Scotland

One of the greatest pleasures of the summer, is the annual holiday. Our favourite destination is Scotland. While some people like seeking the crowds and the sun abroad, we prefer the scenery and gentler pace of Scotland.

After getting past the tourist traps at Gretna, our first real taste of Scotland is the Annandale Water services on the M74. This has to be the most scenic services in the UK. The only problem, apart from the wasps in summer, is that your not the only people who've discovered it. It can get particular busy on holiday weekends.

After a journey through Glasgow, we reach the ferry to our favourite town for many years, Dunoon. It may be only a 20-30 minute ferry ride away from Gourock, but it could be a world away. We loved the town so much, that we got married there. The mix of nice tearooms, lovely shops and a couple of fantastic bakers makes this a great place to stop off.

Our favourite caravan park is actually about 5 miles outside the centre of Dunoon. Stratheck Caravan park is basically next door to Benmore Botanical Gardens. The scenic hills act as a backdrop to this caravan park, making it a wonderful place to stay.

The Isle of Bute is easily accessible from this area, using the frequent short ferry between Colintraive and Rhubodach. (Watch out for the sheep on the drive down to the ferry). Portavadie is the main town on the island, which has numerous attractions. However, the victorian toilets on the pier are a must for people who need to relieve themselves in a better class of lavatory.

The road north of Dunoon takes you past Loch Eck, and on to Loch Fyne. Going past Loch Fyne Oysters (worth a quick stop), the road leads around to Inveraray. (Make sure you visit the jail. I hope you can get out).

Lochgilphead is the next town along Loch Fyne, which was our destination for our holidays another year. From here, the towns of Tarbert and Campbeltown can be visited, along with the Isle of Arran (you'll need a full day to visit this one). Look out for Arran cosmetics and the seals while travelling around Arran. Also, make sure you get back to the ferry in time, because this island is a lot bigger than it looks.

If you do drive down to Campbeltown, then, if your feeling energetic, pay a visit to the Mull of Kintyre (you will need the weather with you for this one). The drive up is not for those who don't like country roads, and the walk down to the lighthouse is not for those who don't like heights, but it is worth the effort. Beware though, the climb back up to the car park is a real killer. I swear I lost a couple of stones on the climb back up. (The lighthouse is on the picture, honestly).

The beach on the road between Campbeltown and Tarbert are a kids paradise, and are generally quiet. It's not unusual to have the beach to yourself. It's fantastic for picnics, sandcastles and rock pooling. It is exposed to the weather though.

We now head up the mainland coast, from Lochgilphead, towards Oban. Heading out of Lochgilphead, you travel alongside the Crinan Canal. A detour to Crinan is well worth making, to see this lovely village and jetty where the canal emerges onto the open sea again.

Continuing the journey, you will travel past the ancient standing stones and cairns in and around Kilmartin. (Make sure you've got the midge repellent if you stop at any of the attractions on the way in the afternoon. Don't say I didn't warn you). 

Another detour worth making further up the coast, is a trip to Seil, Easdale and Luing.

Seil is the first island, and is connected to the mainland by the impressive Clachan Bridge.

Next is the small island of Easdale, which is reached by the passenger ferry from Ellenabeich. Make sure you visit the museam, and enjoy a meal at the small islands pub, the Puffin Bar. (We had a lovely dish which contained sausages, onion, potato and cheese. We can't for the life of us remember what this dish was called though. Please e-mail if you know).

The third island is Luing. Again, this requires a ferry ride to be visited. There actually isn't much to visit on the island, but the peace and tranquility is lovely. The smallest Tourist Information in the UK (we think) can also be found on the island.

We finally arrive at Oban. This town has been discovered. It is a tourist haven. However, this has not yet spoiled the town by over-commercialising the place. It is a lovely town. We spent many an evening watching the boats and ferries while eating a take-away pizza, which I must say was delicious.

Why not visit the Oban webcam (http://www.oban.org.uk/webcam/) to see views of Oban from the building towards the middle of the above picture.

Ferries from Oban will take you to numerous islands. However, if you wish to take your car to the Isle of Mull from Oban, then beware. During the summer months, the ferry from Oban is usually booked up. You must book well in advance to have any hope of taking the car. Foot passengers shouldn't have a problem though.

We had to drive around to the Lochaline ferry (a good hour and a half's drive) to visit Mull. This also involves a trip on the Corran ferry to cut out an even longer drive. (Its nice to let someone else to the driving though).

The road to between Oban and Fort William does also have numerous attractions to visit, including the Sea Life Centre and Seal Sanctuary, and a confectionary shop whose name I'll have to look up.

Once you arrive at the Isle of Mull, the attractions include:

• Tobermory. You may have seen this town on Balamory, the BBC's Childrens TV show.
• Calgary Beach. The best beach we came across on the Isle of Mull.
• The Isle of Mull railway is also worth a trip. It is within walking distance from the Oban ferry at Craignure, so foot passengers take note.

We didn't have time to visit Iona and some of the other attractions, so we can't comment on them. However, we do plan to return in the future.

In 2003, we skipped past Fort William and Malliag, and visited the Isle of Skye. I will warn you, you do need a week to see everything on this island. The Isle of Skye is supposed to be the rainiest island in Scotland (so we were told by the locals). However, the week we visited, it was dry all week. I have to say, that weatherwise, we have been very lucky on all our scottish holidays. You do need the weather to be with you when visiting Scotland.

Anyway, back to the Isle of Skye.

We stayed at Staffin Bay, at the top end of the island. Don't kid yourself about the size of the Isle of Skye. It took us an hour to drive from the Skye Bridge to Staffin. The views from our holiday home were sensational. The pictures just don't do it justice.

There are numerous museums to visit on the Isle of Skye (seems like their's one in every village). Because we had the weather with us, we didn't actually visit many.

However, one of the museums we did visit was the Skye Museum of Island Life. (Just look at the clear blue sky in the picture). This traditional crofting museum is well worth a visit.

If you fancy letting someone else do the driving again, then take a non-landing cruise from Uig on the Isle of Skye to the Isle of Harris or Uist. The 3½ hour round trip is very relaxing. Have a meal and a drink on the boat, and then just watch the scenery go by. (I don't think this ferry trip is one to be made in bad weather).

Well, I hope you enjoyed my brief tour of the West of Scotland.

Summer 2004 - We finally visited the Isle of Harris & Lewis. This was the ultimate scottish holiday. Fantastic beaches, peace and tranquility, and a friendly atmosphere. Check out the tour from the links on the left.

All the pictures on this page were taken by myself.. If you wish to use them for a project or web page yourselves, you are free to do so, but please mention this web page as the source for the photos. Thanks for your cooperation..