As usual I did no research as to what I wanted to see and do when I was invited to the north of Scotland by friends I met on my trip to Jordan. I took a direct Logan Air flight from Belfast to Inverness and I admit I was filled with trepidation, it being a small fifty seater plane, but the flight was fast, professionally handled and an absolute pleasure.
On my arrival I was surprised to learn that my new found friends lived nearer Lossiemouth than Inverness. This coastal town is home to the busiest RAF base in the UK, which has been the subject of a fine documentary on Channel 4. Fifty war planes and three thousand men and women are on the base, which has its own fire station, police station and shops. It takes a good twenty minutes to drive around the perimeter, but I was fortunate enough to see jets taking off, the noise of which is astounding.
The town of Lossiemouth itself is a marvel of Victorian architectural engineering. The roads are incredibly wide allowing the cold winter wind to blow unhindered through the town, thus not creating any wind tunnels which cause erosion damage to the infrastructure and buildings.
I always admire Victorian architecture as the craftsmen took great pride in their work and many of the houses have lovely features like a round tower or a turret.
The harbour is sheltered from the sea by a high stone wall and there are plenty of boats bobbing in the water.
I was lucky to visit on a glorious sunny day and I took a walk around the harbour, along the promenade and across a new bridge onto the sandy shore.
My friends then invited me to try a delicious seafood chowder locally known as Cullen Skink. The name does not do the hearty creamy soup justice and I thoroughly enjoyed it with some homemade brown bread in a lovely pub called the Salt Cellar, which dates back to the 1620s.
A big thank you to the staff for their fine cooking and hospitality.
We then drove to a loftier point in the town to overlook the rooftops, and I could clearly see where the old bridge over the beach once stood, the dark abutments standing out against the blue water.
Wanting a memento of my visit to the northern heights of Scotland I was delighted to find a painting of the beach with the old bridge in a charity shop in nearby Elgin. The artist must have stood where I did to admire the town as my photograph and the painting are of a similar view, only years apart!
My day in Lossiemouth was well spent and if you haven’t seen the documentary about the RAF on Channel 4, then I suggest you find it on catch up. It’s well worth a watch.
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My three day trip to Scotland this year (2023) was full of historic places to see, opening up a pile of questions.
The wonderfully named Duffus had a very interesting church and castle. Please click on the link to learn more.
And the Sueno Stone incited more questions than answers! Click on the link please to learn about this Pictish artefact:
I visited Scotland last year (2022) and had a fabulous time. To learn more about this wonderful country please click on the links.
My trip to the Highlands was truly memorable, full of fascinating history.
Stirling Castle is equally fascinating, it being a castle and a palace.
The capital city of Edinburgh also has a castle, but is my bus tour was a terrific highlight.
As was my exploration of the town's famous people.