The Scottish Highlands!

Took my first trip to the Scottish Highlands week before last and it was amazing.  I had always heard how beautiful the Highlands were, but hadn't done much research ahead of time on what I would be seeing.  The landscapes were so unusual.  I drove through areas that looked as if you were on the moon, then on top of the world, through lush forests, by ski hills (sans snow), next to pastures and fields, next to the sea, and through lovely villages.  Oh, and one can't forget, there were hundreds of sheep!

This is a map of my (and Riley, of course) journey.  I started out in Ladybank, at the bottom of the map, and took the highway to the left up north towards the large city of Inverness.  I was headed for the village of Muir of Ord to drop Riley off at his dog B&B, then to Strathpeffer, where I stayed 2 nights.  On the 2nd day, I took the circle journey to the left over to the northwest coast of Scotland.  Then I returned, on the 3rd day, on the highway to the right, so I could visit Balmoral Castle.

They never seem very impressed when I stop to take a photo.

As I drove along, I saw a few men down a hillside, working on some sheep.  I pulled over to take pictures and eventually they asked if I wanted to join them.  Yes!

Couldn't help but stop when I saw this group right next to the road.

This is a Texel ewe (I think the Texel breed resemble pigs, in an odd sort of way) with her twin lambs.

This is John, Robert and Stephen, working on lambs and ewes that John farms at Borenich Farm near Pitlochry, Perthshire, about an hour north of Ladybank.  They were castrating and docking tails on the last of the lambs that had been born in the past few weeks, shearing the wool caked with mud and manure from the ewes backsides, and drenching them to prevent parasite (worms) buildup.  They were also separating out any ewes that did not lamb this year, as they will be off to the abattoir (processing plant.)  They were so nice, answering all my questions, then asking me in for tea and sandwiches.  I was in heaven!

 Beautiful landscapes.  The iPhone doesn't do the scenery much justice here.

I was headed to Dingwall to attend the NSA (National Sheep Association) Highland Sheep Show.  It was new this year and well attended.  With the dreadful winter and devastating effects on lambing season in the northern areas, it was nice to see the farmers out socialising and enjoying the day.  There were several breeds of sheep that we don't have in the US and I was excited to see the differences.  Quite interesting is that the some of the sheep farmers who show their sheep actually shampoo them in a coloured liquid, so they come out a tan colour rather than white.  I spoke to a young gal working at one of the breed society's booth and she said it is common in the Highland area, but not throughout England.

These are actually white sheep, coloured for the show.

This boy had an amazing set of horns.  He didn't seem interested in getting up for a photography session.

Finally, I saw my first Zwartbles!  This is a breed originally from Holland and I think they are so striking.  No Zwartbles in the US.  Livestock can't be imported into the US, only semen.  Some breeders are crossing breeds and eventually they will have sheep that are 98% pure breeds.  I believe it takes 7 generations of cross breeding.  In Oregon, this is happening with the Gotland and the Wensleydale breeds.  However, as far as I know, this isn't happening with the Zwartble.

If I remember correctly, I think these are Leicesters.

The highlight of the show for me was watching sheep dog trials for the first time.  I'd seen them on television, but never in person.  This was a competition, but not for points toward the National or International events coming in August and September.  It was more for a fun day and practice for the dogs and handlers.  It was a beautiful day, about 62 degrees, but out in the sun it felt like it was in the high 70's.  Next time I will remember to bring a camp chair, as standing for hours wasn't very kind to my neck and back.  I was a magnetic for the geriatric crowd and found fine friends in 3 sheep farmers, aged 72, 74 and 80!  They all farm on the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland.  It was nice to find some friends who explained some of the specifics for me.

This is the last part of the run, as the handler and his pup are penning the sheep.  If you look to the top of the photo, to the right, you'll see a black truck.  That belongs to the fellow who lets the sheep out for each run.  To the left, you can just barely see a small patch of white - those are the sheep for the next run.  Between the sheep and the truck is a black spot - that's the dog who keeps the sheep corralled until they are ready for the next run.  For this competition, they didn't do the "shed", which is where the dog separates out 2 of the 4 sheep.

