October in Scotland arrives as the month’s march on, and already half-term is here, complete with the inevitable clock change weekend. Love it or hate it, the Winter Timeline arrives, and whilst we benefit from our Northerly Latitude in the Summer with extra daylight hours, we get our payback with shorter daylight hours in Winter.
However, this time of year means half-term, which brings a busy period to this part of Scotland as parents from all over the world visit children at the nearby Gordonstoun School and take the time to tour Scotland together. Renowned for being the school Prince Charles attended, the school boasts an impressive number of famous alums and offers an attractive and varied syllabus.
In keeping with the current Covid 19 situation and readiness for the weather, the Carrbridge World Porridge Making Championships will take place virtually this month. However, do not let this put you off and do visit the website to find out more and, even better still, find out the 2023 dates and perhaps plan your visit for next year.
This World Porridge Making Championship has been running since 1994, giving the main prize of the “Golden Spurtle” “rophy and the title “World Porridge Making Champion” “or the best traditional porridge made with oatmeal, water and salt. There is an additional competition for the best “Speciality” porridge made with oatmeal, but the competitors put their unique twist on it.
The competition is a fabulous event and is worth making an effort to attend. There are visitors and champion porridge makers from all over the world competing and showing off their skills. The best bit is that everyone attending gets to sample the entries, and you will be amazed at the different dishes you can produce using porridge.
The village of Carrbridge is a picturesque Highland Village with the oldest Packhorse Bridge in the Cairngorms in its centre and is a short picture-perfect scenic drive over stunning moorland from us.
Make sure you buy your own genuine Porridge Spurtle at the event.
More October in Scotland Events
Starting from Ballindalloch Castle The Dramathon takes place this October – this special marathon event offers varying distances from a Full Dram to a wee dram. Still, all the routes include several Speyside distilleries, some superb forest scenery and great running. I think it is quite possible people enjoy a dram or even more than one at the finish! Mind you; I think they deserve it.
With so many events going online or virtual, some of you may have missed the Spirit of Speyside Festival that should have happened in May. H wever, there is still the chance to explore an Autumnal dram at the Autumn Whisky Colours Festival – lots of opportunities to find new whiskies and enjoy the Dufftown scenery.
Failing that, the highlands in OctoberVisitor’sin their full glory of colour with greens and golds. Walking, running, cycling, horse riding and driving in this beautiful landscape makes you feel good.
October in Scotland will wind down Visitor’s Attractions as the busy season finishes. Traditionally the Highlands are quieter from the end of October. This October, we have whole house bookings for people celebrating birthdays and lengthy over-due weddings. It is interesting to note that Scotland registered the highest Summer temperature this year in the whole of the UK – yes, you read that right Scotland had the highest temperature in the whole of the UK this year.
All I can say is that my experience of living up here is that October is a breathtakingly beautiful month to visit. International travel is now an option. With fewer visitors, plenty of outdoor attractions, and the Scottish scenery to marvel at, who needs anything else?