Scottish Outlander | A Lifestyle Blog from Lindsay McWilliams

7 May, 2015

Glen Strathfarrar

7 May, 2015

Just 10 minutes from my parents front door is Glen Strathfarrar, a stunning piece of what was once Fraser country that is now home to a hunting lodge and a vast number of red deer. Popular with outdoor enthusiasts Glen Strathfarrar boasts beautiful scenery, a hydro dam, pine forest and an abundance of wildlife.

A limited number of vehicles are allowed access between 28th March and 31st October (except all day on Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings) with a maximum of 25 being permitted in the glen each day. The entrance is controlled by a gate-keeper so when you knock on their cottage door cross your fingers and hope there’s still room for you in the glen! A couple of weeks ago on a bright sunny morning we decided to take the chance and see if there was space for one more car.

The road is single track and pretty bumpy so leave your sports car at home and keep your wits about you as you wind your way through the impressive landscape. You’ll pass the remnants of the ancient Forest of Caledon, the River Farrar, two lochs, Loch a’ Mhuillidh and Loch Beannacharan and Braulen, a sandstone hunting lodge built in 1840 before heading up towards Monar Dam, the biggest arch dam in Britain. At the end of the road you can park near a power station which spurts out water and walk up into the mountains or look out for golden eagles which my family have often seen soaring high above the ridges.

We weren’t lucky enough to see any eagles on our visit but we did appreciate the scenery and I enjoyed borrowing my Dad’s telephoto lens for some close ups of the locals.

20 April, 2015

Top 3 TV Shows Based in Scotland*

20 April, 2015

Hamish Macbeth: My parents introduced me to Hamish Macbeth when they discovered my love for actor Robert Carlyle. He plays the rebellious local police officer Constable Hamish Macbeth in this 90s comedy-drama made by BBC Scotland. Macbeth is happy to keep the peace in the fictitious town of Lochdubh without too much concern for regulations and too much involvement from his colleagues in Inverness. Smoking joints and bending the rules with his West Highland terrier Wee Jock by his side the series revolves around his relationships with newspaper journalist Isobel and author Alexandra.

Monarch of the Glen: Monarch of the Glen is another BBC Scotland production that I fell in love with. A little bit more up to date (2000-2005) it follows the story of Archie MacDonald who has to leave his life as a restaurateur in London to take up his rightful role as The Laird of Glenbogle. With the help of his friends, eccentric parents and romantic interests Archie must work to secure the future of the 40,000 acre estate and all those who live and work on it. The first three series are my favourite but I won’t give the game away by telling you exactly why, you’ll have to watch the series to find out the fate of the Glenbogle estate.

Outlander: Outlander is my current obsession and is available on Amazon Prime Instant Video. I’ve blogged about it here and every episode I watch cements it further as one of my favourite television series. Claire Randall is an English combat nurse from 1945. While visiting Inverness to become reacquainted with her husband Frank after their separation during the war and research his family history she is somehow swept back in time to 1743. Launched into turbulent times where the English occupy Scottish soil and the Jacobite rebellion is brewing Claire is forced to marry a chivalrous young Scottish warrior and a passionate relationship is ignited that tears her heart between two lives and two vastly different men.

Looking back at my favourite TV shows based in Scotland makes me want to visit (or revisit!) the beautiful places they were filmed. I would love to go back to Plockton which doubles as Lochdubh in Hamish Macbeth, visit the Ardverikie estate used in Monarch of the Glen and Doune Castle used as Castle Leoch in Outlander. If you fancy booking yourself a trip to see some of these wonderful locations have a look at http://www.voucherbin.co.uk/ who feature discounts on Scottish hotels, cottages and travel.

17 April, 2015

Housesteads Roman Fort, Hadrian’s Wall

17 April, 2015

Housesteads is a well preserved Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall. In the heart of the Northumberland countryside the remains of the fort are set high on a ridge looking out over ‘barbaricum’, where the barbarians (Scots!) used to live. I’ve visited the fort four or five times but John had never been so one dry Saturday afternoon we jumped in the car and headed along one of England’s beautifully straight Roman roads.

