Dear Julie and David

My main memory of Aviemore was of the Indian restaurant, just on the
edge of the town, which was a very welcome haven on many nights, after
filming. I used to beef up there on the old road, with a book for
company, and tuck in.
Delicious. The truth is though, that this is one of the beautiful parts,
not only of the country, but of the world. One would drive past the
extraordinary Nature Park, with its collections of original Scottish
species, and wonderful indigenous types of tree, past the lovely house
on the hillside, which we used in the series for Kilwillie's home, and
on towards the town. During the five years I was working up there, I
would often drive over to Aberdeenshire to see my cousins, and this
meant going past Grantown-on-Spey, and the Aviemore ski centre and on
over the Cairngorms, through Tomintoul, the highest town we boast, until
it was time to descend into the green valleys on the other side. In
winter particularly, this journey was as dramatic as a Hollywood
thriller and six times as rewarding. I have such happy memories of the
area and I wish the people lucky enough to live there, every possible
blessing.

Julian Fellowes, October 2007