Highland Tours

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We decided to join one of the tours run by Gray Line for 19 May. We chose the one which would take us to Glasgow, Lock Lomond, and Stirling Castle. The staff at Lairg booked the tour for us. We got up at 7 o'clock for us to catch the bus at 9:10 near the hotel. The bus arrived a little bit late due to the roadworks in the city centre.

The Scottish guide was very friendly to us. He was driving westwards and went past Edinburgh Zoo, Airport, and football stadium, and talked about a lot of interesting stories of places where he had driven past and current roadsworks in Scotland, which has made it difficult for him to do the tours lately.

After leaving Edinburgh, he got on M8 towards Glasgow. He advised all passengers to be precise with the time, as he had to take in a number of places in this tour, while there are a lot of roadworks in Scotland. He brought us to George Square in the heart of Glasgow in the mid morning.

After making a brief stop, he drove through the shopping district and crossed over the bridge on the River Clyde. He booked the seats for the boat journey on Loch Lomond while he was heading to the lake.

Boat Tour in Loch Lomond
The weather wasn't great while we were in the western part of Scotland. As it was changeable and unsettled, we decided to go on a boat tour rather than walking. We stayed outside when the boat was making the journey toward the lake. Loch Lomond is one of the biggest lakes in Scotland. We saw stylish boats mooried on the river and marina.

There were quite a few historical and stylish mansions and villas, some of which have been converted to the upper class hotels. There were lush mountains appearing behind elegant houses along the lake.

The intermittent sunshine created the dramatic Scottish landscapes consisting of lush hills, pink and yellow heath plants, whilst we were on the boat. It was surprising to hear that there is the isolated island called "nudist colony", which appeared as a little fishing village in the middle of Lock Lomond. I wonder how many days when it would be suitable for people to sit in the sun, whilst being in north-western part of Scotland.

It was pretty chilly and cold on the upper floor of the boat. We had hot chocolate when the boat was returning to the harbour. The bus driver waited for us and departed at 12:30. We found the train station by the name of "Ballock" near the Lock Lomond. There were quite a few B & B hotels and restaurants as well. We may come back there in the near future.

The bus driver was making a journey for Aberfoyle. He encountered the road closure due to the delayed roadworks, and had to detour the route. He drove past a number of farmlands on the country lane, which had many curves, and was rather bumpy. The detouring journey around the lunch time made me feel carsick but I managed to endure the journey until he reached Aberfoyle.

We were asked to come back in 45 minutes. We had lunch, and had a quiet look at the Scottish wool shop adjacent to the restaurant.

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