Buckets Of Tea

The Adventures, Passions And Dreams Of A 40 Something Tea Drinker; Afternoon Tea, Food, Travel, Interiors & Tea.........Buckets Of Tea!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Search

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Work With Me
    • Disclosure/Privacy Policy
  • Afternoon Tea
    • England
      • London
      • Birmingham
      • Cheshire
      • Derbyshire
      • Somerset
      • Staffordshire
      • Worcestershire
      • Yorkshire
    • Scotland
      • Edinburgh
      • Perth
      • Stirling
    • Wales
      • Conwy
      • Llandudno
  • Food
  • Travel
    • England
    • Scotland
    • Wales
    • Stately Homes & Castles
  • Interiors
  • Self Care

My Scottish Adventure; Oban, Loch Lomand And Inveraray

21st August 2017 by Candace 12 Comments

Whilst on my Scottish Adventure last month in Edinburgh I decided that I would like to see a little more of Scotland.  The easiest way of doing this was a coach tour.  I booked to go on two tours; one to Oban, Loch Lomand and Inveraray and the other up in to the Scottish Highlands through the Cairngorm’s Moutains to Loch Ness and Glen Coe.  Our first stop was Loch Lommand, the largest inland stretch of water in Great Britain by surface area.  Loch Lommand is in the heart of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

Our next stop was Oban.  Oban is a town and port in western Scotland. It’s a gateway to the Hebridean islands. The Colosseum-like McCaig’s Tower overlooks Oban Bay. Seafood eateries cluster by the harbour as well as a whisky distillery.  Whilst here I ate the most delicious seafood sandwich as it was very obvious that the seafish was freshly caught.

Down in the harbour there was a mixture of the old and the new.  Such a stunning sight, sadly very cloudy and the drizzle was coming down a little heavier now.  Just typical!

Oban

We left Oban and made our way back to Edinburgh some 120 miles away.  On the way back we stopped at St Conan’s Kirk is a early 20th-century church built on the banks of Loch Awe in Argyll and Bute.

Saint Conan's Kirk

From the roadside the Kirk is relatively simple in design, but the south side, which overlooks the loch, is extremely elaborate.

Saint Conan's Kirk

St. Conan is the patron saint of Lorne and is reputed to have lived in Glenorchy.

Saint Conan's Kirk

The view from the sundial terrace on the south side of the Kirk is one of the most beautiful in the West Highlands.  It was because of this view that determined the site of the church. Saint Conan's Kirk

The Kirk has the most beautiful hand painted-glass window with figures of angels and cherubs.

Saint Conan's Kirk

From St Conan’s Kirk we made our way around Loch Awe to the opposite bank where Kilchurn Castle stands.  The castle was constructed in the mid-15th century as the home of the Cambell’s of Glenorchy.  When the Campbell’s became the Earls of Breadalbane they moved to Taymouth Castle.  Kilchurn Castle then fell in to ruins by 1770.  the castle ruins are quite spectacular against the mountains behind.

Kilchurn Castle Ruins

We then continued on our journey back to Edinburgh via the stunning Inveraray Castle.  The castle is the home of the 13th Duke and Dutchess of Argyll and has featured in a Christmas episode of Downton Abbey.  The Grantham family visited their cousins, the Marquess and Marchioness of Flintshire in their mythical Scottish home, ‘Duneagle Castle’.

Inveraray Castle

We stopped for the last time at the area known as the Rest and be Thankful which is a mountain pass on the towards Loch Lommand.  Sad;y, the weather had come down and the mist and grey clouds descended.

On the way back we stopped at Luss on the banks of Loch Lommand for half an hour.  Just standing looking out on to Loch Lommand was so relaxing.  It seemed very strange to be stood on a beach which was inland and not on the coast!

Loch Lommand

On the way back to Edinburgh we drove through Stirling with it’s impressive castle built on top of a volcanic rock overlooking the battlefields of Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn where William Wallace and Robert the Bruce won great victories in the Wars of Independence against England.

