Scotland at Last
We landed in Glasgow after a very short flight. Ryan Air is a wonderful thing. It only cost a hundred bucks to fly the five of us from London to Glasgow. We rented a car and we were soon on our way. I don't think that I'd have tried it without the Tom Tom though. We had a female voice in ours so we called it Tom Tami. We wanted to go to Luss first and she directed us down the road in just a few minutes after landing.
The plan was to go to Luss, walk around it for a little while and then head on to Stirling. We were going to spend the afternoon in Stirling and then go on to our B&B. It didn't work out that way. Luss is the seat of Clan Colquhoun (pronounced "Ca-hoon") and it is a beautiful village on the banks of Loch Lomond. Ben Lomond is in the background. It is an absolutely breath-taking view. The chief of Clan Colquhoun built the cottages for the villagers who worked in the slate quarries decades ago. We explored the local museum which is in the rebuilt parsonage of the local church. Rob Roy MacGregor burnt the parsonage to the ground when the pastor refused to meet with him. Rob Roy is regarded in these parts as a blackmailing, cattle rustling, sheep stealing, con man. All of the most respectable attributes that the Clan Gregor possess. There is still a lot of animosity toward the MacGregors on the southern banks of Loch Lomond. Not just for Rob Roy but for all of the clan history.
We ended up spending the day in Luss. We toured the church and took a ton of pictures. It was interesting to see the family history portrayed in the stained glass windows and in the cemetery. We got caught in a brief rainstorm but it was no big deal. Finally we tore ourselves away and headed for our bread and breakfast in Saline, on the other side of Scotland.
On the way, we drove through Stirling and crossed the Firth of Forth just a few miles from were William Wallace handed the English their most embarrassing defeat until Bruce at Bannockburn. We would be back tomorrow. We arrived at the B&B around 6 and found Peter and Gill in their garden at Kirklands. WOW! The house is about 175 years old and is fabulous. Peter and Gill have done a marvelous job with the grounds and we immediately felt relaxed and at home. Their German Shepard, Harley, seemed to approve of us and the kids fell in love. If you get to go to Scotland, try and plan to stay at Kirklands. You won't find a better accomadations anywhere. The house is on two acres of beautiful gardens with a stream peacefully running through it. It was quite a change from the impersonal and busy England. Our heads hit the soft pillows that night and we had the most restful night of sleep on the trip yet.
The plan was to go to Luss, walk around it for a little while and then head on to Stirling. We were going to spend the afternoon in Stirling and then go on to our B&B. It didn't work out that way. Luss is the seat of Clan Colquhoun (pronounced "Ca-hoon") and it is a beautiful village on the banks of Loch Lomond. Ben Lomond is in the background. It is an absolutely breath-taking view. The chief of Clan Colquhoun built the cottages for the villagers who worked in the slate quarries decades ago. We explored the local museum which is in the rebuilt parsonage of the local church. Rob Roy MacGregor burnt the parsonage to the ground when the pastor refused to meet with him. Rob Roy is regarded in these parts as a blackmailing, cattle rustling, sheep stealing, con man. All of the most respectable attributes that the Clan Gregor possess. There is still a lot of animosity toward the MacGregors on the southern banks of Loch Lomond. Not just for Rob Roy but for all of the clan history.
We ended up spending the day in Luss. We toured the church and took a ton of pictures. It was interesting to see the family history portrayed in the stained glass windows and in the cemetery. We got caught in a brief rainstorm but it was no big deal. Finally we tore ourselves away and headed for our bread and breakfast in Saline, on the other side of Scotland.
On the way, we drove through Stirling and crossed the Firth of Forth just a few miles from were William Wallace handed the English their most embarrassing defeat until Bruce at Bannockburn. We would be back tomorrow. We arrived at the B&B around 6 and found Peter and Gill in their garden at Kirklands. WOW! The house is about 175 years old and is fabulous. Peter and Gill have done a marvelous job with the grounds and we immediately felt relaxed and at home. Their German Shepard, Harley, seemed to approve of us and the kids fell in love. If you get to go to Scotland, try and plan to stay at Kirklands. You won't find a better accomadations anywhere. The house is on two acres of beautiful gardens with a stream peacefully running through it. It was quite a change from the impersonal and busy England. Our heads hit the soft pillows that night and we had the most restful night of sleep on the trip yet.
posted by Moneyman at 11:47 AM
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