Matt and Mum Do Scotland, Part 1

PART ONE: Welcome To Scotchland!

2016-03-25 to 2016-03-28

View over Loch Duich from Shiel Bridge.

After four weeks touring around Ireland, both the Republic and Northern, it was time for a detour across the Irish Sea to visit the Scots. I'd never been to Scotland before, so this was a new and exciting experience for me. We were hoping the rain, for which Scotland is so famous, would be kind to us and not be too frequent!

We drove from our hostel in Belfast into Dublin city, but not after trying what Northern Ireland offer up for a full Irish breakfast. The cafe attached to our hostel, Causeway Cafe, was dishing up an "Ulster Fry" for £4.95, so we both had a go at that. It was a good deal, compared to other places around town, and what was dished up was quite a feed. Mostly the same as those we'd had down south, apart from the potato bread, which is like a fritter/pancake mash-up. We agreed that those we'd had at Daly's Inn Donore and Murphy's Law in Athlone were probably still the best, but this one went down pretty well!

Ulster Fry breakfast at Causeway Cafe.

Our stopover in Dublin city was brief - only to drop off some extra luggage at our hotel for when we return. Our flight across to Edinburgh was with Aer Lingus and only allowed 15kg check-in, so we had to leave all non essentials behind for when we returned. We returned our little Škoda and milled around the airport for a while before flying around 14:30.

Arriving at Edinburgh after less than an hour in the air, we picked up our next car, this time with Europcar. The clerk offered us an upgrade to a small SUV in the Peugot 2008 with diesel; the selling pitch being that the £100 extra in price would be about all saved in fuel costs over getting the smaller petrol car. We were sold and went with it.

Our Peugot 2008 hire car.

A fairly uneventful drive followed up to Rob Roy Hotel just outside Aberfoyle. We had booked here only for one night before moving further west. From the outside, Rob Roy looks like a country motel, but inside is much nicer than we expected. The room was very comfortable with a new-looking bathroom, while the bar and restaurant were very well equipped. And all for only £45 for the night including breakfast - we were very happy with our choice to stay here.

Basic but comfortable room in Rob Roy Hotel, Aberfoyle.

Rob Roy Hotel puts out a good spread for breakfast.

On Saturday morning - Easter Saturday - we were greeted with some of that lovely Scottish rain. Not heavy, but constant. The clouds had rolled in, low and thick, so any sightseeing was going to be very limited. We decided to backtrack to Stirling and see the Castle there, which was reportedly very impressive. It doesn't come cheap, at £14.50, but we had pre-purchased Explorer passes for tourist sights across Scotland. This is similar to the Heritage Ireland passes we had across the ditch, but the deal is a bit tighter. For the Explorer Pass, it is only valid for 7 days of use over a 2 week period.

Exhibition rooms off the tunnel passage in Stirling Castle.

Stirling Castle.

Impressive roof structure in Stirling Castle's Great Hall.

Stirling Castle turned out to be a very extensive exhibit, possibly one of the best we have seen. Perched right at the top of a rocky escarpment, one side of the castle is protected by a sheer cliff, but no sides are particularly easy to approach, which is probably one reason why so much of it has survived since its construction in the 1500s. Built by James V, and residence to his daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, the external walls are adorned with some 250 sculptures of various gods, mythical creatures and historical figures. In one of the buildings, you can view the exquisitely carved wooden Stirling Heads. Another building shows the extensive museum to the Highlander armies which could keep you busy all day if you are keen to read everything. Overall, a very worthwhile visit.

The Queen's receiving room in Stirling Castle.

An example of a Scottish Highlander in full outfit.

As the rain continued, we drove from Stirling around the south end of Loch Lomond and up to Inveraray. This entire region would be extremely scenic in better weather, but we couldn't really do anything about that! Given the conditions, we didn't stop anywhere and just continued north from Inveraray and around to Oban, our next stop for three nights. We checked into our B&B at the north end of town, Alderlea House. Located in an older house, the room was laid out and decorated very pleasantly, almost helping us to forget about the weather outside!

Delightful room in Alderlea House, Oban.

