Day 4, August 15, 2007

On the fourth day, we wanted to drive along the coast as far as possible. Our route took us from Stuartfield via Strichen, Macduff, Portknockie, Buckie, Elgin, Carrbridge, and Inverness to Dingwall and Newton of Ferintosh. The tour covered 300 km, and we refueled in Carrbridge.

We set off in beautiful weather and made our first stop on the Portknockie coast to see the  "Bow Fiddle Rock" which we discovered by chance. It resembles a violin bow, hence its name. This is a stop you should definitely take when driving through Portknockie. It's a beautiful spot that invites you to relax and makes you want to put down roots there.

From here, we followed the signs for the "Coastal West Trail," which is also a very beautiful route. Although thick rain clouds were clearly hanging over the interior, we left them at Elgin to cruise along the River Spey (A941 & A95). On closer inspection, the clouds were moving towards the coast anyway, so we would have gotten briefly wet there as well. This part of Scotland boasts numerous distilleries, including the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown. Whisky enthusiasts should therefore allow themselves plenty of time to visit the distilleries and perhaps bring a tent as a precaution.😉

Our leisurely route took us via Inverness (the "Capital of the Highlands") to Newton of Ferintosh on the Black Isle, to reach the Newton Croft B&B, managed by Margaret Mackintosh. We found the B&B after a bit of searching, but decided to drive to nearby Dingwall for dinner first, to avoid a long evening walk. Anyone driving into the town center expecting to find plenty of food options will be slightly disappointed. After walking up and down the main shopping street, we finally found one more place to eat; we'd compare it to a Nordsee restaurant back home. You guessed it, another fast-food joint.

Refreshed and invigorated, we set off again for our accommodation. After greeting everyone, Margaret offered to let us park the motorcycles in the lockable shed and told us to get in touch if any minor maintenance was needed. Robert Mackintosh is a trained car mechanic and would have given the motorcycles the necessary care and maintenance immediately. The shed was accordingly well-organized. However, we politely declined the service, as our bikes were in good condition. Once the bikes were settled in their "accommodation," we noticed what we dubbed "Mackintosh Falls" in the yard.

In the evening, we went outside and enjoyed the fresh air in the company of some sheep before returning to our room with a coffee, checking the weather forecast, and slowly preparing for bed. By then, we had gotten into the habit of setting our alarm for 7:30 a.m. and enjoying a delicious and substantial breakfast at 8:30 a.m.