Destination: Helensburgh

After enjoying a bowl of lip-smacking porridge enhanced with a splash of whiskey and a dollop of cream, it was time to bid farewell to Sarah, our entertaining host and begin our travels to Helensburgh.

This relatively new city (pronounced Helens-burr)  is located northwest of Glasgow which we hope to visit tomorrow by train.

It appears that the "blue sky" whiskey trick suggested by our Talisker Tour guide doesn't work when added to porridge, as we once again found ourselves under grey skies and lots of rain and drizzle, although we were spared torrential rain, thank goodness!

The drive was lovely, traveling along lochs through the woods, and we once again found ourselves on the Bonny Bonny Shores of Loch Lomond which didn't look all that much clearer than the last time we traveled this route.

Perhaps the author of the song enjoyed rain?

Once in Helensburgh, we decided to check into our B&B before heading towards the Hill House on foot.  The planning was perfect, as we arrived at 1:00 and the Hill House didn't open until 1:30.

The check-in procedure was rather interesting. First, there is a sign on the door instructing visitors to ring two door bells simultaneously, which I did.  Ishbel, one of the owners, opened the door, shook my hand, and led us out of the door, around to the front of the house, up a staircase, through a door, and to our room.  She handed me paperwork to fill out and announced that payment must be made before she would give us the keys.

When I was finished filling out the forms, I was to bring them back to the original entrance, and ring both doorbells simultaneously, again, and she would answer, take my payment, and give me the keys.

I wondered if I this was some sort of test.

The room, itself is beautiful, quite large, with a nice en-suite bath and another room that has a sofa, fridge and extra television.  Not that we need all of these amenities, but it sure adds to the comfort.

I did as I was told, reading through the back of the green card.

I had to sign a release form, stating that if any damages occurred, then I’d be responsible for them.  

If I ruin a mattress and tell them, there will be a £50 fee. However, if I ruin a mattress and don’t tell them, there will be a £250 fee.

Could someone please inform me just how one ruins a mattress in the first place?

Smoking is strictly prohibited (a wonderful rule, if you ask me), and if we are found smoking in the room, the police will be called.  That seemed a tad worrisome, but since I don't smoke, I signed the form, hoping that I didn't leave a mark anywhere on anything that might suggest some sort of penalty fee.

I dutifully walked out the door, down the stairs, and around to the other entrance while Marty parked the car in the lot, being certain to back in the car, as there were signs with strict instructions.  

Ishbel greeted me at the door, and explained to me how the wi-fi would work.  Her husband would enter my info into the computer and set up my own private network that would be my first name.  The password would be my full name, all little letters…no spaces.

Ok…..does this sound a little bizarre to you?

We weren't going to be sticking around to test the wireless anytime soon anyway, so I paid the required amount, took the keys, and we put our luggage into the room prior to heading up to the Hill house as planned.

I couldn't help but notice some umbrellas next to the door, neatly placed in a holder, but behind them hung yet another bold sign stating that patrons were welcome to borrow an umbrella, but if it was not returned, there would be a £20 fee.

Now, I wonder, with 4 rooms of patrons, how do they know who borrowed that umbrella?  These rules were beginning to worry me.  There is a Dell laptop on the desk for patron use, if we choose.

Really?  Do you think I'd dare even turning that thing on?  Who knows what would happen and what the fee would be when it did?

Luckily, as you can see, the wireless code worked just fine with my little computer.  Whew!
(although I will admit that my patience is being severely tested as the connection keeps waning in and out, making this blog take about 3 times longer than it should to write.)

We made our way up to the Hill house, passing by some beautiful homes along the way.

We wasted no time finding the tea room.  Good planning on our part, because we ended up ordering the last 2 fruit scones, along with a pot of tea, even though the place had only opened 20 minutes earlier. 

 I wish that I could tell you that they were melt-in-your-mouth delectable, but such was not the case.  But that’s OK too.  At least our tummies weren't growling anymore.

