June 1 - Inverness and Dornoch Scotland

Today we drove up to Dornoch we were going to go to Thurso but 2.5 hrs in the car each way sounded like too much and Nairn beach only half an hour away top rated beach in Scotland we thought we'd just go there, but then I looked on the map saw Dornoch well I thought i remember a Pro Golf tournament up there and they had a big beach right next to the golf course, sure enough Royal Dornoch Golf Course is the #1 rated Golf course in Scotland, at least by one person as i looked it up... now there's St Andrews, and Inverness, and Royal Troon, so... not sure about that but we drove up there it was only about 40 some miles and all good big road, i'm still not used to this right side driving it's opposite of everything backing up to parallel park is really baffling to me the mirrors lol all in the wrong places... but just driving down the road i'm not used to all the roundabouts which are everywhere instead of traffic signals and you have to yield but there are 3 lanes of traffic coming together and going the wrong way and you yield to traffic coming around but then people next to you jump out and across anyway, makes for some nervous times i only got in the wrong place one time today a near miss not sure if it was my fault of the overanxious mercedes driver pushy jerk you know the type... anyway, we got a nice Renault Symbioz or such, really nice new hybrid e-drive electronic everything big screen for map and music and everything, locks and unlocks when you get close or go away... Well dornoch beach did not disapoint it was fantastic huge went for a mile or more, rock pools at one end, tall grasses and flowers all along, and then right up above a short steep hill was the golf course. I went up there and took a couple pics the view was awesome, the roughs have the gorse and thistles purple flowers yellow flowers little gnarly trees, and while i was up there a look like a army official helicopter came over landed by the golf course i guess some rich or royal people came to play golf...

But it was windy chilly oh how windy was it... lol... was about 57 degrees and some of the locals were in shorts and tshirts or bathing suits a few in the water, others in full wind / rain gear bundled up... i did 3 layers and a neck cover, M had her new rain jacket with foul weather hood... so we went and ate in the car, had a nice walk along the golf course and though the tall grasses onto the beach for a while... We left drove through town oh a sign best hot chocolate ever here.. so we stopped and yes it was very good... tho a little pricey lol... As we left town i had hoped to go to one of the national forest walks at Lael but it was too far didn't want to drive that much there was a little forest right there outside the town 3 miles so we went there and it was very nice, walked about 30 mins through there scotch pine and a lot of neat plants smelled very nice earthy foresty...

then we drove back to town, decided since it's getaway day tomorrow just go to Mark and Spencer get something for dinner eat in the apartment M got some tomato soup i got a "very veggie pizza" and both were great... i had tiramisu for desert, M almond shortbread cookies. Now all packed ready to go in the morning, check out is 10 which is perfect timing our flight to Belfast is 11:50, rental car due back 10:30 so we should be to Belfast about 1:10 tomorrow afernoon, get the rental car and check Belfast out before our check in isn't til 4 about 25 miles out east at Ballywalter beach.