Savoring Scotland– Castles, Cathedrals, Chambered Cairns, and Cullen Skink 

Part 3: Tomintoul Highland Games and Other Highland Delights, Then On To The Neolithic Wonders of Orkney

Saturday, July 19, 2025 —  Aberlour Footpaths, Inveravon Church, Balvenie Castle, Tomintoul Highland Games, and Elgin Cathedral

As usual, I was up early on Saturday morning, July 19, 2025.  I got packed up and set out for a morning walk around Aberlour.  Brian had mentioned the evening before (at our Whiskey Pairing dinner in the Whiskey Snug at Dowan’s) that there were some nice footpaths close to Dowan’s Hotel that led into Aberlour, so I set out for some exploring.  Just down the street from the hotel I found a path next to a soccer field.  This path led me into the little town of Aberlour, passing by (and over) three foot bridges (one wooden, one stone, and one steel), a playground, a community garden, and a rustic graveyard. Part of my walk that morning was on the Speyside Way, one of Scotland’s Great Trails. Below is a gallery of photos from what turned out to be my favorite early morning walk of my trip. 

After breakfast we said our goodbyes to Dowans Hotel and headed southwest down the A95 to The Inveravon Parish Church.  This site is best known for the four Class I Pictish Stones that were found there and are now on display.  Class I Pictish Stones are incised only, and have no Christian symbols, while Class II Stones are not as old and typically have a cross on one side and engraved pictish symbols on the other site.  The current church building was built in 1806 and the four stones are on display in what used to be the entrance to the church on the north wall.  Acess to the church is through a door on the west gable.  While the church itself is rather plain and pedestrian, the four Pictish Stones are beautiful, and have an interesting history.  We didn’t stay long, but after looking at the stones, the interior of the church, and the church yard, we headed out.  

From Inveravon Church we headed about 12 miles back to the northeast towards Dufftown, and in short order we pulled up to the ruins of Balvenie Castle.  This castle was once a formidable stronghold as evidenced by the massive curtain wall, a defensive ditch, and the distinctive iron gate (a “Yett”).  It has been home to the Black Comyns, The Black Douglases,  and  John Stewart, the 4th Earl of Atholl.  Mary Queen of Scotts stayed there briefly in September of  1562.  The inside of the castle is not in as good of shape as the exterior wall, but we enjoyed our brief visit.  The solitary docent at the site was a very nice gentleman, providing interesting commentary on the castle and its many inhabitants.  For a more complete collection of the photos I took at Belvenie Castle, look here.  After our tour of the castle we walked over to the field adjacent to a nearby farmhouse and I got my first good look at Highland Cattle, with their long horns and shaggy coats.  

We left Balvenie Castle a little after 10 a.m. for the 25 mile drive to our next stop, the Tomintoul Highland Games.  I must admit, I was quite excited!  This item on my trip agenda (Highland Games) was one that I was really looking forward to.  The Tomintoul Highland Games were to begin at 11 a.m. and Brian wanted us to get there in time to see the Bagpipe and Drum Band process onto the competition grounds.  The Highland games that eventually became known as The Tomintoul Games originated in the early 1800’s in a rural area of the Strathdown Valley, and were moved into the nearby village of Tomintoul in 1880.  We parked in an open field about a ten minute walk from the public park where the games are held.  Despite some angry looking clouds in the area, there was a festive mood in the air as we, along with a steady stream of people made our way to the park where the Games were being held.  As we entered the park, I encountered a visual feast — happy people, interesting activities, and great sounds and smells as well.  It was like a county fair colliding with a family reunion and a track and field meet with a dance recital and concert thrown in for good measure.  It was profoundly exhilerating for this old man, and stirred my ancestral roots in a way I had not imagined!

We hadn’t been at the park long when we began to hear the approach of the Pipe Bands.  We positioned ourselves so that we would be close to the area of their entry.  Soon they arrived at the grounds, lead by Clan Chieftain Jim Fraser.  As he led the opening procession of the pipe band and committee members into the games field, the hair stood up on my arms at the majestic sights and sounds of it all —  what a wonderful experience!  I read later that the pipe band that marched through the village into the Games Park that day was actually composed of three bands —  the Ballater & District Pipe Band, the Huntly and District Pipe Band, and the Towie and District Pipe Band.  They were resplendent in their Glengarry bonnets and kilts.  Here is a little video I made of the opening procession.

After the pipe band left the games field the events commenced in earnest. The Open Heavy Events are the showcase of any highland games and we enjoyed watching the Tossing the Caber, the most impressive of the Heavy. There is no standard weight or length for a caber – a tapering trunk – but it is usually selected to be beyond the powers of all but the best competitor to toss end-over-end. Assuming any competitor manages to flip the caber over, the best points are awarded using a clock-face pattern (with 12 o’clock the best).

We spent a couple of hours slowing circling the games field watching a variety of events.  It was especially gratifying to watch the young people jump, race, and dance.  In a perfect world, I could have stayed all day and into the night (for the dance), and seen some more of the light hearted events, such as the Pillow Fight (done sitting on a raised log, using burlap sacks filled with hay), Tilt the Bucket, the Ladies Sack Race, and the Boys Barrel Race.  I am sure I would also have enjoyed the Childrens Fancy Dress Parade Competition, and some of the more exotic Highland Dancing competitions like The Sword Dance, The Half Reel of Tulloch, or The Sailors Hornpipe. Sadly, the weather was not cooperating.  It had looked foreboding since earlier that morning, so much so that I did not bring my Nikon camera to the Games, fearing it would get wet.  Brian was also concerned about getting stuck in the field where we were parked should a heavy ran come.  It turns out we left at the right time —  it was starting to rain just as we reached our car mid-afternoon.  To see more of the photos and videos I took at the Tomintoul High Games, look here.  

From rainy Tomintoul we headed north toward the Moray Firth, and after an hours drive of about 36 miles reached the town of Elgin, located about half way between Inverness and Aberdeen.  Our destination was the Elgin Cathedral, a majestic ruin built around 1224 and once known as the “Lantern of the North”.  We spent more than two hours exploring the grounds and the ruins.  Highlights of the visit included the Carved Stones Exhibit housed in the West Tower, the amazing octagonal Chapter House, and a beautiful Pictish cross-slab located at the site of the Crossing Tower, which collapsed in 1711.  I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing this place, and hope some of the following photos convey the beauty and history that is found there.  For a more complete gallery of my photos from Elgin Cathedral, look here.  

After a very full and fruitful day, we returned to the friendly confines of Dowan’s Hotel in Aberlour where we spent a second night —  I slept like a baby!

Sunday, July 20, 2025 —  Clava Cairns, Culloden Battlefield, Dunrobin Castle, Camster Cairns, and Forss House at Thurso…

After a nice breakfast at Dowans Hotel we headed east for about an hour (49 miles) until we reached our first stop of the day, Clava Cairns, just east of Inverness.  We actually visited only Balnuaran of Clava, which is part of a much larger Bronze age site which contains more cairns that are not accessible to the public.  Balnuaran consists of three large well preserved chambered cairns and one small kerb cairn.  Two of the large chambered cairns have passage ways, while the large cairn in the center of the site is a ring cairn, with no passage into the central chamber.  While the two outer cairns were thought to be related to burials or burial ceremonials, archaeologists think the central ring cairn was a ceremonial structure not related to burials.  All three of the large cairns at Balnuaran are surrounded by standing stones — which makes for a beautiful and somewhat other worldly sight.  All of these cairns are set in a wooded area, which adds to the stunning beauty and solemnity of the place.  The weather was providing a misting and drizzling rain, which seemed appropriate for our visit to this special place!