After driving along the extraordinarily scenic west side of Loch Ness on our way to Fort William, we took a detour to a place named Glenfinnan to view the Glenfinnan Viaduct. This particular viaduct has been made famous by the Harry Potter films. As now seems normal in Scotland, we arrived to be greeted by throngs of people who had arrived by the busloads.
We decided to climb a hill located immediately behind the visitor centre to gain a better view unobstructed by trees. Our timing was poor as the steam train chugged across the viaduct when we were a mere 30 meters from the crest of the hill - neither of us could scramble up the slippery slope quickly enough to obtain the classic Harry Potter photo.
After Fort William we progresed to the Glen Coe area to take in vistas that were much like those that we saw in the northern highlands - sensational. From there, we made our way to Stirling via Loch Lomond. The Scots must have migrated to Australia due to their weather because there is no way that they left the country due to its scenery. The drive along Lochs Ness and Lomond are as pretty as anything we saw in Switzerland or Austria.
Somehow we managed to squeeze in a visit to Stirling Castle before retiring to our accommodation for the night - Broomhall Castle - with a 4 poster bed, bath and the largest hotel type room l have seen. My princess was suitably impressed, particularly after a very pleasant meal downstairs.
The next day we awoke once again to rain and more rain....... A visit to the Falkirk Wheel resulted in us watching the wheel elevate a boat from one level to another in the relative dryness of the cafe. From there on to Glasgow in the pouring rain, sharing a motorway with cars speeding at a rather stupid 70 miles per hour. We somehow managed to leave the motorway earlier than we should have and consequently drove around in ever decreasing circles until our GPS announced that we had reached the centre of Glasgow. Disappointingly we didn't sight anything that would tempt us from the comfort of the car. It seemed like any other modern city although the weather made sure that our opportunities to explore the place were effectively zero.
Given it was early afternoon and the car had to be returned, we decided to cut our losses and head to Edinburgh. What should have been a short trip of around a hour took more than two hours. The teeming rain ensured that the trip along the motorway would be a nerve wracking one. Every country has idiots on the road and Scotland is no different. For those folk familiar with Melbourne traffic, the nearest analogy is probably driving the ring road at 5pm, surrounded by trucks on all sides and a one in 10 year rainfall event. The stress levels were extreme as tbe idiots flew past at speed - my wipers were having problems coping with the downpour and l was having trouble seeing at 45 - 50 mph, their ability to see anything at 70 - 80 mph must have been almost zero. My nightmare was made worse by the fact that the water laying on the road surface made the painted lines and words almost invisible and the GPS is always slightly behind your actual position. The roundabouts can have 4 or 5 lanes with some lanes being specific to the street or road that l sought and on occasion l found myself doing circlework at some roundabouts and unintended route variations at others. An interesting drive.....
So it's farewell Scotland, we hope to be back again.
Likes -
The people and the amazing landscape. Their sense of humour and friendliness.
Dislikes -
The rain and ridiculous prices. There does not appear to be cheap whisky in Scotland and most prices for goods appear be pitched at tourists. Fuel is around $2.50 per litre.
Despite the prices, it's a part of the world well worth visiting. We loved it.......
