October, 2025 --- Day 6
✨ Scottish Fantazy
🌄 Day 6 — Fairy Villages & Steam-Train Dreams
“Steam, moss, and the quiet magic of forests.”
My world collapsed in the best possible way after that unspeakably delightful night.
At exactly 8 a.m., our lovely host David cooked us the best breakfast 🍳 — warm homemade croissants to start. I ordered the omelette with smoked salmon; Charlie had the salmon Benedict (naturally). I loved every bite, though I could never eat as tigerishly as Charlie — he was glowing with energy and joy.
We decided not to rush for the earliest train — a wise decision — and chose the 10 o’clock one instead. We made a deal: no more chasing the earliest train. Instead, we lingered till ten, giving me time to rest while Charlie dashed off in search of the big park in front of us — my very own Superman on a secret morning mission.
Leaving Perth felt oddly sad, like parting from a newfound home. But excitement bubbled again — we were heading to the place I’d dreamed of most when planning this trip: Cairngorms National Park.
Fate, as always, had its own plans. We missed our Aviemore stop and landed straight in Carrbridge. No matter — Charlie, ever the hero, said, “Let’s drop the bags at the hotel first, then go explore.”
And so we did.
Carrbridge looked like something from a fairytale — the kind of place where hobbits might host tea or the seven dwarves might whistle home from work. A river of iron-tinted water rushed beneath stone bridges shaped like the Greek omega. Trees blazed in yellow, orange, and red; the air smelled of peat and rain. Our path through the woods — Lichen Lane, as we called it — led to our hotel, a “forest castle” without reindeer but full of charm.
We couldn’t catch the Cairngorm railway — trains and buses ran too late for our planned mountain ride before afternoon tea — so we wandered Carrbridge instead. A cup of coffee and a mango gelato restored our spirits.
Then — back to Aviemore! Before our steam-train afternoon tea, we took a trail walk under the drizzle. Mushrooms 🍄 lined our path like tiny lanterns.
The Strathspey Steam Railway was pure nostalgia — our second but truly official afternoon tea, with sandwiches, scones, and endless tea as we rolled past forests and lochs toward Boat of Garten and Broomhill.
At journey’s end, we gambled: head straight back or explore the village?
We chose adventure.
Boat of Garten was quiet and lovely — gardens, art shops, and soft rain. The last bus home was 1½ hours away, so we wandered deeper into the forest again, the two of us and the sound of leaves. Eventually, we found ramen for dinner (our new travel tradition 🍜).
And the bus ride home? A once-in-a-lifetime Bus F1 Tour, racing through the rain-swept reserve like a low-flying plane.
Back safely ✌️ — I felt oddly rejuvenated, the pre-cold symptoms gone, carried off to the moon. A quiet, happy night — the forest breathing outside our window. ✨