Day 4, loch country

[low_delta]

After lunch, my dad and I left Alloway and drove north. I missed an exit in Glasgow, and we exited the freeway. Between watching signs and using the GPS, we were luckily able to find our way back to the freeway, and continued north out of Glasgow. A little way up from there is Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Our road took us partway up the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.









We left the loch and went upland.






Going over a pass.


Once or twice we came back down to cross the head of a sea loch. Like Loch Fine, shown here.



We pulled into a little town called Ardfern, around supper time. The girl at the hotel said, "oh, you're here early. Let me get the manager." We were like, huh? Turns out my dad got the reservations for the wrong day, and they were booked up. I'd hoped that we'd get our $100+ back if he sold all his rooms the next night, but we didn't. Not sure if he sold all his rooms. But the main problem was where to stay. There wasn't much in the area, and it was getting late. He called the B&B next door. That guy told him he wasn't letting his rooms, but the manager was able to convince him to take us. We were grateful. When we mentioned what the manager said about him not renting out his rooms that night, he laughed and said he was just pulling his chain. huh?

We went back to the hotel for dinner and whisky, because (1) there wasn't anyplace else, and (2) we were really looking forward to their whisky. I had a whisky that was older than I was. That was one of the things on my "bucket" list for the trip.


Ardfern is a tourist stop, with more boats in the marina (not shown here) than there are people in town.



In the morning, we went back over the hills the way we came, but then turned and continued south.




Inveraray Castle, in Inveraray.

Then we came to Tarbert...









Tarbert was just before our 9 am ferry crossing.

Comments

[ravenfeather.livejournal.com]

OMG! The flower house!

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

We saw a lot of nice gardens in Scotland, and a few spectacular ones. Did you see the little barrel train? We saw a few of those too.

[ravenfeather.livejournal.com]

OH HOW CUTE! I did not see it until you pointed it out and I enlarged the photo. Oh.. I want that!

[northernsnokat.livejournal.com]

I would love to go there and track down my ancestors some day!

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

What a beautiful area with the clouds on the hills and the lochs.
The house with all the flowers...I want it!
And the last photo has me hypnotized.

I'm glad you found a place to stay for the night!

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

It was a lovely, calm (though grey) morning in the harbor.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Sure, as long as people didn't try to storm it. That would be a pain to deal with.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

The countryside looks really lovely in those photos (and the last photo is sort of mind-bending).

I'm glad that you found a place to stay that night. Trying to go to another town wouldn't be fun, nor would "sleeping in the car with extra clothes on for warmth" be good at all.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I probably could have managed a night in the car, but my dad couldn't have.

[marswalker.livejournal.com]

Wow.. It looks like a very picturesque area. Very nice.

lol... and it reminds me of http://goo.gl/maps/Fbomw .

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Funny. Loch Lomond, Ben Lomond, Highland Park, Bonny Doon.

Do they pronounce it like the Scottish LOH-mun, or do the Americanize it, like Luh-MOND?

[marswalker.livejournal.com]

It's a combo - LOHmund. Ben LOH-mund, etc. Bonny Doon was a favorite hiking place. :)