In the evening, we walked into town to find something for dinner. TripAdvisor had listed a place called Cuan Mor as the best pub in town - and the line of people waiting for a table supported that rating. We didn't fancy a 40-minute wait for a table, so we continued walking, eventually finding The Lorne, just around the corner from the main street. The menu had an entire section of £5 feasts; mum went with the Pork Stornaway from this menu. My eyes wandered further and found the Haggis with "Neeps and Tatties" (turnips and mashed potato). I hadn't tried haggis before, so I went for it - and I was not disappointed. Served in a small stack and accompanied by a deliciously creamy sauce made of local Oban whisky, the entire dish was just incredible.

Haggis, neeps and tatties at The Lorne.

Pork Stornaway at The Lorne.

Easter Sunday's sun flooded into our window, but not too early - the clocks went forward in the early hours as the UK moved into summer time. We had a lazy start to the day before getting going around 10am. The weather was set to be a bit sketchy later in the day, so we had to get something done while we could. Driving south, we planned to spend some time around the Kilmartin Glen, home to some of the highest concentration of archaeological sites in Scotland. In just this area, there stands four separate cairns (rock-pile tombs), as well as several standing stones or stone circles, among other sites. Each site is accompanied with a simple panel explaining what has been found at each site during the excavations over the years. Interestingly was both the similarities and differences to the cairns we saw in Ireland. There is also a museum in town that holds some of the artefacts found within the cairns, but it will cost you £6 to go in; we just had a coffee at their cafe!

Carved grave marker stones in Kilmartin, c. 1200 - 1700.

Standing cross in Kilmartin Church.

Glebe Cairn, Kilmartin Glen.

Kilmartin Glen.

Inside Mid-Cairn, Kilmartin Glen.

Nether Largie standing stones, Kilmartin Glen.

Temple Wood  stone circle, Kilmartin Glen.

The weather came in shortly after 2pm, so we made tracks back to Oban. We had already planned our lunch for the day to be at Oban Fish & Chip Shop; reportedly some of the best fish and chips in the world. UK celebrity chef Rick Stein has been quoted to this effect. And I have to say, I don't disagree! We each decided on the Fish Tea Special - battered haddock (cod also available), a healthy serving of chips, mushy peas, bread and butter and a large pot of tea, all for £11 each. Taste buds were pleased and appetite sufficiently sated!

Fish Tea Special at Oban Fish & Chip Shop.

In the evening, we took a short drive up to McCaig's Tower. Known as the "Crown of Oban", the Tower resembles a replica of Rome's Colosseum, perched in the hills overlooking the quay. We had mostly hoped to get a good view of the sunset over the bay, but it was unfortunately a bit too cloudy. Nevertheless, the Tower was quite cool to behold and the view over the bay - sans sunset - was still nice.

McCaig's Tower, Oban.

Overlooking Oban harbour from McCaig's Tower.

On Monday, we had planned to drive out to the Isle of Skye and explore a bit around there. However, we determined it was going to be at least 3.5 hours' drive either way. Adding a few hours for exploring the island, it would have been a very long day. So, as an alternative, we planned a drive through the scenic areas that lead to Skye without actually going to the island. Being from Adelaide in South Australia, we had noted that there is a small town near Skye called Glenelg, the same as a popular beach side suburb in Adelaide. We made this the top of our route, weaving through the lochs and valleys, over mountains and through glens until we arrived there around 12pm.

Reflections in the Loch.

Clouds rolling in over the mountains.

There really isn't anything there, to be honest - it's a small country town on the edge of a loch! We stopped in at Glenelg Inn for a rest and a coffee before getting started back, admiring scenery all the while.

Glenelg Inn.

Viewpoint over Loch Duich from the mountain pass to Glenelg.

We pulled into the bustling town of Fort William just before 3pm and decided it was about time we ate something. A quick walk up High Street and we came across Ben Nevis Hotel. With a good range of dishes, mostly under £10, I opted to try out a Scottish Steak & Ale Pie against our extensive Beef & Guinness experiences in Ireland. It was a good choice - the gravy was thick and rich, the meat very tender and the pastry was very soft and wrapped all the way around, as opposed to the puff pastry "lid" that adorns the traditional type.

Steak & Ale Pie at Ben Nevis Hotel, Fort William.

Continuing back to Oban, the weather started to come in again. We'd hoped to head up to the Tower again to try the sunset once more, but as the time neared, the clouds continued to gather, and those clouds got more and more grey by the minute. So, unfortunately, no dice! We relaxed in the B&B for the evening, trying to be well rested for the following day when we moved along to the Speyside.