Touring

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Geo: 55.8066, -5.48347

We slept in on Wednesday after our late return from Edinburgh. Mike and Rhona left around midday to continue their holiday and we had a late lunch at the Knockderry Country House Hotel in the little village of Cove. It was a mid 1800s summer house that has been extended and renovated over the years. It is now a lovely 16-room hotel, one of the many very grand houses on the peninsula's Shore Rd. We had a fine meal and a good chat with the staff who showed us through the hotel.

Thursday we planned to visit the Isle of Islay but the ferry developed a problem about 30min into the crossing. We returned to the mainland (Kennacraig) and sadly ended up cancelling our visit. This was apparently the second time in a week that the ferry had broken down. Not good, visiting the peaty distilleries of Islay was almost on my bucket list.

So we visited Inverary Castle (the Duke of Argyll's residence) and Glen Goyne distillery.

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Photos

Knockderry Hotel
You can just see the edge of Knockderry Castle in the right background. This is one of the five castles on the Rosneath Peninsula and its owner is a single lady who lives in only three of the rooms. She has rejected many offers to buy the castle and it is very run down.

Pretty outlook
I had a pulled duck burger and Robyn a chicken dish. Fine dining and very special meals. I'm quite used to drinking pints now - 568ml.

Inverary Castle
This entrance hall is believed to be the tallest in Scotland. It is very grand and I was impressed by the number, variety and antiquity of the weapons.
The 12th Duke of Argyll is also the Chief of Clan Campbell.

The "Rest and Be Thankful" lookout
The small road below was first built in the mid 18thC as a means to improve military access in the Highlands and therefore subdue the Jacobite rebels.

Glen Goyne Distillery
An excellent display to show the effects of age and wood on whisky colour and evaporation. Each bottle shows the liquor one year older in various casks, starting from the clear spirit in the top left of each panel.

Faslane naval base, Gare Loch
Home of the RN's three new hunter-killer nuclear Astute Class submarines, and the four Trident missile Vanguard Class subs. The Vanguard subs are now Britain's only means of delivering nuclear weapons. A protest "peace camp" has existed just outside the base for 33 years.