Day 8: Gretna Green to Kinloch Rannoch

Day 8     7/3/17

We got on the bus after going over to the welcome center to get breakfast. It was the beginning of the long trip north.

Our first stop was at a small village called Luss. We got out and looked around. It was on one of the lochs. After about a half hour, we continued on.

Around 1:30 to 2:00, we stopped to eat at the Green Welly (a welly is a type of boot), which is a bus stop for refueling.  I had scotch broth, which was pretty good soup with beans and pasta.

We continued north, stopping at Loch Lomond. All the scenery we had were lochs and/or mountains. the weather cooperated spectacularly, staying around 60 degrees and not raining.

The Miles family with outstanding Scottish scenery


We also stopped at Fort Williams and looked at some of the ruins of the old fort. It was built by the British to help keep the Scottish clans in line.

We stopped at Glencoe and heard the story about how the English King gave all the Scottish lords a deadline to swear loyalty to England. One clan, the MacDonalds, didn't make the deadline, showing up at the wrong spot and missing the date by quite a bit.

The English King made an example of the clan. He sent other clans to the MacDonald's area. The MacDonalds gave the other clans hospitality to stay with them for awhile. When the King gave the word, the guest clans killed the MacDonalds and their village was ruined.

We also saw some nice scenery, including a great waterfall close to the road and the three sisters, a group of 3 small mountains that protruded away from the others.

Vicky at the waterfalls


We arrived at our destination, the MacDonalds Hotels and Resorts  in Loch Rannoch. The trail to get there was through almost single lane roads. It was certainly off the beaten path.

We had a great meal of Beef Stroganoff with rice, salad, and a gingerbread type cake for dessert. Before bed, the kids and adults played cards. The kids played a version of "I doubt it" while the adults played "31"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 10: Kinloch Rannoch to Edinburgh

Image
Day 10      7/5/17 It was a nice calm morning at the resort, very beautiful and calm. it really made you appreciate nature verses city life. The scenery from the hotel window We left our hotel and traveled north for a tour of the Dalwhinnie whiskey distillery. We split up into two groups and took tours of the facility. They did a good job explaining the process of how their whiskey is made. At the end of the tour, two samples were given for the tour members to try. Capri suns were given to the students who were underage. At the Dalwhinnie distillery toasting Capri Sun We left the highlands to go towards Edinburgh. We stopped at Pitlochry for lunch and to take a look around. I tried the haggis meal, keeping up with the tradition of trying the cultural foods. We exchanged money and had ice cream before getting back on the bus to continue. We stopped at Stirling Castle. We actually arrived at a good time, as the Queen of England was just leaving the castle. We got up
Read more

Day 12: Edinburgh Scotland to London, England

Image
Day 12       7/7/17 We all got up early, had breakfast, and made it to the bus at 5:00 a.m. to go to the airport. We had no problems going through security and got on the plane to fly to London. The flight was delayed a touch, bu we got our stuff and had to wait for our tour bus. Once it arrived, we loaded it and went to our hotel, the Hotel St. Giles. It was much bigger then the hotel we were in at Edinburgh. We put the luggage in the luggage room and then got onto the Feltham railroad to go into London via the Waterloo tube stop. The weather was much warmer, most of us were in shorts and short sleeve shirts and we were warm. We started at the Tower of London and Anne Marie gave us a brief walking tour of the site. Derek with the Tower Bridge as a back ground We started walking west and saw some great sites of the Tower Bridge, as well as the Tower of London. We arrived at St. Paul's cathedral and took an hour off  for lunch. As we were looking at places to eat
Read more

Day 4: Killarney to Dublin

Image
Day 4    6/29/17 The group made it down for another wonderful continental breakfast. We packed the bus and took off for Blarney Castle in County Cork. We arrived there around 11:00 a.m. and got in line after purchasing tickets. It was about 45 minutes in line, but we passed the time exploring the nooks and spaces in the castle. They did a good job putting witty signs around the grounds and palace explaining what we were seeing. Most of us got up to kiss the Blarney stone but all of us enjoyed the view. You had to get on your back and kiss a stone below floor level. Good thing there were rails to hang onto. The Blarney stone was originally from Scotland and became part of the castle. It was a gift in celebrating a victory over the English that they shared with the Scots. Derek Jorgensen kissing the Blarney Stone The view from atop Blarney Castle After we kissed the stone and descended the castle, the group looked around at the rest of the grounds and gardens. I enjoye
Read more