When I wrote yous yesterday , Nicholas as well as I were sitting inward the cafe at the Birham Institute , after visiting the Beatrix Potter museum. Apart from (obviously) reading her stories every bit a kid , the exclusively experience I had amongst Beatrix Potter was Miss Potter , where Bridget Jones falls inward beloved amongst Ewan McGregor but doesn't wed him. The best business office of that cinema was the opening sequence , where she goes into the countryside amongst a go set upward of watercolours as well as starts to paint. From retention , some rabbits boundary off the page. I haven't seen it inward a long fourth dimension , but I had a habit - when I was an early on teenager - of renting a weekly DVD as well as spotter it 10+ times spell it was rented , as well as hence I should live able to recollect the cinema amend than this.
Anyway , the museum was beautiful. There were lots of light-green walls as well as it was set out similar a petty children's wonderland amongst puppets to play amongst as well as lovely chests filled amongst specimens to depict as well as puzzles to do. Nicholas as well as I had quite a skillful fourth dimension at that spot , especially when nosotros starting fourth dimension arrived , because it was really quiet. It was much busier yesteryear the fourth dimension nosotros left , when nosotros hastily completed the Easter egg hunt yous could play (Nicholas scribbled at the top that nosotros shouldn't win the prizes because nosotros were adults).
Some specimens on Beatrix Potter's cupboard
Nicholas existence a total dag as well as entertaining me amongst a puppet show.
The sign on the closet that housed the clothes upward equipment - yous could live Jeremy Fisher or Mrs Tiggy-Winkle!
From the exhibition , nosotros caput due northward to Cairngorm National Park , the biggest green inward Britain. We didn't anticipate all the snow. The guy pictured below isn't fifty-fifty that snowy inward comparison. The ski slopes are silent open. We're camping ground here. Shit.
The feel of unease nosotros felt driving upward through the Cairngorms made us experience really , really Australian indeed.
We managed to discovery a prissy campsite pretty easily , upward inward Drumguish. While I was fetching my Tangle Teezer from the auto , Nicholas saw a buck as well as fawn. I was pretty jealous as well as cursed my tangly pilus for a skillful spell afterwards. Nicholas had 2 cups of noodles for dinner , but I couldn't handgrip to a greater extent than minute noodles , as well as hence had minute mashed white patato as well as bananas instead. It's non every bit terrifying every bit it sounds , I promise. Mixed amongst the fancy tabular array salt nosotros bought at Hoxton St Monster Supplies , it wasn't fifty-fifty one-half bad.
Our campsite at sunset. Don't allow this movie fool yous - it was much colder than it looks!
While Nicholas was taking the beautiful movie higher upward , I was seasoning my minute white patato amongst lavander salt. Classy.
Our thought from our tent.
We woke upward early on the side yesteryear side forenoon , listening to the running flow as well as waterfall below us. I roused Nicholas , telling him nosotros had to become looking for deer as well as rabbits. He obliged , as well as nosotros set upward off through the woods to search for elusive critters. Spoiler: nosotros institute no deer. We did , all the same , caput downwards to the river Spey as well as brand the rookie error of washing our faces amongst melted snowfall water. Cold.
In the midst of our failed hunt for deer , I told Nicholas nosotros needed to await for wild cats inward Newtonmore. We read online that yous tin give notice search for wild cats at that spot as well as indeed yous tin give notice - unfortunately , they final saw a wild truthful cat nearly xviii months ago. To brand upward for the lack of sightings (wild cats are likewise clever) they've 'hidden' a heap of multicoloured plaster casts of wild cats around the town to hunt. We gave that a missy , but decided to exercise the trail anyway. Oh! On the agency , nosotros stopped yesteryear the Ruthven Barracks , which was closed to where nosotros camped. It was all really Outlander.
The river Spey
The Ruthven Barracks
The Scottish Wildcat
The Wildcat trail was peculiarly well-signed , which was lucky for us because nosotros constantly misinterpreted the petty printed map nosotros were given at the Wildcat Centre. Not a promising start , considering we'll live doing much tricker treks , relying on Ordnance Survey maps as well as Nicholas' prowess amongst a compass. I never did likewise good amongst a compass as well as hence that's non been left upward to me. I'll in all likelihood live inward accuse of snacks.
