and on to Glasgow

Five castles in one day!!

Waking early this morning I looked out from our window and was disappointed that it appeared very foggy and overcast. On closer inspection John (no inspection on my part, I was in bed with my eyes closed, I merely guessed what Barb was seeing) pointed out that what I was actually looking at were the hills on the other side of the loch rising out of a low mist, with moored yachts bathed in a bright but misty light. It was rather ethereal (not unlike Sloten in Holand, for our regular readers - do pay attention), and over the next hour it gradually lifted to reveal a beautiful sunny blue sky. Yay!!

The view from our bedroom window at Loch Linnhe

The yachts gradually appearing

The mist all gone now

Driving south from Fort William along Loch Linnhe our first destination (for destination read castle) for the day was Dunstaffnage Castle near Dunbeg. Castle 1. This castle was originally built in the 1200s to protect the Scots from invading Vikings. It was extended in the 1800s to include accommodation in the East Tower. Most of the castle and nearby chapel are in ruins, but they are still impressive to tour around.

Dunstaffnage castle

Dunstaffnage chapel

We drove on into the ferry port of Oban and stopped here to have a walk around. We didn't climb to the top of McCaig's tower, but did walk all the way around to where the large ferries from the Isle of Mull dock. (John: it was full of b***** tourists. Grrr!)

Oban

The ferry from Mull

McCaig's tower at Oban

On our way out of Oban we saw a sign to Dunollie Castle (for saw a sign read John navigated with skill and finesse) and quickly diverted down that road. Castle 2.

Dunollie Castle near Oban

The gate house at Dunollie

Just a quick walk around the outside for this one then we jumped back in the car to head off to Inverary Castle. Pam our hostess at the B&B from last night had advised us not to miss this lovely castle, ancestral home of the Duke of Argyll and the castle used by Downton Abbey as the Scottish home of the Aunt. On the way there we happened upon Kilchurn Castle which is set on a little Island all of its own in Loch Awe. Castle 3.

Kilchurn Castle

Inverary Castle was indeed worth the visit. Castle 4. Thank you Pam! The castle is just like a fairytale castle belonging to a Disney Princess and the interior was open to the puplic. The rooms were all very richly decorated and furnished, the original artwork alone must be worth a fortune. Then the gardens surrounding the building .... well they were amazing too. I feel I'm starting to run out of superlatives to describe it all. I was excited to be able to get a copy of the Abernethy family crest here too.

Barb at Inverary Castle

The dining room at Inverary Castle

A grand hallway

Drawing room

Sitting room

The old kitchens

Moat

Gardens at Inverary

John was very keen to go and visit Tighnabruaich in the Kyles of Bute. He had worked here some 38 years ago (OMG. I'm old. Why did no one tell me?) during the summer vacations from Glasgow University days. He remembered that the views were stunning, especially from a particular vantage point looking down over the harbour where he used to teach sailing.

The view over Tighnabruaich

John at Tighnabruaich

Barb tried to keep her fear of edges under control to enjoy the winding drive up the moutain to the promised view (John: yep, it was more scary than I remembered. Sorry Barb). Yes it was magnificent! We went down into Tighnabruaich itself and it was rather sad to see it looking a bit tired and rundown. The sailing school where John used to work has moved out of town and taken a lot of the visitors with it.

Driving back towards Glendaruel we were able to find the Dunan Castle we'd briefly glimpsed on the journey up. Castle 5. We turned into the driveway and were delighted to see a 50 foot arched bridge, very high, leading across a small burn to a lovely castle. This (the bridge) was built by Thomas Telford (the Thomas Telford) in the early 1800's and while very impressive must rate as one of his minor works! The Castle is actually fairly recently built (1800s) on family land that has belonged to the clan for many hundreds of years.



Telford's bridge

Dunan Castle

The drive to Loch Lomond through the Argyll Forest park is stunning too. The road runs between towering peaks and then drops down to the loch at Tarbet where we joined the A82 for a quick run into Glasgow. John reckons it's one of the more stunning scenes we've seen in a week studded with them. No photos - Barb's jaw was busy hanging open.

Once we'd reached Glasgow John diverted off the main road to have a look at where he used to live in the Halls of Residence in Uni days. The actual building no longer exists. In its stead stands a modern multi-storey replacement.

Google Maps guided us safely the rest of the way to the Premier Inn at Charing Cross, unusually telling us where to turn before rather than after the turning. This is where we'll be staying for the next couple of nights. After five castles in one day even Barb is a little castled out. Apparently there are more when we head south to the border.