About a month ago, Gerald had a work trip to Glasgow, so with me not working, I decided to join him and then head to the west coast for the weekend. We left for Glasgow on a Thursday night and it was the first time we did a long drive (2 1/2 hours) after dark. It's not like driving in TX with street lights and all that, it was more like pitch black roads and single lane highways...eeks. I'd be afraid if something happened during the road trip because you have no clue where you are and what is out there. Anyhow we made it down alright and spent a nice day in Glasgow, Gerald at work, and me shopping =) I even got his cab driver to take me to the Whole Foods there to see what goodies they had. I probably spent about 30 pounds and my cab ride was 40 pounds! Probably not the wisest thing to do, but I didn't know it at the time and the Whole Foods was a taste of home and some sort of entertainment for me...haha
We visited a little town called Tobermory and enjoyed some of the freshest scallops I've ever had. I mean the fisherman walked in to the restaurant, with his jumpsuit and all and delivered the scallops. From sea to table is how I like it. I always wondered why Aberdeen doesn't have this type of seafood. I was told that the west coast waters are very different from the North sea waters and therefore, we get more fish here than shellfish, so that explains it.
From Tobermory, we had another couple of hours to kill before our ferry back to Oban so decided to do a bit of exploring around the west coast (of Mull) beaches. This is when you just wish that Scotland had warmer weather. The beach we visited was called Calgary bay and it was just beautiful. Again, despite the rain and cold weather. Beautiful blue waters, white sand, surrounded by luscious greenery from the land. I can only imagine what it would be like on a beautiful, warm, sunny day! We spent just a few minutes here and continued on towards our ferry terminal. Along the way, we saw a sheep jump into the bay and swim, a sheep jump over a guardrail because Gerald was tailgating him, highland cows chillen underneath some trees along the coast, and more cattle grazing some grass along the coast. I hope you get the picture now, all we saw were animals! Where all the people were, I have no idea. I wish we had more time on the island to do some walks and visit other towns but it was time to head back to the ferry. Maybe one day during the summer, we can return. I definitely enjoyed it.
Back in Oban, we freshened up and went out for dinner at a tiny restaurant called The Seafood Temple. The restaurant only seats about 16 people and has just 2 servings a night. Food was fresh and cooked perfectly. The west coast oysters were yummy and just everything about it. After living here, I really appreciate the smaller mom and pop restaurants and try to support them as much as a I can.
blair
After Gerald got off work, we drove another 2 hours to Oban. You have probably heard that name before, it's the name of quite a popular whiskey guys like to drink. Oban is also known as "the gateway to the Isles" of Scotland. And that is correct, because after having a nice seafood dinner Friday night, we woke up nice and early Saturday morning to catch the ferry to the Isle of Mull. Before leaving, we did have a nice breakfast served to us by our wonderful host at the Alt na Craig Bed and Breakfast. Whenever I meet such sweet owners who love what they do, it makes me want to open up a B&B more and more. One day, we will get there.
The Isle of Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides. The population of the entire isle is a little less than 3000 people. The ferry ride over was about an hour and although cold and a bit wet, it was very pleasant. I can't say enough how beautiful this country is. It's so peaceful just to look out at what mother nature has created; definitely a place for someone to visit who just wants to get away from it all. The isle contained mostly single track roads, so driving around was a bit like a race track, dodging cars and all.
We visited a little town called Tobermory and enjoyed some of the freshest scallops I've ever had. I mean the fisherman walked in to the restaurant, with his jumpsuit and all and delivered the scallops. From sea to table is how I like it. I always wondered why Aberdeen doesn't have this type of seafood. I was told that the west coast waters are very different from the North sea waters and therefore, we get more fish here than shellfish, so that explains it.
From Tobermory, we had another couple of hours to kill before our ferry back to Oban so decided to do a bit of exploring around the west coast (of Mull) beaches. This is when you just wish that Scotland had warmer weather. The beach we visited was called Calgary bay and it was just beautiful. Again, despite the rain and cold weather. Beautiful blue waters, white sand, surrounded by luscious greenery from the land. I can only imagine what it would be like on a beautiful, warm, sunny day! We spent just a few minutes here and continued on towards our ferry terminal. Along the way, we saw a sheep jump into the bay and swim, a sheep jump over a guardrail because Gerald was tailgating him, highland cows chillen underneath some trees along the coast, and more cattle grazing some grass along the coast. I hope you get the picture now, all we saw were animals! Where all the people were, I have no idea. I wish we had more time on the island to do some walks and visit other towns but it was time to head back to the ferry. Maybe one day during the summer, we can return. I definitely enjoyed it.
calgary bay
highland cows
Back in Oban, we freshened up and went out for dinner at a tiny restaurant called The Seafood Temple. The restaurant only seats about 16 people and has just 2 servings a night. Food was fresh and cooked perfectly. The west coast oysters were yummy and just everything about it. After living here, I really appreciate the smaller mom and pop restaurants and try to support them as much as a I can.
Our trip out here was a bit short but gave us a good taste of the area. We hope to come back and visit the distillery and maybe another one of the isles. On the way back home we stopped by Kilchurn Castle and Blair Castle.
kilchurn
blair
Looking forward to our next road trip in Scotland. I'm thinking Fort Williams.
