Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

Triumph at Rest and be Thankful, Scotland

This afternoon, I collected guests from Cameron House Hotel on Loch Lomond and then drove round to nearby Luss  for lunch.

Unfortunately, we were hampered by exceptionally heavy rain and were forced to omit a walking tour around Luss. Instead we dashed back to the car and then headed north to Tyndrum. Originally, we planned to visit Glencoe but were thwarted by a road closure, presumably due to the snow.

After a refreshment stop at the ‘Green Welly’ we headed west and then south to the pleasant town of Inveraray  on the banks of Loch Fyne. Due to our altitude the hills were covered in a good layering of snow, and the weather was reasonably clear. We stopped en-route for a photo-shoot of Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe.

We did not stop at Inveraray because light was fading so we drove on along the banks of Loch Fyne to the famous Loch Fyne Oyster Bar with intention of purchasing oysters. Unfortunately, the shop was closed, so we continued on until we reached the famous pass knows as ‘Rest and be Thankful’. Here we stopped for pictures and views at the very tail end of the daylight. Before moving on we first had to dig ourselves out of the snow.

Finally, we drove on down to Loch Lomond (again) and then to Glasgow city where the tour ended about 5.30pm in good time for guests to catch the return train to London.

Cameron House luxury hotel.

Cameron House, Loch Lomond, Scotland

Seaplane moored close to Cameron House, but not going anywhere.

Seaplane, Loch Lomond, Scotland

View of Conic Hill from Cameron House.

Conic Hill, Loch Lomond, Scotland

Snow covered hill near Tyndrum

Snow covered Tyndrum Landscape, Scotland

Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe, a romantic ruin.

Kilchurn Castle, Loch Awe, Scotland

Loch Fyne Oyster Bar. A high end eatery but quite remote.

Loch Fyne Oyster Bar, Scotland

Twilight view of Rest and be Thankful. Here we found ourselves stuck in the snow.

Rest and be Thankful Pass, Scotland

Overall, an interesting and satisfying tour despite the bad weather, which is not unusual at this time of year.

View from Broadford, Skye

This morning, our group departed lodgings in Broadford, Isle of Skye and proceeded as follows:

First to Isleornsay, a picteresque harbour setting for photos and last views of scenic Skye.

Lighthouse, Isleornsay, Skye

Then to Armadale to catch 10.10 ferry to Mallaig. This ran on time.

On arrival at Mallaig, we followed the coast down stopping just north of Glenfinnan to await arrival of the Jacobite Express or ‘Harry Potter Train’  which duly arrived after a wait of about10 mins. A great sight watching the train steam through the Highland scenery.

Next, a  stop at historic Glenfinnan. This is where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in 1745 in an ultimately doomed attempt to take over the thrones of Scotland and England by force. His landing place is recorded by a tall monument on edge of Loch Shiel.

Loch Shiel, Glenfinnan, Scotland

Next we continued down to Corpach and photographed Ben Nevis (Britain’s tallest mountain) which benefited from unusually clear visibility today.

Ben Nevis, Fort William, Scotland

Next down Glen Nevis to view the impressive Lower Falls which sit in a remote Highlands setting.

Lower Falls, Glen Nevis, Scotland

Next back to Fort William and a spot of lunch.

Next, we tracked Loch Linnhe south to Glencoe. Here we stopped for photos of the stunning scenery which was augmented by the seasonal sea of  purple heather in bloom.

Glencoe, Highlands, Scotland

Next we dove across desolate Rannoch Moor and on down to Loch Lomond. We stopped at Luss to view the loch, pretty village and church with Viking era ‘hogback’ grave marker in the burial ground.

Colourful Cottages at Luss, Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond Shore, Luss, Loch Lomond

Luss, Loch Lomond, Scotland

Finally, we drove on through Glasgow and connected with M8 to Edinburgh where tour ended with fond farewells at the Balmoral Hotel thus concluding a successful four day tour of Scotland.

This morning, we departed our lodgings at Inveraray’s George Hotel and then walked to nearby Inveraray Castle, seat of the Duke of the Argyll and Chief of Clan Campbell.

George Hotel, Inveraray, Scotland

Inveraray is, untypically for Scotland. a planned village which dates from the 18th century. The group toured the castle which was completed in 1745 and whose main feature is the magnificent armoury hall.

Inveraray, Argyll, Scotland

Inveraray Castle, Argyll, Scotland

Next we tracked Loch Fyne and Loch Long to Luss on Loch Lomond. This charming heritage village dates from the 19th century when it was built to house workers from a nearby slate quarry but is now social accommodation for seniors. On arrival we went straight to the church owing to persistent rain. At the church we viewed a short film covering the church and its history back to the 6th century. In the churchyard is a 9th century Viking era ‘hogback’ grave marker which provides tangible evidence of the long history of the site.

View of Loch Lomond, Luss, Scotland

McKessog's Church, Luss, Scotland

Next we had a light lunch at an excellent restaurant in Luss. Notable was the unusual style of teapot as evidenced in image below.

Teapot, Luss, Scotland

Next, and with the rain having eased, we explored the village and the pier which juts out into the loch.

Cottage, Luss, Scotland

Pier View, Luss, Scotland

Next to Glasgow and its famous 13th century Cathedral. Here we benefited from a private tour led by a very competent local volunteer with good knowledge of the building and its long history.

Interior, Glasgow Cathedral, Scotland

Blacadder Aisle, Glasgow Cathedral, Scotland

Finally, we re-joined the bus and our destination for the night of Argyll Hotel in Glasgow’s West End. En-route we encountered exceptionally heavy rainfall.