Retirement, World Travel, and Me.

Our Scotland trip continued as we joined a group on a guided tour. The company, based in Edinburgh, uses 16 passenger buses so the group is small and the guides are native Scots who are well versed in the history of the country.  I'm just going to go ahead and give a shout out to Rabbies Tours. If you are ever in Scotland, Ireland, England, or France I recommend looking them up and seeing what they have to offer!

Our driver, Ewan, greeted us wearing a smile and a kilt! He was a native Highlander and was really friendly and funny from the get go. We had people from Australia, Canada, Taiwan, and Germany on our bus. He urged us to quickly become acquainted with each other as we would be spending the next 5 days together and the bus wasn't going to get any bigger.

He was a super tour guide as he used sound effects and carefully selected music to enhance the stories he told us as we traveled into the Highlands. He also had a bathroom rating scale for each stop. Now that's a man after my own heart!

Ewan and I pose in front of Stirling Castle.

If you are a Monty Python fan, Stirling Castle was used for the cow tossing scene in Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

Beware of falling cows!

Since it was a "lovely" day, Ewan suggested we stop in a village, pick up some food, and proceed to the banks of Loch Lubraig for a picnic. We did just that and it was a very refreshing stop on the tour.

Our first fish and chips of the trip!

Loch Lubraig.

After lunch our journey continued with several stops for photos and rest and relaxation. We were headed for Oban where we would spend the next two nights.

This castle was used in episodes of Downton Abbey. The home of cousin Shrimpy !
Be still my heart!

Highland "coos" in their natural habitat.

Also called "hairy coos"

We arrived in the seaside town of Oban in time for dinner and a walk around the village.

Gulls enjoying the beach at Oban.

Oban, Scotland

The next day was to be spent on the Isle of Mull and Iona, but alas, was not to be. The remnants of Hurricane Hermine had traveled across the Atlantic and created hazardous conditions. The decision was made to explore other areas of the mainland.  As it turns out, it was the wise thing to do. By the middle of the afternoon, winds from 30 - 50 knots and pouring rain made the idea of being on a ferry in the middle of a channel seem not so "lovely."

We explored the Isle of Seil, walked across the Atlantic Ocean, and explored ruins. Ewan kept us entertained and informed throughout the day.

Bridge across the Atlantic Ocean

Bumpy enjoys the weather while standing on the shale beach in gale force winds.
He later commented, "it was "lovely."

Our French Canadian friends explore a "cairn".
Notice the resemblance to a "fraidy hole".

Isle of Seil

We returned to Oban in time to make a stop at the Oban Chocolate Factory, so all was not lost!

The next day's trip was filled with more castles, lochs, and beautiful scenery as we traveled to the village of Plockton. 

Stalker Castle was also used in the filming of Monty Python and  The Holy Grail.
Thankfully,  there were no killer rabbits spotted!

We traveled through Glencoe (above) on our way to Fort William.. It was time for a lunch break!

Fort William had a nice pedestrian friendly high (main) street and we enjoyed our first bacon botty of the trip!

We arrived in Plockton around dinner time and were very pleased to see our B&B was right on the waterfront and we had a fabulous view from our room!

I'm pretty sure I am suppose to be living in a small, fishing village in Scotland! 

The next day was, and I mean this in the British, Canadian, and Australian sense, absolutely lovely!

We traveled to the Isle of Skye. The first stop was at a distillery for a "wee nip" and the day just got better from there!

Bumpy and friends enjoy some refreshment!

Many sites on Skye included mountains, ocean, and even a fairy glen. The following photos will hopefully tell the story of our day.

The last day was spent making our way back to Edinburgh to fly home the next day. Among our stops were Eilean Dolan Castle, the village of Dornie, the 5 Sisters of Kintail mountains, and Fort Augustus to look for Nessie on Loch Ness. 

Thus ended our adventures in Scotland. I can truly say, "It was lovely."  (For real)

That's it for now.

Check back again!