Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Killin To Oban … Spectacular Scottish Scenery

Day Eighteen: It’s A Loch, Where’s The Red Deer?, Three Sisters, Massacre Monument, Kirks Galore, A Monty Python Moment, Wicked Burgers/Tuna Time, Picking The Right Day To Visit, Could You Check That Parking Lot Time Again?, A Tower Of Terror Drive, A Great View, In The Attic and Kebab At Baab

We had breakfast in the charming dining room of the Courie Inn.  The breakfast itself was kind of a letdown, but the server said the cook was leaving in another week.  The inn is a wonderful place to stay, and reviews say the dinner is great.  And, if you are interested in becoming a Scottish innkeeper, the Inn is for sale!. I had gone out early to take some photos, because we were greeted by blue skies.

We all took one last walk to the “Kim Bridge.”

We said goodbye to Killin …

… and it was time to head to Oban by taking a rather circuitous route via the Highlands.

Early in the day, Kim knew what it was like to travel with me as a kid, since I wanted to stop at any viewpoint or historical marker we could.   We popped across the Bridge of Orchy and made a quick stop at the Loch Tula Viewpoint.

A short drive later and we arrived at the Kingshouse Hotel where we had stopped in 2017.  There were great views of the Scottish countryside …

… and we were hoping to reacquaint ourselves with the strikingly beautiful red deer who roamed this area (photos from 2017).

            
 
The first thing we noticed was the hotel had gone through a major refurbishment, and moments later Tracy asked, “Where have all the red deer gone?” (I wonder why Peter, Paul and Mary didn’t sing that?) Sure enough, there were none in sight.

We inquired inside and were told that the government moved them because too many people were feeding them. Whether that fact is correct, there was no doubt they were nowhere to be seen.

We did snap some photos, but it wasn’t quite the same without those majestic deer.

Another lookout wasn’t far from the hotel. The Three Sisters (aka Bidean nam Bian) lookout on the A82 is a popular spot for motorists to take a break.

Today was no different.

Hills and waterfalls can be seen from the scenic viewpoint.

I had wanted to make a stop on the east end of Glencoe Village to see the MacDonald Memorial/Glencoe Massacre Monument. As we turned on the small road in the village, we knew we weren’t going to make hay on this drive. A giant truck filled with hay was having quite an ordeal making a tight turn. We almost turned around, but the truck “baled” us out by navigating the predicament perfectly.

In a few minutes we spied the monument on a small mound.

I went up to take a look (you should read about this event when you get a chance).

On the way out of this area is another monument honoring those locals who perished in World War I and World War II.

Looking at the clock in our car I was flabbergasted. I lamented, “My god! It’s nearly noon and we haven’t seen one church!” Luckily, there were a couple nearby on my list.

In a gorgeous part of Scotland lies (or lays) the tiny village (I guess village really denotes tiny) of Ballachulish, situated alongside Loch Levin where it flows into Loch Linnhe.  I think history in the U.K. would be easier than geography.

There we found St. John, The Scottish Episcopal Church and its burial grounds. Built in the early 1840s. We were told by a gentleman in the graveyard (yes, he was alive), that the church was closed due to one of the clergyman stealing something. We were not told what he took.

The setting was lovely. As is the nearby St. Bride’s Church, which I assumed was named because so many women get married here. This church was closed as well, and I started to get a complex. I felt like the Rodney Dangerfield of tourists.

I heard the church has lovely stained glass windows that we would never see. Maybe I should have titled this report “Scotland Closed For The Spring.”

In any event, the views out onto the loch as we started heading down toward Oban.

I knew there was a viewpoint up ahead to see Castle Stalker (Monty Python alert!).