27th April Lounging by the loch


Unless stately homes are your thing (and they aren't ours) or you can get out and walk, there isn't really a great deal to do in the highlands. Well yes you can travel to, sit at for a while and then return from where you have been, but apart from that. We have spent more cash on coffee and car parks than anything else during the past few days. With TOM having a knee that is behaving as if he had been the victim of a Nornam 'bite yer legs' Hunter tackle, mobility has been limited shall we say. An unforeseen bonus of this is that I am now well on my way to being recognised as a saint, such is the level of patience I have shown during the past few days.

Our hotel has been invaded by a coach party, some of whom spent 12 hours travelling from various locations dotted around England on what is termed the 'Loch Lomond and West Highland Way' tour. One of them then spent what must have felt like the next 12 hours telling whoever was unfortunate enought to get sat near them waiting for breakfast, all about their expeirience on route. I have told TOM that if I ever get like that he should shoot me. He has just hobbled off muttering something about getting a gun licence!

On our intinerary was a trip in Inveraray, ancestral home of the Duke of Argyll, recently thrust back into the spotlight via the BBC TV series, 'A Very British Scandal' which focussed on Margaret Duchess of Argyll and her scandalous and acrimonious divorce back in the mid 1960's . Needless to say we didn't visit the actual castle (views from the road were free!) but instead attempted to try to find enough in the actual place to warrent paying for an hour on the car park. We didn't manage it. 

Still it was another pleasant drive, during which rumour has it TOM' s knee pain miraculously vanished for the 20 mins we loitered with minimal intent on the Arrochar & Tarbet railway station waiting for the Oban train to arrive and then depart. All of which begs the question who needs to go all the way to Lourdes for a bit of divine intervension?

At the time of going to press we are both waiting to eagerly eavesdrop on the returning coach party members to discover what jolly japes they have been upto today

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