Bonnie Scotland Part Two - Lochearnhead
30th September, 2000
1st October, 2000
2nd October, 2000
3rd October, 2000
4th October, 2000
5th October, 2000
6th October, 2000
Saturday, 30th September, 2000
p reasonably early today, to get away by nine, which we did. Actually, I had to get up at about 5 a.m. to go down to the loo and through our window the stars were blazing! I can't remember having seen them so close and clear.
nyway we had decided not to use the Mallaig ferry as there were only two a day and constricted our time, so we had a very easy run down, crossing the Skye Bridge at Kyleakin for the first time, toll five pounds seventy. A bit steep! The bridge is certainly a major construction though, very long, spanning over a couple of islands as well.
hrough marvellous scenery and weather, to Fort William, where we stopped to shop and have lunch, then continued on through spectacular and stunning Glencoe. It was incredible, but as Geoff says, photographs couldn't do it justice, without something that shows the scale of the panorama.
Through Rannoch Moor and Crianlarich, and on to Lochearnhead. It was easy to find Earnknowe again and the new owners, Lawrie and Pam Hopkins, were very pleasant and introduced Mac to their cat.
Arran Cottage, Earnknowe, Lochearnhead
ur cottage, Arran, is lovely. All blues, with glass doors overlooking the loch, a very well equipped kitchen, even a decent sized fridge. Shelves of books and a drawer of games in the lounge. TV and wood and peat burning stove. The bedrooms and bathroom are upstairs and there is a shower, albeit not a very strong one. The whole cottage, although showing some signs of wear (because I don't think much has changed since 1992) looks clean, airy and spacious. I love it.
Loch Earn, from outside our Cottage, Earnknowe
here are lots of things to see and do in the general area and we will start exploring tomorrow.
Sunday, 1st October, 2000
oday dawned very misty with a low cloud cover. We slept rather late, then had to go and get milk before we could have breakfast. After breakfast we headed for Stirling. It remained misty all day, but not too cold and not wet. We arrived at Stirling Castle at about 11:30 and, after viewing the introductory movie at the Visitor's Centre, went into the Castle. We saved fifteen pounds today with our English Heritage cards so that's good too.
The White Cockade Society, Stirling Castle
here was a fun performance by the White Cockade Society (like the Sealed Knot, they re-enact Jacobite times.) It was a lot of fun, unlike the real thing!
The White Cockade Society, Stirling
Royal Palace, Stirling Castle
e had lunch in the cafe there and walked over the Castle afterwards, seeing the Royal Palace, newly painted cream over the stones, which it apparently was originally. We saw its reconstructed Great Hall, kitchens and other rooms in the process of being reconstructed.
t is looking quite different from the way it looked in 1992. More interesting exhibits. The kitchens especially were fascinating. My knees were giving out (castles have too many steps and cobbles) so we finished up and went to a coffee shop for afternoon tea. We had had the intention of going to the Wallace Monument, but were running out of time, so headed for home and a cosy night in.
Monday, 2nd October, 2000
Loch Vennachar,Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, Trossachs
ot as misty a start of the day today, but it ended up offering Four seasons in one day. We decided to do the "Trossachs Trail", which took us from near Callandar, via Aberfoyle, Port of Menteith and back to Callandar.
Mac and Geoff at Loch Katrine, Trossachs
e drove through the lovely Queen Elizabeth Forest Park until we reached Loch Katrine. Unfortunately we just missed the SS Sir Walter Scott, so when it started to rain heavily, we gave up the idea of a walk around the loch and drove on to Aberfoyle. After visiting the Visitor's Centre there we drove on to the Lake of Menteith (the only Lake in Scotland) where we ate our lunch , then caught the little 12 seat ferry launch for the seven minute trip across the lake to Inchmahome Priory on one of the islands.
