Taking the High Road

Friday promised to be fairly good weather so that was the day we decided to go on a coach tour to the highlands!

I'm not going to give this tour justice so you will just have to come to Scotland and experience it for yourself!

Rabbie's Tours was recommended by Lynne.  She and Enrique did a three day one in the southern part of England.  The "bus" is a small one - 16 people max - and the drivers/guides are knowledgable and entertaining.

We were not disappointed.  Our driver - Grant - regaled us with stories galore - full of history and folklore.  We were 9 passengers.  The others were older couples from Saskatoon, Arizona and Vermont and a young woman from China.  We were away for 10 hours and covered many miles and soaked up breath-taking scenery every wonderful mile.

There were quite a number of stops - some just for 10 minutes to take photographs - others much longer to eat, pee and explore.

Here are the broad strokes:

LOCH LOMOND

The first stop was on the shores of Loch Lomond at the village of Tarbet - this is where my Campbells lived!

Oh yes, we also listened to music on the bus and sang - and yes we did sing the Loch Lomond Song and learned the meaning behind "takin' the high road vs. the low road"  

We got coffee here but basically just got our buzz from the view!





The route then took us past the graveyard where the Campbells are buried (as per last blog post)!  -- to Loch Long and through the village of Arrochar where Dennis and I stayed in 2016.

INVERARAY

We then continued on to the town of Inveraray on Loch Fyne.

We had a choice of being dropped in the village or to go to Inveraray Castle.  We all chose the castle!

Inveraray Castle - which is more like a stately home or chateau - is the ancestral home of the duke of Argyll who is the head of the Campbell clan.  More history here than my wee brain can absorb - so I'll just leave it for you to google!

I am apparently of the Clan Campbell - tho' what that means - something or nothing - I'm not sure.  Not even sure which branch of the clan - but I bought the family tree (frame-able!) at the gift shop so I may, on some rainy afternoon, try and figure it out.

But whatever the history, the fact of the matter is that the house is magnificent in the most glorious setting including an extensive formal garden.

And, oh yes, it was also featured in Downtown Abbey - one of the Christmas episodes - when the Crawleys went to spend the holiday with Rose's warring parents.

Next Stop:  OBAN 

Oban.  The gateway to the Isles.   This is a port town where boats ferry people to all the western isles including Islay.  (despite the y it's pronounced Isla!).  It's a lovely town which hugs the water and here we had lunch (we opted for fish and chips).

 GLENCOE AND LOCH RANNOCH

We'd already seen so much but there was still so much to see as we continued travelling north to Glencoe - a place of legend - because of it's beauty and its ancient bloody history.  We were super high up at this point and one feels an awe without equal.

Beyond the mountains is Rannoch Moor - a vast wilderness where flora and fauna flourish despite the challenging conditions of the location and the land - it's basically a massive peat bog.

On a side note:  Grant told us that this marvellous moorland is owned privately - and that so much of the land of Scotland is still in the hands of the few big wealthy families.  Even the two national parks (yes, there are only two - and these are quite recent designations) - are not owned by the state on behalf of the people.  The feudal system is sadly still alive and well in Scotland.

Stops along the way were to pause to admire and photograph certain areas of natural beauty and also castles.

INVERARNAN

The last stop was a surprise:  The Drover's Inn on Loch Lomond which was established in 1705!  Their slogan is "If it's good enough for Rob Roy...."  The Drovers is in Inverarnan (although I don't think there's anything but the Drovers in Inverarnan) and this was actually the end of my great great grandfather's postal route.  I like to think that he'd pop in for a wee dram before heading off back home. But sadly on one day in February in 1865, he didn't quite make it for a dram or anything else.  He died on the road

(as per newspaper article in previous post).

Anyway, that's all for now.  I hope you like the pictures.  And, as I say, you simply must come to Scotland and see what is difficult for me to describe in words or capture on my phone!