (4), lomond (4), between (4), able (4), tasted (4), flavor (4), london (4), tree (4), pepper (4), food (4), special (4), eating (4), tell (4), bite (4), rose (4), tomato (4), slowly (4), noticed (4), smelled (4), delicate (4), paintings (4), multiple (4), grounds (4), dates (4), whom (4), vanilla (4), typical (4), soft (4), students (4), experience (4), price (4), sitting (4), sauce (4), luxury (4), dennis (4), plain (4), store (4), restaurant (4), call (4), true (4), amazing (4), probably (4), dead (4), number (4), without (4), somewhere (4), wonder (4), barely (4), living (4), painting (4), weeks (4), access (4), 18th (4), beauty (4), check (4), weapons (4), bedrooms (4), wearing (4), murray (4), john (4), office (4), smell (4), windy (4), spiral (4), talked (4), scots (4), king (4), minutes (4), eventually (4), weird (4), kitchen (4), windows (4), free (4), shower (4), toilet (4), steep (4), woman (4), however (4), use (4), crossing (4), sick (4), coe (4), nether (4), largie (4), viewpoint (4), nunnery (4), columba (4), maclean (4), courtyard (4), tobermory (4), raining (4), clouds (4), moody (4), jewelry (4), earrings (4), wanting (4), staterooms (4), visiting (4), least (4), train (4), wool (4), museum (4), stream (4), camp (4), philip (4), stall (4), required (3), atlanta (3), publication (3), poem (3), ocean (3), novel (3), month (3), wood (3), november (3), 2013 (3), 2018 (3), 2019 (3), readings (3), posts (3), older (3), onto (3), sleepy (3), whose (3), missing (3), pass (3), british (3), shorthair (3), sebastian (3), forest (3), brown (3), play (3), mine (3), ordered (3), faculty (3), spots (3), garden (3), peat (3), caol (3), ila (3), mill (3), flying (3), interest (3), inverary (3), george (3), surprisingly (3), barrels (3), graves (3), why (3), gravestones (3), speyside (3), magic (3), cared (3), included (3), bourbon (3), regular (3), forward (3), ale (3), manager (3), ships (3), mist (3), jura (3), guests (3), job (3), mainland (3), towards (3), men (3), granted (3), drop (3), five (3), complete (3), christian (3), tall (3), shape (3), worn (3), saying (3), obviously (3), recently (3), 2012 (3), clear (3), crazy (3), except (3), brazillian (3), met (3), done (3), laugh (3), himself (3), throughout (3), draff (3), encouraged (3), aren (3), turned (3), bakery (3), names (3), gathered (3), chat (3), crackers (3), days (3), curtains (3), happened (3), camera (3), field (3), headed (3), dogs (3), wondered (3), west (3), cheddar (3), prepared (3), peacock (3), coo (3), savory (3), chandelier (3), matcha (3), ball (3), glasses (3), jackfruit (3), perfectly (3), georgian (3), possibly (3), pleased (3), wish (3), server (3), raspberry (3), third (3), toast (3), poured (3), brought (3), itself (3), indeed (3), order (3), previous (3), final (3), background (3), friday (3), flower (3), cucumber (3), pot (3), lighter (3), star (3), ladies (3), corner (3), bowl (3), soaked (3), given (3), button (3), mushroom (3), onion (3), worked (3), bright (3), crystal (3), regency (3), cute (3), sad (3), forgive (3), allows (3), doctor (3), moved (3), school (3), ill (3), bare (3), watched (3), moving (3), instance (3), card (3), gone (3), anymore (3), younger (3), beyond (3), dream (3), hole (3), kings (3), sadly (3), semester (3), work (3), matter (3), opportunity (3), finding (3), croft (3), become (3), teaching (3), bagpipes (3), andrews (3), nursery (3), thunderton (3), governess (3), deer (3), paddock (3), till (3), antiques (3), children (3), weren (3), lands (3), staircase (3), rock (3), turn (3), sunday (3), peas (3), blue (3), sticky (3), quickly (3), often (3), ghost (3), tend (3), portraits (3), artist (3), painted (3), quarters (3), running (3), managed (3), realize (3), bring (3), aberdeen (3), steps (3), checked (3), vertical (3), boule (3), eaten (3), fun (3), everywhere (3), conversation (3), public (3), seems (3), bridges (3), unusual (3), does (3), craignure (3), pennygown (3), seafood (3), skip (3), beanie (3), strawberries (3), suddenly (3), finished (3), crisps (3), surprised (3), cloister (3), appropriately (3), sized (3), needed (3), linnhe (3), ben (3), boat (3), planned (3), minute (3), mile (3), played (3), etive (3), mòr (3), sense (3), wind (3), vegas (3), tram (3), carry (3), fermentation (3), parts (3), unlike (3), land (3), quiraing (3), islands (3), unicorn (3), promised (3), camping (3), talisker (3), canadian (3), saturday (3), houses (3), beds (3), items (3), hoodie (3), remember (3), smollett (3), elizabeth (3), foredeck (3), personal (3), parliament (3), comments (2), manage (2), reader (2), report (2), subscribed (2), subscribe (2), account (2), join (2), create (2), follow (2), thursday (2), review (2), brewer (2), lee (2), national (2), inspiration (2), flash (2), depression (2), chris (2), chapbook (2), 2011 (2), 2024 (2), loud (2), navigation (2), greyfriars (2), bobby (2), cafe (2), obvs (2), jumping (2), kitty (2), begins (2), completely (2), shorthairs (2), maude (2), ragdolls (2), caught (2), brother (2), child (2), chocolates (2), drinks (2), moment (2), jumped (2), tables (2), amount (2), snack (2), slice (2), ears (2), online (2), traffic (2), doors (2), turret (2), dry (2), ardbeg (2), tun (2), yes (2), mills (2), business (2), pic (2), thousands (2), malting (2), norwegians (2), scale (2), drunk (2), ass (2), strength (2), strong (2), 1300s (2), besides (2), overall (2), stewart (2), passion (2), pick (2), acquired (2), choose (2), flagship (2), surprising (2), yorkers (2), australia (2), burn (2), death (2), thus (2), totally (2), peaty (2), cliffs (2), passionfruit (2), worth (2), 120 (2), wives (2), impressive (2), hit (2), according (2), crosses (2), celtic (2), twice (2), carvings (2), smooth (2), asking (2), pellets (2), boobs (2), dreich (2), clearly (2), lah (2), driver (2), brazilian (2), angel (2), finally (2), operation (2), proprietor (2), start (2), liquor (2), super (2), definitely (2), learned (2), cart (2), sold (2), animal (2), charge (2), farmers (2), help (2), touch (2), clean (2), backs (2), casks (2), stored (2), residence (2), attached (2), friendly (2), father (2), liter (2), slept (2), middle (2), careful (2), board (2), neither (2), gateway (2), packed (2), truffle (2), saved (2), freezing (2), trossachs (2), line (2), nearly (2), eastern (2), roads (2), local (2), realized (2), dreary (2), smoky (2), dessert (2), thyme (2), pistachio (2), macaron (2), coconut (2), teapot (2), rained (2), teas (2), elegant (2), bum (2), class (2), everyday (2), sweets (2), divine (2), charming (2), pleasant (2), sphere (2), wine (2), pots (2), tower (2), english (2), oat (2), roll (2), espresso (2), smile (2), sip (2), wore (2), bouche (2), comfy (2), evening (2), fig (2), led (2), bore (2), wallpaper (2), velvet (2), bouquets (2), purple (2), sparkled (2), reservation (2), hellion (2), arranger (2), status (2), poor (2), mayo (2), salad (2), salmon (2), ham (2), replete (2), carrots (2), presentation (2), design (2), deco (2), printed (2), lines (2), overwhelmed (2), grape (2), minus (2), gotten (2), following (2), vegan (2), jams (2), blackberry (2), raised (2), combination (2), milk (2), drank (2), forever (2), light (2), cakes (2), served (2), loose (2), laden (2), leaves (2), ton (2), replies (2), forgiveness (2), says (2), earth (2), peaceful (2), grateful (2), beloved (2), appreciated (2), humans (2), focus (2), continue (2), adult (2), situation (2), absolute (2), lives (2), honest (2), abuse (2), purpose (2), detail (2), ended (2), loss (2), remembering (2), colored (2), earlier (2), simply (2), dumb (2), dreams (2), muse (2), knocked (2), build (2), practice (2), court (2), dedicated (2), stevens (2), insurance (2), actual (2), wrong (2), selling (2), retirement (2), idea (2), alone (2), alas (2), poems (2), constantly (2), suitcases (2), locals (2), bike (2), catch (2), nature (2), plein (2), madeleine (2), bunting (2), jamie (2), stuff (2), knows (2), goodbye (2), battlefield (2), crows (2), image (2), quiet (2), nook (2), bedroom (2), baby (2), smoking (2), style (2), thanks (2), repetitive (2), acclimated (2), runs (2), tale (2), crowded (2), mom (2), allowed (2), collected (2), kinds (2), africa (2), rich (2), car (2), vacation (2), removed (2), died (2), issue (2), choice (2), answered (2), tuns (2), highball (2), drive (2), eyes (2), sleep (2), 1746 (2), badly (2), roast (2), mushy (2), lord (2), stuart (2), pub (2), ghosts (2), mysterious (2), move (2), ledge (2), word (2), pipe (2), organ (2), guided (2), difference (2), self (2), answer (2), portrait (2), decorated (2), servants (2), camilla (2), note (2), henry (2), invite (2), mushrooms (2), stuck (2), woke (2), reception (2), desk (2), trying (2), spend (2), homework (2), enter (2), visitors (2), bother (2), signs (2), vibe (2), perfect (2), roof (2), stair (2), cases (2), central (2), hold (2), remarkable (2), river (2), visitor (2), tennis (2), furniture (2), action (2), meetings (2), nooks (2), strange (2), sink (2), messy (2), hill (2), friends (2), stood (2), dunnottar (2), overlooking (2), crypt (2), locked (2), swim (2), cigarette (2), breathe (2), smoke (2), supposed (2), andrew (2), paths (2), quick (2), firth (2), designed (2), trains (2), cable (2), fourth (2), happen (2), chilly (2), arriving (2), hacking (2), cough (2), size (2), bag (2), honestly (2), sale (2), crowe (2), thankful (2), fyne (2), macleod (2), fitzroy (2), battlements (2), inner (2), graveyard (2), recommend (2), holy (2), hebrides (2), terminal (2), scallops (2), suspect (2), phenomenal (2), vip (2), doubt (2), nobody (2), passing (2), returned (2), return (2), splurged (2), pair (2), durham (2), charlotte (2), airbnb (2), set (2), words (2), beside (2), states (2), belonged (2), decoration (2), founded (2), others (2), change (2), stained (2), connected (2), cells (2), ireland (2), bracing (2), stand (2), brooch (2), impressed (2), woodsy (2), ground (2), allowing (2), despite (2), pron (2), peninsula (2), juts (2), members (2), explore (2), cave (2), touched (2), pork (2), fishnish (2), sailed (2), feet (2), meaning (2), coming (2), closing (2), ballachulish (2), safe (2), inch (2), story (2), rannoch (2), tulla (2), featured (2), bond (2), ish (2), picture (2), skyfall (2), working (2), blether (2), seltzer (2), mystified (2), figure (2), turns (2), coll (2), afterwards (2), tesco (2), unaged (2), folks (2), heads (2), tails (2), distilled (2), hear (2), yeast (2), mix (2), washback (2), bubbles (2), gin (2), ian (2), paddy (2), fans (2), search (2), floors (2), unicorns (2), perthshire (2), stick (2), interested (2), magical (2), soul (2), surrounds (2), outer (2), buckee (2), giftshop (2), filled (2), main (2), shore (2), appearing (2), soon (2), horse (2), lochs (2), ten (2), campgrounds (2), dripping (2), giant (2), portree (2), winds (2), froze (2), 100 (2), crofts (2), loom (2), hardly (2), hat (2), buying (2), meanwhile (2), lane (2), cost (2), marshmallows (2), lubnaig (2), lay (2), swimmers (2), arrive (2), forgotten (2), forgot (2), shoved (2), backpack (2), crew (2), occasionally (2), model (2), stateroom (2), bunks (2), surgery (2), speedboat (2), gates (2), watermelon (2), pear (2), frangipane (2), portobello (2), deck (2), tearoom (2), larger (2), parents (2), intimate (2), jewels (2), nose (2), obscuring (2), salads (2), potato (2), manta (2), rays (2), student (2), incident (2), salt (2), website, comment, collapse, subscriptions, privacy, 153, subscribers, entries, meta, tweets, twitter, block, magick, alter, blahs, tammy, foster, submissions, sibley, rupert, fike, rockvale, colony, robin, kemp, robert, revision, rejections, publishing, publications, poetryatlanta, narrative, nanowrimo, ness, petite, mort, kodac, harrison, karen, julie, bloemeke, java, monkey, ilya, kaminsky, hecate, applebough, grace, bauer, gps, murchison, georgia, society, genre, ekphrastic, dyps, decatur, festival, dan, veach, conquering, venus, collin, kelley, christine, swint, michalovic, contest, bob, blake, leland, awp, appf, andrea, jurjevic, amo, canto, acceptances, cloudy, topics, networkedblogs, archives, zentangle, journal, 101, meditation, editing, creative, contests, categories, jun, calendar, upcoming, descent, bartholo, mew, ragdoll, assuaged, lonely, hidden, hostel, err, cattycorner, meow, gilbert, calm, unwillingness, throw, vocal, pairs, sibling, short, hairs, tabby, dangle, birdie, nico, herself, flicking, sprinkles, delivered, grey, named, lick, nanny, scooched, reappeared, deprived, starved, fooled, pathetic, sleek, cavorted, wands, snoozed, petting, rouse, snoozing, rude, lemonade, pricked, privations, spending, lack, desperately, suburbs, disappeared, aside, county, distilery, bennahabhain, mashed, pile, grain, sizes, flags, japan, mediocre, bra, sake, ferments, manufacturer, hardy, lasted, 