The Waverley in the Kyles of Bute

Lots of sunny sunshine all day long.

A day and a night away ...

We travelled West today using our usual route past Dundee and Perth, along to Crieff, then along to Comrie where, just for a change, we stopped at The Comrie Croft for tea and scones and to let Maeve the Deerhound stretch her legs. We carried on  to St Fillans, Loch Earn, Crainlarich, and Tyndrum.

A left turn (straight on would take you to Glencoe and Fort William) then along through Dalmally before turning left before Loch Awe for Inverary, then left and along Loch Fyne to the head of the loch and up the hill to turn right into Cowal to follow the other side of Loch Fyne by St Catherine's and Strachur then on to Glendaruel before finally turning off for Tighnabruaich and heading past the shinty pitch for Kames.

We came back round to Tighnabruaich after a while and it was very busy with a raft race being held by the lifeboat station, and the village full of visitors who had come ashore from The Waverley which was tied up at the pier. We noticed that the passengers were making their way back along the shore road to the ship, most of them eating ice cream cones on the way. We walked along towards the pier and got some pictures of The Waverley in the Kyles of Bute as it cast off and moved away from the pier to turn round and set off back round the top of Bute to sail down past Colintraive.

A very late lunch was had in the cafe which is near door to The Tighnabruaich Gallery. We spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening wandering with Maeve along to the boatyard at Rhubaan and then back the other way through the village. The Gallery has organised a competition for decorative scarecrows to be made and placed throughout the villages. There were a surprising number of them in gardens and in shop windows. Lots of people have joined in the fun and the entries are really very good.

Later we headed back to Glendaruel to our B&B, The Watermill.

DMC-LX7 f/3.2 1/2000 sec. ISO-80 12mm (35mm focal length 60mm)