Search Results for: bencorragh house

At Bencorragh House

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

We arrived at the front door of Bencorragh House in Upper Gills, near John O’Groats, and it was opened by Sandy Barton with a cheerful welcome that was quickly followed by the news that our luggage had not been delivered … Continue reading →

Posted in Eco-travel, Orkney, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Uncategorized, Women Writers | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

To Ullapool, Almost

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

Our little sunrise excursion to the cliffs of Duncansby left us a bit chilled; we returned to Bencorragh House for a warm shower and a good breakfast and then headed south along the coast of Caithness. The A99 runs from … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Dornach Castle Hotel, Eco-travel, Hill O'Many Stanes, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Scottish Dialect, Sutherland, Travel, Uncategorized, Whisky, Whisky tasting, Women Writers | Leave a comment

Sunrise

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

Sunrise was a 6:47 AM. At 6:00, we quickly dressed and quietly left the Bencorragh House, heading in to the pre-dawn mists and driving the narrow country roads out past John O’Groats to the single track road that crosses the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry, Duncansby Head, Duncansby Stacks, Eco-travel, John O'Groats, Orkneyinga Saga, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Women Writers | Leave a comment

Circles, Rings & Stones

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

Sunday morning was bright and sunny; after we left Lana & Billy’s Orcadian Crafts shop in Kirkwall, we drove around the Mainland to continue our tour. The objective for the day was to avoid the tour buses which were out … Continue reading →

Posted in Maeshowe, Orkney, Ring of Brodgar, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Skara Brae, Stromness, Travel, Uncategorized, Winter Solstice, Women Writers | Leave a comment

From Oban to Upper Gills

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

I had been looking forward to another meal at Cuan Mor (Gàidhlig: “Big Ocean”)  in Oban (An t-Òban, “The Little Bay”) even though the new menu there no longer includes vegetarian haggis in Oban whisky cream sauce that I had enjoyed … Continue reading →

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The Mainland, Orkney

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Kate Cowie Riley

Orkney is a special place filled with ancient sites and the peacefulness that island life creates. Orkney gets its name from the Old Norse name Orkneyjar (Orc-nee-yahr), “Seal Islands”. When they arrived in the ninth century, the Norsemen heard the … Continue reading →

Posted in Eco-travel, Maes Howe, Orkney, Orkneyinga Saga, Scotland, Scottish ancestry, Self drive Scotland tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Winter Solstice, Women Writers | Leave a comment