150, repair, oven, ramp, serious, reminds, indiana, jones, ark, boxes, 100s, protected, shed, pics, composition, hoped, trail, guides, among, choices, oak, quintessential, sweetness, froyg, brand, 1815, sons, campbell, estate, brothers, emigrated, drowned, vat, burnt, inherited, underage, during, prohibition, feds, persuaded, medicinal, delivering, diversion, snarky, gen, knowledgeable, attending, university, killing, parched, pink, cocktail, wound, blink, snacks, cocktails, carved, 700, finest, roofless, donation, pound, shut, due, isolated, 300, inhabitants, boy, compared, seriously, bunna, hay, ven, unpeated, abhain, araig, olorosso, bott, toiteach, dila, handwritten, notation, collapsed, bunnahabhain, cull, owned, moray, diet, six, pickled, disabled, parking, upward, interim, happening, dance, group, lost, evaporates, funny, forthing, loses, translation, keystone, cops, hilarity, dude, tastings, nosing, lanyard, convenient, alcoholic, aging, goes, waste, usable, proteins, nutrition, conveyor, belt, moves, raise, expect, germinate, hello, shoes, amber, oloroso, pairing, est, 1779, japanese, maine, reservations, caffeine, settled, twin, sort, hurting, 1500s, faint, kennacraig, remained, whales, dolphins, grave, isles, resort, nories, coffees, candy, bars, truffles, crème, chili, chuffle, ganache, norries, mmm, callender, dividing, lowlands, airy

Text of the page (random words):
cross from the hotel gardens and enjoyed the many dogs that walked by but eventually after resting my foot i continued the walk and got to the abbey itself iona abbey iona abbey is smallish but appropriately sized for being the first christian site in scotland apparently how the aristocratic st columba chose its spot had to do with his wanting a place from which he could not view ireland anymore he had been chased out of that country over a plagiarism dispute around 560 unfortunately he chose a site on a dark dreary day when the sun came back out he could see ireland after all but he chose not to move his community the abbey dates from around 1200 long after st columba s time iona abbey cloisters i walked around the cloister which faced a courtyard with a statue in it on the walls were gravestones but they were mostly unreadable the cloister connected the monks cells with the church and offered a space for prayer and quietude the gift shop was an offshoot of the cloister you almost wouldn t know it was there except that the door was open i poked around inside and then wandered into the church and said some prayers for my family and my kitties and the world at large stained glass window of st columba surprisingly the cloisters felt holier than the church did to me the church offered some beautiful arches and stonework but not much more in the way of decoration and that could be because it s not a catholic church anymore or because the church had been raided by vikings and the protestant reformation or because being on a remote island for a small christian flock maybe decoration wasn t a big priority anyway it s now the home of the iona community an ecumenical church founded by george macleod in 1938 and made up of many religious denominations this community sounds peaceful and good and believes in social justice matters in fact there was a table full of dishes of ribbons for which you could donate coins for such causes as black lives matter the environment aids hiv and others i had bought a little monk bear in the gift shop and gave some spare change for an environmental ribbon which i pinned to his robe as for the altar it was pretty plain and the stained glass windows were small but the church had a good vibe to it on the way back to the harbor i stopped at the larder to get some lunch and ate my cheese sandwich crisps and coke zero on a bench in front of the store a woman and her husband sat down