I was staying 2 nights at a B&B in the Victorian spa village of Strathpeffer, so I went back to rest for a few hours before taking off on another adventure.  Rona Mackenzie, who owns Linnmhor House with her husband Michael, recommended a trip out to the west coast.  Since it doesn't get dark until almost 11 pm or even later, there was plenty of time for another trip.  

By the way, the Linnmhor House was a lovely place to stay - highly recommended! I mistakenly did not take any pictures, so I "borrowed" this one of the bedroom where I stayed off of Tripadvisor.  This is the lovely room where I stayed and the breakfast room.  Rona did all of the decorating herself and she also does the baking for their coffee shop in the village.  

Scenery on the way to the northwest coast:

I was headed for Gairloch on the shores of Loch Gairloch.  (For my US friends, a loch is the Scottish Gaelic and Irish word for a lake or a sea inlet.  In this case, Loch Gairloch is a sea inlet.)   Just before reaching Gairloch, I took a side road and ended up at a little hotel in the middle of nowhere.  I stepped out to find the lovely little scene below.

From the harbor in Gairloch, they run pleasure trips for fishing and to view marine wildlife.  There was once a strong history of creel shellfish fishing and small scale trawl fishing here, but the shellfish processing businesses are mostly gone now.

I was headed to have dinner at a restaurant recommended by Rona called The Shieling.  Rona grew up in the village of Poolewe and worked for Donald who now runs the restaurant. She had told me to look for the palm trees - I wouldn't miss it.  And there I was, having dinner in northwest Scotland, with a view that looked like I was in Hawaii (that's actually the Isle of Skye in the distance.)  This area has a microclimate and unusual vegetation grows here.  I was reading up on the area and read on Wikipedia that in the memoir Pigeonholes of Memory, John Mackenzie wrote that his father was able to grow fruiting peaches outdoors.  I had a glass of wine and some very good portobello mushrooms smothered in cheese!

I thought this white farmhouse was located in one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Just as I was approaching Poolewe, a little farther north, the fog came drifting in.  The A832 road heads steeply up Achtercair Brae and it felt like I was on top of the world.  

I was reading about this area and was interested to learn that the lands around Gairloch have mostly been in the ownership of the Mackenzie clan since the 15th century.  From Wikipedia...The Mackenzies were known for their attachment to their tenants.  During the 19th century, some of the Mackenzies refused to evict a single tenant during the Highland Clearances (forced displacement of a significant number of people during the 18th and 19th centuries carried out by hereditary aristocratic landowners as a result of an agricultural revolution), despite the estate running at a loss.  As a result, evicted Highlanders from other communities came to live in the area and caused Gairloch to maintain a thriving community even today.  

Before returning to Strathpeffer, I turned off at the Corrieshalloch Gorge.  The gorge is 1.5 km (1640 yards) long and 60 m (65 yards) deep and was formed at the end of the last ice age by erosion caused by meltwater.  You take a gravel path down to the suspension bridge to walk across the gorge.  Note: I am petrified of heights!  Many, many years ago, I walked across a very long suspension bridge in British Columbia with my good friends Robert Larsen and Marti Cosentino.  I was so petrified, Robert had to pry my hands off the handrails so I could make it across.  2nd note: There was not another person within miles and miles of this gorge, so had I not been able to make it back across this bridge, I would likely still be there today. 

Good thing I read about the bridge after I returned from the trip.  Seems in 2010, 2011 and 2012, structural engineers found "unacceptable wear and tear" and "cracks in the support hangers" and the bridge required major repairs.  The warning sign says no more than 6 people on the bridge at a time.  No mention of how much each of those 6 people should weigh.

On the 3rd day, I headed south again, through Inverness, and beyond.  This was the type of scenery I was looking at most of the day.