Handy signs along the Wildcat trail featured dark cats!
Nicholas interrupting my panorama of the Cairngorm mountains from our petty walk
The Wildcat Trail wasn't likewise much of an intense mount hike , but led yous through the backs of diverse local paddocks. The Outdoor Access Code inward Scotland allows yous to walk on other peoples' terra firma , every bit long every bit yous closed the gate as well as don't disturb their things basically. I'm pretty certain they can't fifty-fifty state yous to instruct off unless you're doing the incorrect thing. The tourist inward me thinks that this is great. The potential hereafter Scottish housewife inward me (and individual person) thinks this is really irritating. I wouldn't desire strangers walking around on my stuff. The coolest business office nearly it , though , was all of the farm animals! I made certain non to think of their fate every bit nosotros cooed over all the babies. So many tiny black-faced lambs! As nosotros walked through some other unknown Scottish resident's yard , nosotros chanced upon a duet of really hungry horses. Initially , I was actually panicky that they were going to assault us or odor the melted chocolate inward my pockets , but nosotros eventually made friends amongst them. They were really soft as well as smelled a flake similar Puck.
Having cuddles amongst a stranger's horse
A pitiable , blurry shot of Nicholas amongst the horses. I was worried the audio of the photographic telly camera shutter would alert them , as well as hence I took a crappy movie amongst my phone.
Not long after nosotros left the horses , nosotros institute a flow to launder our hands in. Convenient.
From the Wildcat Trail , as well as having given upward on finding whatever wildcats , nosotros caput dorsum to the car. We made friends amongst many edge collies , picked upward some homemade millionaire shortbread from an honesty box out front end of a local's menage (it was delicious) as well as chanced upon our starting fourth dimension ruby-red squirrel - non a 'grey import' , which is apparently what our other encounters were. I was keen to caput to the Highland Folk Museum for the afternoon , which is an open-air museum showing diverse scenes from Scottish homelife from the 1700's to 1950's. As our Scottish friend pointed out earlier nosotros went , it was the 'perfect identify to human action out whatever Jamie as well as Claire fantasies'. Another reference to the all-powerful , Outlander. This makes it audio similar I'm obsessed amongst Outlander , which I'm not. We are inward Scotland , though.
I got to grind wheat similar they did inward the 1700's. I decided that - if I was to live sent dorsum inward fourth dimension via standing rock - I would wed rich as well as avoid grinding wheat because it's hard. Also , for all its romanticism , I'd missy electrical lights as well as heating.
All the other fourth dimension travellers inward our 18th century township.
The Clock room
Apart from the 1700's township , the business office I enjoyed most at the museum was a reconstruction of a clockmaker's workshop. It in ane lawsuit belonged to a homo named Alexander McIntyre who , apart from making clocks as well as repairing bicycles , managed to fashion a hit of really clever tools. One was comprised of a drill press as well as a lathe as well as a tabular array saw. All 3 were ran off ane treadle. Another was a reciprocating saw for metallic , made yesteryear repurposing parts of a Singer sewing machine. The tabular array was also littered amongst designs for clocks , which reminded me of the infamous da Vinci sketches.
The mutual depression temperature overnight - combatted slightly yesteryear the fact that I bought an extra sleeping handbag - has meant that my Ross River Fever-induced arthritis has been pretty unbearable at times , as well as hence nosotros forwent sleeping this evening as well as are held upward inward a room at the Glen Hotel inward Newtonmore. It's pretty cosy as well as had breakfast as well as Wifi included , as well as hence it won on all fronts. The exclusively improvement I tin give notice think of would live to include a bathtub , but yous can't receive got everything.
Tomorrow is our final hateful solar daytime of sunshine for a petty spell , as well as hence we're heading northward to Aviemore to option upward some walking maps as well as are going to exercise a reasonable hike (hopefully yesteryear a loch!)
