Great Scott this is beautiful

The Artic Penguin

Last night at the Stagecoach Inn at Cairndow we heard voices. The first was a woman laughing in the middle of the night; the other was unidentifiable, perhaps a man whispering. The walls of the hotel were really thick and we couldn’t hear any other guests, even if they were right outside our door. Perhaps these were ghosts of travelers past. The building was once an old coaching inn and would have been a waypoint for the carriages as they traversed the highlands. Stepping out of the cold, damp air into the hotel feels as if you are transported back in time. Describing the inn as old and quirky is an understatement. The rooms are an explosion of mismatched prints and the floors slope to such a degree one could almost ski from the bathtub to the sink. However, the atmosphere was perfect. It was warm, cozy and we had one of the best night’s sleep of our trip. From our room we could lookout at the misty grey Loch Fynne. As this tiny “town” along the edge of the loch had only a handful of buildings it was extremely quiet.

In the morning we had a full Scottish breakfast. Luis even tried the black pudding. It was not bad tasting but knowing what it was made this a small sampling. Black pudding for those that don’t know (and you probably really don’t want to know) is comprised of lambs blood, lambs stomach and a variety of other lamb parts that one would not normally care to associate with breakfast. With full bellies we rolled ourselves out the door and back into the car.



Inveraray Cstle

We looped around Loch Fyne to Inveraray. We stopped briefly to admire the small fishing port and the elaborate Invereray castle grounds. The gardens were beautiful and the fields were filled with Scottish Bluebells. The castle while enormous was not open to the public, but the turrets and towers were impressive from the outside. In the port we saw the Artic Penguin. At 100+ years old it is one the last iron ships remaining. 

The carved stones of Kilmartin

From there we drove around the western edge of the loch through many small villages. Reaching the town of Kilmartin we stopped to look at the carved stones located at the church. These old relics dated from the 9^th century to medieval times. Most of the 79 gravestones had been moved to a protective shelter and were arranged in order of their age. Many display figures of warriors, animals and intricate patterns. None are inscribed, so the identities of the persons commemorated are unknown. There has been speculation that some of the markers were for Knights Templar. However, none are marked so it is more commonly believed that they are nobles and warriors of high status.

Carnassarie Castle

A few miles up the road we pulled off to see the 16^th century Carnassarie Castle. Walking along we followed a rocky, winding trail through pastures of sheep. At the top of the trail above us, perched on a lonely outcropping, stood the ruins of the castle. The castle was built by John Carswell, who published the first book printed in Scottish Gaelic. In 1572, the castle passed to his patron, the Earl of Argyll, and subsequently to others after that. In 1685, after a failed uprising against James VII, the castle was blown up by Royalist forces. While the exterior of the castle remains mostly intact, the interior remained in ruins. Entering through a small wooden gate we found ourselves alone, save for the sheep.

The ruined castle interior

We opened the old wooden door which was flung back against the stone by a roaring wind. Inside the roofless structure the wind swirled around, howling through the structure. At the bottom level we could see the remaining walls of the kitchen, cellar, and an old well. The second and third floors of the central part of the building were missing. However, along the perimeter you could still see the outlines of the dividing walls and fireplaces that would have heated the drafty rooms. At each end there was a stone stairway spiraling up. The northern stairs led to the one remaining tower. We climbed up literally fighting the wind. Each time you lifted your leg to step up the wind would knock you back. At the top it was so strong it pushed you around the edges of the parapet that circled the top of the building. We could only imagine how isolated one would have felt living here, guarding the lands from invaders. The other set of stairs led us up to a few rooms that were still relatively intact. These were: a set of closets that stored the plates and dishes for the hall feasts, and two tiny bedrooms. After a while, the skies began to cloud over and the wind picked up, so we decided to head out. Just as we reached the car the rain began to pour.

Oban Distillery

Our next stop was Oban. This port town, while still small felt like a hub of activity after the minuscule towns we had just passed through. It is also the point from which a large number of ferries depart for the various Scottish islands. A few of the larger Islands, such as Skye, now have bridges; however, most islands must still be reached by ferry. Our first stop was the Oban Distillery. This is the home to one of the best known single malt whiskeys. In homage to two of our favorite whiskey fanatics (Jane’s brother and father), we intended to pay our respects and take the distillery tour. Unfortunately, we were too late as the tours had already booked up for the day. Instead, we were forced to tour the gift shop instead. Disappointed we headed to a pub nearby and ate lunch.



Castle of Aaaarrrggghhh"

After lunch, we passed the Castle Stalker. This structure is one of the most well preserved medieval house in Scotland and perhaps one of the most recognizable. Initially constructed for the clan MacDougall in the 1400’s, it was lost in a drunken bet to a relative of King James IV. The castle was abandoned in 1840, when it lost its roof which some suggest was a clever way to avoid a hefty “roof tax”. Since 1965 it has been privately owned and carefully restored. While not often open to the public, it has appeared in several films. Most famously, it was the Castle of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh shown in the final scene of Monty Python’s “Holy Grail”.

The weeping hills



Glen Coe

Continuing onward we north along the coast until we arrived at Glencoe. This area is renowned for breathtaking beauty or utter bleakness. How one sees it depends greatly upon the weather and one’s mood. The weather in Scotland changes constantly. First almost everyone we encounter seems to want to apologize for the sudden appearance of rain as if it is really unusual. As far as we can tell, the weather we have so far experienced is pretty typical. Second, the weather literally changes every ten minutes. One moment it is sunny with bright blue skies, the next you find yourself in a torrential down pour with buffeting winds. In between, it is misty and chilly. Whenever we arrived somewhere and it was raining we would wait just a few minutes and the clouds would clear. Glencoe was no different.

Ossians Cave



The "gorge of Eternal Peril"

We walked along a trail that followed a turbulent stream filled with the runoff from the hills above. Every direction afforded amazing views so we were constantly saying “oh that is the most amazing view I have ever seen”. Glen Coe is said to mean "Glen of Weeping", a possible a reference to a Massacre of the MacDonald clan that occurred there in 1692. We believe it could refer to the hundreds of waterfalls “weeping” down the misty hills.

Glen Coe is also the site of an ancient super volcano that erupted over 400 million years ago. This was also the site of “The Bridge of Death" and "The Gorge of Eternal Peril" in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as well as, a set for parts of the Harry Potter Series.

One minute there was rain..



...the next there was sun.



After our walk, we drove along the pass, stopping to admire the views about every 3 minutes. We passed the three sisters and saw Ossian’s cave, where legend says he was born. We discussed the feasibility of hiking to the cave. Although in the evening we would learn that it is a perilous route that results in many deaths. It is more rock climbing than hiking as evidenced by a blog we found. The blogger's pictures show him clinging to the slippery rocks standing on ledges that were at most a foot wide. Even the writer, who appeared to be an experienced climber, bailed on the route at his first chance. He vowed to never return. In consolation, we decided we could climb Ben Nevis the next day instead.



Rainbow over the Coe

As we continued on through the pass we saw many breathtaking sights including a large waterfall and a rainbow that suddenly spanned the valley. Saturated with beautiful views for the day, if that is possible, we decided to head to the hotel and check in. We found our home at the Holly Tree Hotel. Our room overlooked Loch Linnhe so that it appeared we were actually on the water, rather than next to it. More amazing views. The hotel also had a sauna and pool that we took advantage of.