Yesterday began our journey north up the western coast and the day started out OK.....a bit cloudy, warmer than Sunday yet still breezy. We headed up through Glasgow on before turning off the M8 to A82 through the Loch Lomond National Park. It was a beautiful, but somewhat "tight" drive along the loch....meeting lorries and caravans along the way, usually at blind corners. I'm VERY glad that Annette was driving!! From there we kept heading north....looking for photo opportunities for me, but the clouds (which we were diving through) and rain weren't cooperating, and there was really no place good to stop on the road. Up ahead I saw a huge waterfall way up the side of the hill so we planned to stopped ahead. Perfect timing as it was the Drovers Inn where we planned to stop for lunch!!
The Dovers Inn....one of the oldest pubs in Scotland (est. 1705)
the inviting front entrance
What a GREAT PLACE!! Old, full of character and charm as well as a collection of oddities all over the place.....
The bear that greets you as you enter....
The fox in one of the smaller dining rooms....
LANDSHARK!!
A rare Socttish werewolf....
It was a great place to stop (suggested by our daughter Kirsten, who stopped here on her trip while hiking across Scotland earlier this spring). My only disappointment was that they ran out of the pea and ham soup that I had my heart (and stomach) set on. Still....it was a great lunch and spot for a break.
Caledonian Best....refreshingly good.
I'll finish this up later....need to pack and get out onto the road to make our way up to the Isle of Skye. Toodles til tonight!
I'm back....been having a lot of issues with Wi-Fi and uploading photos. Here a a few more from yesterday.
I'm home.....time for a wee dram or two
Nicol, our excellent tour guide
The Classic Malts, special Distiller's Edition bottlings
My future place of employment....wishful thinking!!
Here are some photos from our walk around Oban.....
The gang outside of Drovers (sorry, this photo is out of order)
Our place for the night
In our sitting room
After our relaxing cocktail hour, we walked into town for dinner. Not sure where exactly to go, we wandered around until we found someone to give us a recommendation and to The Creel we went....not the best meal ever. My fish cakes tasted like they came from a box, and Jeff's prawns were like rubber. The girl's meals weren't much better, but two steaks and a bottle of wine for 20 pounds wasn't bad.
After that we went off to find a pub to visit, and I wanted to go to the place that "poured the best pint of Guinness in Scotland". Instead, we went to Foley's Irish Music Pub and listened to Irish Folk music. Visited with some locals, and I charmed a Caledonian's Best bar mat from the bartender for a kiss on the cheek (she was a wee bit heavy and had only three teeth. Seriously). :) Stopped at Coaster's on the walk back to our room, and then The Latty after that where I spent most of my time talking with Andy who was in town for his parent's 50th wedding anniversary. A great guy, was in the Royal Navy for 16 years, and at sea for the past 14 years after that. Jeff, Gin and Annette finally had to drag me away so we could head home....all in all a great night!
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