I mentioned in an earlier post, about my wee little obsession of anything "royal."  That meant a trip to Balmoral Castle, the Scottish estate belonging to the Royal Family, was required.  Balmoral Castle is located in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire.  I remember when Diana, Princess of Wales, was first identified as dating Prince Charles and there was a photo on the banks of the River Dee where the paparazzi first discovered her, hiding in the trees while Charles fished.  

The Castle has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852 when it was purchased by Queen Victoria and her consort (husband), Prince Albert.  It is the private property of the monarch and not part of the Crown Estate and now covers about 49,000 acres and is a working estate.  There are grouse moors, forestry and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, Highland Cattle, and rare breeds of ponies.  Each year, the Castle closes for the months of August and September when the Royal Family is in residence.  

The ballroom is the only room inside the Castle that is open to the public.  Understandable, since this is a private residence.  In the ballroom, there was a special exhibition of portraits of H.M. The Queen, in celebration of her 60 years on the throne.  There were also several of her dresses, worn when she was younger.  Unfortunately, no photographs were allowed.  I was surprised how small the ballroom was, considering they have Scottish dances there every year.  There was an enjoyable video, from years ago, that gave a short glimpse of Diana dancing during the annual Ghillies Ball.  There was also a video showing The Queen going out for a walk with her grandchildren.  Prince William looked to be about 9 or 10 and he was leading a pony with one of his cousins aboard.  Prince Harry, Zara Phillips, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugene (just a toddler) also went along.

The public is free to walk all around the grounds.  There is an extensive flower and vegetable garden, all being prepared  for when the Royal Family arrives in August.

His Royal Highness, Riley

All and all, it was a terrific trip.  The Scottish National Sheep Dog Trials are in September in Aberdeen, so I hope to visit the eastern side of the Highlands then.  I would also like to visit my sheep farmer friends on the Isle of Skye sometime soon.

Should I stay or should I go now?

One of the reasons I chose to move to Ireland is there is the possibility of obtaining a long stay visa without having employment (i.e. a work visa.)   This blog post is about the process or as it turns out, what is quite a confusing process since not everyone involved knows the process.  I wanted to post my experience in case anyone in the same position as I am is looking to immigrate to Ireland.

The type of visa I am applying for is called "Permission to Remain" under the category of "Self Sufficiency" - retired person, long term visitor, or a dependent of a person already living here - and is valid for up to a year.  You can reapply each year for an extension and after 5 years, you can apply for permanent residency. That's not a choice in the UK, as you have to have a work visa or be married to a UK resident.  I did all kinds of research before leaving, on the Irish government website, as well as several expat websites.  I knew the main factor is that you have to prove you are self-sufficient financially and aren't reliant on the Irish government to live.  From what I read, during the Celtic Tiger or "boom years", their borders were almost completely open and people poured in.  However, now that the boom is over, they are quite strict about who stays and who goes.

There is a pamphlet on the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) website entitled "Permission to Remain: For Non-E.E.A.(European Economic Area) Nationals" and the directions are quite clear.  According to the pamphlet, you have to obtain permission to remain from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and "...this can be done by reporting to your local Immigration Officer...in the district in which you reside."  You need 1) A valid passport; 2) Evidence that you have sufficient funds with which to support yourself and any dependents; 3) Any information requested in connection with the purpose of your arrival in the state; and 4) Private medical insurance to cover your stay in the State."  Again, it states you must be "...in a position to show that you have sufficient resources to cover your stay in the State without recourse to public funds, services or State benefits." And, you must "...report to your local Immigration Officer with details of your future intentions and sufficient evidence of the above."  

All of that is pretty clear, other than the fact that they don't state an exact dollar amount you need to have in the bank.  I heard from 2 American couples that they asked their local Immigration Officer and was told it was 25,000 euros (the equivalent of $33,000) either in the bank or coming in on an annual basis.  I am good with that, but as you will see further down, that's not all you have to have.

