We drove the Argyll Scenic from Fort William to Oban where we looked around the harbour foreshore, sited the McCaigs tower on Battery hill. 1897.
and then continued to Inveraray Castle built in 1457 by the 27 th chief of the Campbells clan.
The current castle was built in 1746 and is home to 13 th duke of Argyll. Inside the castle was very impressive.
Outside the castle was a great view to the river and stone bridge
which went over as we continued travelling past Loch Fyne and more great scenery
Rest and be thankful lookout was next but we missed the turn to the L/O
and then sited Ben Lomond but nowhere to take a photo.
We now drive down the side of Loch Lomond with occasional views between the trees.
Our accomodation, a unit in Dumbarton, the entrance horrifiy but unit fair.
Dumbarton is a low economic area. We hated the area so much we left with a night to go that we had paid for and went to the east side of Loch Lomond for a cruise on Loch Lomand from Balmaha seeing the islands and Luss foreshore . The loch is 5 miles at its widest and only 20 m deep.
At the park centre we learnt how the UK and Scotland were seperate until colliding 410 millions of years ago and where the highlands and lowlands of Scotland where also seperated till they collided . The divide is along Boundary highland fault
Then we travelled through Trossachs national park and Queen Elizabeth Forest Park to Callander, where we stayed in a Hostel, so much nicer than the unit in Dumbarton we had abandoned.
The drive through the forest had lots of forest and ferns and more lochs, Loch Achray and Loch Venachar.
Our last day in Scotland and Scotland turned on its usual weather cool and rain for the morning. We had been so lucky with the weather , it had been mostly dry and sunny with occasional cloud and overnight rain with the odd afternoon shower, this is more typical Scotland than what we experienced.
We drove to Doune castle for a photo, the castle was used in Outlander for the Mackenzie clans castle.
Then onto Stirling Castle . Built for King James the 5th and Mary Guise 500 years ago.
James the 5th mother was Henry The 8ths sister and his daughter was Mary Queen of Scots.
The castle was used by kings till 1634 then became army barracks and a garrison from 1650 to 1964.
It was Renovated in 2011.
The castle had lots of wooden plagues and sculputures outside a symbol to showed his right to rule and impress.
The Wallace monument Victorian monument was sighted in the fog ,He was a scot who fought
the English
Kings Knot was green space seen from the castle. A known landmark.
Next we drove to Falkirk to see the
Kelpies built in 2013 to connect the two canals, the Forth and Clyde canal and Union Canal. The Kelpies resemble the scottich horses the cyldesdales that carried the boats up the canals and some other mythal reason.
They were designed and built by Adam Scott and are 30 metres high and made of metal.
Falkirk wheel 2002.
Here canal boats go up on a rotating wheel and join the forth and clyde canal and the union canals. It lifts 25 m and replaced 11 locks.
We did a trip on a long boat, a half rotation then along the to the union canal via a tunnel and a another rotation back down.
A nice stay in Falkirk and Scotlands finished.
