On the occasion of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, I planned and went on a four-night trip to Scotland. I would start off with a train ride to Glasgow on Thursday evening (the 2nd of June 2022), stay overnight in a hotel, and then join the Rabbies Tour group trip to the "Three Isles" (the Isle of Mull, Iona and Staffa).
This, then is what I did. I arrived at the Glasgow Central station around 8:00 p.m. and checked in to Artto Hotel, just 2 minutes outside the station. This is a small hotel in a heritage stone building. I was basically looking to crash here for the night. Before retiring for the night, I went to their restaurant (Bombay Blues) which is next door to the hotel. For dinner I ordered some lamb seekh kabab and chapatis. They were good.
Before I continue, let me share the highlights of the tour:
Day 1 of the Trip:
Our group, comprised of 7 including me, met the driver-guide of Rabbies, one Mr Alistair, at stop no 23 of the Buchanan Bus stand. The other six were all ladies: there was Karen from Canada, Caitlin from London, Chu and Yue from London as well, and Vidya and Sophie from Edinburgh. Our mini-bus was a Mercedes 16-seater.
We departed at around nine o'clock. Today, we were basically going to reach the Isle of Mull in the evening. The itinerary for today was as follows:
This was a day of travel. Travel from Glasgow all the way to the Isle of Mull, where we would make our base and stay for two nights. The first day was spent getting to know each other.
Alistair is a Scot and has a very good sense of humour. He has taken many groups of people on behalf of Rabbies. I found him very respectful, accommodating and encouraging. He obliged us at many places by taking our group photos and helping anyone that needed gentle assistance. He also gave us very useful tips at each place to get the best out of the place for the least effort. Above all, though, he was very knowledgeable about the places we were going to and kept us enthralled with tales of bravery, chivalry, war, compromises, cheer and tragedy. He is also a very good driver.
My travelling companions were a mixed lot, as I have stated before. They work in different professions, and included a Mental Health Nurse, a social worker, a student and two that work in a bank.
On the way, we first stopped at a place called LUSS, a beautiful little village on the bank of the Loch Lomond. The homes are quaint, with lovely gardens out in the front. They line up on each side of the path that leads one to the water and the small pier.
From Luss, we went via a pre-marked route to Lochaline. En route, we rode pretty much without stopping, except at a place called the Three Sisters, where we all had a photo shoot in lovely territory.
The three sisters - also called Bidean Nam Bian, are the Big, Middle and Little sisters! The area was very scenic.
From here, we reached the Clacaigh Inn on the outskirts of Glencoe, and this is where we had our lunch. My food was a sandwich containing Chicken Mayonnaise and it was delicious. We then went across a bridge and took a small ferry from Corran to Ardgour. This was a 10-minute car ferry. At Ardgour, we resumed our road trip and arrived after over an hour to the next stop, a place known as Fishnish.
At one spot, as we were driving, we came to a stop where we saw grey seals lined up on the shore of a small island within the Loch Linnhe., At a higher camera resolution, the sight was stunning.
We also had our first sighting of the unique Scotland bull!
On arrival at the ferry, it was a delight to see many other tourists apart from us.
Waiting for the ferry:
From the other side of the ferry, it was a long drive all the way to Lochaline, Lochaline is located across from the Isle of Mull, and our aim was to arrive there in time for the hourly ferry to the Isle of Mull.
The ferry ride from Lochaline to the Mull jetty wasn't very long, but it certainly was interesting. The drive from the jetty to the village of Tobermory was also very scenic. Tobermory is kind of like the capital of the Isle of Mull. As we neared our destination, we were all overjoyed. It was so colourful!
We all decided to take a stroll through the market. Tobermory has a lot of shops selling stuff made locally and they are all called "The Mull so and so" - for example, the Soap shop, the Grocery shop, the Laundry, the Butcher, and so on. However, they also have an ice cream truck, where we all had ice cream. Mine was a chocolate one with salted caramel. We also booked a table for 4 for Caitlin, Yue, Chu and myself in the a la carte place called the Mish Dish, located inside the Mish Nish hotel.
We all returned to the bus, and Alistair drove us to our hotels. Caitlin, the two Edinburgh girls and I were all taken to the Drimnin View B & B, while the others went to their own accommodations.
The Drimnin View is a small B & B run by Steve and Anna. They have only started the place last September, and are the most friendly hosts I have ever met. Steve is a postman for the Royal Mail and also manages the property, He has a business that imports crystals from all over the world and he sells them to whoever wants them. These crystals are spread all over the property. Anna, besides running the B & B, is a certified holistic practitioner and offers Ayurvedic treatments, aromatherapy, massage, and so on. They have a son, Jack, and a dog.
Their property is very well-located and the front rooms overlook the Sound of Mull. The dining cum seating area is on the ground floor and is decorated very nicely.
I was given a room on the ground floor and it was really nice.
After settling in, we went down to the Main Road, where we reached the Mishdish for our dinner. I had a Hake dish and some scallops. The others had their own food. Unfortunately, despite my specific instructions not to serve any form of pork to me, the kitchen served us a black pudding inside our scallop dish. When I brought this to the notice of the waitress and it was determined that there had been a mix-up somewhere, I was offered a free drink and was not billed for the entire meal!
After dinner, we went back to our rooms. The walk was uphill this time, and we returned tired but happy. The first day of my trip had come to an end.
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