When you come to Ireland from the U.S., there is no visa required, as long as you are staying up to 3 months as a tourist.  However, when I arrived in Dublin, the Immigration official at Customs stamped my passport for 1 month instead of 3.  I was then told by the Customs Agent that I needed to go to Cork City with all my documentation and "register."  This was confusing, as I had corresponded with several Americans who said you have to write a letter to the office in Dublin once you arrive in Ireland.  This in itself was confusing, as the pamphlet from the government says you need to show your documentation to the local Officer, not the office in Dublin.  Thinking the process must have changed, I went into Cork a few weeks after I arrived.  After standing in line for almost an hour, I was told I didn't need to register at all.  I was told by the Immigration Officer in Cork that I needed to send a letter requesting an application number, then once I received the number, I was to show my documents to the local official in Fermoy near the village where I was living. Fair enough.  Off to write my letter to Dublin.

I sent the letter off to Dublin and since the date stamped in my passport was almost up, I made an appointment with the local Immigration Officer to see about getting it extended for the full 3 months.  I met with the official in Fermoy, who took my picture and entered my information in the computer, and explained that once I received the letter back from Dublin, I would be showing him my documentation.  He said it was not necessary for him to extend the stamp in my passport.  "They won't deport you....yet."  Now that was a relief.  After another month went by and I still hadn't heard from the office in Dublin, I went to see him again, and this time he agreed to stamp my passport through May 14th, giving me a total of 3 months in Ireland.  Just as I was leaving, I mentioned again that I hadn't received the application number and he said "You mean the approval."  I said I hadn't even sent my documentation in, as I was directed to only request an application number and that he would review my documentation.  Both he and the official in Cork had directed me to do the same thing.  He then said the complete opposite.  I was supposed to send all of my documentation to Dublin and they would make the determination.  He was only there to stamp my passport.  (The frustrating thing about all of these visits is that I took notes every time I was there and was certain I was following their direction.  Turns out they aren't familiar with their own direction.)  Off to write another letter and send my documentation to Dublin.  

Since I still hadn't received word from Dublin and it was getting closer to the end of my 3 month tourist visa, I decided to leave to visit Scotland.  I tried one last time to have the Immigration Officer in Fermoy extend my stay, as I know other Americans in the same situation who were granted extensions.  However, this particular official said it wasn't necessary.  As long as I kept the letter with me saying I was waiting for approval, I would be fine.  He also said it was alright to leave the country while waiting for the approval, something another American couple I met had heard was not allowed.  The day after I left for Scotland, the letter came from Dublin, and was forwarded to me.  More documentation was requested.  

This time, they requested: 1) Additional bank statements - back 6 months; 2) Evidence of private medical insurance; 3) A police background check on police letter head; 4) List of "Irish Associations/Connections"; and 5) A medical report detailing my current medical status.  This information is due to them on June 14th.  I already sent in the proof of medical insurance.  They obviously missed it.  I submitted my background check completed by an FBI-approved company (called a channeler), but the company I used did not supply the results on FBI letter head back in January.  The company does now, but the results of the background check are purged after just 30 days, so I would need to have my fingerprints re-done, submitted again, and re-pay the fee.  I could send my fingerprints directly to the FBI, but again, I would have to have my fingerprints done locally, repay the fee, then wait 6-8 weeks for approval.  I thought about doing all of this again, but decided I would explain in the letter what I already submitted.  Connections in Ireland?  Knowing someone or more than one someones in Ireland was never mentioned as a qualification, but I was able to scrounge up a few acquaintances.  Two people I met through the Instagram app and a very nice American couple who already obtained their Permission to Remain said it would be alright to provide their names. The letter from Immigration didn't ask for references, but rather "Connections" so I am hoping that the fact that I don't know these people well will not make a difference.  Regarding the medical check-up, I could have had a check-up done in Ireland, but didn't know at the time it would be requested.  I thought about having a check-up here in Scotland or even flying back to Ireland for the day and seeing a GP there, but decided I don't have the extra money to spend if I am just going to be rejected for another reason, such as the background check.  I'll submit the lab tests I had done right before leaving and see what they say.

