This morning we gave ourselves plenty of time to get up, eat breakfast, and walk to the station. Didn't matter though, since the train was late. Luckily, another train came in earlier, so we hopped on that one to make it to Queen St. We made it to the tour in time, and wouldn't ya know, I see G. The same tour guide Pedro and I had with his brother. I had to relay this to Pedro immediately, thinking it was funny.
We almost had a full bus and were just turning out of the bus station when 2 more people flagged down the driver. Our guide G was very gracious and let them on, after a bit of admonishing. This is a tour they need people to be on time for since we drive 400 miles up the west coast of Scotland. After those 2 got on, we set off for the first stop, Loch Lomond.
Last time I was there with Pedro and Luis, it was sunny one day and cloudy the next. This time it was stormy.
Glencoe was still as beautiful as ever. You could probably visit it throughout the year and get an entirely different view each time.
It was very windy here too. I was holding onto my hat as well as my phone.
I told my mom we should probably use our time in Loch Ness to eat and walk around the shops instead of taking the 'cruise' that Pedro and I took with Luis. It was a nice little experience, but I thought my mom and I would enjoy walking around Fort Augustus more. It was a good call anyway since we saw the cruise boat hadn't moved the whole time we were there (cancelled due to 'engine trouble'). We had lunch at a little cafe and then visited any shops that were open. I found post cards to add to my collection, and my mom got little gifts to take back to The States. We actually lucked out and got to see boats going up the locks, something I had never seen.
We stopped again at Inverness, where we got lattes and sweets for the long way back, stretching our legs before the last leg of the journey. This tour is beautiful, but it is a long time on the bus.
We didn't stop again until Bankfoot, just outside of Perth. This is more of a pitstop, but there are hairy coos behind the shop! We had to get out to pet and feed them. They're very used to people and come running up like puppies. It also makes a nice ending to a very long day.
