Today the Scottish weather returned. When we woke up it was cool, overcast, and rain was in the forecast. Our tour today had some overlapping places, but we figured they'll look different in this weather. When we got to the pick up point for our tour, we had to laugh - we had the same tour guide. Of course, he quickly told us he'd be testing our knowledge against the rest of the people on the bus at the end since we'd be hearing some of the stories twice.
Our first stop was Loch Lomond again. Pedro said while the previous days were very pretty, he actually prefers the normal overcast look - makes everything look mysterious and magical.
The picture above is from a new construction project. We were stopped for a bit on the road (it's a narrow road, so any construction halts us) and our guide explained these fences are being placed up and around the mountain to help prevent damage from rock slides. This area has a bad history with rock slides.
We stopped not far from there, at a place called the 'Rest and Be Thankful' pass. The valley was on a military route during the Jacobite Rebellion, and this was a haven for soldiers traveling across Scotland. Here they could take a rest and enjoy the views.
From there, we headed to Inveraray, a town with a castle on Loch Fyne. Perfect eerie weather for it! We stopped here to get views of the loch, and even walked down onto the rocky shore (and slipped around a bit on the seaweed).
Our guide saw a gap in the rain as an opportunity to see Kilchurn Castle up close. The path to the castle is a bit marshy, so if it's flooded we would have slipped around a lot. But we had an easy walk up to it. The castle is a ruin now, so we couldn't go inside, but the outside was still interesting to see. It was built in the 1400s by the Campbell clan, with a perfect view of Loch Awe.
From there, we went to Oban. This is where we had the most time, so we could eat lunch and explore a bit. Our guide informed us that Oban is basically the seafood capital of Scotland with it's busy port and fresh fish. He pointed out restaurant for us, as well as a trail up to a viewpoint at McGaig's Tower.
The picture above was taken from our seat at the restaurant, Eeusk. I thought the menu was pretty cool, giving you a picture of the seafood options. Luis decided to branch out with monk fish, though when we got it, it looked like fancy fish and chips. He loved it though. I got my favorite seafood (scallops) and Pedro got his favorite (a little bit of everything).
And what is the perfect thing to top off a good seafood meal? A climb. See the Colosseum looking structure at the top of the picture? That's what we climbed. It's the highest point, so of course Pedro wanted to see it.
It was very steep, but we did it in less than 15 minutes so that we had time to get back to the bus. Oban in Gaelic means 'little bay' and we got a very nice view of it; almost worth the stitch in my side.
Leaving Oban, we went over the Connel Bridge which is famous for the Falls of Lora. The water under the bridge is interesting due to it being the connection between Loch Etive and the Atlantic ocean. There are shallow rocks just below the bridge as well, so that when the tide is out, it creates a small rapid-like falls, which then flows in both directions. Of course going over the bridge ourselves, we didn't see it too well, but you can see the water churning a bit. The picture is from Luis on the left side of the bus, while I got a video from the right side of the bus.
Our next stop was back at Glencoe. Pedro and I don't mind ever seeing it twice, but we didn't expect to see it from a totally different angle too! Our guide stopped at a little rest stop/café area that also had some trails leading to a couple of viewpoints. Our guide was offering to take us out on a his favorite trail, but said we could explore on our own as well. Pedro and Luis went ahead, but I really need to go to the bathroom, so I just figured I'd catch up later. What I didn't count on, was there being so many different paths off the main trail. I couldn't find them! Pedro wasn't picking up the phone either. So I just stayed on the main trail and saw different viewpoints until I spotted Pedro's hat in the distance just before getting back on the bus. I did get some nice views on my own at least.
Then we went back around to the viewpoint we visited on Thursday. It was still a different view, considering the weather was in such contrast.
This time I did manage to get a nice panorama shot of the Three Sisters. The names of the three sisters from left to right are Charity, Hope, and Faith. A lot of backpackers hike through this area, since it has such great views like the Buachaille Etive Mor (most photographed mountain in Scotland). Some start all the way in Rannoch Moor. So all over, you can see these little white houses, which serve as a sanctuary in bad weather or overnights. We saw a few on the way back to Glasgow that I'm sure would be utilized with the incoming storm. (left photo)
Fun fact: the picture on the right is the same place they filmed James Bond in Skyfall.
Our last stop was Loch Tulla, where the weather gave us one last break. It rained all the way back to Glasgow, giving us a good excuse to fall asleep on the bus.
