James and I did travel research and decided Aberfeldy looked good. On the way to Aberfeldy we passed through Pitlochry. Well to make a long story short, Pitlochry is where we stayed. It is so beautiful, the village is completely surrounded by mountains, there’s a lot to do (distillery, hiking, fishing and a big theater (plays not movies.) We found a wonderful B&B with beautiful views of the mountains past the flowers in our window boxes. Pitlochry, that year, was a finalist in “Britain in Bloom” there are gorgeous flowers and gardens everywhere.
We immediately decided on a hike, and have learned not to miss these sunny opportunities. We decided on the “Killiecrankie Trail.” the trail begins at the dam and fish ladder. It was really interesting to see Salmon swimming up-stream . There was a place where you could watch them from an observation windows under the water. Fascinating!
We wanted a nice medium walk, just enough to stretch our legs. Jim did something to his knee during the Lochnagar climb, so we didn’t want to do anything too aggressive, his knee needed a rest. Surprise-surprise the Killiecranker climb was 11 1/2 miles. Fortunately, there’s a shorter way down, which Jim availed himself of. James and I continued. The trail goes along the River Tummel and near the top is the Linn of Tummel (linn meaning gorge.)
By the time we walked back into the village and hooked up with Jim it was time for dinner. I remembered seeing a promising Italian restaurant named “il Pontevecchio” and it turned out to be fabulous. I started with a salad named Insalata Mista a salad from the Alba region of Italy. The ingredients were: curly red lettuce, red grapes, green grapes, capers, Mandarin oranges, tuna, sun dried tomatoes, English cucumber, green apples, and strawberries. All finished with Balsamic vinegar dressing. I wouldn’t ordinarily order a salad that is sweet and savory, but this was a show stopper.
Jim had Zuppa di Cozze (mussel soup,) which was made with a fair amount of chili seasoning, it was outstanding! James finished his meal with Crepe Suzette prepared at the table, he pronounced it one of the best sweets he has ever had. Had to do family vote, yet again, and now “il Pontevecchio” was voted our best meal during our Scottish adventure. We seriously blew our daily budget but it was worth it. Molto Beine!!!
Spoiled Alert – I always do a search to make sure a restaurant is still in existence and I can’t find it, but I’m writing about it and want you all to try and duplicate the salad (done in pretty much equal parts,) soup, and crepes. I love soups but have never set things on fire in my kitchen, I leave this up to Jim and James, who seem to have no problem with it.