Now it was time to tour the house.  I'll admit that I was completely surprised by what we found inside what looks to be a Baronial Mansion from the outside. 

In the distance you can see the River Clyde.

Built in 1902, this house was owned by Walter Blackie, a well known Glasgow  publisher.  The architect was Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and this house is considered to be his finest domestic creation.

As the paperwork states, "The Hill House is a visually arresting mix of Arts and Crafts, Art Noeveau, Scottish Baronial and Japonisme architecture and design."

The only Baronial aspect that I could see was the outside construction.  The rest of the interior was very  unique, and in some ways, reminded me of my Uncle Paul's house which he constructed based on Frank Lloyd Wright's plans.

No photos were permitted inside, but I did find some on the National Trust Website who received full credit for them.

A lot of glass was used throughout the house, and each one of those little squares that you see is actually a translucent pink glass.  This was Mrs. Blackie's room.  Make note of the curved ceiling over the bed.

Photo credit: National Trust of Scotland

The Dining Room:

Photo credit: National Trust of Scotland

Hallway

Photo credit: National Trust of Scotland

Fireplace in the drawing room.  Note the mural over the fireplace, made by Margaret MacDonald, wife of  Charles Mackintosh.

Photo credit: National Trust of Scotland

Mackintosh made nearly everything in the house, including furniture.  His wife made many of the textiles.   The house has been restored to look almost exactly as it did in 1904 when Walter Blackie moved his family inside.

I mentioned the small squares of glass or decorations throughout the house.  Pink was used on doors and in rooms representing women, and purple was used for the men.
Green was used to signify servant's quarters or areas were servants would be working, as in the kitchen.

The interior would be considered very modern by today's standards.  It must have really been an unusual creation in the year 1904!  Truly an amazing work of art.

Outside, the gardens add to the beauty of the grounds.

Here you see the next door neighbor behind the wall of Hydrangeas that have just finished blooming.

There were brussel sprouts

and a hot house filled with blooming beauty.

Beans hanging on the vine

and apples vines against a wall!

Ripe and ready for picking!

Upon leaving the house, we noticed that even the street lights surrounding this house were unusual, fitting in with the theme of the house.

Walking back down into town was far easier than climbing the hill, and the view was pretty spectacular.

We spotted a lovely park about a block away from our B&B, so we decided to take a quick stroll through it.  We hadn't gone far when we noticed these gates beckoning our entrance to the World Wars memorial.

Two sides were devoted to local men who had died in World War II.  And the front was dedicated to the World War I soldiers who had perished.

Once again, I couldn't help but get choked up reading the inscription:

Let those who come after

see to

that their names are not

forgotten.

The grounds are just beginning to show the changing of the colors of the leaves, enhancing the green all around. 

With black clouds rolling in, we picked up the pace, but managed to see this lovely church in the square

 as well as a Celtic Cross

and the clock tower along the river, aglow in the evening.

We had a great dinner at a Mediterranean Tapas Bar along the river front, and then came back to relax in our awesome room.

Here's hoping I don't break the mattress!  (Or anything else…for that matter!)

Sunny, but BRRRR!! in Inveraray

We awoke to bright blue skies today for a change!   So, we decided to take the Dun na Cuiach walk while the weather still seemed promising. 

Then we checked the temperature.  When I saw that it was zero degrees, with an expected high of 2 with (-)1 wind chill factor, I wondered if it was such a good idea to be climbing a mountain.

But, then I realized that the temp prediction was in degree C,  and the sun was shining, so why not give it a try?

So,  after an amazing breakfast of Eggs Benedict (included in the room rate…..so, wi-fi in the room doesn’t work, but breakfast was awesome!), 

we bundled up and headed out for the Dun na Cuaich walk.  "Just follow the signs" , the visitor center attendant had told us.  They’ll be marked with a blue arrow.

One look across the loch and I knew that we were in for a clear weather treat today!

Isn't the blue hue of the Loch just lovely?

On the way to the first placard, we stopped to get a photo of me in front of the castle since it looks so much better on a sunny day.

