 The staircase in The Royal Highland Hotel, Inverness The Royal Highland Hotel in Inverness has a very special staircase. It's said to be the inspiration for the design of the Grand Staircase on the Titanic. If you've seen the film or pictures of the famous ship you'll definitely recognise this sweeping staircase. The hotel is right next to Inverness train station. In fact, it used to be called the Station Hotel. If you are waiting for a train and fancy a drink or something to eat my tip is to come in here. The surroundings are much nicer than the train station. You can sink into a cosy armchair and admire the staircase and the wall-mounted stag's head.  The staircase in The Royal Hotel at Christmas  Stag's head in The Royal Highland Hotel, Inverness It feels grand, but the atmosphere is relaxed and casual. It's a 3-star hotel, so there's no over the top formality. Come for a coffee, or a meal if you have longer to wait. I tried the vegetarian burger and it was very good.  Vegetarian burger at The Royal Highland Hotel, Inverness I loved the place mat my meal was served on. It had a drawing of the hotel, dated 1856, the year the hotel opened. There are horses and carriages parked out front.  Place mat showing the Station Hotel in 1856. If you find yourself with a bit of a wait until your train then spend your time in here. There's not much in Inverness station, certainly nothing as nice as an armchair next to a Titanic staircase.
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Dalgarven Mill
Highlights
Getting here
What's amazing about Glasgow, despite its size, is you never have to travel far to get into the countryside. To visit Dalgarven Mill it's a 30 minute train ride from Glasgow Central to Dalry in Ayrshire. Then you'll be riding your bike on a single-track road with no traffic, and enjoying the sweet scent of wildflowers.
It's only 3 miles from Dalry station to the mill, making this an ideal train/bike destination that does not need a massive amount of cycling. Bikes are carried free on this train and spaces are on a first-come basis. 
Single-track road near Dalry station
It's hard to avoid the word 'idyllic'
I try to stay clear of cliched adjectives, but in this case idyllic really is the best word to describe my arrival at the mill.
There is a steep downhill and the building suddenly comes into view, framed by the surrounding trees. The front of the mill is ivy-clad and has a distinctive red door. The water wheel at the side was turning. If you were asked to describe a Victorian-era grain mill this place is probably what you would come up with. 
The road down to Dalgarven Mill
Waterwheel at Dalgarven Mill
Back to the 1880s
The waterwheel and the machinery it powers creates an authentic atmosphere. The clanking, the creaking. The building vibrates. It's like you've stepped back to 1880. Standing inside the mill, listening and watching the machinery was a much more evocative experience than reading about mills.
Costumes
It's not just the grain mill to see. The building is also home to the Museum of Country Life and Costume.
A mill feels a strange setting for Art Deco dresses and intricate lacework. It's not something you expect to see in these rustic surroundings. There are over 2,500 items, including shoes, jewellery and hats. Not all are on display at the same time, so you might see something different each time you visit. It's an exploration of how people used to dress, of clothing that was fashionable for a particular period in time and now long forgotten. For example, the Edwardian tea gown. It was worn in that long period of the day after you had finished your day's activities and before the evening meal was taken. 
Some of the fashions on display from the costume collection at Dalgarven Mill
Country life
The building is also full of objects that tell the story of 19th century Ayrshire rural life and work. There are lots of personal stories behind many of the items that make this engrossing to explore. For example, a mahogany wardroab where the Fergusson family cat snuck into Nan's hat drawer and had kittens.
I enjoyed seeing the carpenter's planes. These had the name of the owner stamped on them. The ones for apprentices had 'abodys' written on them, the Scots word for everyone's. 
Carpenter's plane with 'a'body's' stamped into it, meaning it was for the apprentices to use. Once they qualified they could stamp their own name into their own plane.
The Scottish Bible chair
One of my favourite objects in the museum is the bible chair. It had a drawer underneath to keep the bible in. A flap on the armrest to place the bible. Each night, by candlelight, the father would read a chapter to the family. When we consider how we entertain ourselves now, it is hard to imagine a time when bible reading was an evening routine.
Scottish Bible chair at Dalgarven Mill
Old bicycles
This place can feel more like an antiques shop than a museum, but that's what makes it such an exciting place to explore. You feel like you are scanning for a rare find, something that catches your eye. I, of course, loved the old bicycles. There's also a great collection of earthenware jars and bottles.
Antique bicycle at Dalgarven Mill
Lunch and river walk
There's a cafe at the mill and if the weather is good the picnic benches out front are the choice location. It was here I enjoyed a very good lentil soup, egg mayonnaise sandwich and homemade carrot cake. It was such a relaxing, peaceful spot. A cat kept me company, but I think it was more interested in the birds flying in and out of the ivy on the mill's walls.
Cat at Dalgarven Mill
The riverside walk tops off a perfect day out. There's a path by the River Garnock, a river I'd never heard of before. It was a lovely walk where the variety of pretty wildflowers took me by surprise. I am sill guilty of thinking you need to travel far from Scotland's cities to find this sort of natural beauty. This place proves you do not need to join crowds of tourists at the usual hot spots to find something special.
River Garnock
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