Starting out in Scotland

Coming back to the UK from Australia we notice what all visitors to these islands always say;"It's so green!" Yes, it is, and that greenery is beautiful. And it comes from rain. A lot of rain. Welcome to the north! 

We had planned to hop across the Firth of Clyde on a ferry to Arran and from thence to Islay, but the weather meant their were ferry cancellations and we had to go the long way round, including an obligatory stop at Loch Lomond - cue the song. 

On the bonnie, bonnie banks...

Well, when it's raining and there's a microbrewery nearby, what else does one do? At Fyne Ales we tried a tasting paddle, then sampled an ale more slowly while admiring the medals and merchandise (I bought a hat), but not quite so tempted by the beer garden today.

The River Fyne

A tasting paddle from Fyne Ales

Workbench IPA from Fyne Ales

And then we arrived at a very soggy Inveraray. The castle was shutting up, but the kind lady on the gate let us into the car-park to take exterior shots. We will return another day to see the inside.

This used to be a moat

Inveraray itself was a lovely little village, if a little damp.

The Inveraray Bell Tower is adjacent to but separate from the All Saints Scottish Episcopal Church. The church was built in 1886. After the First World War, the 10th Duke of Argyll, Niall Diarmid Campbell decided there should be a fitting memorial to commemorate the Clan Campbell dead. To this end, he commissioned architects Hoare and Wheeler to design a bell tower, with the original idea being to link the new tower to the church.

The construction of the 126 ft tower began in 1921 and was completed ten years later in 1931. It was never linked to the church.

Inveraray Bell Tower

Part of our rapidly redesigned route took us up the coast all the way around Loch Fyne and to a place called Tarbert (we were to catch a ferry from nearby Kennacraig the next morning). A trick for young players is that there are three places called Tarbert in Scotland (it is a Gaelic word for narrow strip of land of isthmus, so it makes sense that there should be many dotted around the rugged coastline and islands) - this nearly resulted in a costly mistake when we had to book a hotel the night before, but fortunately we corrected our error in time to find the most wonderful place to stay.

We checked in to the West Loch Hotel, dumped our bags, booked in for dinner (more of which below) and returned for a quick look around Tarbert before the light faded completely. It has an attractive natural harbour, a working fishing fleet, and a seafood festival in July. It is all overlooked by the 14th Century castle of Robert the Bruce on the hills above, but it was too late and too wet for us to head up those slippery steps.

Unbeknownst to us, and one of the surprise bonuses of the holiday, was the fact that the chef at our hotel was amazing! We found ourselves treated to a tasting menu created by Will Hay (who worked with Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay). The photos simply won't do justice to the meal(s), but here are some of them anyway.

Foraged food including langoustine popcorn and fennel in consomme

Venison with parsnips, venison bolognese, and roast potatoes on white pudding puree

Strawberries and cream as never seen before, intensified and with popping candy

Chocolate mousse with Guinness and Grand Marnier served with bay leaf ice-cream and topped with lavender

Our room was small but comfy with a view of the loch; the bar was well-stocked and convivial; and the service was excellent and fantastically friendly. We met the chef after our meal and would have loved to stay and chat longer, but I still had jet-lag and could barely stay awake. We caught up again the next morning at breakfast (which was also delicious). The whole experience was somewhat surreal and utterly fabulous.

Oak-smoked haddock with poached eggs

Full Scottish breakfast complete with haggis and black pudding

And then we caught the ferry and headed out to the Southern Hebrides and the next stage of our adventures past the Mull of Kintyre (cue the next song).

The Western Isles of Scotland clearly indicated in map form, for those who like that sort of thing

Him Outdoors getting excited at the thought of Jura (it's behind you!)