Winter in the UK

Dec 26, 20223 min read

It had been almost a year since we last traveled to the United Kingdom to see Arthur's family! After spending months of weekly doctor appointments, I (Lillian) got the all-clear to travel after having a car accident in September. I was a bit nervous to be uncomfortable or in pain while traveling but getting through the airport was surprisingly easy and the flight attendant even moved us to the extra legroom rows and we each got our own row!

We spent the first few days with Arthur's mum in Ashford and had a nice, cozy, and restful time in front of the fireplace with lots of tea, hot chocolates, and yummy meals.

Next, we made our way to meet Arthur's dad, sister, and friends in Cambridge. We explored the marketplace, drank more hot chocolates, saw the university, and even found a little Harry Potter gift shop. Oh! and stumbled upon some "Dinky Doors" (Miniature hidden doors, so cute!)

From Cambridge, we had a long drive to our destination in Scotland! Well, I guess not long at all when you consider the drive we usually do from Florida to my parents in North Carolina!

It started to snow and it was getting dark. We needed one more stop of petrol before reaching our destination! After a few mishaps and creepy abandoned petrol stations, we finally found one and we made it 5 minutes before they closed! Not long after we arrived at

SEALLADH AN LOCH

South Shore of Loch Ness

Book Your Own Stay Here! https://loch-ness.holiday/

We had such a magical stay celebrating Christmas early. It was just what we needed. We even woke up to snow falling and it was just like a movie. So surreal! We spent our days baking cookies and decorating a gingerbread house, soaking in the beautiful bath, watching movies and playing games, and gazing out the windows all day long taking in the view.

Imagine waking up to this view!

Could stare out these windows all day long. So dreamy!

Once we were all bundled up we went and adventured on a stroll down the empty snowy streets. Next door sits the Boleskine House. In the holiday home welcome packet there were stories and "warnings" of the Boleskine house and the cemetery after dark. You could look outside through the woods and see this eerie house peeking through. Spooky! We safely wandered through the snowy grounds of the cemetery and peeked through the iron gates. Author and occultist Aleister Crowley had previously lived there. The shivering tales of this home started way back in the 13th century. There's even a tunnel that connects the home to the graveyard. No thanks! Strange and dark things happened to the people who took ownership of the home over the years. Eventually, in the 70s Led Zepplin's Jimmy Page became the new owner although he didn't spend much time there. Another owner took over and then the home caught fire. It was almost completely destroyed and is now the property of the Boleskine House Foundation which has plans to restore the home and then another fire happened. So much history but I'm okay staying outside those gates!

We walked across the street to the snow-covered cemetery. There were little mushrooms covered in snow that looked like something out of a fairy tale. There were also some very interesting graves, I'll let you try to read this one for yourselves... We didn't spend too much time there. Best to be safe. We made our way to the scenery of the loch.

Simon Fraser, Beheaded on Tower Hill 1747; apparently, Fraser was a Scottish Jacobite and in 1745 he changed from supporting the House of Hanover to supporting the Stuart claim on the crown of Great Britain. He was defeated among the Highlanders at the Battle of Culloden and would go on to be beheaded for treason against the Crown.