GlencoeUntil Day 7, our tour had successfully avoided famously irascible Scottish inclement weather.
It caught up with us as we journeyed from Inverness to Oban on the west coast with steady rain and wind. Our stop at Glencoe was cut short because the gondola ride to the top of one of Scotland's highest peaks wasn't running in the windy weather. But, luckily the rain ceased long enough for us to take brief walk around the ski/nature center of Glencoe in one of Scotland's loveliest glens (valleys). Despite the weather, Glencoe and Aonoch Mor (the mountain) was among the most spectacular scenery we'd yet visited in Scotland. |
Edinburgh / Scotland "pays cruelly for her high seat in one of the vilest climate sunder heaven. She is liable to be beaten upon by all the winds that blow, to be drenched with rain, to be buried in cold sea fogs, and powered with the snow as it comes flying from the Highland hills. The weather is raw and boisterous in winter, shifty and ungenial in summer, and downright meteorological purgatory in the spring. The delicate die early and I, as a survivor, among bleak winds and plumping rain have sometimes envied their fate." Robert Louis Stevenson, 1878.
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OBANOban, the "Gateway to the Isles" of Mull, Iona, Jura, etc. is a lively town, full of tourists, locals, fishermen, and island residents come to shop. It was our base for two nights, and one full day of exploring the Isle of Mull. Our itinerary included Iona, the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland, but the stormy weather and high winds made the ferry crossings impossible. We made the best of it and traveled to several interesting sites on Mull. Our tour group was split between two B&B's with our room located at Glenburnie House which definitely lived up to the Rick Steves guidebook description as "a stately Victorian home, [with] an elegant breakfast room overlooking the bay. Its 12 spacious, comfortable, classy rooms feel like plush living rooms."
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MullBecause of the stormy weather, the small ferry to the Isle of Iona was cancelled for for the day. Instead, we visited Duart Castle and Ardalanish Weavers, where we watched the spinning and weaving of fine wool cloth that would be made into scarves, hats, and sweaters. As the proprietors said, "weaving is a fascinating mix of mechanics, maths, hard work, inspiration, creativity, trial and error and a little dose of magic." The ingredients include special wool and plant dyes from sheep and plants raised on the Ardalanish farm.
To the right, photos of Duart Castle on the eastern end of the Isle of Mull. |
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