We easily spotted the trail sign

And, our intended destination

See that round building at the very tip of the mountain?  Well, thats the Dun na Craich.  Wish I could tell you more about it.  A very friendly gentleman told us that the building had been built ages ago by the Duke of Argyll strictly for the purpose of viewing the area.  About the name.....sorry...haven't figured that one out yet.  But, obviously, we had a wee bit of a challenge ahead of us.

We followed the direction of the arrow...... across a field....... through a gate....... and soon found ourselves on a path , traveling uphill for a LONG time.

Marty kept saying, “I think we’re almost at the top”, but that sounded all too familiar to me.  I decided to ignore him and just take in the beauty of the hike.

The climb was pretty steep, and there were traces of ice and snow on the trail, but the only difficulty that I had was maneuvering the many rocks that made up the trail.  But we just took the hike at a leisurely pace, stopping to admire the scenery along the way.

From this vantage point, we were able to watch a group of sheep, far in the distance, being herded by a dog.  At first, I was curious as to why this group of sheep was running around, together, in circles, then we saw the dog, and realized what was happening.

We continued climbing.....and.....finally!   We were at the top!

 Somehow I managed to climb up into the tower for the view.

 But with the wind whipping, and the lack of sunlight inside, it was much easier to stand outside and take in all of this magnificence.

I zoomed in on the castle

And the town of Inveraray

which looked so tiny, jutting out on that peninsula.

Marty took a couple of shots of us with the castle in the background.

(It's just to the left of the top of my head.)  

Then, we headed back down the trail into town where we stopped for afternoon tea.

On our way back to the hotel, we walked around a bit.  We saw the bell tower that still stands in the town next to the  Scottish Episcopal Church. 

It apparently holds the second heaviest set of bells in all of Scotland.  (Sometimes I think that the Scots come up with crazy facts just to make places seem to be appealing.)

Then, we popped into a couple of shops, and of course, Marty couldn’t pass on the local Whiskey Shop.

And when that guy offered him a taste……how could he refuse?

We were certainly lucky that the sun held out, but the cold was brutal.  Here’s hoping that tomorrow warms up a bit!  

We will be heading south. 

Do you think that will help?  Here's hoping......

A Downton Abbey Holiday

So, does this look familiar?

If you're a Downton Abbey fan,  then this should be familiar from the last episode.  Well, how's this for excitement......   we are staying a stone’s throw from that beautiful castle.  Can’t wait to get out and explore the area tomorrow! 

But first, let me share the exciting adventures in getting here.  (You knew that there would have to be some sort of excitement involved, right?)

  

We awoke to bright sky in the distance, but large snowflakes gently falling outside the window.  It certainly seemed an odd combination, but, really, it was far better than the rain…….or at least we thought it was!  And it looked so lovely.

Although there was a Catholic Church just a few blocks from our B&B, we chose to drive back to Doune to attend the 9:45 a.m. service there, because the one in Callandar was scheduled for 11:30, and we wanted to have a jump on the day.

Well, it turns out that the same priest covers both churches, and a third in Killin, which is really a bit of a drive.  Today there was a collection for S.C.I.A.F which supports missions in Africa.  The priest mentioned that a quarter of the monies received generally go to the bishop and the pope.  He then went on to say,  “Well, we’ve got no bishop (due to the recent scandal that I mentioned earlier in the week), and we’ve got no pope (due to Benedict resigning), so I decided that all of the money would go to the missions.”  Couldn’t help but laugh at that admission.

What was really entertaining was the unique way that this parish collects funds for this charity.  In the back of the church, they set up fine china teacups, bring in coffee and tea and home made baked goods, and after mass, they accept a free will offering for a cup of tea or coffee and a sweet.   Due to the parking situation in the lot where people just park in rows, we found ourselves with nowhere to go but back inside to join the locals. 

