Aviermore, Scotland
Posted on January 19, 2024 • 7 minutes • 1406 words
We had a couple free weeks in between our time in Edinburgh for the visa interview and Dan’s work. Knowing we’d be back to Edinburgh for 3+ weeks later, we wanted to explore some other parts of Scotland, but not travel a ton. We decided to pick 2 places, each for a week. Our criteria was nature, accessible by train, walkable to a town, yard for kids and relaxing house. We went to the map view of AirBnb and started looking. We found this place and a place by Old Scone for our 2 weeks.
We walked into a very cold place! The floors were so cold, that even with socks your feet froze within a few minutes. After a quick lap around the house, the kids were outside playing in the snow.
We turned the heat on, I unpacked a bit and Dan went to the store for groceries. The kids were very concerned when Dad would get back and I soon figured out why.
He indulged them and went full force into the snowball fight when he got back as I made dinner. It was so fun to watch from inside as they were running laps around the house chasing each other. Watching from the ‘sun room’ as the hosts had called it, I could fully seem my kids’ personalities in the way they fought in the snowball fight. Sam would kamakazi straight to Dan, chuck a snowball at him and get pelted right back. Ben would throw from afar, always with a place to duck behind as needed. Max, well Max was just Max running around commenting how much Dan was losing and the kids were winning, but not actually throwing many snowballs.
Pasta and salad for dinner and an intense Uno game after in front of the ‘fire’.
The week we had here was exactly what we needed. The kids were outside every chance they got. It eventually rained, so they only got 2 days of snow. While they were bummed and hoped for snow every night, overall they weren’t too bothered by it. We got into a routine of breakfast, school, play outside, lunch, school, dinner, play inside, read bed. Pretty much did this 5 of the 6 full days we were there. Dan and I were able to get work done during the day so we had evenings to just chill and even binge watch a BBC show.
The backyard was so great for the kids. They designated brush by a tree as their fort, made wands for selling and just did what they do best. It would rain a decent amount, but no hesitation by them to come in. Well, sometimes Max would.
There was just no desire to do much, we just wanted a week away from it all. A week similar to what we have when we would go to our cabin in Strawberry, AZ.
We found a great place when we did go to dinner. A tavern type place that happened to close their kitchen on Wednesdays (go figure, we went on a Wednesday) and had a pizza truck outside. WIN! Kids got a juice, Dan and I got beers and we were quite a talkative bunch that night. Max kept leaving the table to ask someone if he could pet their dog (2x) or look at their baby. Ben was begging Dan to read Sherlock.
Pizza was good and we ate it all, even though we got 4 big pizzas. It was just a jolly night. Bar was playing awesome music and Dan and I couldn’t help but sing along.
We were by a rail yard that had an old steam train that we got to see running one day. (not day of photo taken)
My back was still pretty bad and I used this week to do a LOT of PT and some runs in. Every time I’d start on a road, a trail would call to me as I passed.
I do love that the kids love doing my exercises with me, even when they get extra close. :)
We took to baking a bit this week, something Dan and I had been missing. I went straight to peanut butter cookies, partially because when I felt like cooking, it was the only thing I could make with what we had in the house. I was missing a couple ingredients (brown sugar, does it really matter, brown or white sugar?) and vanilla extract, but they tasted just as great as they always did. They could have been half terrible and the kids would have still loved them.
They were very excited to have extra that we could put them in our biscuits jar from the house. They didn’t last long, so I made another batch.
Dan made bread, Max tested it to check it was done.
Our amazing side/front/backyard.
The area was awesome. 20 minute walk to town, 12 minute walk to a brewery, cafe and store. And they loved their biking routes.
Even with this weather, there were lots of bikers on the path to town.
Our second day there, the snow was going fast. Kids still found enough to have a snowball fight all the way to town when we We walked there to get new gloves for the kids when it was clear their gloves weren’t working with the very wet snow.
There was a playground close to our place that we walked to a couple times, but the kids weren’t even asking for it much since they had the backyard.
We did go a couple times and went down to the river. Max went fishing while the boys threw stick after stick into the river.
The route to the river the first time we went.
And 2 days later from the flooding.
And back down a bit on our last day there.
Everywhere we walked there was water. And having the right shoes and clothes for it, we embraced it fully.
The path to town after the flooding, which lasted our last 4 days there.
This field had no water in it 2 days before and was the one we walked across to get to the river.
On one of my runs I swung by the brewery to check it out. Not having my wallet on me, I browsed and checked the hours. Got back home and with lunch lagging, I sent Dan and Ben they could get there because the hours were reduced for the winter months. He got a variety and I FINALLY drank a good British beer. I love my wheat and white beers, don’t care much for the pilsners and ales.
It really was like a vacation inside a vacation. Lots of treats for the kids. Hot chocolates and nutella/whipped cream pancakes for breakfasts.
We studied honey guides and the kids read their reports.
Max one of the times he came inside when he felt he was cold.
The kids can run around with jackets open in freezing weather, then they get inside a nicely heated house and THEN they are freezing. So cold they couldn’t eat lunch at the table.
A couple of our dinners. It’s amazing how much I was loving cooking when I wasn’t stressed about a full time job and driving kids around to soccer or swimming.
Dan really wanted to take them on a hike one day, but the day he picked it poured all day. I told him to wait, but he insisted. Warm, but dry.
Max when I asked him to wipe down the table.
Sadly our week was about over and we packed ourselves up and walked to the train station. It was a vintage station. ‘Old’ sounded too run down. :) So much wrought iron and kept up too. Kids loved the bridge over tracks and I loved the roof.
Train was right on time and even though it was only a 37 minute ride, we still snacked.
We went up a bit in elevation and had some snow dusted views.
I bought these from a bakery in Aviermore and they were so big, you couldn’t even bite them.
It was 2 cakes with jam and custard between them and then covered in icing and rolled in coconut. So yummy.
Dan enjoying himself.
We continued north and got some sea views. Pulled into the station, hopped off and 8 minute VERY windy walk to our awesome place!