Loch Lomond

Took the Great Western Road north-west out of Glasgow, and about 15 minutes later found ourselves on the banks of Loch Lomond and, yes, Mandy burst into song. We stopped to admire the view for a bit, then traveled up the western shore. Unfortunately, I didn't get much of an opportunity to enjoy the view as there were lots of roadworks, and the roads are windy and only two lanes wide. We ended up in a procession of about 100 cars behind two road construction tracks and a caravan for almost the entire length of the loch going at about 30 km/h, so we were all pretty frazzled by the time we got to Crianlarich, especially as the last kilometre was behind a road sweeper truck going at walking pace.

Stopped to have some morning tea and unwind, and some of the other drivers had the same idea. Then headed west to the coastal town of Oban - a busy, happening sort of town, and just perfect for lunch overlooking the yachts and ferries in the Firth of Lorn, along with every tourist bus in the vicinity.

After lunch it was up the coast to Fort William along Loch Linnhe, and eventually on to Fort Augustus on the edge of Loch Ness. The traffic had thinned considerably after Fort William so I was actually able to enjoy the scenery as we went along. As well as the view out the window, we had a steady stream of Andy Stewart's Greatest Hits, and the Best Of Scottish Bagpipes to keep Mandy amused. Mind you if I hear about Donald's trousers one more time ......

Arrived late afternoon, and went for a walk to explore the town, and get stuff for tea. The walk coincided with the afternoon passage of boats down the six town lochs, and it seemed that every person in the town was lining the river to see the excitement. The finale was the opening of the swing bridge across the main highway to let the boats out into Loch Ness.

Seems that there's live Scottish music in the hostel bar later this evening, so we are blogging early so we can go and listen.