Stirling Castle

I thoroughly enjoyed getting out of Edinburgh for the day but it was a very long and very packed day.  I’d love to go back and explore the area again but this time in a more relaxed way.  I don’t think the tour would be suitable for young children as you do spend quite sometime on the coach.  Sadly the day consisted a permanent drizzle but I’ve been assured it doesn’t always rain in Scotland!  The cost of the tour was £45.

You May Also Like:

  • My Scottish Adventure; Puffin WatchingMy Scottish Adventure; Puffin Watching
  • My Scottish Adventure; Tobermory And StaffaMy Scottish Adventure; Tobermory And Staffa
  • My Scottish Adventure; Mull And IonaMy Scottish Adventure; Mull And Iona
  • My Scottish Adventure; ObanMy Scottish Adventure; Oban
  • My Scottish Adventure; Loch Ness, Glen Coe And The HighlandsMy Scottish Adventure; Loch Ness, Glen Coe And The Highlands
  • My Scottish Adventure; EdinburghMy Scottish Adventure; Edinburgh
Tweet
Pin
Share

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Scotland, Scottish Travel

« Tea Adventures: Tea In A Crisis
The Windmill Inn At Rowton  »

Comments

  1. Abdellah says

    21st August 2017 at 8:49 PM

    Great blogs thank you for sharing this articles

    Reply
  2. Michele says

    22nd August 2017 at 6:55 PM

    Oh my goodness. I need to go here. Stat!

    Reply
  3. KristynM says

    22nd August 2017 at 7:03 PM

    Great blog. Scotland has been on my bucket list and I can’t wait to visit.

    Reply
  4. Kathy says

    22nd August 2017 at 8:29 PM

    Love the pictures! What a great trip!

    Reply
  5. Shell says

    23rd August 2017 at 12:37 AM

    Love this post so much because I’ve actually been planning a trip to Scotland that will be in a few years… I loved every all the photos you shared!!

    Reply
  6. Pammy says

    23rd August 2017 at 8:02 AM

    Beautiful pictures! I wish I can see these in person!

    Pammy -joyfulsource.com

    Reply
  7. Gina says

    23rd August 2017 at 1:18 PM

    Beautiful pictures… love the old-style architecture. I would love to make it to Scotland someday…

    Reply
  8. Vanessa says

    23rd August 2017 at 1:31 PM

    Love Scotland! Its on my list of places to visit hopefully soon! Great post!

    Reply
  9. Joy DeKok says

    23rd August 2017 at 5:05 PM

    How lovely! I was just telling my husband the other day I’d love to go the “Lands” (England, Scottland, and Ireland). My chances of that are slim. But I let myself dream for a bit of castles, old churches, cobblestone streets, and foggy views both beautiful and mysterious. I tucked the dream away again and will revisit it as I always do. But today, you gave me a glimpse of it and I’m grateful.

    Reply
    • Candace says

      23rd August 2017 at 6:02 PM

      If the dream does become a reality you must include Wales too

      Reply
  10. Lynn Woods says

    24th August 2017 at 12:56 AM

    This is absolutely beautiful! Looks like you had a great trip!

    Reply
  11. Pauline Wiles says

    25th August 2017 at 12:09 AM

    I visited Oban on holiday as a child; sadly all I remember is the caravan was brown! But you got some lovely photos here, including many with moody, atmospheric skies…

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Hello

Welcome to Buckets Of Tea. I’m Candace, a 40 something tea drinker renovating my forever home, a 120 year old stone cottage in North Wales.

Grab a cuppa and take a read of my adventures, passions and dreams; afternoon tea, food and travel all washed down by buckets of tea.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Search Buckets Of Tea

Buckets Of Tea Club

Join The Buckets Of Tea Club

Thank you! You have successfully joined the Buckets Of Tea club.

Join The Buckets Of Tea Club

As a welcome gift the following printable will be available for you to download:

Chocolate Chip Scone Recipe

As members of the Buckets Of Tea Club will receive 2 monthly newsletters containing blog updates, offers and life hacks that you won’t find on the blog.

Have You Seen?

All content is © 2015-2020 Buckets Of Tea. All rights reserved. Please do not take images or content from this site without written permission.

Copyright © 2021 · Delightful theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 Buckets Of Tea

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok