A83, Dunnadd and Kilberry

So the winter is over, spring has sprung and its Easter, the time when life returns to the earth, when babies are born in the wild and plants become green and interesting again, AND its a bank holiday!

I could have hired a caravan anywhere in Scotland but for some reason my heart returned to Argyle and despite being a stones throw away from my MIL house I hired a caravan in Lochgilphead... course we didn't tell David's mum that was supposed to be a surprise... to close for that, she knew we were there before the car was unpacked.

The journey up had been fretful, the winter was long and Foot and Mouth had kept many home last year, now people seemed to need to spread their wings and the road was full off tourists. So often I have described this journey to you, sop often I have described the land in her various attires, now for the first time I wont paint you pictures with words. Thanks to David buying a digital camera I can now show you something of what I see when I drive. I can't show you all, the over powering emotions of pride and awe can not be inspired by photographs, all I can do is give you a glimpse and even then I was driving, these photos were taken by David from the bus and through glass. And yet I wonder at the composition of them, only the mountains, never the lochs.... I wonder if that speaks of the photographers aspirations, always looking with his head in the clouds (-:

This is The Rest-and-be-thankful, taken from about half way up its just after Arrochar and Loch Lomond (A82) and before Loch Fyne (A83)

The caravan was gorgeous, it was brand new and mother declared the only thing missing was the second kitchen sink, before we left she had amended it to include a toaster too. Mother had everyone told she was being taken on holiday for her kitchen skills, truth is mother is good fun if a bit eccentric, the fact she enjoys cooking and cleaning are proof positive she is eccentric.

The first night we were there we didn't do much of anything,but on the we were up and down Dunnadd (ancient capital of Dalreada made so by the Scots invaders, also the centre of the Kilmartin Glen the most archaeologically rich religious site in Scotland.... stone circles about as common as sheep) By ten mother was in search of coffee. Hot tip if you ever go here, never look for decent coffee before ten in the morning!

I was up there again by 8am the following morning. I sat there quietly this time, no mother to sing " The hills are alive" I sat there for some time, the weather was fine but I could see the rain front coming in over from Crinnan. When it hit, I played with the weather and it cleared up rather a lot and was really lovely.

I went back to the caravan for a full Scottish breakfast ( lorne sausage from the lorne region of Scotland ie bought locally, bacon, tomatoes dumpling, eggs and potato scones) . I had been looking forward to it for weeks, hmmm my mum can cook, and I felt I had earned it, the climb up is one thing, going down is a whole nuver ball game.

Later that same day David, Mum and myself set out to go to Tarbet, now Tarbet is only a 15/ 20 min drive from Lochgilphead, but the way we went it takes closer to two hours. We went the Kilberry Road, which goes down to te sound of Jura and follows the coast weaving and winding single tracked all the way. Argyle has some on Scotland's best scenery and a lot of it can be seen on this road. It goes through forestry and then to beach front, it goes up hill and down dale. The sands are white and the stones are round. The coastline is rugged and the mists roll and play tricks on the eye. The papas of Jura, sometimes pointing proud and pert, completely disembodied from the sea in which they float and sometime modestly shrouded in mists. Distant coastlines, some times near and on sometimes far. Once again I must apologise I can only give you a glimpse of these things, in truth they must be experienced.

The Buzzard ducks on the beach The Cottage The Pheasant The Seal

Right at the end we finally went to see The Kilberry Stones, we weren't sure what they were but we were awfa glad we didn't have to go too far of the "main" road. This is a collection of medieval grave stones found locally

I am going to end my narrative here because the other photies I have of this trip are on the ibook and I have yet to transfer them to this computer (-:

My old guest buik

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