Of course, they were curious about us, and wanted to know where we were from.  On this trip, people generally presume that we are Canadian.  In fact, a woman at the zoo was surprised to hear that I was from the U.S.  She said that I had such a lovely, genteel accent.   How nice was that? 

After some interesting conversations, we headed to our car, bracing ourselves for the bitter cold wind and the snowflakes that were slowly falling.  

We were traveling on the edge of the Trossachs, and it soon became obvious that we had been in the midst of some amazing mountains, but the snow-capped tops had blended in with the mist, so we never knew!

The drive through this area was amazing.

Snow capped mountains in the background…sheep grazing in the fields along the road, and every now and then, we’d see an escapee munching on the grass right along the side of the road…..because you know that old adage…….  The grass is always greener on the other side!   But some were certainly risking their lives for tastier fare.

It wasn’t long before it became quite obvious that we were driving in and out of travelling snowstorms.  One minute, I’d see a beautiful snow capped mountain, Marty would pull over, and the top would be gone in a white haze.  It actually became quite comical after awhile because we felt like we were literally being followed by a cloud.

We stopped at the Falls at Dochart, and suddenly, the snow really began falling, making for quite a picturesque scene.

Doesn’t it look like a painting?  Can you see the snowflakes? 

Pretty amazing, don’t you think?

By this point, we found the weather situation to be rather amusing, and it actually became a joke with us as to whether or not we’d actually get to see the spectacular sights.  More than once we commented that we were sure that the views were amazing…….had we been able to see them!

We stopped in Invernan, at the Drover’s Inn, which is a hotel/pub that has been in existence for centuries.  

We decided on some tea and scones while taking in the interesting surroundings.

All I have to say is that you better not complain about the food!

……..back in the car…… and in just a few minutes, we found ourselves on the “bonny bonny banks of Loch Lomond”.   At least, at first glimpse they appeared to be bonny.   The road was narrow, with nowhere to pull of, but we came to an information center with a parking lot.  Marty parked, we jumped out of the car, and within seconds, the view had disappeared.

Here you can see Marty with the Loch in the background.

Well....at least you can see Marty.

We were on our way back to the car when the sun suddenly poked through the sky, and we scurried back to the viewpoint to capture the moment before it disappeared again.

To the right of the parking lot stands an amazing power plant, with a lovely mountain behind it.

Well, looking at that photo, I suppose that you’ll just have to take my word on that one.

Feeling bonny to have been able to catch a glimpse in between snow squalls,  we  jumped into the car continued on our way to our destination.

The snow seemed to be at bay for awhile, and we were able to really enjoy the beauty of the Argyll forest.  I took this photo from a stop on the side of the road.

And this one at a stop light on the road 

which was there because the road was down to one lane due to rocks tumbling down the cliff, and repairs being made to prevent further damage.

Soon we were  on the edge of Loch Fyne headed towards Inveraray.

Our hotel is located right on this street.  Marty dropped me off so that I could check in and find out where to park the car.  Within minutes, a woman behind the counter looked out the window and commented on the heavy snow that was falling outside.

I told her that she could thank us for that, because we had obviously brought the white stuff with us.

They still welcomed us, and I was taken to the top floor of the building to this lovely room.

The room is great, but, unfortunately, does not have the wi-fi connection that was promised.  So, I will have to post the blog from the breakfast room because all attempts at connecting up here have failed.

In the meantime, after unloading our bags, we decided to head out and investigate the surroundings while the snow was NOT falling.

The area is truly lovely, located right on the Loch.

But the best part of the day was walking just a short distance to find this castle, which actually, can be seen off the road while entering the town.

Certainly a nice place to take a holiday, don’t you think?  Unfortunately, it is closed for viewing  until April.  But that didn’t keep us from checking out the surroundings.

We walked around to the back of the castle where you can see the bridge that we crossed to get here in the distance.

The weather was still brutally cold, so we decided to call it a day, and we headed to the George hotel, which is just across the street, for a lovely dinner, next to the fire.

The fire was cozy warm, and the meal was delicious. 

The perfect ending to a wonderful day!