The site is owned by the National Trust and maintained by English Heritage so there is a fee to get in (unless you’re a member) but it’s obvious the £6.60 for every adult has been put to good use. (You also have to pay for parking so make sure you have some change!). It might well be worth becoming a member if you plan to visit a few National Trust sites a year though, you can currently get a discounted family membership for £65 through the offers on MVC.

The museum has been updated and you can now watch a film which includes CGI recreations of the original buildings before you venture in to explore the fort for yourself. If you’re the only ones waiting to watch the film give a member of staff a shout and they’ll turn it on for you, there’s quite a wait otherwise! The Roman name for Housesteads is Vercovicium which means “place of the effective fighters” and you can view a collection of their weapons not to mention jewellery, alters and dedication stones which all help bring the surroundings to life.

The main event is of course the remains of a variety of buildings which stand inside the walls of the fort. You can wander through barracks, granaries, the commander’s house, the hospital and see every kids favourite, the toilets.

The fact that the fort sits so high on the hill means the walk up to it might take your breath away but so will the panoramic views…

If you’re more adventurous than us you can walk along the wall to Milecastle 37 and the famous Sycamore Gap which you might recognise from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves or if you’re really keen you can walk all 73 miles of the wall!

9 April, 2015

Big Kid Circus

9 April, 2015

I am a big kid and for the last three years I’ve been going to the circus every time it’s rolled into town. When I was a child animal welfare issues meant I never ventured inside a big top so I’m making up for it now that the lions and tigers have been replaced with inflatable polar bears, giant big cats and dancing camels!

Big Kid Circus features aerial and ground acrobatics performed by artists from England, Morocco, Ukraine, Russia, and Romania. The Wheel of Death was particularly impressive with three acrobats spinning in the air and performing death defying feats both inside and outside the three giant wheels.

Duo Aspire performed on the Chinese Pole and the aerial trapeze. When I explained one of their strength routines to a colleague he didn’t believe it was physically possible! Andrey was holding himself horizontally on the pole with Nina standing on him which was impressive enough… and then he started doing press ups! Horizontal press ups!

The acts didn’t stop there. An Acrobatic Team tumbled through rings of fire and Ms Gorbacheva hula hooped with more hoops than I’ve ever seen in my life, even managing to keep them spinning on her ponytail.

Georgie the clown kept the kids laughing while Olympia supplied the soundtrack and the performers served popcorn, painted faces and sold balloons during the interval.

The show changes every year and I’m sure we’ll be back to see what’s new in 2016.

25 March, 2015

Outlander

25 March, 2015

I’m a pretty nosey person so when I saw film crews setting up in Carlisle last year I headed straight to our local newspapers website to find out what was going on. The News & Star informed me that the grand finale of a show I had never heard about was being filmed at Carlisle Castle. As I learned the name of the programme and a little about its plot I started to get excited.

Outlander is the story of a married combat nurse from 1945 who is somehow swept back in time to 1743 Scotland. Claire Randall is thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. She is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior and a passionate relationship is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Featuring some faces I instantly recognised including Tobia Menzies from Game of Thrones and Graham McTavish from The Hobbit, Outlander has an all-star British cast. The show has an 8.8 rating on IMDb, has won a People’s Choice Award, is set in the Scottish Highlands and shares a part of this blog’s name, I really hope I like it as much as I think I will!

If I wasn’t excited enough I received some Outlander goodies through the post. The parcel included a map which marked key places in the story and a beautiful treasure chest which opened to reveal a Hand Stamped Outlander Necklace. Embossed on it is the Motto of Clan Fraser of Lovat, “Je suis prest” which means “I am ready”.

The first 8 episodes of Outlander season one will be available on Amazon Prime Instant Video from Thursday 26th March and the remaining episodes will be released every Sunday from Sunday 5th April. If you’re not already a Prime member you can sign up for a 30-day free trial at www.amazon.co.uk/prime.

12 March, 2015

Bloom & Wild Flowers

12 March, 2015

I’ve sent Bloom & Wild flowers to my Gran twice now and on both occasions she has been absolutely thrilled with the quality and the variety of the flowers. So much so that she asked my Aunty to send me photographs of them and showed me the card that was included, so I could see the different kinds of flowers she received.