beside me and we began a very interesting conversation about their visit to iona apparently they are scottish but have been living mostly in the united states for the last 20 years although they have a flat that belonged to her mother somewhere in scotland where in the u s did they live i asked and was surprised when they said oh durham north carolina so we talked about durham and about charlotte and atlanta too i asked what they did with their flat outside of the 6 weeks that they stay there every year did they airbnb it this got a laugh it s pretty difficult they told me to set up airbnb s because of scottish laws that allow people to stay beyond the time they ve contracted to stay in a place in other words they don t have to go even if you want them to i thought that was amazing and weird but we had a good chat it felt a little like i was home somehow especially when we spoke of charlotte and atlanta and it was nice not having to be embarrassed that i was american and to perform my embarrassment like i have been doing every time someone asks me where i m from iona nunnery i finished my lunch and they were going to continue to the abbey so we said our goodbyes i stopped in a craft shop and then a celtic jewelry store aosdàna where i found delicate silver handmade earrings i loved the jewelry there although most of it was crazy expensive several hundred pounds and i ve been wanting to buy myself some jewelry from scotland for years so i splurged and bought a pair of earrings they re so delicate though i m not sure i ll ever wear them after passing through the nunnery i returned to the harbor where i found a bench to wait out the time before our ferry would return and this man comes up to me and says are you someone important me yes you look very important like you know things i m not that important but i am a published poet really have i read anything you ve written i doubt it oh he seemed truly disappointed that i didn t turn out to be a vip although i doubt i looked like a vip windblown with my raincoat and beanie on he said goodbye and turned away and i thought i ve missed an opportunity to brag on myself and then i remembered i m no braggart and nobody cares about poetry anyway so no big deal and then one of the ladies on the tour sat down next to me and offered me the most delicious strawberries i d ever eaten so sweet and so red they make the strawberries we get back home look like anemic little ghosts and just as suddenly it started to rain and she hurried off but by then the ferry had arrived and we all shuffled back on to mull i haven t had a chance to say that here is true beauty to be found in the isle of mull i know the name is rather dull ha dull mull but if it s possible mull is even greener than the highlands and the mountains seem steeper and more mysterious driving around mull you tend to see a lot of red deer as well as sheep and cows just running along the hills i think nick said there s some phenomenal number maybe 6 000 that live on the island we only saw a few and one of them sadly was dead by the side of the road but with the rain and dark clouds the island was moody and bleak and lovely i kept thinking how much i would like to live here this time when we drove back into tobermory nick said he d give us all 30 minutes if we wanted to find something to eat and then he d drive us to our b b s this was a godsend because by then it was raining like hell and there was no way i was going to walk into town from the b b for dinner but since we were there i went to hook d and got a beautiful piece of haddock and chips and ate that in the b b and went to bed early calmac ferry to oban the next day we took the ferry from craignure to oban right as i left the ferry terminal i smelled the most delicious garlic buttered seafood at a harbor kiosk but didn t have enough cash to get some scallops for lunch a true pity i suspect everything they were selling came fresh from the sea that morning i decided to skip touring oban even though i wanted to check out the oban distillery for a dram because of the dreaded foot so i hung out in a costa coffee shop and read a book until nick retrieved us the