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!