Changing Gears

One thing I am rather glad about is that I no longer have to travel on a train with my rather large backpack.  It is also one thing I’m a bit sad about.

Travelling by train allowed me to have some time to write up my day’s events, collect my thoughts, and look forward to things to come; even though I had to wrestle the back pack on and off every time, find a place to stow it, etc., etc., etc…

Yesterday I met up with my parents in Glasgow.  We rented a car and then set out towards Oban.

After a couple of minor directional challenges, we were on our way with me at the wheel.

We stopped first at Luss to get some air and some sparkling water to settle our stomachs (we were all a wee bit jet-lagged, me just from lack of sleep, the others from arriving off a plane and having to be functional when it was the wee small hours where they’re from).  After a brief walk and a few pictures of Loch Lomond we were off again.

Our next stop was Inveraray where we had a quick bite to eat and visited the Castle there – which was more of a museum in a Duke’s country house (in which you could not take pictures).

Then on to Oban for our night’s stay.  We wandered about the town a bit (with a light rain falling) and then found a place for dinner before returning back to the B&B for the night.

The next morning we went for a walk and came across an old castle (only part of the tower remains) and wandered around it a bit before heading back for a horrendous breakfast of cold meats and packaged croissants – not terribly appealing.

We headed out (our next destination the Isle of Skye) stopping at Port Appin (well down a single track road) for a walk out to a point with an interesting rock formation before heading on down the road.

A  short while later we stopped briefly to take pictures of Castle Stalker.  Our next stop was at Glencoe for a bite to eat and then we stopped once more at Eilean Donan Castle for a wander about and some more photos.

Since there is a bridge linking the Isle of Skye to the mainland there was no need to wait for a ferry and we drove straight to our B&B outside the town of Portree (the main town on Skye).

Portree itself is a quaint little town – fishing village come tourist attraction on the east coast of the Isle of Skye.  Its laid-back nature and pretty little buildings make it a nice resting point for the next two nights.