The Mercure Hotel was hardly worth the effort to find it. We had been having good luck with our lodgings up until then but the Mercure had a hard double bed pushed up into the corner, not enough light or plug-ins and an expensive breakfast. Every hotel bathroom has both a plugged up sink and a noisy fan, but the Mercure's sink didn't drain at all the the fan was like a jet taking off.
After a night of tossing and turning, we endured another spate of roundabouts and left town. Inverness probably is a nice place to hang out, but we had places to go. Namely, big on our bucket list, was to see St. Andrews, both the legendary golf course and the ancient town. Looking at the map, I threw a dart to find a town to stay in on the way and it landed on Perth, just an hour away from St. Andrews. We hastily booked a BnB before we left.
Luckily, the road to Perth, the A9, was easy to drive. It was almost a freeway with actual shoulders and passing lanes every few miles. Part of it was even a four lane "carriageway". It led through the Grampion Mountains and Cairngorms National park. The scenery was stunning, with rolling hills of green and exits to numerous castles, distilleries and campgrounds.
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| View through the window of the scenery on the way to Perth |
We got to Perth in record time and started looking for a laundromat so we could cross that item off our list before getting to the BnB. Meanwhile we stopped downtown and found a townie cafe that served delicious Scottish food. We inquired about a place to wash our clothes, but got no results, so decided to ask the BnB proprietor when we got there. The Bnb was a cute house on a busy street close to downtown.
We got a warm welcome from our hostess, Caroline and were shown a wonderful room with a king size bed, lots of plug ins, a fully equipped bathroom with a sink that drained, and water, coffee and snacks available. We really lucked out!! When we asked about a laundromat, Caroline insisted that she would do our laundry for us, wouldn't be talked out of it and wouldn't take any money for it. We were in total shock. What a great relief! Also, Caroline gave us a map of Perth with attractions and restaurants marked that were all within walking distance.
So we gratefully gave her our laundry, and took off walking toward a castle and museum for the "Black Watch" Scottish Regiment. The Black Watch regiment has been around since the 1600's and have served bravely, honorably and with distinction. The museum was very well done with too much to read and view. We departed feeling like we had just left hallowed ground.
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| The Rose Guest House.....big and roomy |
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| House on the walk to the Museum/castle |
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| Black Watch castle |
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| Memorial to the Guard |
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| Rows memorials to fallen soldiers of the Black Watch |
After the amazing display at the Black Watch museum, we walked through a huge park and athletic field complex (about the size of 15 football fields and I may be underestimating) to a path by the Tay River which flows lazily through the town. The sun shone down on us as we walked with bikers, joggers, giggling teens, and many other walkers, with and without their dogs. The smell of fresh mowed grass permeated the air. We stopped at a pullout with benches and a view of the river and houses across the way. Just when we thought the scenery could not get more scenic, and were counting our blessings to be in such an amazing place, two swans lazily swam past. Wow!! It was truly a delightful stroll where we could feel every one of our nerve endings relax.
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| Walking across the Rugby field |
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| Looking toward town |
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| The wonderful long walk under blue skies |
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| The Tay |
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| And the perfect swans |
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| Dogs were swimming. One reminded us so much of Freddy, it brought a tear. |
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| The bridge over the Tay into downtown Perth |
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| Another memorial to fallen dead during WW1 |
At the end of the park lay the edge of old town Perth, sparkling clean, well maintained and filled with engaging store fronts. By happenstance, we stumbled on "The Bothy Bar", a restaurant that Caroline had recommended. She had told us to flash her business card to enjoy a 20% off dinner. We were not disappointed by our dinner in any way and Kathy is becoming a Scotch whiskey aficionado.
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| Ready to try some more scotch |
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| Church on our way home |
We strolled back through the park which was now filled with every age/sex of soccer and rugby players. Bikes, joggers, dogs, and walkers and every possible combination were enjoying a mild autumn early evening. Upon our return, we were beyond pleased to find all of our laundry clean and folded.
Perth was one of those stops where you don't know what to expect, only to find any expectations completely surpassed.
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| Our wonderful hostess Caroline |
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