Every time my friends and I would make the long trip to the Boundary Waters [five hours to get to the point where y
ou pull your canoe off of the top of your car and start paddling ... for another five hours], we would inevitably experience challenging weather. It was raining, so we were stuck in the tent with our books. Or it was hot, so we would stand in the lake up to our ears with our hats on. Or the flies were bad, so we would stand in the lake up to our ears with our hats on. Or it was hot and raining, so we would try to take a nap and ignore the sticky weather. And as always, there was always one beautiful day ... in hind site, the only one we ever remembered, that kept us going back, again and again.
ou pull your canoe off of the top of your car and start paddling ... for another five hours], we would inevitably experience challenging weather. It was raining, so we were stuck in the tent with our books. Or it was hot, so we would stand in the lake up to our ears with our hats on. Or the flies were bad, so we would stand in the lake up to our ears with our hats on. Or it was hot and raining, so we would try to take a nap and ignore the sticky weather. And as always, there was always one beautiful day ... in hind site, the only one we ever remembered, that kept us going back, again and again.In the case of my first trip to Scotland, the day I was driving up ... all 465 miles and 10 hours in the car, the weather was absolutely gorgeous! Unbelievable. Unfortunately, this is not the day I took pictures! I was driving! You'll just have to take my word for it. And after making a trip to London the day before, I was wiped out. The dogs and I were sound asleep by 900pm, and when we awoke. It was raining. It never stopped.
Nonetheless, I rea
lly liked it. I stayed in the Allt-Na-Craig House B&B. The dogs and I had the Coach House to ourselves. What a great set up. I found a trail just a couple of houses down the road that lead straight up the hill ... did I mention we were in the Western Highlands? Anyway, we found a trail called, 39 Steps,that lead up the hill and ambled through the wood, past crashing streams, through recently cut forest, down logging roads, and with nice views along the way of Loch Fyne ["loch", by the way, is Celtic for lake]. Not sure who was counting the steps as by my count, there were 83 for the first hill we encountered!
lly liked it. I stayed in the Allt-Na-Craig House B&B. The dogs and I had the Coach House to ourselves. What a great set up. I found a trail just a couple of houses down the road that lead straight up the hill ... did I mention we were in the Western Highlands? Anyway, we found a trail called, 39 Steps,that lead up the hill and ambled through the wood, past crashing streams, through recently cut forest, down logging roads, and with nice views along the way of Loch Fyne ["loch", by the way, is Celtic for lake]. Not sure who was counting the steps as by my count, there were 83 for the first hill we encountered!Speaking of the Celtics, a little history. The Celtic Scots arrived from Ireland in the 4th century, bringing with them Gaelic language and Christian religion. England seized Scotland around 1286. Then wars for independence broke out and you would now know some of the heroes caught on film such as William Wallace [Mel Gibson in Braveheart]. In 1540-ish, Mary, Q
ueen of Scots, was sent to France to marry [what gives-?] and in that time, Catholicism collapsed. The Scottish Parliament denied the Pope's authority and established the Presbyterian Church.
ueen of Scots, was sent to France to marry [what gives-?] and in that time, Catholicism collapsed. The Scottish Parliament denied the Pope's authority and established the Presbyterian Church. In 1997, after World Wars, Labour governments, industrialisation, and famine, Sco
ttish voters supported the first elections for the new Scottish Parliament.
ttish voters supported the first elections for the new Scottish Parliament.Okay, back to my trip. I decided on Sunday that since I was so close to Oban [36 miles], I needed to dart up there. "Darting" is a word that should have long since left my vocabulary. It took two hours to get there. I had to stop once along the way to give the dogs a break and take my first photos. When we got to Oban, I wanted to do the tour of the Oban Distillery, so before I could lock the dogs up in the car, we needed to take a walk, and take more pictures.
Then we headed into town and I registered for the tour, got the dogs some water and did a little window shopping. The tour was about an hour, and unlike Kentucky, you get to taste the Scotch at the end of the tour. And I got a tasting glass! Right here, I should have stopped someplace and gotten some lunch. However, I 
was feeling guilty that the dogs had been locked up now nearly two hours, so I thought, I'll get them and we'll stop at a pub and eat.
was feeling guilty that the dogs had been locked up now nearly two hours, so I thought, I'll get them and we'll stop at a pub and eat.Yeah. I stopped twice, took more pictures, and missed the meal service by 10 minutes each time. Apparently, and sign posted outside "food served all day" does not apply to the obligatory one-two hours that the kitchen closes to clean before serving dinner. You can, however, have a beer. That didn't seem like a good idea on an empty stomach, so the girls and I continued our driving and had a picnic.
We drove over the [famous] Bridge Over the Atlantic, also known as the Clachan Bridge. It bridges mainland Scotland to the island of Seil. There wasn't a whole lot going on ... on the island, except for these sea safari tours, which is nearly the only reason to go there. The "serves food all day" Oyster Bar closes at 300pm, by the way, until 500pm, in case you find yourself there and hungry. The dogs and I had some kibble, cheese, sausage, fruit and raw vegetables.
We ma
de our way back to Lochgilphead, stopping a few times. We went to Carnasserie Castle and walked around the grounds. Somewhere nearby there was the Dunchraigaig, but I couldn't find it. I'm sure it had something to do with driving and not being able to read Gaelic at the same time, but anyway the Dunchraigaig is a stone circle. You can Google it to see it.
de our way back to Lochgilphead, stopping a few times. We went to Carnasserie Castle and walked around the grounds. Somewhere nearby there was the Dunchraigaig, but I couldn't find it. I'm sure it had something to do with driving and not being able to read Gaelic at the same time, but anyway the Dunchraigaig is a stone circle. You can Google it to see it.The girls and I walked into Ardrishaig, the actual town we were in, to pick up some take-away. On the way into town, a number of sail boats were making their way into and out of the Crinan Canal. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera, but th
e swing bridge operator had to drive into town to ... swing the bridge open. Running for nine miles between Ardrishaig and Crinan, the canal was built to save sailing boats from the difficult passage around the Mull of Kintyre. The Crinan Canal is a very popular route passing through wonderful Scottish scenery that is especially beautiful around Crinan Basin. That was cool.
e swing bridge operator had to drive into town to ... swing the bridge open. Running for nine miles between Ardrishaig and Crinan, the canal was built to save sailing boats from the difficult passage around the Mull of Kintyre. The Crinan Canal is a very popular route passing through wonderful Scottish scenery that is especially beautiful around Crinan Basin. That was cool.On Monday morning, we got up and went for another walk on the 39 Steps Trail. This time, I had my camera and took pictures. And then we started the 11-hour drive home. The joys of travelling on bank holiday weekends. Not!
