Day 6: Scottish weather, castles, and distilleries The bed and breakfast in Balmacara was amazing -- easily one of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in. (And this is coming from a former minor league baseball player who's slept in hundreds of hotel beds!) The agenda for the day included sea kayaking to the Isle of Skye, hiking on the Isle of Skye and then driving back to Glasgow for a farewell dinner. I pulled myself out of the comforts of my amazing bed and looked out the window only to see a scene that resembled the background of a news reporter broadcasting live from the center of a hurricane. I’m not certain you can technically call it 'rain' if it takes several miles of horizontal travel to hit the ground. To say the least, the weather was less than adequate for sea kayaking. Euan confirmed my suspicions over breakfast that the kayaking had been cancelled due to conditions being, and I quote, "A bit breezy." (Apparently it never rains in Scotland -- it only 'drizzles a wee bit,' and it is never, ever windy, only 'breezy.' And horizontal rain isn’t really rain, but just 'mist blowing off of the sea.') 
The bad news about Scotland is that the weather is always bad. And the good news about Scotland is that the weather is also always good. Just because it's storming where we are doesn't mean the weather a few miles away isn't suitable for flip-flops, sunglasses and hammocks. But since we had a long drive back to Glasgow in the afternoon, we didn't have time to move the kayaking excursion to a non-'breezy' location. So what do you do in Scotland when the weather interferes with your plans? I can sum it up in two words: Castles and Distilleries. We made a short drive to Eilean Donan, possibly the most recognizable castle in all of Scotland. We toured the inside of the castle and learned about its rich history, which included its destruction during the Jacobite uprising and its restoration in the early 1900’s. We watched from the cafe as people make their way across the stone bridge to the castle in the stiff breeze. One couple was intent on using umbrellas to keep the mist blowing horizontally off the sea off of them...the umbrellas inverted almost as quickly as they opened. We all had a good laugh. We then made our way south and it wasn’t long at all before the skies were blue and the sun was brilliant again. We were on our way to Glasgow but we had one more stop to make. We made a right hand turn and headed down a small road for a few miles. We came around a hill and there, in the middle of a vast expanse of land, sat the Dalwhinnie Distillery -- the highest of all the Scottish distilleries. What I mean by that is that its location is the highest in elevation of all the distilleries. I’m not sure if that translates to better whiskey, but it is a claim to fame. We visited the distillery, took more photos, and sampled some product. The job of product assurance manager at a distillery like this sure must be a nice gig. 
Feeling a wee bit more relaxed, we hopped back in the van and continued our drive back to Glasgow. After checking into our hotel, we met in the hotel lobby and walked across the street to an old church converted to a nice restaurant. Joining us in our private dinning room were other groups who participated in other 'fam' trip excursions. We all shared stories over an amazing three-course meal. It was an amazing end to an unforgettable 'fam' trip. But my trip wasn't over. Tomorrow Euan and I would be driving north again with epic mountain bike riding awaiting us.
See all of our Scotland tours here.