Scotland Ahoy!

Day One August 16th. Peterborough to Glasgow.

It was an early start today for us this morning. Car packed to bursting point with enough items for any eventuality. Well that’s what it seems like. A bit of fiddling with our new toy, a GPS Satellite Navigation gizmo and we’re off. Three short pit stops later and we’re whizzing through Glasgow with no hesitation. 'Tom,' the Sat Nav's male voice, gives the driver clear instructions right through to our hotel for the night. The whole journey was fast and uneventful . Not a traffic jam or road work in sight until we reached Glasgow. Nancy and John even managed to sleep for a good few miles of the route.

Our hotel for the nights was in Erskine just north of Glasgow on the banks of the Clyde River. The hotel is a large ugly modern square blocky building. The rooms were adequate but the on suite bathrooms had obliviously been recently refurbished and were dazzlingly pristine white. Shame they had forgotten to paint the door.

The weather up to Yorkshire was pleasant and sunny the further north we traveled the duller the weather became until we hit heavy drizzle in Scotland. Looking out of the hotel window at the darkening evening sky I can actually see wide stretches of blue sky. Hopefully it bodes well for good weather in the morning when we head for the ferry to Islay.

Day Two. August 18th. The Road to Islay

Last nights blue skies were definitely not a foreteller of the weather. The morning dawned dull and rainy. We were reluctantly up and away by six am all tired after a bad night’s sleep in noisy rooms. The road to Kennacraig Ferry Terminal was long and winding. The road, approximately 100 miles, took us past Lock Lomond, through the Trossacks and along the banks of Lock Fyne. It should have been a beautiful journey if only the rain had stopped and the sun had come through.

The Ferry Terminal is small with just a coffee dispensing machine in the waiting room. The ‘new toy’ now called ‘Mr. Tom’ worked well and took us straight to the terminal. Once we thought he had directed us the wrong way but we were proved wrong and arrived in very good time. After boarding we headed straight to the onboard restaurant and ordered four full Scottish breakfasts. The black puddings were discarded but the rest wolfed down The ferry journey was sooth and uneventful.

Port Ellen.

Once on shore in Islay we head for the hotel. This is where ‘Mr. Tom let us down, The post code we put in took us to a farm camp site that although was quite close to the hotel cross country was quite a distance by road. We tried a keyword this time with better success. The two bedroom, self catering bungalows proved quite surprised us. They were peaceful, roomy with every thing we needed including coffee, tea, milk and toiletries. From the front of the bungalow we can see the sea and sheep greet us at the back.
After unloading we headed for the first of the distillery tour we were booked on at the Laphroaig distillery one of the oldest on the island. No time for lunch a Kitkat biscuit had to suffice. At the distillery a group of thirty plus people had gathered for the first tour of the new season. This year’s crop of barley had just been added to the first vat to begin the process of turning it in to a peaty single Malt Whiskey.
The weather had by now taken a turn for the better and the sun managed to break through through the clouds to give us a pleasant evening.
After a delicious evening meal at Duffy’s restaurant in Bowmore, Nancy John and Dave headed to the Ardbeg distillery for an evening of music. I feel really tired headachy and my face hurts dreadfully so I elect to stay in the bungalow. I’m hoping the peaceful situation of this cottage helps to promote a goods night sleep.