ride back to glasgow seemed long we made a few too many stops for my liking one at the nether largie standing stones in kilmartin one in inverary one in glen crowe at the rest and be thankful viewpoint and one at loch lomond again just a potty break i didn t get back to my flat in edinburgh till almost 9 p m and i pretty much fell into bed after a shower i recommend mull and iona and staffa if the weather permits because seeing these places is somehow holy and remarkable and if you want a good book that talks about these places i really recommend madeleine bunting s love of country it s replete with details about the history of the hebrides and it s wonderful pennygown graveyard old ruins of pennygown church pennygown graveyard mull duart castle inner courtyard of duart castle sound of mull from the duart battlements the sea room view of the great hall from the entrance piano at the entrance of the great hall portraits of lady maclean and col fitzroy maclean daggers in the weapons case at duart castle great hall looking north toward the entrance hotel gardens on iona st oran s chapel at iona abbey view of the sound of mull maclean s cross another view of the cloisters at iona abbey cloisters statue inside the iona abbey church detail of the cloisters the arch above the altar space an altar statue at iona abbey church sepulchre of st columba the altar at iona abbey george macleod s summer home dunsmeorach near the abbey duke and duchess of argyll s crypt at iona abbey iona nunnery wall this chubby guy was singing his heart out in iona harbor ruins of the iona nunnery a sunny mountain view from the craignure ferry depot lighthouse on the ferry ride from craignure to oban a statue near the altar at the iona abbey a standing stone at the nether largie standing stones sheepies running free nether largie standing stones fishing trawler at inverary on loch fyne loch fyne another statue at the altar of iona abbey view of glen crowe known as the rest and be thankful viewpoint churchyard at kilmartin kilmartin church for sale last stop of the weekend not that we went on the cruise another nether largie standing stone another view of the altar me freezing my face off on the ferry to oban share this email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on linkedin opens in new window linkedin share on x opens in new window x share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest like loading posted in wednesday post tagged calmac ferry duart castle glen coe iona iona abbey iona community isle of iona isle of mull mull scotland three sisters leave a reply dispatch from edinburgh 2026 1 lots of castles posted on june 24 2026 by jc reilly reply it isn t a trip to scotland that i don t spend the first several weeks sick with some kind of bronchial sinus issue i m not sure if it s the airplane cabin air or if i am cursed but i have been sick since arriving fortunately i m on the mend but hacking sneezing and general achiness does not make one s health conducive to traipsing around the beautiful spots in this beautiful country but i don t let a little thing like a hacking cough and fever stop me i came prepared this year with otc cold meds advil and a family size bag of cough drops when it s the weekend you better believe i m out in the wilds of scotland on one rabbie s tour or another honestly they should pay me for how many tours i ve gone on either that or make me an honorary driver the first weekend i was here i enjoyed the scottish castles experience a tour that ran up the eastern coast of the country up to aberdeen where i had never visited before it was cold and windy that morning but sunny a little unusual for edinburgh which wears its damp like a badge of honor it would turn out to be a mostly sunny trip and a little too warm for my raincoat granted it was still in the low 60s so i was chilly when i chose not to wear my coat but the damn thing is so heavy i didn t really want to tote it around it doesn t look it but this bridge is actually red anyway the tour began with a quick stop to view all three of edinburgh s bridges over the firth of forth there s the red 1890 cantilevered bridge the eponymous