You take the high road ...

You take the high road ...

So the sun of the previous day now deserted us and yet another country welcomes us on our first full day with rain. Also our plan for the day has been scuppered by the fact that the Burrell Collection in Glasgow is closed for renovations, for the next 3 years! Sandra was very unset as this was one of the two things that she wanted to show us all and visit again in the UK. We had a light breakfast and planned our attack.

Our first destination was Threave castle, a small tower castle on an island in the river Dee. Having found the site, once Charlotte got us close and we then ignored her and followed the signs, we found that the area around the castle was now a kind of nature reserve. Many bird species use the site, including Osprey egales, Kites and Peregrine falcons, but also most of the UK's bat species (7 and possibly 8 of the 9 possible) are also found in the area. Bat Beth was right at home.

The wind was picking up and the temperature was dropping so despite the very helpful and pleasant staff, the Entourage did not stay long. We were able to get a boat across the river to the castle and have a look around. On our way back we saw an Osprey and several deer, including fawns. Back at the entrance we got many ideas and much help from the woman on the desk there. (Sorry we have forgotten your name but I do hope you have found and enjoy the blog.)

From there we set off in search of Sweethearts Abbey. After much winding around in the countryside Charlotte again got us close, but we had to ignore her for the final approach. However our luck was not with us. The weather was wet and freezing and the abbey was filled with scaffolding for repairs. However in trying to reach Sweethearts we had passed a fine cafe and sampled it's fare for lunch. The bacon, vegetable and cheese pies followed by Chocolate Beer Cake were wonderful. We moved on.

From here we traveled north, after Charlotte brought us back to our starting point. No I don't understand this GPS either. I trust my staff to deal with it.

The drive through the industrial outskirts of Glasgow were dull but then the seemingly empty hillsides of the Clyde valley were starkly beautiful.

As the hills closed in on us we again had to wind along narrow roads to reach the shores of Loch Ard where we would be spending the night. At the suggestion of our hosts we dined at the nearby Forth Inn and enjoyed our dinners of nachos and Haggis Burgers.

Quote of the Day.
"I have a Herbert. He's a piece of Blutack stuck to the bottom of my bed". Beth explaining why she named a toy squirrel Roger.

Drinks of Note:
Irn Bru; available in Australia but first drunk on this trip. Orange flavoured creaming soda really. A hit with the junior members of the Entourage. 
Schiehallion; (which I have spelled wrong) a golden and light Scottish ale. Very nice.

Castle Threave.

The Tower.

Bat Beth.
A view from the car.

A view of Loch Ard.
The view from the Forth Inn.

Beth and Cider (non-alcoholic).
The Beer.

The Burger.

Comments

  1. jenjen10 April 2018 at 23:39

    Bummer re Burrell - it is/was awesome.

    Sounds like you're making up for it though, Harold. Hope those Wilkinsons are treating you right. Amazing trip (I thought I'd signed up for bulletins but haven't received anything, so I thought I'd check in for any new posts...).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sanwah11 April 2018 at 01:09

      Harold is having a great time. You may recognise Castle Threave as a painting on Ma's wall.

      Delete
  2. Lyall11 April 2018 at 05:20

    Harold should you get anywhere near Ary near Glasgow Tony's 4 times great grandfather Robert Burns Allan was born there so after the poet who was a friend of his father's Tony's 5 times great grandfather

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tony Wilkinson11 April 2018 at 09:51

      Ah ... well ... we passed Glasgow today ... bypassed it really ... if we had known a couple of days earlier ...

      Delete

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