As I have written to several friends and my family, the worst case scenario is that I spend 1/2 the year in the UK and 1/2 in Ireland, staying as a tourist.  Having to move back and forth is not the best scenario, but at least there is an option.  One interesting thing about all the coming and going.  Ireland and the UK are in what is called a CTA - Common Travel Area.  This means you can travel back and forth between countries without having to go through Border Control or Immigration.  So, when I left Ireland for Scotland, there was no one at the border to stamp my passport.  Therefore, there is no documentation of when I left Ireland.  As for the UK, you can stay up to 6 months as a tourist (3 more months than you can stay in Ireland.)  However, just as with there being no proof of when I left Ireland, there is no proof of when I entered the UK either.  One American woman I met said she flew to Amsterdam for the day, just to get her passport stamped, so she could prove she left the country.  Or was it that she entered the country?  Now I can't remember.  

In my "old life", I would have been quite stressed by now about all of the changes in direction regarding the approval process for Permission to Remain.  However, one of my main goals for my "new life" is to not become stressed over things I can't control.  All I can do is follow the direction I am given, submit the paperwork, and see what happens.  On that note...I will leave you with this collage of photos taken just the other evening.  

There is more to St Andrews than golf and Prince William.

I took a drive to St. Andrews, just 14 miles from where I am staying, the week after I arrived.  What a beautiful and amazingly calm and quiet place.  The students at the famed University of St. Andrews were studying and taking their exams that week, so that was possibly the reason for the quiet.  Montana State University (MSU), where I received my 2nd bachelor's degree, is certainly nothing like St. Andrews, but walking by the school buildings reminded me of those wonderful school days. I graduated from MSU in 1996, after receiving my 2nd bachelor's degree - this time in Nursing.  I was in my mid-30's then and took university much more seriously on my second go-around, likely because I was paying for it myself.   

St Andrews is located on the east cost of Fife in Scotland and is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle, the brother of Saint Peter.  The town has a population of 16,680 and during the university term, students make up about 1/3 of the population.  The University of St Andrews is the 3rd oldest university in the English-speaking world and the oldest in Scotland.  It was founded between 1410 and 1414.  It's student body is quite diverse with 30% of students being international.  I remember first learning about St Andrews when Price William began university there in 2001.  The school became quite popular, with an increase of 44 percent in applications. There were a total of 9,200 applications that year, the majority from women (some hoping to become the future Queen, I am sure), for 1,200 spots.  This became known as the "Prince William factor."

Tuition fees were not charged in the UK for higher education until 1998.  The fees per academic year for undergraduate programs in UK universities, not including room & board, books, etc., were initially £1,000/$1,500 in 1998 and increased to £3,000/$4,600 in 2012.  In 2013, fees went up to as much as £9,000/$14,000, depending on the university.  Out of curiosity, I looked up the fees at St Andrews.  They are £1,820/$2,800 if you are from Scotland, £9,000/$14,000 if you are from other countries in the UK, and £14,450/$22,500 for international students.  In comparison, Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, where I received my first bachelor's degree back in 1986, now charges the equivalent of £5,000 or $8,523 per academic year. The University of California system charges £8,400/$13,200.  Montana State University, where I obtained my second degree, charges a bit less than the California State universities at £4300/$6,750 for residents, but non-residents (as I was back in 1996) pay a whopping £13,300/$20,715 a year.  Stanford University, where my nephew will be attending this year, is private and charges the equivalent of £27,440/$42,690 for tuition per year.  

Riley and I took a very long walk starting at the ruins of St Andrews Cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral built in 1158, and the centre of the Medieval Catholic Church in Scotland until the 16th century Scottish Reformation.  During the Reformation, Catholic masses were outlawed, and in 1559, the building was stripped of its altars and images.  By 1561, it had been abandoned.  

