HoppsAround: UK - Scottish Highlands

One thing I was most looking forward to on this trip was visiting the Scottish Highlands. Unfortunately, I had less than 2 days to do it! I planned out what I knew was a very ambitious route: driving from Keswick, England, to Oban, Scotland, in one day. Then traveling from Oban up to Inverness, and down to Edinburgh in one day. I certainly covered a lot of ground, so that goal was achieved. However, there really was too little time to take advantage of the destinations, considering how many sights I had to breeze through or skip altogether. If I could have added at least one day to this journey, then I think it would have been perfect.

The early part of the drive went through Glasgow, but there wasn't time to take a look. After several hours in the car, the first stop was a Visitor's Center at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. The weather was cool and overcast...just what you'd expect Scotland to be like.

A few views of Loch Lomond. Looking north.

Looking south.

A Jack Russell Terrier having fun playing fetch with a stick in the water. (This trip was determined to make me miss my dog!)

Lunch time. The picnic tables here were in poor condition, and there were lots of little bugs flying around, but I was starving! Ate as fast as possible to avoid infestation.

I hoped to stop and get a look at some amazing sights along the drive north, but it turned out to be very difficult. There weren't many places to pull off to the side of the road, and turnoffs for hidden views were not well-marked, if at all. The day was starting to feel like a total waste. But all hope wasn't lost. While at the Visitor Center I had found a brochure for Inveraray Castle (http://www.inveraray-castle.com/). I planned on stopping in Inveraray all along since it was on the way. I had not realized though that the town had a connection to Downton Abbey. For all of us faithful fans, we know the Clan Campbell's Inveraray Castle as the fictional Duneagle Castle in the Season 3 finale (Christmas special.) I arrived just in time to take the last tour of the day at 5pm. It was a little expensive (£10), but since I had basically done nothing all day but sit in a car, I figured it was worth the splurge.

Spoiler Alert:

The location of Matthew Crawley's final holiday.

The grass is always greener...

Party time!

On this episode of Hoarders...

Coat of Arms on the ceiling. The walls could use an extra coat too...of paint.

Basement kitchen.

I didn't realize that plastic pigs were a delicacy.

The royal Jell-O molds.

One last look before I leave. Unfortunately, since I arrived so late in the day, I could not walk through the gardens.

After visiting the castle, I did a quick look around Inveraray itself. I was cute to see, but didn't warrant spending any more than 15 minutes here.

View of Loch Fyne.

It was still about an hour drive to Oban, where I was stopping for the night at Kilchrenan House (http://www.kilchrenanhouse.co.uk/). I realized that I never let the B&B owner know that I was going to be checking in late, so I started to worry and felt horrible for being so rude. It was around 7pm (I believe) when I arrived, but thankfully the owner, Colin, had hung around to wait for me. All guests are welcome to a complimentary afternoon shot of whisky. (It's only fitting, considering the Oban Distillery predates the town.) Though tempted, I decided not to partake since I had barely eaten anything all day.

Side note: I am correct in referring to it as whisky (not whiskey or scotch.) Scots don't include an "e," so it's whisky here, not whiskey. In the US, we call whisky from Scotland scotch whisky or just scotch.

View from my room.

Walking toward the center of town.

To make the stop in Oban worthwhile, I decided to take a hike up to McCaig's Tower, which sits atop a hill overlooking the town. This is an unfinished granite structure built at the turn of the century, which is kind of like a mini Colosseum. The hike up is steep at times, but doesn't take too long. It's free to walk around the tower, and rainbow-colored light illuminate the "windows" at night. I think it's worth a quick visit if you happen to be in town.

Cute Victorian houses along the way.

The rainbow-colored lights are glowing at the top.

View from the top looking out to Oban Bay and the island of Kerrera.

Once again, a view of the bay, island of Kerrera, and the cloud-covered Isle of Mull in the very back.

After the walk back into town, it was time for dinner. I ended up at Cuan Mor (http://www.cuanmor.co.uk/restaurant.html), a rustic yet modern-looking gastropub that I didn't expect to find in a small town like Oban. I came to realize Oban is a more happening place that I thought it was.

Evening view of the bay.

A seafood pie and some basic side items. The meal was pretty good overall, but I thought the pie was a little off. Turns out, it was. A lady at the table next to mine complained about it. The waitress said the cook was new or the recipe was new (or something like that), so she ended up getting her meal for free.

Oban is the starting point for many ferry rides to nearby islands. It would have been great to do one, but time was ticking, and I had to leave bright and early the next morning for a long day of driving.

One of the reasons I was so excited about staying at this B&B was the breakfast, which included Scottish porridge. You have the option of adding whisky, cream, or honey, so I said yes to all three!

As my main course, I opted for the Continental breakfast, rather than the full Scottish breakfast.

The drive from Oban to Inverness is about 3 hours. When I left the B&B, Colin recommended a hidden view about 30 minutes up the road, and he gave instructions on how to find it. It seemed pretty straight forward. But as the time approached, the landmarks he said to look out for were no where to be seen. To this day, I still have no idea how I missed it. Either I was somehow on the wrong road or am blind.

Beautiful countryside views along the way.

By this point, I expected to have stopped a few times already for various view points. That didn't happen though. So my first stop ended up being the small village of Fort Augustus, which sits at the southwestern tip if Loch Ness. This was just a place to stretch my legs and take a look around, so I spent no more than 30-45 minutes here.

The Caledonian Canal runs through town.

First view of Loch Ness.

I can't call the day a bust since I saw a real life bagpiper!

The drive then followed the northern edge of Loch Ness. I stopped about halfway down, where the main Visitor Centers and museums are, hoping to get an amazing view of the lake. Because of time constraints through, I couldn't walk to any of the viewpoints or check out the exhibits. So this was my view:

I was looking forward to finally reaching Inverness, as this was the half-way point of the day's drive, and I had high hopes for taking a leisurely stroll around town and having a nice lunch. Things were not as I expected though. Inverness ended up being much bigger and more crowded than I thought it would be. I didn't plan out the logistics of visiting town because I figured I could just drive in and find a place to park without any problems. That was not the case however. There was a lot of traffic and there didn't seem to be any open parking spots. Somehow, when going off of the main road to try to find parking, I ended up far into the suburbs. Fatigue and frustration really set in by this point. Knowing how much longer the journey still was to get to Edinburgh, I ended up not turning back to stop in Inverness. At least I snapped a few pictures as I drove through.

Inverness Castle.

Driving over the River Ness.

The rest of the drive was quite uneventful. While passing through Cairngorms National Park, I was desperate to find a place to stop for lunch. I ended up in the ski resort town of Aviemore. I limited my food choices to something fast, and decided it was time I finally tried some fish and chips, so Smiffy's it was (http://www.yelp.com/biz/smiffys-aviemore). I thought the fish was alright, but rather bland. (Hey, it's not like I'm the first person to refer to British food as being bland, though technically this was Scottish food.)

During the remainder of the drive, and my time in the Scottish Highlands in general, there were some nice views, but I wasn't in awe of the scenery nearly as much I expected I would be. Looking at these photos now though, I think the scenery was quite splendid. I guess I was just too burned out or used to seeing green grass and rolling hills to fully appreciate and absorb it at the time. Good thing I took pictures while traveling down the road since my mental pictures have not served me well!