“Day 1 – Edinburgh to Trossnachs National Park to Oban
Travel north past Stirling Castle and to the region of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. You venture through the impressive
mountains of the West Highlands and the magnificent whitewashed 18th-century town of Inveraray, home to the Campbell Clan and the Duke of Argyll. We will spend the afternoon in the heart of Argyll before arriving in the bustling town of Oban for your two-night stay.
Overnight – Oban” (The driver/guide, Keith, advised they pronounce Oban as OH-ben.)
I’ll start each day with the itinerary from Rabbie’s although we did often make variations from The Plan.
We met up with the group at the Edinburgh Bus Terminal, the bus arriving a little late, 15 minutes or so, and then we were off without any problems.
With Stirling Castle in sight…
…we pulled off the road for a photo-op.
Rabbie’s did a good job with scheduling what they call ‘comfort breaks’ meaning you can find a beverage, a snack, and a toilet, and I don’t remember the names of all these places but I’ll try. Below is such a place.
Luss Parish Church, “a picturesque and historic house of worship located in the conservation village of Luss, Scotland, nestled inside Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.”
An arm of Loch Lomond…
…and a peek at the Loch itself. We are forbidden from saying Lake, oh no, we must say Loch properly or Keith will ignore us.
The High Road and the Low Road, you can look up the song and its unusual meaning that none of us could guess.
“By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond
Where me and my true love spent many happy days
On the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond”
St Conan’s Kirk, overlooking Loch Awe in the Argyll and Bute region, built between 1881 and 1930.
This was fun from AI: “Because the designer was self-taught and let his imagination run wild, the building is a stunningly bizarre blend of styles—including Norman, Gothic, Saxon, and even Scottish Baronial architecture.”
Arriving into Oban in a light rain, lighter than rain, heavier than a shower. We went to a museum later in the trip where they had a display listing 8 different Scottish words for rain. I’ll point it out when we get there. Notice the distillery, a place isn’t a place without at least one distillery, and the coliseum-like folly at the top of the hill.
Some members of the group found themselves gathered together at a bus stop waiting for our ride to the various accommodations. Thanks Violet for taking the shot. We were 15 guests and at each place we had an overnight, Rabbie’s spread us out in 3-4-5 different B&Bs and hotels.