 

The east tower on the left and St Rule's Tower to the right

The Pends is a mid-14th century large stone gatehouse of the Augustinian cathedral-priory of St Andrews. 

We also walked by the ruins of St Andrews Castle that are situated on a cliff to the north of the town.  It was first erected around 1200 as a residence, prison and fortress for the bishops.  The majority of the ruins seen now are from 1549 to 1571.  

West Sands Beach was the set for the opening scene in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.  The scene was reenacted during the 2012 Olympics torch relay.

St. Andrews is known as the "home of golf."  Documents as early as 1552 show that golf was played on the links there. There are 7 golf courses, the most famous being the Old Course that dates back to medieval times and is an Open Championship course, at St. Andrews.  We walked by several of the golf shops and saw some golfers who had stopped for lunch, but we didn't spend time at the famed golf course itself. Odd fact of the day: In 1457, James II of Scotland banned golf because he felt that young men were playing too much golf instead of practicing their archery.  King James IV removed the ban in 1502 because he was a golfer himself.  

We passed by a coffee shop with a sign that said Prince William and the now Duchess of Cambridge Catherine (then called Kate Middleton) had their coffee there.  Being a closeted (or sometimes out-in-the-open) fan of the Royal Family, I spent a little time imagining what it was like when they both were in school there.  The paparazzi had agreed to let Prince William alone while he was in university and during their years at school, they were able to live a relatively normal (as normal could be) life. 

I was lucky enough to meet the most important "person" living in St. Andrews at the time - Hamish McHamish. Hamish is a ginger cat, born in 1999, who was originally "owned" by Marianne Baird, a retired BBC producer. When he was about a year old, he started spending more time away from home, spending most of his time in and around the houses and businesses on South Street. I was lucky enough to see him lounging in the window of a bookstore, one of his favorite places.

Trip from Ireland to Scotland

On Monday, the 13th of May, we left for the long trip to Scotland. I was barely able to get everything packed in the car. Actually, I couldn't get everything in the car, so I ended up shipping 3 boxes to our new home in Ladybank. To accommodate my purchases since I arrived in Ireland, I bought a roof box for the Skoda, yet I still found it hard to fit everything in the car.  So much for living a simpler life!

Packed and ready to go.  Riley just barely fit in the backseat and the 2 kitties are in their travel carriers in the front passenger seat.

We left at about 10 am for the 4.5 hour drive north to Larne in Northern Ireland.  As mentioned in my last post, I decided to split the trip into 2 days. My hope was the cats would do better with an overnight stay.  We were booked into a B&B in the small town of Larne where the ferry was set to depart the next morning at 7 am.  The road trip took us up to Dublin, then north to Belfast, then 23 miles to Larne.  There is no border control when you cross from the Republic of Ireland (ROI) over into Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom.  I must have missed the "Welcome to Northern Ireland" sign and only knew I had arrived in the new country when a received a text from my mobile carrier saying my phone would no longer work in Northern Ireland.  Since I was counting on Google Maps to get me to where I was going, I stopped into a Tesco grocery store to pick up a UK micro SIM card for my iPhone.  The scenery in Northern Ireland was beautiful and I wish I had time to explore more.  I hope to be able to visit again, sans pets, when I return in the Autumn. 

My copilot wasn't interested in being my navigator, so I had to rely on Google Maps.

The B&B in Larne was called Derrin Guest House and was easy to find.  Because I was a single (and yes, it costs more to be a single than a double), the room was small, but fine for 1 person.  Except I was 1 person plus a large fluffy dog, 2 cats, and all their paraphernalia.  With a large bed filling most the room, there was little room to walk.  

