A letter from a satisfied LTR customer

Andrew - I loved that map book that you gave us!  It had sites marked and was wonderfully usable. We combined it with your itinerary and notes (of course) and two books that we brought with us: Cadogan's Scotland and The Daily Telegraph's Castles & Ancient Monuments of Scotland.  Ideally I would have gone over our route from Edinburgh to Skibo, noting sites on the route-- as it was we were scrambling to figure out where to stop (the sites come fast).  I think we could have visited Stirling and Glamis Castle-- the two sites we missed and must pick up on a return visit.  I must say, I don't remember ever having come home from a trip so eager to get back.  Anyway, on the trip to Skibo, we did stop at three wonderful sites: Killiecrankie, Culloden, and the Clava Cairns. We ate our picnic in a pristine park in a little town past Killiecrankie that has some claim as a tourist destination, wish I could remember the name of that town. 

There really would have been  time for me to plot the route to Skibo while we were in Edinburgh, but jet lag and fascination with Edinburgh distracted me.  We were so glad you told us where to go for lunch the first day, it helped get us organized.  The Witchery was atmospheric and very good, and certainly its location was perfect.  We did the Castle and the Royal Mile, and we checked out Becky's theater-- the Bedlam.  It made for a full day and we ended up just eating dinner in the hotel.   The next day we did some shopping (vintage clothes and a ceramic trout), visited the spectacular Botanical Gardens, toured a cemetery and had lunch in Leith at a charming restaurant.  We did another walking tour of the city, getting up Calton Hill and all.  The restaurant you sent us to for dinner (Oloroso) was really fun.  It was refreshing to be some place trendy after being ensconced in history and tradition.  The Howard Hotel is lovely and we liked its location.  The great weather served us so well for picnicing and hiking.

Skibo is a very special place.  It does have a club like feeling.  We were impressed with Skibo's employees, they get to know your names quickly (for example, after dinner one of the waiters asked me if I needed anything and I told him I was just looking for my daughters and he said, "oh, Becky and Meredith") and they were helpful and interesting. When I wandered into the greenhouse, for example, Peter stopped and gave me interesting background on the plants.  The morning bagpipers, organ music, and falconer all help create a special atmosphere.  The main thing that made it feel like a club was the dinner party-style dinner in Mr. Carnegie's dining room.  Our first night we arrived late (7:30) and ate a casual dinner in the golf house.  But the second night we had the fun and formality of the party.   After dinner there was snookers, group singing in the living room, and a drink in the members' cigar room. Our rooms were very nice (Tony and I had Mr. Carnegie's) and huge, but we really did not feel like we were being over-indulged in the height of luxury, probably because the plumbing and electricity were a bit eccentric and the furnishings weren't pristine.  This was fine with us, made it all feel like we were in a real home, and put the focus where it should have been- on the glorious grounds and the experience of it all.  We did take a drive up to Dunrobin Castle and Carn Liath broch; it was a beautiful, not too long excursion, still left time for fishing and riding.

The drive to Skye was lovely.  We stopped for lunch at the funky Victorian train station in Strathpeffer.  After our cavernous rooms at Skibo, the top floor of the lodge at Kinloch felt comfortable, cozy, and light.  We loved hiking on Skye.  Skye is a big island and we needed that extra day that you had scheduled to really explore.  The trip over to Kinnaird was easy, with the road going through so much marvelous Scottish scenery- Glencoe, the lochs... the usual. Thanks to your map, we stopped at Fortingale to see the ewe tree and standing stones, and then found a hotel near Castle Menzies that served a great lunch.  In my book, Kinnaird is the height of luxury:  beautiful, comfortable, big rooms with wonderful views,  attentive service, and excellent meals. The guide Annie, you organised for us, was a very nice, interesting person and we enjoyed hearing about her family, the Black Watch, and her life.  Our schedule was limited by the need to get back by 3pm so Tony and Ham could go salmon fishing.  Blair Castle was not that exciting but it gave us a chance to clarify some things about the British nobility.  Without Annie, we would have missed the historical cathedral at Dunkeld with its larch trees and the Beatrix Potter exhibit that highlights Beatrix' business acumen.

The trip was fun, informative and easy.  We wished we could have had an extra night at Skibo and also at Kinnaird but you certainly helped us make the most of the time we had available.  We felt lucky and spoiled to have such a good travel agent.
                                                       Sincerely yours,
                                                        Annie Jones