West ...

A relaxed departure for our holiday as we didn't have the extra trip to the kennels. Maeve the Deerhound is with us on our week away ! Apothecary7, Maeve, and I left Carnoustie about 10am and headed West (hooray) skirting Dundee and passing by Perth. Then we turned West and took the road to Crieff and after that Comrie and Loch Earn. We decided to stop at St Fillans and have a walk along beside the loch because the colours in the trees were quite breathtaking and Loch Earn was looking very picturesque in the bright Autumn sunshine. Today's blip is on of the small jetties on the loch.

We continued our journey along the winding lochside road to Lochearnhead, then took the road to Crianlarich where there is a steep climb up a hillside which brings is a noticeable change from the woodland and farmland of Perthshire and Stirlingshire to the mountains and forests of the West with their moss and lichen covered birch, rowan, and alder. The autumn colours were still present in abundance but the landscape felt wilder and in many ways more remote. Through Crianlarich and the few miles to the Green Welly Stop at Tyndrum where we always have a break on this Westward route. After lunch we took the left fork in the road that heads West from Tyndrum (the right fork heads to Glencoe and Fort William) and when we reached Loch Awe we turned left again past Kilchurn Castle on the road to Inverary.

Somewhere on this stretch of road from Tyndrum I seem to tune into a feeling of freedom and cultural history and a closeness to the sea that has a hold on the very depths of my being. I feel so much more at home. It is more than a holiday. I have to come to these places.

We like to take a walk around Inverary. The old buildings and streets are full of interest, and the views of Loch Fyne from the pier are wonderful. We used to go to Inverary quite a lot when we had our static caravan across the loch at St Catherine's and we really never tire of it. There is also a very nice shop that sells all sorts of old fashioned sweets which is well worth a visit :-)

Just half an hour of driving from Inverary to Lochgilphead along Loch Fyne and Loch Gilp, then a few miles to our final destination of Cairnbaan and the end terraced house which will be our base for the week. The house is just along from Lock 8 and right beside the bank of the Crinan Canal. We had very good driving weather and enjoyed taking our time to make the best of the day :-)