Scottish Countryside

Today was beautiful and sunny, so we ventured out from Edinburgh into the Scottish countryside.

The Scottish Wool Centre is about an hour away and does daily sheepdog demonstrations, so we drove to the town, Aberfoyle, first. We got there about 30 minutes early for the demonstration, so we wandered around the store first. Mom and Dad both bought nice Scottish wool sweaters, but I couldn't find one that I liked or that fit. Unfortunately, all the colours and patterns I really liked were men's sweaters, and the smallest size still fit like a sack. Instead, I ended up getting a raincoat because although I've been on this rainy island for 5 months, the only "rain gear" I own is an umbrella from Poundland, and even that can't withstand the slightest breeze (as I learned when the spokes on my first Poundland umbrella snapped like twigs in a gentle wind). I didn't really pack for the northern cold, so hopefully the raincoat will also keep me a bit insulated over the next couple days of travel.

Anyways, the sheepdog demo was fascinating, but on account of the demonstrator's thick Scottish accent, we really only understood the "pretty dog moves angry geese" part.


Just a note: the coughing in the video is NOT me. It was the girl next to me who was determined to infect me with her plague!


The sheep were pretty ridiculous creatures. They kept baaing, but it sounded more like an angry chain smoker.

Next, we took a scenic "Three Lochs Forest Drive", but there weren't any particularly breathtaking views and Dad sped through the whole thing. Perhaps the most interesting part of the drive was when we had to stop for a bunch of West Highland Cattle in the road.



We continued on to the Inchmahome Priory, perhaps one of the prettiest sights so far this trip. We had to take a 12-person ferry boat to the island where the priory ruins are located. The priory was active until the Reformation when the building was abandoned and fell into disrepair. It's really quite magical.



When we were back on the mainland, we were all pretty ravenous and immediately began searching for lunch. As it's a bank holiday, it took us a little while to find somewhere to eat, and I was in "attack wildlife" mode. Lunch was tasty, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I ordered a cheese starter, a local trout, and a side of mash. This is really the second time I've ordered fish in the UK, and as with the Whitebait, I was served the WHOLE fish!



Our lunch gave us the energy to continue on to visit Rob Roy's grave. I don't actually know who Rob Roy is. The best explaination my parents could provide was "Liam Neeson played him in the movie adaptation." The guidebook description didn't offer much enlightenment either... But it was on the way, so we stopped.



Within a few minutes, we were back on the road, and we took the long drive to pass Loch Lomond. Unfortunately, Dad had a bit of a headache and couldn't keep driving. We stopped at a rest stop so Dad could take a nap. Mom and I watched some young children playing in the water, which was Titanic-type cold. Unfortunately, the only photos I was able to get of the Loch were with my iPhone as my camera ate through two sets of batteries today.



When Dad recovered enough to drive, we got back on the road, but at this time, it was evening and all the bank holiday travelers were driving home and stopping traffic. Then, we got lost. It took 3hrs 15min, instead of 1hr 40min, to get back to Edinburgh.

In the past day or so, I've developed a strange tightness in my chest accompanied with a dry, itchy cough. Mom and I have a bet going about whether or not I'm catching a cold.

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Yesterday, I forgot to mention that I tried haggis. It wasn't so bad. Actually, it tasted kinda good. I also had black pudding (which I've had before), but this time, it was a bit harder to eat...