Monday, February 18, 2013

Dunoon and Argyll Forest



This past Sunday I woke up super early after not getting much sleep to make the trek down to city center. There we met up with Gary (Student Tours Scotland), boarded the coach and headed off on our day trip to Dunoon and Argyll Forest. We were on the bus for about an hour before taking a bathroom break at a spot on Loch Lomond. We got off the bus and Becca proceeded to lay down immediately on a bench (she was suffering from motion sickess) and the good friend that I am caught the moment....Anyway during the stop we had some great opportunities to take pictures since the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. The sun was out and it was a relatively warm day. All I needed was a sweatshirt and I was comfortable.



It was so bright!!!

After boarding the coach again we headed off to Argyll Forest. It was about an hour drive through some gorgeous scenery on a very windy road. We passed one area deemed Rest and Be Thankful because it used to be a popular stopping point for those attempting to get through the "Scottish Alps". When we got to Argyll Forest we parked at the Botanical Garden Center and proceeded to start a 3 hour walk up a hill then down through Puck's Glenn. Along the way we hit a lookout point, heard some amazing faerie stories, and descended through the natural splendor that is Puck's Glen. The glen is well known for its association with faeries so the stories were abundant. Becca and I were even incorporated into one as best friends. Each of us had a son (played by boys on the trip) and of course mine was the one that turned out to be the weirdo. Thanks Gary....At the lookout point we got some absolutely stunning views of the surrounding mountains and then we descended into Puck's Glen. The actual walk was a bit precarious at times (p cubed for anyone that would get that reference). However the scenery was beyond anything I've seen. Everything was so green and there were waterfalls about every 20 feet or so and water was dripping off the huge rocks towering on either side of the path. It really did feel like we were transported into some faerie world. After emerging from the magical glen we meandered back to the bus and got some snacks from the visitor center before heading to the next stop.
My favorite waterfall from the walk




The next stop was Dunoon which unfortunately was pretty quiet since it was a Sunday but we got some unforgettable sights in. Since Becca and I brought our lunch and had already eaten we joined Gary for what was supposed to be a walk through the woods but unfortunately we ran out of time to do the whole thing. We did get to see some interesting parts of the town though and we probably annoyed some locals with our boisterous renditions of 90s music. We then met up with the rest of the group and headed to the ruins of Dunoon Castle which is situated on a big hill. The castle is now just some rocks on a hill but I enjoyed sitting and looking out at the water. Dunoon is situated right on the Atlantic so needless to say it is a gorgeous little town. We then boarded the bus again and took a 20 minute ferry ride back to the mainland (we were on a peninsula) and embarked on the hour long journey back to Glasgow.



 













On the trek back to our flats I managed to get a searing pain in what is supposed to be my good knee but I'm hitting the Advil to help that. Other than that slight hiccup it was a wonderful day. Long, but absolutely worth it.

3 comments:

  1. Super great. Keep the posts coming. I'm so glad that you are having a wonderful time. Love you.

    Papa

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