The Highlands of Scotland

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Geo: 56.4104, -5.46972

Glasgow to Oban

Picked up a rental car in Glasgow. Aaacckk! Driving on the left side of the road! It seems strange sitting in the passenger side of the car on the left. Charlie's still getting used to driving on that side, and Mary is white-knuckled.

We're on our way to Oban, where we'll attend some "Highland Games.” Oban is on the west coast of Scotland – in the Highlands. It was a lovely drive there with many stops (Loch Lomond) and a long detour when a road was closed. Actually, the detour turned out to be beautiful – through moors, past Ben Nevis – the highest mountain in Great Britain. Highland Games are like a fair, but with lots of competitions. If you've seen Braveheart, you might remember when Wallace came back to his home town and saw his childhood friend, Hamish. He was tossing a huge stone. Well, they still do that, and lots of other competitions – races, Highland fling competitions, lots of bag piping, tug-of-wars, as well as lots of food, crafts and displays. And they do this big telephone pole thingy (called a caber) where a guy picks it up and tries to flip it over end-to-end. These were really big guys. You've really have to have enormous strength. (See picture.)

We left the games early and went into Oban city to try to get our phone unlocked. They couldn't do it, and we would up buying a cheap phone to use here. If anyone's going to Europe and wants to borrow it...

But while we were there one of the bagpipe bands came marching back from the games and we watched them for a while down by the waterfront.

Oban sits on the Atlantic Ocean – within view are a few islands offshore called the Hebrides. You can take a ferry boat out to these. Wish we'd had time.

Our B&B is a little north on Oban on Loch Linnhe, which is really not a lake but an arm of the ocean. They sit right on the water, and we have a gorgeous view out the back.

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Comments

[Theresa and Bill]

So jealous! This looks beautiful and cool. Highland Games must be so neat!!!!

[Sam&Wayne]

How absolutely grand! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! About the driving, my (Sam's) solution is always remembering that the passenger belongs to the gutter-side. L&B galore!