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‘DRINK!’

Sorry, I can’t seem to start off a blog about whiskey without channelling Father Jack, although in all accuracy he’d probably be extolling the virtues of Toilet Duck and not the finest single malt. Probably due to the weather, drink is of course a very British tradition, much to the despair of government health types who think we’re all bingeing knickerless on a park bench somewhere, rather than being trustworthy and sensible enough to imbibe the stuff in moderation. Hic.

Ale from Oxford, cider from Somerset and even tonic wine from Buckfast Abbey are all traditional in England, drawing visitors from around the world as well as from within the country. Further up in Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, the harder stuff like whiskey tends to be the drink of choice. This could arguably be down to the climate. Here’s how to go about your whiskey trail:

The best, and only, malt whiskey specific tour in the globe has to be the imaginatively named Malt Whisky Trail, based in the Scottish Highlands. The trail takes in eight working distilleries all around Speyside, which is the centre of Scotland’s whiskey industry and where half of all Scottish malt distilleries are based. Camping in the area is as plentiful as the whiskey there are almost 100 campsites in the Highlands and Islands area listed on Pitchup.com, with two directly at Speyside. Stay for about a week to really get a feel for the Highlands and a taste for the whiskey. Take a hike around Glencoe or Glen Nevis, spot golden eagles at the Cairngorms or, for the believers out there, have a go at finding the Loch Ness Monster.

Moving across from the Highlands to the Hebrides, we end up at the next port of call for our drinking adventure on the island of Islay, which is host to eight distilleries. All of them offer guided tours, from the large distilleries such as Ardbeg to the small farm of Kilchoman which malts, distils and bottles its whiskey onsite. (There’s also a brewery on the island producing seven different types of real ale.) As with the Highlands, the Hebrides are a good place to stay for a week to take in all the distilleries as well as everything else in the area try birdwatching on the Isle of Colonsay, sailing around the Isle of Mull or go to the Whiskey Galore festival at the Isle of Barra, named after the book and film of the 1940s and based on the real event of a shipwrecked WWII cargo vessel loaded with whiskey… which was quickly consumed. There’s a choice of over 30 sites in the Hebrides on Pitchup.com, and two on Islay itself.

Next up is Edradour, the smallest whiskey distillery in Scotland and with a staff of just three, who distil the whiskey in the same way it’s been done since Edradour opened in 1828. Only 12 casks are distilled per week, ensuring the whiskey has a more bespoke taste. Edradour is in a glen above Pitlochry in Perthshire, where there are five sites, with 39 available in Perthshire itself. Take a break from the whiskey to stay for a while and explore Perthshire the Cairngorms National Park is nearby, and Perthshire is known for its outdoor activities if you’re feeling brave, such as canyoning, cliff jumping and microlighting.

Finally, take your campervan on the ferry or get a cheap flight with your backpack across the Irish Sea to check out the Bushmills Distillery in Co Antrim, the oldest working distillery in Ireland and producing whiskey since 1608. There are two caravan parks in the Bushmills area, and 25 in Co Antrim, an area popular with visitors from all over the world check out the Giant’s Causeway or the coastal towns of Portrush and Portstewart and the villages of Cushendun and Cushendall, or just take in the Causeway coast or the Glens of Antrim.

One last suggestion: print out what you’ve just read, leave it somewhere (casually) around the house, and you may get treated to a whiskey trail tour that you had no idea about. Just be sure not to include this bit. Hope is a many-splendored thing.

For some years now several of the airlines labelled “low-cost airlines in Europe have been taking part in a fares war attempting to offer the lowest air fares to a huge number of European cities. It’s quite normal to see that one of the major low cost carriers for example Ryanair or Easyjet is offering return flights from the UK to France, Germany or Spain for £1 (approx $1.45). There might be airport landing fees and taxes to be added to that, but it remains an absolute bargain if you’re keen to see a number of cities throughout Europe. One of the biggest disadvantages of these flights is that they often fly to the smaller rural airports rather than the better known biginternational ones. This sometimes means that a flight that is advertised to a big European city actually lands up to 50 miles away. In fact there are a number of advantages with this situation, the municipal airports will always provide a much faster turnround on check-in and luggage because they’re catering for far fewer flights. The disadvantage is that transportation to and from these airfields can be scrappy at best and an extremely popular option is hiring a car from the airport. Here are some of the wonderful cities that we have visited with flights from the budget airlines. We’re confident that you will enjoy a visit to any of these great, you can rest assured that they have plenty to offer the visitor to their shores.

Glasgow, Scotland

Glasgow was once a particularly ugly industrial monster but it has undergone a Renaissance and is now a wonderful, architecturally diverse city attracting a huge number of visitors throughout the year. The chic West part of Glasgow is the home of the fourth oldest university in the U.K.. Perched on a hill amidst the Medieval district of the city, the students add greatly to the vibrant, fun loving and cosmopolitan atmosphere of the area. The budget carriers utilise Prestwick Airport which is approximately 35 miles (51 km) to the north east of the city centre and there is a good road between the airport and Glasgow city centre. It’s a popular sightseeing area, so the best idea is to rent a car at Glasgow Airport before setting out on your journey. An uncrowded half hour journey from Prestwick on the M77 motorway brings you to the city centre. Glasgow is a perfect starting point for a trip out to the Trossachs National Park. Just 20 km (13 mile) journey out of Glasgow and you could find yourself enjoying sensational countryside on the back of a pony, whilst a 50 km (30 mile) drive east along another excellent motorway will find you in Edinburgh together with its ever popular festivals, shopping in Princes Street, the historic Castle and Holyrood Palace.

