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Majestic Scotland in WinterBy Janice Rossen
If you really like being part of the local scene, you can rent a cottage from the National Trust for Scotland. This is a fantastic idea if you like cooking (if you don't, you can easily dine out at nearby pubs or restaurants), and also if you like lounging about, reading the paper, drinking cups of tea, and sipping at a bottle of local single-malt. A friend and I stayed for a weekend at the Victorian gate-keeper's cottage for Crathes Castle, near Aberdeen, and went for long walks through the castle grounds. (The castle itself was closed, in mid-winter, though the tea shop and gardens were open.) The National Trust offers numerous places for rent, from ten-room houses on a tiny island on the western coast, to a lighthouse, to a well-furnished flat in Culzean Castle.
The other main feature of Scottish landscape, besides the castles--which are pink and turreted and serious bastions for defense--are the abbeys, most of which are in ruins, and highly picturesque. The Abbey at Jedburgh is truly spectacular--the shell of a magnificent building complex--and is lit up at night.
To find out about renting a flat or cottage, ask for a Holiday Accommodation brochure from the National Trust for Scotland by ringing (0131) 243 9331. They are extremely helpful over the phone. Or write to The National Trust for Scotland, Wemyss House, 28 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4ET. Auld Alliance Antiques in Dinnet can be reached at (01975) 641204, or at dave.antiques@btinternet.com Byzantium Shop is located at 1-3 Bridge Street, Ballater, tel. (013397) 55055. In Jedburgh, try the Meadhon House, tel. (01835) 862504 or Hundalee House Bed and Breakfast, (01835)863001. The Grange Inn, St. Andrews can be reached at (01334)472670. It is located on Grange Road, about five minutes' drive from the center of town. The Peat Inn is located in Cupar, Fife, tel. (01334)840206. |
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I love to travel in winter. It is
a season when the trees are stripped bare, the rivers are turbulent and dark
gray, and the light is misty. If you visit Scotland in December, you will
also have the advantage of fitting in with the flow of Christmas
celebrations, and you can slip along back roads through the highlands and
see utterly beautiful scenery. 
If you rent a car, you can not only
drive through gorgeous scenery, but you can stop here and there at amusing
antique shops--I bought a very glamourous set of tails for a New Year's Eve
party, at (appropriately enough) Auld Alliance Antiques in Dinnet. The town
of Ballater has a lovely shop, Byzantium, which sells clothing, gifts,
furnishings, and which greets you as you walk in the door with a small glass
of sherry and a piece of pound cake. (My friend bought a more substantial
meat pie at a local butcher shop, grinning from ear to ear.) 
For a roaring fireplace and cozy pub, the
Grange Inn just outside of St. Andrews. It is also fun to wander through the
main street of whatever small town you happen to be in, and call in at the
butcher shop for a chicken or meat pie. The slogan, "Say 'aye' tae a pie"
was proclaimed on various advertisements--with good effect--throughout the
land. There will also be at least one tea-shop, with lace table-cloths and a
variety of scones and sweet cakes, in every village, and of course a
welcoming pub. In winter, dusk sets in at about half past four o'clock in
the afternoon, so it is nice to have these indulgences.
I am saving the best for last, as I was
absolutely knocked flat by the Peat Inn. This is the sort of place that you
read about in fancy guidebooks (yes, you must count this as a SPLURGE in
your travel budget), but an evening here is worth every single penny. The
Inn is that vintage kind which has been run by the same couple, David and
Patricia Wilson, for over twenty years, and has won every possible kind of
culinary award--but all this is as naught when you sit down at the table,
because the kitchen has been producing the most zestful, spirited dishes you
could ever hope to eat. They still put their heart into it. 
We tried the "Herb Salad with Kiln Smoked
Salmon, Prawns and Citrus Sauce," which vibrated on the plate, and the
"Roast Young Partridge" came with a symphony of mushrooms. It was visually
beautiful, as well. For dessert, I can still recall "A Little Pot of
Chocolate Rosemary," which paired an unusual herb with a much-loved taste,
resulting in a lovely surprise. The friendly Scottish people (fellow diners)
with whom we spoke after dinner told us that they come to dine at the Inn
regularly, so it is clearly a spot which garners local favour, as well as
being a mecca for out-landers.
Winter lends its own cast to the Scottish landscape--it
feels at home in the chill and the brooding early evenings. But the festive
spirit of the season shines all the more brightly, indoors.