Bloom & Wild flowers are delivered in bespoke packaging which has been designed to fit though standard UK letterboxes and offer a subscription service where flower lovers can receive regular deliveries.

Knowing I wanted to see what Bloom & Wild flowers were like for myself John bought me a dozen pink roses. “The Rosalind” arrived in a classic presentation box with each flower individually protected by a mesh cover. The flowers are cut to order arriving at the florists from carefully selected growers within hours. They are then sent to the recipient and usually arrive the following day. This ensures longer-lasting blooms and so far I’ve definitely found this to be the case! Roses usually last for between 4-12 days and some of mine lasted for two weeks.

A single bouquet is £28 with delivery is included and a three bouquet bundle is just £50. Get 15% off your first order with the code SCOTTISHOUTLANDER.

28 February, 2015

A Unique Mother’s Day Gift: The Book of Mum*

28 February, 2015

Mother’s Day is just around the corner so it’s time to start the search for that perfect present and I think I’ve found just the thing.

The Book of Mum is a unique gift that comes from the creators of The Book Of Everyone. This personalised book is full of fun facts and statistics based on your Mum’s age and the information you choose to provide and features beautiful artwork by top designers.

The book is easy to create and is available in digital form and as a paperback, hardback or deluxe book. The first step is entering your Mum’s name and date of birth. Once entered the online generator works it’s magic and creates your one-of-a-kind book in seconds. Now the customisation begins. You can add photos and dedications, choose between backgrounds and make your book into something your Mum will cherish forever. If your struggling to put your sentiments into words you can save your book and come back to it later, something I found very useful! When finished you can preview your book before it arrives on your doorstep less than a week later.

The Book of Mum is available to buy from The Book Of Everyone website and is £7.50 for a digital copy, £19.50 for paperback, £29.50 for hardback and £49.50 for deluxe. If you’re looking for a personalised card to amuse your Mum You Said It have a wide range of alternative Mother’s Day cards.

19 February, 2015

Miller & Carter Steakhouse, Newcastle

19 February, 2015

Newcastle Upon Tyne is one of my favourite cities. I lived in Northumberland for most of my teenage years and spent Saturdays hanging around at the Green in the city centre or eating pizza and watching films at The Gate. I haven’t ventured far from my old home county and now live less than an hour away by car or an hour and a half away by train. John and I had never visited Newcastle together so we decided to head over and have a look around on Valentines Day.

When we bought our train tickets we were handed some cute sweeties for the journey, a lovely little surprise!

Unfortunately we left the nice weather in Carlisle and were greeted by grey skies but that didn’t stop us wandering for miles and enjoying the change of scenery. We walked around Eldon Square but neither of us are big shoppers so we decided to head towards the quayside in search of somewhere to eat.

When I asked John what he fancied the answer wasn’t surprising, steak. A couple of minutes later we stumbled across Miller & Carter Steakhouse and after a quick peak at the menu decided to give it a try.

The interior looked pretty high end and I was surprised to find out that the restaurant was part of a chain. (We don’t have as wide a selection of chains in Carlisle as most other cities but we do OK for our size! Plus who doesn’t love the individuality of independent eateries?). We settled in, ordered our drinks and tried to make sense of the menu.

John opted for a rump steak which was 30 day dry and wet aged. The menu said it had a firm texture and rich flavour and at £13.50 for an 8oz steak John certainly wasn’t complaining. Both of our meals came with fries which were just perfect and John’s steak came with an extra surprise. When ordering John was asked to select a “wedge dressing” and having no idea what this was to “dress” opted for a safe option, garlic mayonnaise and parmesan. When the wedge arrived we were a little bit surprised as it was a huge portion of iceberg lettuce. Deciding this must be what American’s (?) eat with their steak I pounced on the chunks of parmesan and John picked at the lettuce leaves.

I don’t eat red meat (a steakhouse probably isn’t the best option for me!) but there were a couple of things I liked the sound of on the menu. I went for the lemon and garlic roast Shropshire chicken which was pretty tasty but I have to say the fries were the real highlight. Perfectly crispy and ideal to dunk in my garlic and chive mayonnaise.

