#glencroe

[navigatingcobblestones]

Three Isles Getaway - Day 1

Tarbet, on the banks of Loch Lomond

Glencroe

Inveraray Castle

Inveraray

Kilchurn Castle

Loch Awe

St. Conan’s Kirk

McCaig’s Tower

Oban

Oban

Oban

30/3/19

This weekend I went on a trip to three Scottish isles - the Isle of Mull, Staffa and Iona. It was another early start, leaving at 7:45 in the morning. When I got up on Saturday, I had to keep reminding myself that I had no one to blame for these early Saturday mornings over the past month except myself. 

Our first stop was at Tarbet, on the banks of Loch Lomond. The first time I was here was on my trip to Skye. It was raining, and the clouds were drifting low over the mountains. After Tarbet, we drove alongside the lovely Argyll Forest.

Next we briefly stopped at a lookout over Glencroe. Different to Glencoe, Glencroe is a valley famous for the large boulders that are scattered over the mountains.

Later, we spent a bit of time wondering around the village of Inveraray. The highlight of the place is Inveraray Castle, where a Christmas Special of Downton Abbey was filmed. The Castle and the gardens are only open in the late Spring and Summer, so we couldn’t go inside, but it was still beautiful. 

In the afternoon, we made two special stops. The first was at a viewpoint for Kilchurn Castle. The Castle sits on the bank of a loch that was so transparent and, thanks to the sun, was the most stunning shade of blue. The second was St. Conan’s Kirk, overlooking the aptly named Loch Awe. Kirk means church in Scottish Gaelic. It is a very interesting church, with many architectural influences. The kirk was built by Walter Douglas Campbell for his mother, since in her old age, she found the journey to the local parish kirk too exhausting. It was built between 1907-1930s approximately. It contains what is believed to be part of a bone of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland.

Finally, we arrived in Oban, the ‘seafood capital’ of Scotland. The first thing we did was go up the hill, to McCaig’s Tower. Built in a style reminiscent of the Colosseum, it provides an excellent lookout point over the harbour and town. I had some delicious fish and chips looking out over the harbour. It is a very chill place, but with plenty to do. I went to a local gallery, and an ah-mazing chocolate shop! 

Later we settled into our hostel, which was actually a converted church, and then walked along the beach to see the sun set over the bay. That night, while some went to check out the live music scene, I stayed in the hostel and played some board games. It was an excellent hostel, and even had an acoustic guitar to play. Luckily there was some people there who were happy to play some tunes for us less talented folk.  

[oupacademic]

Rest and be thankful

William Wordsworth, ‘At the Head of Glencroe.’

[1eyedsnaps]

Location : Rest And Be Thankful The Rest and Be Thankful forms part of the A83 which runs from Tarbert to Campbelltown. The section sits roughly 10 miles after Tarbert and marks the highest point of the road. The road is named for the stone that was inscribed with the words Rest and be Thankful by the soldiers who built the original military road, the creation of which was ordered by General wade during the Jacobite Rebellion. The stone however fell into ruin and was replaced with a plaque. The name can also be attributed to the climb out of Glen Croe, It’s long and steep climb would force travellers to rest at the top and be thankful the hardest section was over. The now infamous road was completed in 1941. But the road has been plagued by issues since. Issues due in large part to the location of the road. Sitting in Glen Core it is surrounded by mountains, such as The Cobbler (Ben Arthur), also known as the Arrochar Alps. And also in part to that lovely Scottish weather This photo was taken roughly 9 months since the last major landslide in August 2020 after heavy rainfall, which destroyed a section of the road. Only to be followed by another in September 2020, having only been reopened for 5 days. Work has been ongoing since then to repair the road, which is now open in a single lane, light-controlled manner, and also to implement landslide protection measures. After years of concerns, alternative routes are now being looked into, and plans are being considered to open an alternative road. Although it has it issues, one thing is for certain it is a beautiful spot. Especially when the clouds come crashing over the mountains. . . #oneeyedsnaps #scotland #scotland_insta #scotlandcreates #your_scotland #ig_scotland #igscotland #visitscotland #scottishvisuals #bestscotlandpics #stvsnaps #bbcscotlandpics #bbcphotography #scotlandphotography #scotlandshots #scotlandphotographer #hiddenscotland #photography #nikon #nikond3500 #uk  #scotlandisnow #lensbible #scotland #restandbethankful #mountains #glencroe #glen #a83 (at Rest and Be Thankful) https://www.instagram.com/p/CO8l47YjIM2/?igshid=qw6zz0ysmz0w