Dunecht, Scotland is a village 13 miles west of Aberdeen. Our visit to Dunecht was not a visit to a place but to friends, who treated
us to a several very rich experiences unlike any we had anywhere else. We met these friends in a campground near Amsterdam.
One
afternoon, Ron was sitting outside reading on a warm day when he kept moving his chair to stay in the shade. A camper in a fine,
new American Winnebago also was sitting outside and also kept moving his chair, but he wanted to stay in the sunshine. Later
that day he and his wife had visitors. They sat around a table having a great time, and one could not help noticing that the
sunshine man had a booming and inviting laugh as well as a definite Scottish brogue. When the visitors left, Ron went over and
introduced himself. Soon the four of us were having a good time. We exchanged email addresses and kept in touch.
We were invited to visit him in Dunecht. That invitation was one of the major incentives for our planning to travel the next year
to the UK. Edinburgh was our first stop on that trip and Dunecht our second.
We spent about a delightful and interesting
week with our friends. They arranged some very special and unique treats for us. They took us on a private tour
of a 100 room 19th century granite manor house owned by a Laird. Then they hosted a picnic on a grouse moor where we learned
all about the proper way to burn heather so that it can support large numbers of grouse, and about how grouse hunts are organized.
We enjoyed an elegant picnic of smoked pheasant, Scottish salmon, cold roast Scottish beef and a delicious wine served in crystal
glasses. Our dessert was a visit with the very genial game keeper on this estate. The next treat was a partyy with
their friends in a private home. Finally we were treated to a fine dinner in a posh hotel in which the barroom offered a selection
of 169 different single malt Scotch whiskeys.
Our photos page include photos from some of these adventures. The
letter we wrote
home about this visit contains many more details about what we describe in the preceding paragraph.
From Dunecht we drove west
across the highlands once more, stopping briefly at Balmoral, where the Royals have a residence. We did not see that but did
walk around the the very picturesque town. From there we drove to a campground just north of Oban situated on the shore of the
Firth of Lorne just opposite the Isle of Mull, which you could see from our campsite. This time the weather was clear.
Adventures in and around Dunecht, Scotland, by Mouse