The bill was £37.95 which included 1 large and 1 medium glass of wine and a soft drink which I think is perfectly reasonable for what we got although I’m sure many of the local foodies will disagree. I’ve read a few reviews of Miller & Carter since visiting and a lot of them suggest their are far better places to eat for the money but all in all we enjoyed our food, experienced good service but won’t be rushing back.

After lunch we went for a look around The Baltic. There were only two exhibitions on and neither were to our taste (a little too far into the modern art category!) so we didn’t stick around and decided to end our trip with a visit to the Life Centre.

I had never visited the Life Centre before and was excited to find out they have a 4D ride! We had a quick look around the exhibition space before I couldn’t wait any longer and we joined the queue for a high speed race through villages, tunnels, forests and mountain roads. “Retro Race” was a lot of fun and we were thrown around, blasted with wind and water, smelled smoke that erupted in the middle of the theatre and wore 3D glasses to be closer to the action. Next we headed to the planetarium for “Space: A Beginner’s Guide”. After being on our feet most of the day we relished the chance to sit down and relax while learning about black holes, red dwarfs, galaxies and supernovae. For me another highlight was an exhibition of the winning entries from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014. There were some really stunning photographs and if you want to have a look at the exhibition yourself make sure you visit before Sunday 19th April. Tickets for the Life Centre are £9.95 for adults, £7.95 for concessions and £6.95 for children. I would really recommend visiting if you have children as there was loads to keep kids occupied or if you’re big kids like us and fancy doing something a little bit different.

We loved our day out in Newcastle and are sure to be back soon so if you have any recommendations of things to do or places to go please leave your suggestions in the comments!

7 February, 2015

Ultimate Boyfriend Jolly Ginger from Biscuiteers Baking Company*

7 February, 2015

Biscuiteers are a luxury gift brand I discovered when searching for something a little bit different to send far away family and friends. I love the idea of sending biscuits and other treats instead of traditional cards and flowers, especially when the biscuits are hand-iced and as beautiful as those from the Biscuiteers.

With Valentines Day just around the corner Biscuiteers have come up with a novel way to let single friends know how much they mean to you. Enter the Ultimate Boyfriend Jolly Ginger*. He’s cute, tasty and is sure to make his new girl smile.

The Ultimate Boyfriend Jolly Ginger is delivered straight to the lucky recipients door. He comes in a pretty hand-illustrated box and is wrapped in delicate tissue paper.

He’s around 14cm tall, has brown hair, a six pack and he’s edible, what more could you want?

The Ultimate Boyfriend Jolly Ginger is just £6 and right now there is 10% off the Valentines collection.

23 January, 2015

The Ultimate Geek Shoes: Star Wars Vans

23 January, 2015

I am a massive geek, a fact I manage to hide the majority of the time but sometimes I can’t help but let it slip. Like when I first spotted these shoes. I am not a shoe person, I don’t have any shoe hoarding tendencies and I had certainly never seen a pair I “had” to own. Until the Star Wars Vans.

I saw these Vans in the summer and instantly showed them to my boyfriend telling him they were the coolest shoes in the world. I doubt John agreed but he was safe in the knowledge that I wasn’t going to treat myself to a £50 pair of shoes and stored the idea away. Six months later I had accepted that I couldn’t afford them and had put them to the back of my mind when on Christmas morning I let out a squeal! John had scrolled through months of our messages to find the link and had bought me my very own pair of Star Wars shoes!

I am absolutely thrilled with the geekiest shoes I will ever own and can’t wait for the drier weather when I can impress (embarrass) family and friends by wearing them out and about. (I don’t want to ruin them by wearing them in the winter do I?!) So far I’ve been showing them off indoors and carefully photographing them in the snow. I love the film poster print which is different on each shoe and have been impressed by how comfy they are, although I was expecting this as Vans are always easy to wear.

If you would like your own wearable piece of Star Wars memorabilia the Star Wars Vans are now £19.99 at Schuh with free delivery! Just don’t tell John.