Florence, Italy

Without doubt one of Europe’s most stunningly beautiful locations, Florence is served by Pisa Airport, some 50 miles (84 km) west of Florence. Rent a car at Florence airport and you’ll be in position to take in Pisa with its leaning tower, the wonders of historic Florence and some of some of the most picturesque countryside in the whole of Europe, that of the majestically beautiful Tuscany. It therefore will not come as a huge surprise that Florence is one of the most popular historic cities throughout Europe. Once you arrive at the city of Florence you will discover that much of the centre is traffic free thus preserving its many ancient statues and architectural treasures from the vibrations and pollution associated with hectic traffic. The complete lack of traffic overwhelms you with a feeling of tranquility as you stroll from one fragment of history to the next. You don’t have to stray too far before experiencing the evil, ear splitting roar from Florence’s legion of scooter riders. Other than the Ponte Vecchio all of the bridges leading to centre of the city are noisy, polluted places, thus giving us a further reason to keep to the ancient alleyways and peaceful inner sanctums of Florence’s wonderful piazzas.

Tours, France

Tours, the centre of the famed Loire Valley chateaux with not a solitary chateau to its name! The perfect centre for discovering the Loire Valley renowned for its serious selection of palatial residences, the city has a number of charms of its own. Although the small airport is but a few miles from town, it’s pretty much essential that you rent a car in the Loire Valley in order to explore a selection of the most picturesque towns and villages to be found throughout France. Along the banks of the River Loire between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, a number of cultural treasures are to be found for the tourist to enjoy. A UNESCO site, the Loire Valley offers beautiful countryside, lots of flamboyant castles plus a good smattering of historic villages. During the renaissance the Loire Valley was known as the “Retreat of Kings and was a firm favourite of French royalty. Former working fortified castles were converted into elegant palatial trophy residences and these are now the main tourist attractions of the region. The historic towns that line the river banks are a magnet to tourists from all over the world. Towns such as Chinon, Tours and Orleans have lots to see and do whilst the most popular chateau is maybe that on the Chambord Estate. Throughout the region you will find little, family owned vineyards selling a variety of wonderful wines at very low prices. Keep your eyes skinned for the word “degustation”, which means sampling I guess, and provided that ‘Le Patron’ is not enjoying a long leisurely lunch you will be offered a warm welcome and he will be more than willing to offer you a tasting of all his wines. Of course, it is strongly advised that you take a non-drinker as your chauffer, some of these tasting sessions can get very serious!.

Aberdeen is Scotland’s third largest city, in relationship to population numbers. Since the mid eighteenth century Aberdeen’s buildings have been built using local grey granite and the city has a sandy coastline. This has led to the city being nicknamed the Silver City with the Golden Sands and also the Granite City. However more recently the city has added the nicknames of the Energy Capital of Europe or the Oil Capital of Europe due to the discovery of oil in the North Sea. The city has benefitted greatly from the income generated by the oil industry and the support industries. Today Aberdeen is thoroughly modern and immensely vibrant with a wild nighlife.

Aberdeen hotels are often booked by visiting businessmen and businesswomen but also by various other types of tourists eager to enjoy the many visitor attractions Aberdeen has to offer. Below you will find details of three; Aberdeen Maritime Museum, Duthie Park Winter Gardens and Satrosphere Science Centre:

Aberdeen Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum in Aberdeen is found close to the harbor, at the historic Shiprow. There are stunning panoramas of the harbour from the museum. The Maritime Museum occupies quite a few buildings, which include a former church and one of the oldest dwellings in Aberdeen. The museum has exhibits which cover everything to do with the oceanic environment, from fishing boats to the oil industry. In essence, the museum tells the  story of the city’s long relationship with the ocean. Some of the collections contain models, photographs, paintings and ship plans from the foremost of Aberdeen’s shipbuilders.

Duthie Park Winter Gardens

Lady Elizabeth Duthie of Ruthrieston,in 1881, gifted to the council, 44 acres of land. The land for the park was purchased, as a lasting memorial to her uncle and brother. In 1899, the gardens were ready, and were opened to the public. However, in 1969 misfortune occurred and the greenhouses had to be demolished and reconstructed. This was due to severe storm damgage. Today, one of Scotland’s favourite garden attractions are the David Welch Winter Gardens at Duthie Park, and also the largest indoor gardens in the whole of Europe. Each greenhouse has an important collection such as, the Victorian House, Tropical House, Temperate House, Japanese Garden, Fern House and Corridor of Perfumes.

Satrosphere Science Centre

One of the first science and discovery centers in Scotland was the, Satrosphere Science Center, in Aberdeen. This hands-on, interactive science center, has over 50 exhibits and live science demonstrations, and opened to the public in 1988. Although the center is aimed at primary age children, the appeal of the exhibits is universal. The center is found in the old tram sheds, close to the sea front, on Constitution Street. The aim is to inspire teenagers to become scientist’s, as interest in science courses in universities, is in decline. One of the best loved exhibits at the center is the famous giant soap bubble, where each child can be encompassed within a magic bubble.

There are a great many more tourist attractions in and about Aberdeen which are worthwile visiting and the three above were randomly chosen. If you are planning to take a vacation in Aberdeen, Scotland then you will discover numerous quality hotels in Aberdeen, or many other types of accommodation, available to book online.