After settling in , I took Riley for a walk to a local park.  He was happy to be out of the car after the long journey.  I then parked him in his crate in the car, before heading into a local pub for dinner.  At the local Chequors pub, I had a nice large burger with chips (french fries) and chatted with some lovely people who were visiting from Australia - 2 adult sisters and their parents. They were on a 6 week, 5 country trip.  It was sweet when a young boy, with his Mum, came to my table to offer me a piece of his chocolate birthday cake.  He had turned 7 years old that day.

Riley at the park with the Union Jack flying in the background.

I planned to put the cats in the bathroom for the night to prevent them from hiding under the bed where I would have difficulty removing them at 5:00 am the next morning. My plan was not as brilliant as I thought it was.  Rather than being tired from the journey, Livvy and Bell ended up being wide awake and started to meow - very loudly - as soon as I had closed the door to the bathroom. Not wanting to disturb my neighbors, I finally let them out at about 1 am to roam free.  When the alarm sounded at 5:00 am, I had had no more than 2 hours of sleep.  On a positive note, the kitties hadn't discovered the under-the-bed hideaway, thank goodness. This made it easy to catch and crate them.    

Livvy on the left with Bell on the right.  They rode in their small crates that were situated inside the large crates they came over from the States in.

I wasn't certain how many other cars would be at the ferry landing, so we left at about 5:45 am.  I had paid extra for priority loading. This allows you to be the first to disembark.  At the security checkpoint, the guards checked the underside of our vehicle for explosives and used a wand to check me.  They weren't interested in using the wand on Riley. The gentleman in charge took one look at how full the car was and thankfully, did not ask to see inside the vehicle.  

Trucks disembarking from the ferry so the passengers traveling at 7 am could load.

The one way trip from Larne, Northern Ireland, to Troon in Scotland cost 130 euro ( about $170) and took exactly 2 hours.  It was a huge ferry with the passengers spread out all over the ship, so it felt as if there were few people on board.  The captain announced that it might get choppy once we were out to sea, but the only time I noticed the ferry's movement was when we arrived in Troon.  When I lived in Washington State back in the late 1980's, I loved taking the ferry to the different islands off the coast.  This was a much larger version of those ferries and still just as enjoyable.  I read a book, tried to sleep (unsuccessfully), and wandered around the ship, enjoying every minute.  

My view out the ferry window.

The photo above shows the large rock/island called Ailsa Craig.  It is 219 acres and located in the outer Firth of Clyde, between Ireland and the UK, just 10 miles from mainland Scotland.  It is sometimes known as "Paddy's Milestone" as it is the halfway point of the journey from Belfast to Glasgow, a traditional route of emigration for many Irish laborers seeking work in Scotland.  Much earlier, it was a haven for Catholics during the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century. Until the 1970-80's, it was inhabited by a few quarry workers, farmers, and lighthouse keepers.  The last inhabitant left in 1990 when the lighthouse became automated.  It is now a bird sanctuary and owned by The 8th Marquess of Ailsa of Scotland.  There is a ruined castle, small cottage, a lighthouse and a granite quarry that once provided the blue hone granite used to make stones for the sport of curling.  Since 2012, it is been for sale for 1.5 million pounds (about $2.2 million), a discounted price from the original 2.5 million pounds ($3.8 million). Quite a hefty price for a place with no running water, electricity or any other utility.  

Ours was the 2nd vehicle to disembark in Troon.  Just outside of Troon, I stopped to let Riles out to do his business.  It was cold and very, very windy, so Riles was happy to jump back into his crate for the last 2 hours of the trip.  We arrived at our new home at about 11 am.  The owner of the flat we are renting, Mike (one half of "Mike and Sharon") was there to welcome us.  Little did he know what he was getting himself in for!

The view about a mile before we arrived at our new home.

Riley happy to be almost there.

View of the annex (to the right of the main house) taken by a friend and posted on Instagram.  He was laughing that I came here, thinking I would have peace & quiet, and not knowing it was a haven for boys working on their toys in the garage.

Riley soaking up the sun in the garden.

First walk in the woods just a few houses down from where we are now living in Scotland.