Ruins of Inchmahome Priory, Lake of Menteith
he ruined priory was very interesting and picturesque, with quite a lot of remains and some very old grave slabs. The infant Mary Queen of Scots was hidden here, when Henry VIII of England was pursuing his policy of "rough wooing", trying to marry her to his son, Edward. It was quite fine while we were there, but became very windy and freezing cold.
e drove on from Menteith and had afternoon tea at a little cafe overlooking the site of Flanders Moss, a former peat bog with an interesting history. The sun was pouring through the windows and it was very warm. After a little shopping in Callandar, we came home. It has become sunny and clear, later on the moon came out. A little of everything today.
Tuesday, 3rd October, 2000
oday it rained. And rained. After it was quite clear last night and all. We gave Pam and Lawrie (our landlords) a large bag of washing (which they do at an extra charge) and took another smaller bag of undies and towels to Killin, the nearest laundrette. The Falls of Dochart at Killin were really fushing well with the rain.
e had morning tea, then found the laundrette. Coincidentally, also doing their washing, we met the couple who are our next door neighbours here. They have been coming to Earnknowe twice a year for about five years. They were a pleasant couple and quite chatty, so the time passed quickly. They even gave us some of their washing powder because we had forgotten ours.
fter lunch at Killin (the wash takes some time) we drove off to circumnavigate Loch Tay, of which Killin is the town at the head. We drove down to Kenmore, the town at the other end, and had begun to drive out along the narrow and even more scenic south road when we saw a sign for the "Scottish Crannog Centre". We were just saying "What the hell is a crannog?" when we came to it - a reconstructed prehistoric lake dwelling, like a round, thatched hut.
Reconstructed Crannog on Loch Tay
e decided to stop and investigate and were glad we did. There was an exhibition of how they had found these by diving and it displayed all sorts of archaeological evidence and artifacts. After an audio-visual about the construction (they were artificial islands, built up to live on with domestic animals as well as people) we went on to the reconstruction. It was fascinating, much larger on the inside than it looks on the outside. Our guide was excellent, obviously enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. There was a lot more to them than you would believe in prehistoric times but they have found amazing evidence of the technical knowledge of the people who lived on these crannogs. They are only found in Scottish lochs apparently, and there are lots around if you look. We all found it very interesting.
fter some coffee and a scone we came home via the pretty south side of Loch Tay. A good, restful but productive day today.
Wednesday, 4th October, 2000
t was a wild night, rain and wind whistling around the cottage and I heard a lot of it because I wasn't sleeping well. I seem to have caught Mac's cough. It isn't a cold, just a tickly cough in the top of the bronchial tubes, where coughing really doesn't help, but you can't help doing it!
e told Lawrie, our host, about the Crannog Centre and he pointed out the remains of two crannogs in Loch Earn. You could see one of them from here. Strange little round islands.
Tay Bridge at Dunkeld, Perthshire
nyway it was a much better day today, so we headed for Blair Atholl. Blair Castle, to be precise, which we passed on the way to Inverness. We stopped at Dunkeld for morning tea, and Mac bought me a lovely little Celtic box here. The bridge across the river Tay is very interesting and has a small lockup at one end.
Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, Perthshire
lair Castle is a fantastic place, thirty two rooms filled with ancient, historic and reasonably recent memorabilia of the Murray dukes of Atholl. The present duke lives in South Africa and only comes home once a year to review the troop of his private army, the only legal one in Britain. He didn't really expect to become Duke, but his cousin, the previous duke, died unmarried and without, as they say, issue.
Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, Perthshire
he guy who works in C4 Computers in Penrith claims to be 123rd in line for the dukedom, so I brought home a brochure to show him his ancestral home.
he Castle is lovely, whitewashed, which really makes it stand out and they really know how to show it off. There are attractive grounds seething with peacocks, two of which joined us for lunch with the avidity of the average seagull. By the time we had gone over the Castle, (and it took a couple of hours) it was starting to rain, so we had our picnic in the car instead of the picnic area. We had a very wet walk around the Hercules Garden which was undergoing quite a major restoration, then left for home. It rained most of the way, but when we got home, it was fine again. Strange weather!
