Glasgow to London - Last Days

It's a long trip on the train from Glasgow to London yesterday but I thought it would be a pretty ride and I was right.

But the train was running an hour late, the tube line I needed to get to my hotel was out of service, and by the time I got where I was going which was a hotel near Heathrow, I was too tired to do anything but get something to eat and call it a night.

Today I had grand plans of going into town and doing some stuff... maybe a museum, lunch someplace interesting... it didn't happen. I've been traveling for three weeks and I'm done. I did at least take the tube into Central London this morning -- it turns out my favorite French bakery, which I know from multiple visits to the New York location, also has a shop in London, so I made my way to Dominique Ansel's, had some coffee and a cronut, bought a sandwich at Pret a Manger for later, and came back to the hotel. Great trip to the U.K., ready to go home.

Loch Lomond and the Kelpies

Friday was my last day in Arrochar. My friend Neloni (the previously mentioned Dilini's sister) who lives near Glasgow, along with her friend Cathy who was visiting from California, came and picked me up from the B & B. I said goodbye to Cristina, the owner, whom I felt rather close to after spending four days in her house, and we drove to Tarbet, where I had walked to the day before, and took a little cruise on Loch Lomond, the largest lake in the U.K.

After Loch Lomond, we headed back to Glasgow, but Neloni stopped on the way at Helix Park, about 30 miles outside the city, so we could see the Kelpies, a rather stunning display of public art.

After walking around the massive horse heads, Nelo dropped me off at a hotel in Glasgow, and yesterday I took the train back to London.

River Walk

Another walk yesterday. I thought it might rain and I was right.

Luckily the weather cleared up for today's walk. There's not much to do around here, which is fine; my plan for this town was to go for a long, lovely walk every day, and that's what I've done. Today I walked from the town of Arrochar to the neighboring town of Tarbet. Arrochar is on Loch Long, Tarbet is on Loch Lomond. I walked there through the hills and back along the road - 6 miles round-trip.

Scottish Weather

It was cloudy when I hit the trail and it didn't clear up like I hoped, instead it started to rain for real and I knew that the view I was hiking up to see was going to be nothing but clouds. My nice room and a new book seemed much more appealing so I headed back down and cozied up at the B&B. After a couple hours the sun came out and I figured I better try again so I headed out, in the opposite direction this time, and got some nice views of the town and the lake before coming back. 

Arrochar

Ashfield House B&B

view from my room

It took some doing to get here. First I went to Glasgow Central Station because the ticket I bought (and the internet) said I should. The guy there sent me to Queen Street Station and for the first time in a while, I walked several blocks in the wrong direction getting there. I actually think my usually abysmal sense of direction has been getting better in the last few months, but maybe it's just the fact that you can download Google maps. Finally I got to Queen Street (sweaty) and found someone to ask about the replacement bus for the train, which I had already gathered I would be on; she sent me out of the station and told me to go to the right, which I did, but it looked like a dead end and I didn't see a bus stop so I backtracked and went left and saw a bus stop, but the road was closed because of a bike race that was going on; there was no way a bus was stopping there. So I found a ticket office, stood in line, asked another lady who confirmed that the first lady had been right, so I went toward the dead end, saw that there was indeed a bus stop and a bus and three official transpo dudes who confirmed that the bus was the one I wanted to get on, which I did. Then the bus driver, who appeared to be about 95 started up the bus and I swear, drove in circles around Glasgow for about 30 minutes. I kept seeing places I recognized as being just a few blocks from where we started. Then at one point during this meander (and this might have actually caused the meander), the driver hit a metal road barrier while taking a turn, had to back up, and I think he actually wasn't able to make the turn he intended, so went another way. All that is to say that I eventually got dropped off in Arrochar on Loch Long, and made the short walk to the Ashfield House B&B where I am now. After chatting with the owner Cristina for a bit (she's from New Orleans, of all places), I saw my lovely room, dropped my stuff, and walked to the Village Inn for a late Sunday roast lunch. It was pouring rain when I was ready to leave the inn, and even though I'd brought an umbrella all the way to Scotland, I didn't bring it on the walk to lunch, so I waited out the deluge for a few minutes, walked back to the B&B in light rain, and got into a hot shower in my beautiful room just as a real downpour returned. And now I'm refreshed and full and in my pjs (at 4:30) and I'm going to make myself some tea and read a book I found in Cristina's lounge while it pours rain outside my open window.

On the walk to lunch:

Sunday lunch at the Village Inn: roast pork, Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes,
mashed potatoes, veggies, and gravy.

Last Day on Islay

I know it's not for everyone, but I love being someplace where there's next to nothing to do. Islay definitely fit that bill. I had walked to the only distillery I wanted to visit so that was done; there's only one boat-tour company on the island and I had waited too long to book and they had no slots open for the days I was there, so that was out; I didn't have a car, so driving around just to see more of the island wasn't an option; that left visiting the Machrie Hotel, or more specifically, the spa at the Machrie Hotel and Golf Resort. So yesterday I booked myself a spa service, got on the bus in town, and got dropped off at the top of the road to the hotel. It was probably a 20 minute walk from where I got dropped to the hotel, past the sheep, along the meadows, on a beautifully sunny day. I had a fabulous massage followed by lunch at the hotel restaurant which overlooked the golf course. Couldn't have been a better day on Islay.

Back in Glasgow now, where it's pouring rain which is fine with me. Looking forward to getting back to the boonies tomorrow.

If It's Good Enough for Ron Swanson...

All my life, I have avoided Europe and its multitudes of terribleness. But it turns out, much to my surprise, there is actually one place in Europe that is worth seeing. These tiny islands off the coast of Scotland where God’s chosen elixirs are distilled, barreled, and prepared for consumption. THIS is worth the trip.

--Ron Swanson

I've never had the aversion to Europe that Ron Swanson had, but his discovery of this particular island where I currently find myself is what prompted me to come here. I've also never had his affection for Scotch whiskey, but that was no deterrent. 

So I started down the path...

...and ended up here:

Lagavulin whiskey has a peaty, smokey flavor that some people love. I though it tasted like sucking cough syrup through a campfire. But I still love Ron, and I love being on this remote Scottish island.