Well the day to leave has come at last and since we had spent the previous evening packing up there was not much to do, but leave.
We put everything in the cars did a final sweep of the house enjoying it for the last time and then head on out.
Nathan had been quite taken with the framed photographs that the Coffee Bothy was displaying for sale and wanted to pick some up. So he and I head off towards the cafe one last time while the girls head down the A9 to the House of Bruar for some retail therapy.
This was great because it meant I had one last opportunity to really thank Kevin and Sonia for their hospitality. They had gone above and beyond and we will always hold them as firm friends and make sure we visit them every time we are up in the Highlands. Kayto came with us and was very pleased to come back to the coffee shop. Every time he comes here he always gets some sausage or bacon or cheese because everybody loves him.
Pictures purchased, we took a slight detour up to the heart of Scotland. This is, purportedly, the center of Scotland and is marked by a rock and a monument to the McPhearson family. Being so close and practically driving past anyway, it made sense to stop and admire the view one last time before leaving the Highlands. Certainly Nathan and I would rather do this than go around some shops.
It was only a 30 minute drive and then we met the girls before heading off home. We said our goodbyes and thanked them for coming up and spending this time with us. But only a couple of hours down the road we bumped into them again at the service station and enjoyed chatting about the coincidence over a steak pie. The fuel prices here were so expensive that I recommended we stop again in Carlisle to fill up. So the last time I saw them before the party on Saturday was shouting farewell across the petrol station forecourt.
3 hours later we were home and unpacking the car. There were so much stuff we just brought it inside and dumped it. We nearly forgot the tradition of carrying my new bride across the threshold but quickly ran outside to make it happen.
That evening we enjoyed a salad and quiche for dinner because the last two weeks of hotel food had started to show around my middle!