forth bridge designed for trains the 1964 forth road bridge a suspension bridge which now only allows high occupancy vehicles and taxis to use it and the queensferry crossing bridge a cable stayed bridge these bridges are famous because they were each built in a different century and it s said that there s a legislative bill going around to make sure that in 2100 or thereabouts there will be a fourth bridge over the river forth with a fourth bridge style i don t know if this is going to happen but if edinburgh keeps growing they might need another bridge in 74 years falkland palace a side view of falkland palace you can see that the king and queen s quarters are only ruins now after that we got on the road for real and went over to the kingdom of fife to see falkland palace but our entrance to the palace wasn t until 11 30 which gave me a little time to walk the high street of the little town of falkland i stopped into a bakery and bought a lovely sourdough boule and a hunk of cheese which i saved for lunch knowing how the places the tour stops for lunch are notoriously expensive i had been to falkland palace several years ago and considering i was also walking around on a busted foot that refuses to heal i chose not to climb the various steps in the castle the castle is beautiful though it was originally a hunting lodge for various kings before it was fancied up and became more of a residence it has somewhat of a ruined air to it the king s and queen s quarters are nothing but old stones but it s worth going to see for sure since i hadn t had a chance to really wander the grounds i chose this opportunity to do just that the flowers were lovely although some paths were blocked off in the garden mary queen of scots installed the first tennis court there in the 16 th century i mostly smelled flowers and basked in the sunshine view from gate towards the sea st andrew s cathedral after falkland palace we headed on to st andrews home of the 1 public golf course i don t however know if it s still 1 it seems like everything is more expensive this year we stopped there for lunch but i was determined to head to the old abbey of course i had been there before too but i hadn t walked the whole path around the abbey and cemetery i had to take several breaks because of my foot this would become a recurrent pattern for me but i did find a nice raised crypt to sit on by the wall with a locked gate and it was a lovely view of the beach where someone was chasing after their dog who decided to take a swim i would have liked to go down to the beach but i was afraid i wouldn t get back in time so i just encouraged people who walked by to look out of the gate three people took me up on my suggestion a french couple and a woman who held a cigarette in her hand i tried not to breathe smoke but then i got up to complete my tour around the abbey and wandered back to where the bus was going to meet us again i had to sit for a while and i had some bread on me that i threw to the crows they were very happy until these big ass seagulls appeared and started jumping for every tossed crumb i didn t realize it but you re not supposed to feed the birds in st andrew s but i m not sure if i had seen the sign first if i would have obeyed it an image of dunnottar castle overlooking the north sea after that we drove to dunnottar castle which was down a rather steep hill i would have liked to go in other people on the tour were entranced by it based on their conversation where they met me at the café but i could see it and it looked lovely a woman who became friends with everyone on the tour anne told me she stood over the cliffs of the north sea and was overcome with the beauty of the place she didn t go inside the castle some of the other tour guests did but i got the feeling she didn t need to to enjoy the space i enjoyed it even though i was far away from the castle that evening i holed up at the aberdeen douglas hotel and it had what is known as a wet room this is to say the entire bathroom was the shower it was so strange and i managed to get water everywhere there was water on the toilet the ledge behind the toilet the lit...