{"id":1169,"date":"2014-09-13T09:14:34","date_gmt":"2014-09-13T16:14:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/?p=1169"},"modified":"2014-09-27T06:45:02","modified_gmt":"2014-09-27T13:45:02","slug":"nairn-a-seaside-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/travel\/1169\/nairn-a-seaside-classic","title":{"rendered":"Nairn a seaside classic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Liz,tee,1219\"<\/a>With all but a few holes hugging the Moray Firth and a great designer pedigree, Nairn is everything you want in a Scottish links course.<\/p>\n

But Nairn is so much more than a golfing experience. It\u2019s a quaint and gentle seaside town that can serve as a good base camp for Highlands golf. (It\u2019s also well-located for Speyside whisky distillieries. Our plan didn\u2019t allow time for that. Next time.)<\/p>\n

Castle Stuart, the modern links where Phil Mickelson won the the 2013 Scottish Open, is just 20 minutes down the road, and Royal Dornoch, the rolling seaside Highlands classic, is 75 minutes away, to name a couple of popular golf destinations. We\u2019re sorry we missed the other course in town. Nairn Dunbar, which looks enticing, and distilleries such as Glenfiddich and Glen Livet are high on our list the next time we get to the Highlands.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Bandstand is a popular drinking and dining spot in Nairn.<\/p><\/div>\n

Our stay in Nairn was a delight. Sheellagh, our hostess at the Greenlawns B&B, could not have been more welcoming, from cozy room to exceptional breakfast. I\u2019m not a big B&B guy back home, but in Scotland I\u2019ve come to appreciate the way each inn takes on the personality of its proprietor from food to decorating, and they\u2019ve all been remarkably inviting.<\/p>\n

Nairn is a great little walking town. A longtime resort, it has attracted the likes of Charlie Chaplin, who was an avid golfer, as well as upscale British families who appreciated its seaside, its reputation for (relatively) warm weather.<\/p>\n

\"Try<\/a>

Steak & Ale pie, a Scottish favorite<\/p><\/div>\n

We enjoyed excellent meals at the Classroom and the Bandstand, a pair of local restaurants.<\/p>\n

But most of all, we enjoyed the Nairn golf course. As luck would have it, we were playing in the afternoon because it was a busy Saturday. By the time we teed off, the morning drizzle had gone away\u2014and all that was left was a nice wind at our backs.<\/p>\n

That meant six of the first seven holes were downwind. And while that was enjoyable, it also added an element of pressure to make good use of that wind before we turned back into it.<\/p>\n