Thursday, 5th October, 2000
Cascade on the side of Loch Awe
oday was a lovely fine day, mostly. We drove to Loch Awe, via Crianlarich, stopping at Tyndrum at the Green Welly Shop, an incredible Aladdin's cave shop and cafe, which sold just about everything except groceries, to buy a battery for my camera and have morning tea.
Kilchurn Castle Ruins, Loch Awe
e circumnavigated lovely Loch Awe, passing lochside villages and villas and little waterfalls on the more picturesque east side. It is funny how all these lochs have one good (meaning a good road) side and one picturesque (meaning one lane roads and a lot more character) side. We had our picnic with a view on the good side.
Glimpse of Loch Awe from Kilchurn Castle Ruins
fter a long trip around, (it is a very long loch) we came to the ruins of Kilchurn Castle. As the little steam ferry did not seem to be running (too late in the year, I think) we walked along a rather rough causeway, over a railway crossing, across a marsh to explore it. It is very picturesque and nearly on an island. The causeway is quite a narrow neck of land. The Castle is very ruined as well, but was very interesting to climb around. Quite a lot of it is left.
Silhouette of Kilchurn Castle from the Causeway
pparently it fell into disrepair after the Jacobite rebellions in 1715 and 1745, when it was garrisoned by the government. It was a stronghold of the Campbells of Glenorchy. The owners allowed it to crumble but kept it as a "picturesque ruin" by making it a bit safer for visitors.
hen we came home we said goodbye to our next door neighbours who are leaving tonight and made a booking at a hotel restaurant in St.Fillans, for dinner. The Drummond Arms Hotel Chartroom Restaurant. It had the distinction, for us, of being non-smoking and although only three tables, including ours, were occupied, the food and the service were excellent. Mac and Geoff had pork fillets wrapped in prosciutto and I had beef fillet with pepper sauce. Delicious.
omorrow is our last day, we must do the usual clearup and clean and pack and plan our route to Corbridge.
Two weeks left!
Friday, 6th October, 2000
Grave of Rob Roy MacGregor and Family, Balquhidder
fter a very disturbed night, coughing badly, we got up and headed out. First to Balquhidder and the old Kirkyard which holds the grave of Rob Roy MacGregor.
Mac and I visited this last trip, but today we explored a bit more fully.
Old Balquhidder Kirkyard
here are some fascinating grave stones, the oldest dated 16 something. We also went into the present (as opposed to the ruined) church, a charming small church of Scotland with a grave slab of St.Angus, a hermit who lived in the area over a thousand years ago! It was very interesting. We also took a walk to the waterfall behind the church, which was very pretty.
Waterfall behind Old Balquhidder Kirk
n leaving the kirkyard we continured along the narrow road along the edge of Loch Voil, very picturesque and getting wilder and lonelier until, feeling that morning tea was becoming necessary and not expecting the possibility of getting any around here, we were about to turn back when we came on an old hotel, painted pink, out in the middle of nowhere with a stupendous view. On enquiry, we were served coffee and fresh scones straight out of the oven - we had to wait because apparently they cook them fresh for each customer. Wonderful, with home made jam and whipped cream, just like the Bay Tree Tea Room at Mt.Vic.
e enjoyed some conversation by the open peat fire with the proprietor and his wife, who told us to give her regards to Pam and Lawrie. When we did this they told us that Jean, from the hotel, was blind! We had had no idea! Apparently she fell from a horse on her honeymoon and had been blind ever since. You certainly would not have known.
e then headed back through the woods from Balquhidder to Strathyre. We passed through (gorgeous scenery with red squirrels) and headed for Callander where we went through their Rob Roy Presentation. I still felt they were hero-ising him a la Hollywood but different times have different values , as Mac said. Still it was well done.
We had lunch at Callander then came home via a detour around the South Loch Earn Road, much more attractive than the trunk road on the other side. (Another one!) Packed and cleaned up a bit, ready to leave tomorrow.
Geoff in the Living Room, Arran Cottage
arewell to beautiful Scotland, which certainly showed its loveliest face to us this time, and back south of the border.
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